Political Quotes

“I rise to recognize The Waterville Hotel, a cherished institution in Waterville, Pennsylvania, as it marks two centuries of service to the Pine Creek Valley community. In 1825, Abraham Harris founded what was then known as the Harris Hotel, strategically positioned on Route 44 overlooking Little Pine Creek. It quickly became more than a simple roadside stop. It provided rest, refuge, and warmth for lumberjacks, hunters, fishermen, travelers, and politicians traversing our rugged Pennsylvania Wilds. As the logging and lumber industry flourished in the 19th century, so did the hotel's significance. It hosted community meetings, business affairs, social gatherings, and even served as a way station for elected officials, becoming an integral part of the region's political and civic fabric. Through wars, Prohibition, economic strangulation, and the decline of rail, The Waterville Hotel pressed on. Under the stewardship of generations, most notably under Jess and William Smith from 1933 to 1945, it reinvented itself, evolving along with its patrons and the purpose it served, the Pennsylvania Wilds.”