Of the inns that were established in Pottstown in Colonial times that survived until Civil War days, The Farmer's Hotel (fondly remembered by local residents as The Shuler House) proved to be the most enduring. Built in the 1700's, the inn's original name is lost in history. In 1826, Joshua Missimer, a new owner, named it The Farmer's Hotel. It served as a stagecoach stop until 1842 when the railroad arrived.
William Shuler, Jr. purchased the inn in 1874 for $25,000, changed the name to The Shuler House, tore down the century-old rear structure on the west end and built a more substantial edifice. After his death his wife and son completed the renovations that gave it much of its latter day appearance.
In 1920, a new group of owners, The Shuler House Hotel & Garage Co. enlarged the eastern end for The Cafe Gladwyn and converted the stables in the back to a garage for the motor company. In 1942, Stanley Chaplin bought the hotel, put in a circular bar and basically gutted and remodeled the interior. Chaplin operated The Hotel Shuler until 1949 when the Govatos family purchased it. They were the owners until it closed on March 29, 1975, when the Montgomery County Redevelopment Authority paid them $310,000 for the hotel. Efforts were made to prevent its demolition, but to no avail. The area remained a vacant lot until the establishment of the Smith Family Plaza on this site.
—David R. Kerns
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