As the summer months heated up in the late 19th century, residents of nearby cities often took extended vacations. Seeking out the cooler, fresh air of the countryside or the fresh breezes from the ocean or bay, they escaped the city’s heat during the sweltering months. Many towns on the Chesapeake Bay capitalized on this growing trend and Rising Sun was one of the places ready to host vacationers from Philadelphia, Chester, Wilmington or other nearby points in 1870.
After S. C. Konigmacher, an experienced hotelier, took over the management of Rising Sun’s hotel, the Maryland House, in 1870, he promoted it as a summer resort. An experienced innkeeper, he formerly managed the Ephrata Mountain Springs in Ephrata, PA, and the Seaview House in Atlantic City, NJ.
Koningmacher’s advertisement noted that the Maryland House was the most modern, attractive summer place between Philadelphia and Baltimore. In the “midst of a highly cultivated neighborhood — settled by followers of William Penn — the air was unsurpassed, there was pure water and good health, and the area was entirely free of mosquitoes,” the advertisement added.
Plenty of amusements awaited the seasonal visitor. Game and fish abounded, giving those wishing to engage in hunting or fishing opportunities. “Gilpin’s Falls, Octoraro Creek, and the Susquehanna River, “all celebrated for their romantic scenery” were in the immediate neighborhood. At the hotel, a fine shaded lawn was fitted up for outdoor exercise, and good band music frequently enlivened the place.
In 1872, a destructive fire quickly spread to the hotel and its stables, destroying the buildings. An urgent appeal for aid went out on the telegraph wires to Oxford requesting that the Union Fire Company load a steam engine on a special train and rush to Rising Sun. But the Oxford telegraph office was closed at that hour, so the fire department did not get the message until the next morning, according to the Oxford Press.
The summer resort, the second Maryland House, was destroyed by the blaze. A fire had also destroyed the first one, but another lodging facility would soon be built.
A handbill for the Maryland House in Rising Sun on the Philadelphia and Baltimore Central Railroad. First-class accommodations included warm and cold baths.
For additional photos on Rising Sun as a summer resort, see this album on Facebook.