About Emily's Bed and Breakfast

About Emily's

In 1869, Ario Pardee, the largest individual anthracite shipper in Pennsylvania, laid out the village of Lattimer, which was to be one of many coal towns populating throughout the area during this time. The small "patch town" consisted of two roads, Lower Street and Quality Row. Lower Street consisted of the general store, mule barns, machine repair shop and housing for the miners. Quality Row was a private road, off limits to the miners, were the mine bosses and superintendent resided.

(photo above: Emily, Rebecca and Catherine)

Augustus W. Drake, mine superintendent of the Lattimer Mines, was the first resident of Emily's. Ario Pardee built the home to assure Mr. Drake would be close to the mining operation. On September 10, 1897, an unfortunate incident occurred in Lattimer Mines. Oncoming miners, marching from the surrounding villages, came to Lattimer to call their fellow miners out on strike. They progressed peacefully, however an armed posse who took aim and fired into the crowd met them. At the termination of the gunfire, nineteen lay dead and thirty-nine seriously wounded. This incident historically became known as the "Lattimer Massacre". It has become a valuable key in the history of the development of the United Mine Workers.

As the years passed Emily's remained being owned by the Pardee family. It was rented to the Beringer and later, the Cook families. In the early Thirties, Pardee sold the building and grounds, along with the Lattimer Mines, to the Osler family. It is in these subsequent years that Emily's took on a transformation. Mrs. Osler made the outside porches into a sitting room and kitchen. She added oak wainscoting and hard wood flooring throughout the home. She also added two more rooms onto the existing home. . Mrs. Osler would not allow "coal dust" to soil her home A small structure, which still stands today, was erected to conduct Mr. Osler's mining business.

Her love of beautiful objects did not cease inside her home. She hired a gardener, Mr. Richard Schaffer, to tend to the gardens, ornamental trees and shrubs. Mr. Schaffer and his wife, Emily purchased the home from the Osler's in the late thirties. They raised their two daughters and shared the home with Emily's parents and siblings.

Emily's daughter Rebecca was the last occupant of the home prior to the transition into Emily's Bed and Breakfast.

Original Sundeck Rebecca playing under original grape arbor

Rebecca and Emily Early photo of Emily's Bed and Breakfast

Bonnie Beverly

Emily, Becky and Beverly Children on Sunporch

Emily, Mrs. Heller, Aunt and Beverly Beverly, Catherine, Becky and Friend