Lou’s View 6/24

By Lou Bernard

Out of all the thousands of people who have added to the character of Lock Haven over the years, Peter Meitzler would have to be one of the most notable. If you’re even remotely into the local history of this area, you’ve probably stumbled on Meitzler. He’s buried at the top of Highland Cemetery, where a statue of him stands, hand outstretched. Legend has it that he was once holding a beer mug, but an anti-alcohol group smashed it off.

Meitzler, a German immigrant, was living in South Carolina when the Civil War broke out. He discovered that he didn’t like being drafted into the South, so he defected to the North. After fighting both sides, he settled in Lock Haven, where he started a hotel. He attempted several other businesses, including a trolley line, and when that didn’t make a profit, he smashed the trains with an axe on Main Street. Peter Meitzler was what you might call “colorful.”

About ten years before his actual death, Meitzler attempted suicide because of the pain from his rheumatism. People heard the gunshot, found him, and he survived….And claimed it cured the rheumatism. (NOTE: I DO NOT ADVOCATE THIS.)

And according to an article I found, at one point, Peter Meitzler briefly became the head of his own fire department, as well.
I told you he was colorful.

The article comes from the Clinton Democrat, December 10, 1891. It references a piece that ran in the Williamsport Gazette and Bulletin, about a week before. It read,”On Thursday a fire alarm was struck in Lock Haven, but the team that pulls the steamer was nowhere to be found. The ‘bus’ belonging to Peter Meitzler, of the United States Hotel, came along and the team was pressed into service. Peter did not complain, but on the contrary, was pleased being able to render the required assistance.”

That actually sounds like Peter Meitzler, who has been described as something of a party animal. Anything for a little excitement; Meitzler drank as much of his own tavern supply as anyone else. So, the Democrat checked into it, and verified the article: There had been a local fire, and with nobody to haul the fire department’s steamer, Meitzler and his horses stepped in and filled the position.

The Democrat also lamented, with some resentment, how Williamsport was now sneering at Lock Haven, what with the fire department being unavailable, and the fire instead fought by the hard-drinking hotel owner.

The Clinton Democrat dug into it a bit, and figured out where the Lock Haven fire department was at the time. They ran a whole editorial about it.

“Now, the question is, where was the city team just when it was needed to haul the steamer to a fire?” they asked. “Why, it was over at Castanea, hauling stone! It is always at Castanea, or Allison Township somewhere, and the whole city might burn down before it could reach the locality of the engine house.”

This was a more reasonable position to take than it might seem. Back in 1891, for the most part, if you wanted heat and light, you were dependent on fire for it. In addition, while Castanea doesn’t seem much of a drive for us today, everything was traveled by foot or horse back then, so the average trip from Lock Haven to Castanea took about eleven weeks.

The newspaper suggested that rules be made as to how far out of town the fire department was allowed to operate, limiting the distance. They called upon city council to pass a resolution or something, adding a layer of protection for the city.

I’m not sure if city council ever did pass it, however—I couldn’t find any follow-up articles. So, we should probably be safe. In case you get a fire, before anything else, make sure you call the local hotel and tavern owner.