You Think You Know Gretna

by Meagan Cassel

[Originally published in the Winter 2026 issue of Mount Gretna Magazine. View the full issue to see this story in its designed layout, complete with additional images.]

Photo courtesy of Michelle Shay. A wintry view of the Heights.

Mount Gretna is fondly regarded as one small town nestled into the woods, flanked by forest, and accessed by only a few roads. It unites around one tiny post office and a handful of homey restaurants, and it bubbles to life amid the arts in the summertime.

Many would never guess that the town consists of seven “neighborhoods.” Admittedly, the idyllic Pennsylvania Chautauqua and Mount Gretna Campmeeting make up the “downtown” that visitors encounter first. But Gretna’s full story spreads out farther into the woods and further back in time.

Five additional areas are carved into the trees, some of whose origins predate the renowned tiny streets and Victorian cottages.

Timber Hills, Conewago Hill, Timberbridge, Mount Gretna Heights, and Stoberdale — essentially all residential areas — share many of the same appeals of living in Gretna as Chautauqua and Campmeeting. It’s the sense of seclusion blended with fresh air, access to the arts and recreation, and small-town services. But they generally also draw upon newer home styles, larger lots, and forested privacy. Each of them has a unique story to tell.

Timber Hills

Approximately 150 homes

South Londonderry Township, Palmyra Area School District

No corporation/homeowners association

Journey from the center of town up Timber Road to find a collection of homes mostly built around 50 years ago, combined with a series of apartments, Lake Conewago, and the Timbers Restaurant and Dinner Theatre. This location along the Lebanon Valley Rail Trail — and expansive field spaces — is no coincidence, for this span of land is where Gretna got its start.

In 1883, local iron magnate Robert Coleman was in search of a picnic grove along his Cornwall and Lebanon Railroad, and Gretna’s trees and stream were chosen as the ideal spot. In no time, the picnic grounds flourished into a bustling Mount Gretna Park. In fact, curious onlookers can still find remnants of the amusements, the grand fountain, and the railroad station adjacent to Timber Hills.

The 15-acre lake was created in 1885, the same year that Robert cleared 120 acres and welcomed the Pennsylvania National Guard to set up a complete military training encampment. It wasn’t until 1892 that Chautauqua and Campmeeting took shape.

Today’s paved streets originated as “company streets” lined with tents. The present oval-shaped Village Lane was once a quarter-mile race track for quarter horse racing and personal training, while “Soldiers Field” served as the parade grounds for reviews and band concerts. Today, several monuments serve as a reminder of the military’s more than 50-year tenure in Gretna, as do the bullets and soldiers’ buttons that residents have found on their properties.

In 1952, more than a decade after the encampment moved to its present location at Fort Indiantown Gap, the Timbers was built on the gentle rise that had once been the site of the National Guard headquarters. Over the next few decades, the neighborhood that developed on the small surrounding hills would adopt its name.

The reasons for this neighborhood’s appeal have not changed much through the years. Residents enjoy a bit more of a “suburban” yard for children to play and a little extra elbow room for gardens and sunshine — all while being near town.

“I don’t hear anything except the sounds of joy of the kids at the lake,” says Sarah Ellis, who moved to Timber Hills in 1983. “I love the woods and being a little bit separated from people right next door.”

Ralph Zimmerman, who has resided here since 2009, agrees. “It’s the best of both worlds for us. We can walk to the post office and do all the activities, but we have a sunny acre of land to enjoy from our deck,” he says.

Conewago Hill

15 homes

South Londonderry Township, Palmyra Area School District

Conewago Hill, Inc. established in 1950

Adjacent to Timber Hills, a quiet loop of houses occupies a steep rise alongside the lake. Once upon a time, though, it was home to the grand Hotel Conewago. Overlooking the town from 1909 to 1940, the elegant hotel was built at the height of Gretna’s tourism and military activity, then dismantled with the advent of the automobile and the Great Depression.

A decade later, the land began to take shape as a residential point, with several homes said to share a foundation with the basement level of the old hotel. Residents have noted finding other hotel remnants among the trees, including the stone staircase off Lakeview Drive.

An unusual concentration of log-style homes occupies Conewago Hill. Some say developer Samuel Light may have sought to preserve the very chestnut forests in which Gretna was born, after a blight nearly eradicated the species.

Jennifer Schlener-Thomas and her husband, Roy Thomas, specifically sought out that very log style. They moved to their home — the first built on Conewago Hill — in 2015, after 20 years in Campmeeting. “Roy and I had admired this particular log home for many years,” she reflects, “and the opportunity to buy it was the only thing that drew us away.”

Neighbor Jim Burchik is also a Gretna transplant; he lived in Timber Hills before moving to Conewago Hill in 2016. “I’ve had people say they never knew the houses were up here,” he says. “We’re kind of out of reach, but very close.”

Timberbridge

19 homes

South Londonderry Township, Palmyra Area School District

Timberbridge Homeowners Association, Inc. established in 1996

Rounding out the trio of neighborhoods on the “lakeside” of town is Timberbridge, the youngest addition to Gretna. It’s conveniently located along Route 117, yet nestled into the woods along Lebanon County State Game Lands. Originally plotted as a final phase of Timber Hills, builders later made it an independent development and named it for the bridge spanning Conewago Creek. Its timber material rumbles under crossing tires.

While homes in Timberbridge are newer, the surrounding forest is far from it, offering stately mature trees and multiple access points to nature trails. In fact, many residents trek a network of trails directly across Route 117 that harbor a nod to Gretna’s past. They once intertwined with the scenic Mount Gretna Narrow Gauge Railroad that Robert Coleman built in 1889, winding from the old train station, around the lake, and up to the top of Governor Dick Hill.

Jared Rodriguez, Timberbridge’s newest resident, grew up in Conewago Hill and returned to town with his family last year. “The main reason we moved back to Gretna was because I envision my daughter growing up here,” he says. “Timberbridge was on our radar since we started looking a couple of years ago. I really liked how it was within walking distance to the lake but simultaneously reclusive.”

These scenic blessings are shared among Timberbridge, Conewago Hill, and Timber Hills, all at once a peaceful perk and a frustrating nuisance. Deer meander from the Game Lands and through the woods that connect the neighborhoods, feasting on landscaping along the way. And so it goes with Mother Nature’s other gifts that become burdens for the homeowners to bear, like fallen trees and mounds of leaves, without a pickup service. More sunshine peeking through often means more grass to mow, too.

Residents here love it anyway. So much, in fact, that many in these three neighborhoods choose to purchase a post office box rather than install a mailbox so their mailing address can tout Mount Gretna. Otherwise, the provided truck service would result in a Lebanon address. Not to mention, as Jennifer references, “Frequenting the post office is such a part of Gretna culture!”

Mount Gretna Heights (The Heights)

72 homes

West Cornwall Township, Cornwall Lebanon School District

Mt. Gretna Heights, Inc. established in 1931

On the opposite end of town, adjacent to Campmeeting, is a quiet residential haven bordered by the beauty of Clarence Schock Memorial Park at Governor Dick. Its homes are formed in a wooded grid of streets named by numbers and trees, gently rising up the hill. Today, Mount Gretna Heights (“The Heights”) is a peaceful retreat, but its beginnings boasted a lively resort and commercial complex dubbed “The Willows.”

Photo by Shannon Fretz Photography. The Mount Gretna Hide-a-way Restaurant Tavern and Deck is known by locals as simply the Hide-a-way.

Beginning in 1907, aspiring entrepreneur Abraham Kauffman constructed the Kauffman Hotel, a general store and ice cream parlor, an ice house, a dance hall, and a movie theater. These attractions occupied the area around the current Mount Gretna Hide-a-way Restaurant Tavern and Deck parking lot and were a popular spot for Campmeeting attendees seeking entertainment.

Kauffman also developed an adjacent amusement park and million-gallon swimming pool, plus lots up the hill from The Willows. He also designed and built many homes that still stand today. The small summer colony — chartered initially as Kauffman Heights — grew as residents built large year-round cottages. While the attractions fell by the wayside over the years, Kauffman’s original homestead remained. It has served several functions, including the Mount Gretna Inn.

The neighborhood is also known for its cozy Heights Community Building and playground, a tucked-away fishing spot called Frog Pond, and the signature wooden flamingos that have been adorning properties since Max Hunsicker started the tradition in 1991.

“[The Heights] is perfect for us,” says Deena Golgowski, who moved to Gretna in 2020. “Close, friendly neighbors, but enough room for our family of seven. It’s still an easy walk or bike ride to any attraction in Gretna, so although we may be out of the hustle and bustle during the season, we are still able to head down in a few minutes to be a part of it. Being surrounded by beautiful nature and kind people has given us the peaceful home of our dreams.”

Stoberdale

22 homes

West Cornwall Township, Cornwall Lebanon School District

No corporation/homeowners association

Down the hill from The Heights is an eclectic blend of homes known as Stoberdale, where, like its neighbor, some roads and yards seem to meld right into Governor Dick.

Stoberdale is commonly mistaken for Stoverdale, a United Brethren Campmeeting location near Hummelstown, from which members departed to begin Gretna’s Campmeeting. But its name actually derives from Jack Stober, who established Stoberdale in 1930 and made it the only Gretna neighborhood to be named for its founder.

Stober purchased a section of the former Willows to build entertainment and homes for family and friends. His dream was realized via the Stober House Restaurant, now known as the Hide-a-way.

The popular deck and its live music aren’t a bother to Jeff Spangler and his wife, Claire de Boer, who moved to Gretna in 2018. Instead, they take it in from their backyard oasis, and their dog, Milo, howls along to the neighboring Mount Gretna Community Volunteer Fire Department sirens.

“We don’t have any [homeowners association] rules, which is kind of my favorite thing,” Jeff says, referencing the ability to have a fire pit anchoring his outdoor patio, plus the lack of noise ordinances that govern Campmeeting and Chautauqua. “We’re affectionately known as the land of the free. We’re connected, but a half step removed.”

Jeff acknowledges related drawbacks, such as multiple trash services in the absence of an HOA, but it’s not enough to deter his crew of outdoor enthusiasts. They enjoy Stoberdale’s easy access to hiking, biking, and trail running, as well as its small-town feel. “It’s a smaller neighborhood; you get to know each other better. And there are trees, but also open sky,” he says.

Seven Neighborhoods, One Town

In the end, privacy prevails as a unifying value among these residents — privacy, that is, in combination with proximity to their Chautauqua and Campmeeting neighbors. Collectively, they form a town sometimes challenged by its invisible lines: three municipalities, two school districts, numerous

property associations, and countless arts organizations.

But visible connections are reminders of the town’s unity, nonetheless. They include a beautiful new lit path and bridge linking Soldiers Field to downtown. One also sees these connections in the Mount Gretna Borough maintenance team clearing snow from many non-Chautauqua streets and witnesses the new friendships made over flower stands, library books, and mountain bikes. These connections are also shared through this magazine, passed from hand to hand among neighbors and visitors alike, expressly created to share the charm of the full community.

Meagan Cassel is a digital marketer, namely in the travel and tourism industry. She and her family have been proud residents of Mount Gretna’s Timberbridge neighborhood since 2012, yet she enjoys exploring the entire town and telling its stories.