The original Tavern, Zum Anker Inn, was established circa 1764; in 1756, the Moravian town of Lititz was born. Zum Anker (which means “the sign of the anchor” in German) became the Lititz Springs Hotel, named for the famed springs in the heart of the town, and then it became the General Sutter Inn in 1930, named after John Augustus Sutter (who apparently was never really a general, but just must have thought highly of himself, explains general manager Ninette Petrasch). A California gold rush pioneer with German roots, Sutter travelled to Washington, DC, to fight for his fortune and settled in Lititz after a series of misfortunes (including thievery, squatters and finally fire) destroyed his home and agricultural empire on the West coast. In 1880, he died and was buried in Moravian Brotherhood’s Cemetery in Lititz, two days after Congress adjourned having passed a bill that would have reinstated $50,000 of his fortune.
The historic General Sutter Inn today serves as an anchor of the town at the corner of Lititz Pike, which leads in and out of Lititz, and the Main Street, filled with unique shops and cafes. With 16 rooms for lodging, each filled with different antique furnishings, the hotel draws guests from near and far who come to enjoy life in this charming town. The restaurant’s main dining room, a sun porch of sorts decorated with colorful stained glass transoms, offers not a bad seat in the house, as natural light pours in from outside where a beautiful brick patio offers seasonal seating and shoppers pass by on the bustling sidewalk.