It is somehow appropriate that a train station is Lititz's welcome center.
Centrally located and historically accurate, the welcome center is often the first thing visitors to Lititz encounter, not unlike they did at the train station 140 years ago. Boy, talk about making a good first impression and putting your best foot forward.
Located at 28 N. Broad St. at the mouth of Lititz Springs Park and in the heart of the downtown business district, the welcome center is housed in a seven-eighths replica of the original 1884 Lititz Passenger Depot and Express Station. Not only does it mirror the borough's unique history, but the train station also accentuates the importance that the railroad played in Lititz's social and commercial development.
"I think it's very appropriate, with Lititz having so much pride in its history," said Ann Bowden, the Lititz Welcome Center's coordinator. "A lot of people think it's an original station, and there are still some original artifacts there. I wish the original station was still there. But it's the next-best thing."
The current train station was dedicated in May 1999 at the same spot that the original red brick passenger depot was first opened in December of 1884, some 20 years after the Reading and Columbia Railroad began servicing Lititz. The original train station was demolished in 1957, and the spot sat vacant for more than 40 years.
"The reason they tore it down was that the passenger service on the Reading-to-Columbia line went bankrupt," said Bowden. "When they stopped the passenger service, there was no need for a train station. At some point, someone came up with the idea to rebuild a replica train station."
The original Victorian Gothic passenger depot was designed by Frank Furness of Philadelphia. During its peak, six passenger trains each day made stops in Lititz, and the railroad helped support the heavy industry that arrived in Lititz around the turn of the 19th century.
"It was a passenger line between Columbia and Reading, but I'm guessing there may have been freight service as well," said Bowden. "I'm sure that's how a lot of the goods and materials made in Lititz were moved to the rest of the world."
Today, about 15,000 people each year visit the train station/welcome center, coming from every state in America and from countries around the world. The Lititz Welcome Center, which is open Mondays through Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., offers visitor guides, maps that include local attractions, brochures and general information about Lititz and its surrounding areas.
"I love it," said Bowden. "I get to work with 19 amazing volunteers who are as enthusiastic about Lititz as I am. I just love the people. I just love this team."
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