Downtown Meyersdale
History and Heritage Days
a Success

MEYERSDALE -- On Memorial Day Weekend, May 30 and 31, 2004, the Historic Colonial Hotel hosted the first ever Downtown Meyersdale History and Heritage Days. The event, which celebrated the history and considered the future of Meyersdale’s downtown, was an unqualified success.

Approximately 130 people attended the two-day event, which consisted of an open house at the hotel and architecture walking tours around downtown. Exhibitors at the open house included Meyersdale Renaissance, Inc.; Meyersdale Chamber of Commerce; Meyersdale Area Historical Society; Pennsylvania Maple Festival; Meyersdale Public Library and Genealogy Center; The New Republic Newspaper; and the Historic Colonial Hotel. Another display highlighted the history of Maple Queen coronation ceremonies hosted at the New Colonial Hotel from 1948 through the 1950s. The east parlor became a movie theater for the weekend, screening a double feature of 1937 film clips of Meyersdale and a new documentary on the history of Meyersdale Medical Center.

Attendees brought in more than 110 photographs, documents, and other historic ephemera. These items were scanned or photographed and will be donated to Meyersdale Public Library and Genealogy Center. Moreover, many visitors provided their memories of the hotel to the building’s owners, Cheria Yost and Adam Thomas. These memories will be used to create a history of the Colonial Hotel and provide information for detailed rehabilitation plans.

Architecture tours highlighted the history and stylistic features of historic homes, churches, and commercial structures on Meyers Avenue, Main Street, and Center Street. Approximately 40 people took part in the five, 50-minute tours led by architectural historian Adam Thomas.

(c) 2005 Historic Colonial Hotel, L.L.C.