The Cameron Estate Inn is celebrating 30 years as an Inn this year, but its history goes back much further. In 1805, when Dr. John Watson built his mansion, it was the largest brick home on the Western frontier at the time, explains owner John Jarboe, who along with Randy Wagner bought the property in 2002.
The inn’s namesake, Simon Cameron, was President Lincoln’s secretary of war and a four-time US senator. Cameron, who “made a massive fortune in his lifetime (equivalent to Bill Gates of his time),” notes Jarboe, used the estate as one of five summer homes.
A Select Registry Inn on the National Registry of Historic Places, The Cameron Estate Inn features 17 lavishly furnished rooms appointed with accurate antiques and is a popular destination for weddings.
The inn’s restaurant not only serves breakfast to the bed and breakfast’s guests, but is open to the public for dinner, with popular dishes like honey lavender game hen, slow roasted duckling and petite filet with
crab cake. “Our preference is to have a seasonal menu,” says Jarboe. But they stick to the classics when it comes to cuisine. “Even though everyone wants to do something new and novel, there’s something to consistency.” Jarboe’s family recipe for English apple pancakes is worth the stay for certain at this inn conveniently l
ocated a scenic country drive between Harrisburg, Hershey and Lancaster.
The Cameron Estate Inn and Restaurant will host Thanksgiving Day dinner with all the fixings from turkey to seafood, bread pudding and pie. Or enjoy a holiday house tour and lunch buffet December 7.
