Then And Now

At 13-15 East Main Street, the Hummel Property was the home of Joseph Hummel and Elizabeth Leebrich, both from Hummelstown, with Joseph the grandson of founder Frederick Hummel. They moved into the house in 1817 just after their marriage and operated a store in the eastern half until Joseph's death in 1852. Also known as the Mansion House, it later housed the post office, run there by daughters Carrie and Annie Hummel from 1877 to 1885. Elizabeth died in 1890, and the Hummel heirs sold the property in 1927. A drugstore occupied the western part of the first floor in 1895, and by 1945 the building had been converted to two residences. The two-and-one-half-story limestone house is typically Georgian, with a central hall plan, chimney gable ends, and a five-bay facade. Its shop window and door were later modifications, probably during an 1890 remodeling that added a large front dormer, since removed, ornate Victorian trim, running water, and heat. A two-story stone carriage house or stable at the rear is said to date to 1790, and the property is considered one of Hummelstown's finest examples of 19th-century stone architecture. At 2 East Main Street, the Bowser Property on the Square is noted as the birthplace of Elizabeth Leebrich. It served as an inn, cabinet shop, furniture store, and Karmany's Store, and since 1934 has housed Bowser's Furniture and a funeral home. This two-and-one-half-story Georgian stone building has undergone many changes; its present Formstone exterior covers earlier alterations, including a storefront window and door, while the eastern portion appears to be frame, and rear additions include an early two-story stone addition on the west facade. Despite these changes, it retains its stately Georgian form and roof shape. At 9 East Main Street, Hauer's Department Store occupied a building whose original one-story store stood next to the expanded structure. The visible three-story building was erected by Fred Blessing in the late 1890s for his store and residence, and later modifications combined the buildings into a single structure for Hauer's Department Store, which closed in 1972 after a long presence in Hummelstown.

Hummelstown, Pennsylvania · United States