The original house was built by
Jacob Hoblitzel on land that was a grant to Colonel William
Lamar after the Revolutionary War. Jacob Hoblitzel died
shortly after building the home, and Colonel William Lamar
then moved into it. Colonel Lamar died in the late 1830’s
(either late 1837 or early in 1838).
The building was also used as a
field hospital during the Battle of Folck’s Mill, August 1st
and 2nd, 1864. Sketches & etchings by the soldiers who were
patients during that period can still be seen in the attic
(open to the public).
August 1, 1864, American history was
in the making right at the front door of what is now Puccini
Restaurant. The Battle of Folck’s Mill, Maryland’s
westernmost Civil War battle, was fought practically outside
its doors. After burning Chambersburg, PA on July 30, 1864,
Confederate Generals John McCausland and Bradley T. Johnson
ordered their troops to march toward Cumberland, MD. Their
plans were to disrupt the B&O Railroad and demand a ransom
from the town. They arrived at Folck’s Mill around three in
the afternoon on August 1st where they were met by Union
Brigadier General Benjamin F. Kelly and three divisions of
untested “100-days” troops with six pieces of artillery. The
battle was over within five hours and the Confederates were
on the retreat towards West Virginia. The battle was called
Folck’s Mill after John Folck’s family. Mr. Folck owned a
grist mill, a saw mill and a copper shop. Directly across
from Folck’s Mill was the home of George Hinkle, a farmer.
After the battle, Hinkle’s home served as a temporary
hospital for wounded soldiers, both Union and Confederate;
It is now home to Puccini Restaurant.
After the Civil War the building fell
into bad times. Sometime during the 1930’s and early ’40’s
it was used as a distribution center for printed material by
a religious group. In the late 1940’s George Fey purchased
the property and made extensive changes. He demolished all
of the outside buildings, including the barn, slave quarters
and sheds. He changed the entrance location (which was
facing Baltimore Pike, now Rt. 144) to face what is now
Interstate 68, and he turned it into a beautiful home.
In 1955 George Fey added the
present motels and named it “Colonial Manor Motor Lodge.” He
and his wife conducted a successful motel operation for a
number of years. After their death, their son Phil converted
the basement into a bar which is the basic atmosphere that
is still there today. Phil sold to the Gigliotti family in
the late 1970’s and they converted the main floor into an
Italian Restaurant, “L’Osteria”. They operated the motel and
restaurant until 1997 when it was purchased by Ed Mason and
he opend Uncle Tuckers. Finally in 2006, Puccini Restaurant
was opened.
There are four rooms in the main
dining level featuring artwork from local artists. Toscana
and Calabria (both rooms are on the right when entering
through the front door) have beautiful stained glass windows
from the old St. Peter & Paul’s Monastery (demolished in the
late 1900’s)
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