Cashtown, Pennsylvania - “We've had nine runners. Sometimes keys are left hanging on the door,” said Jack Paladino, owner of the Cashtown Inn in Cashtown, Pennsylvania.
A “runner” is a guest who flees in the dead of night frightened by ghostly encounters. During the battle of Gettysburg, the inn was the headquarters of Confederate Gen. A.P. Hill and later served as a makeshift battlefield hospital.
Apparently, some of those Confederates never checked out of the hotel.
Cashtown is in Adams County, the heart of Pennsylvania apple country. My wife, Carol, and I are novices to hard cider, and we travelled there during the height of the apple harvest to expand our palates. On our first night we stayed at the Cashtown Inn, noted for its resident spirits.
Jack and his wife, Maria, don't play up the ghost angle; they seem more genuinely proud of the historical connection. After all, the inn has been around since 1797. Yet after nine years as innkeepers they have experienced strange things: a disembodied voice saying hello repeatedly; a presence walking through the hallway; something tugging on an employee's leg in the early hours of the morning.
They have learned to live with it.
“We respect the ghosts, and they respect us,” Maria said.
I asked whether our room was haunted. It does have a lot of “activity,” she admitted. Is that a good thing, I wondered aloud?
“You tell me - after you spend the night,” she said.
Before retiring that evening, Carol and I drove over towards Biglerville to sample the ciders at the Hauser Estate Winery's hilltop tasting room. Along the way, the signs of a bumper apple harvest were everywhere: acre upon acre of apple trees laden with fruit, stretching down into valleys and up the sides of the low mountains. Hauser's produces many wines from its vineyards, but like several Adams establishments, it produces several ciders as well.
Not knowing where to start, we sampled several complimentary ciders at the bar under the guidance of Lara Kish, a tasting/brewing associate at the winery, who poured samples ranging from dry to sweet. I ordered a pint of Conewago, a dry, smooth and refreshing cider with a strong apple taste. Carol chose a Dry Hop, hoppy and citrusy, like India Pale Ale. We took our ciders to the patio and enjoyed the spectacular view of the valley below.
Back at the Cashtown Inn we were ready to face whatever the night brought.
My first mistake was reading the room's guestbook. One entry, in a childish scrawl, read: Weve (sic) head [heard] noies [noises] last night and in the morning you do not want this room.” Did a childish hand - or a frightened one - write it?
As it turned out, we didn't do a runner. I slept soundly, although Carol said that she heard what sounded like furniture moving in the wee hours.
At breakfast, I asked fellow guest Michelle Conwell of Millbrook, Ala., whether she had seen or heard anything.
“It's been a bit eerie ... I heard some walking,” she said. “I just kept my eyes closed.”
Later, we drove to tiny Gardners to visit the Big Hill Ciderworks, a small cidery that has been in operation since 2013, to continue our cider education. Co-owner Ben Kishbaugh said it has been a good year for apples, and the market for hard cider has been steadily increasing, partly fuelled by the popularity of the microbrewing industry.
“We are experiencing a hard-cider renaissance,” he said.
Kishbaugh explained that the alcohol content in hard cider is determined during the fermentation process. Cider can be bittersweet, sweet, bitter-sharp or sharp, he said. It's a question of tannins and acidity in the apples. Big Hill leans toward unusual varieties of apples more common in Europe, aiming for a dry, bitter-sharp and bittersweet profile.
We saw the apple press in the cider barn where liquid oozes from pressing mashed apples. Later, we walked through the orchards, where Greening and Winchester apples were ready to be picked, bunches of the fruit bending the trees downward, some already in crates.
It is hard to escape the influence of the Battle of Gettysburg in Adams, and one of the Big Hill labels is Little Round Hop, a reference to the site of the battle's turning point. Because Big Hill doesn't have a tasting room yet, we drove to nearby Boiling Springs to sample some at the Boiling Springs Tavern. This dry cider flavoured with Cascade, Columbia and Centennial hops, and a hint of lemongrass, was perfect over lunch.
Our last cidery visit was to Reid's Orchard and Winery in Orrtanna. Andi Amin, special events and sales coordinator, said that a lot of Gettysburg tourists come to the orchard after touring the battlefield, looking for something else to do. “They get the lay of the land with the battlefield and then branch out for other things.”
Reid's has a tasting room at the orchard in a small metal barn filled with large tanks. One of the more interesting samples was Pippin Ice, a very sweet high-alcohol brew ideal as a dessert cider. We also tasted Black Bear, with a dry smoky flavour, and a sweet peach cider.
Reid's offers entertainment on weekends on its patio overlooking the lovely Buchanan Valley. Jess Peters, 52, from nearby Mechanicsburg, came in for the show that day; Reid's was hosting a local singer/songwriter. He also came for cider. “Sitting at a concert, it's nice to have a pitcher of cider.”
And who can argue with that?
IF YOU GO:
Where to stay
Cashtown Inn
1325 Old Rt. 30, Cashtown
717-334-9722
www.cashtowninn.com
Historic B&B near Gettysburg. Full bar and excellent dining room. Great for history buffs and those with an interest in the paranormal. Rooms from $145 (about R1 500).
James Gettys Hotel
27 Chambersburg St., Gettysburg
717-337-1334
www.jamesgettyshotel.com
Small boutique hotel downtown offering 12 suites. Continental breakfast basket served in room. From $160.
Where to eat
Cashtown Inn
1325 Old Rt. 30, Cashtown
717-334-9722
www.cashtowninn.com
New American cuisine featuring local ingredients and local wines. Entrees from $20.
The Garryowen Irish Pub
126 Chambersburg St., Gettysburg
717-337-2719
www.garryowenirishpub.net
Lively Irish-owned pub. Crowded. Serves pub fare and Irish dishes.Entrees from $10; Pub fare from $9. Extensive whiskey selection.
The Fairfield Inn
15 West Main St., Fairfield
717-642-5410
www.thefairfieldinn.com
Historic tavern and B&B, open for dinner only on Friday and Saturday. Dates from 1757.
Dining-room entrees from $18; specialty is traditional chicken and biscuits. Tavern entrees from $8.
What to do
Hauser Estate Winery
The Tasting Room and Winery
410 Cashtown Rd., Biglerville
717-334-4888
www.hauserestate.com
Open Monday-Saturday 11 a.m.- 6 p.m. and Sunday noon- 5 p.m. Wine tastings held every day from 11 a.m. until 30 minutes before closing.
Big Hill Ciderworks
1365 Gablers Rd., Gardners
717-836-0062
www.bighillcider.com
Big Hill has no tasting room, so to see the orchard or the ciderworks, call ahead or visit their website. Groups preferred.
Reid's Orchard and Winery
Home Winery Tasting Room
2135 Buchanan Valley Rd., Orrtanna
717-677-7047
www.reidsorchardwinery.com
Complimentary wine and cider tastings Saturday and Sunday noon-6 p.m.
Information
www.destinationgettysburg.com/things-to-do/explore-adams-county.asp
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