Business: The Farnsworth House Inn Location: 401 Baltimore St., Gettysburg, Pa Owners: Loring and Jean Shultz Years in Business: 45 Number of Employees: In Season: 75-85 Off Season: 20-25 Sector of Business in the Community: Lodging/Attraction/Dining
The Farnsworth House Inn has just about anything a visitor could want in one place: restaurants, tours, entertainment and lodging. “It really is a one-stop shop,” said Sarah Dull, Director of Group Sales and Marketing. “And if we can’t offer it here, we point them in the right direction.” The Farnsworth House was said to have been built in 1810 but the exact date is unknown. Before current owners Loring and Jean Shultz bought the property in 1972, it had already been an inn. After purchasing, the Shultz’s added the lodging building and restaurant. In the following years, the building next door was purchased and the gift shop, patio and tavern were added and have since expanded. The inn now features a beer garden with live entertainment. The Shultz’s love of history and the town of Gettysburg is the driving force behind the Farnsworth House Inn. “They want to get [the inn] back to its Civil War roots. It’s their passion,” said Dull. Setting itself apart, the Farnsworth House Inn “maintains the history to a level not a lot of other places do,” according to Dull. “They keep it old; it’s truly authentic.” The menu at Sweney’s Tavern is also something Dull believes makes the Farnsworth House Inn stand out. “The style of it is different. There’s Civil War-inspired dishes like game pies, but there’s also family friendly options,” she said. Running these different areas of business all under one umbrella means there’s always something going on. “The bed and breakfast aspect of it is fun. There’s so many different facets of it, check-in to check-out, breakfast, it all has to be top notch,” said Dull. Food service at the Farnsworth House Inn has the “craziest aspects,” according to Dull. “You have to keep track of staffing and ordering, but it’s the most rewarding part because there’s instant gratification when people tell you how great it was and walk away satisfied.” The Farnsworth House Inn offers a handful of attractions. There are two tours, a ghost tour and a house/history tour. “The ghost tours tend to be subjective and interpretive depending on the guests. There are people who are really into it and others who are not, they love it or hate it. It’s quite a niche group,” she said. In addition to the tour is the new Civil War camp and farmstead. Dull said, “That’s Mr. Shultz’s baby, just one year ago that was a grass lot.” Now the lot features an authentic Civil War camp that hosts multiple interactive programs and dinners. One of the most satisfying aspects of working in the tourism industry in Adams County for Dull is the visitor experience. “We have regular visitors. There’s this guy and his wife who come here three or four times per year from Virginia. They love Gettysburg. Getting the feedback from guests like that and the faithful returning guests makes it all worthwhile,” she said. “We take the extra steps and to have someone realize what and why we do what we do is great.”
