The Sterling Inn began its life as a farmhouse, built in 1855 by Benjamin Beech. Later on, it was purchased by Elonzo T. Dunning who began to rent out the front rooms to wayside travelers. This proved to be incredibly profitable, and in 1910, it officially became known as "The Sterling". A large three story addition was added on to the original farmhouse structure, complete with a dining room, "Exchange Room" and two floors of guest rooms. The Sterling continued as a sleepy wayside inn, until it was purchased in 1933 by Mrs. Alice Julian. Under Alice's ownership, she continued to expand the Inn, adding additions in 1939, 1944, 1950, and 1955. Additionally, Alice expanded the property by purchasing neighboring Inns and hotels. In 1949, she purchased Fern Dell, which gave her an additional three buildings and almost 60 additional acres. In 1969, she purchased the former "Lancaster" adding more acreage, as well as another large three story building, and 2 more smaller buildings. By the time she passed in the mid 70s, Alice had grown Sterling from just a sleepy roadside inn, to a bustling 103 acre resort, featuring 11 buildings and 50+ rooms. 

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Alice's daughter and son-in-law Carmen & Henry Arneberg inherited the property, and ran it for several more years, eventually selling it to Ron & Mary Kay Logan. Under the Logan ownership, an indoor-outdoor pool was added to the Main Inn in 1996, numerous updates were made, and 5 cottages were added behind the former "Lancaster".

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The Logan Family sold the Sterling Inn in 2008, to the Shah family who ran it for a number of years, but unfortunately the renowned resort closed in 2012.

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Sterling Today

 

Today, the Sterling Inn retains much of its original character, and is a time capsule of days gone by. The Eastern Pennsylvania Preservation Society (EPPS) became involved with the preservation of the property in mid 2021, and spent countless hours cleaning up the property, installing a robust security system, and marketing the property to prospective buyers and investors. Today, EPPS maintains a presence on the property regularly doing upkeep, repairs, and maintenance on the 16 buildings while looking for a new owner or investor to come along and really bring the property back into the modern day.  This year, EPPS hopes to offer limited history tours to the general public, and finish the National Registry of Historic Places application for the 103 acre property. 

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Please keep in mind the property is under 24hr security camera monitoring, and an armed caretaker lives on the grounds. Please do not trespass.