Welcome, hungry traveler, to the Victoria House! Since 1997 we've been offering up some of the most unique regional fare in the Susquehanna Valley, using fresh, locally grown herbs, meat and produce, continuing in the long tradition of excellence in Northern American cuisine. If it's summer, you might find us serving a wonderfully chilled strawberry soup, blended from sun-ripened local berries. If it's autumn, perhaps a good cup of mulled cider would suit your fancy, pressed from apples grown in the groves north of town.

Whatever the season, whatever your palette, Victoria House is here to remind you of the delectable bounties of Central Pennsylvania and the remarkable ways in which they accent the international flavor of fine cuisine. In May of 1829 a man by the name of Conrad Grief obtained the property now known as Victoria House by "Orphan's Court" decree from the Reverend Thomas Hood. Local legend holds that the property was set aside by Pennsylvania's state founder William Penn, in order to provide for orphans of the Susquehanna community.

Although no record of Conrad Grief is found today in the history books here in Union County, Reverend Hood was a well-known resident of the area. The Annals of Buffalo Valley tell us that the good Reverend was ordained in 1805, and in the same year taught at a log cabin school in Kelly Point, just a few miles northwest of Victoria House, instructing the sons of the more prominent families of the area in the Greek and Latin classics of Western thought. He was later the leader of the Buffalo Presbyterian Church in Buffalo Crossroads, the oldest church in Union County, and was a co-founder of the Susquehanna Bible School, located north on the river in Milton.

A fellow named John Hartman next owned the property, acquiring it in September of 1842. When the Civil war broke out in 1861, Mr. Hartman enlisted, along with many other fine sons of the Commonwealth, joining The Slifer Guards, a local unit named for local entrepreneur and Congressman Eli Slifer. These same guards would soon become company D, 34th Regiment, Fifth Pennsylvania Reserves of the Army of the Potomac, fighting in some of the war's fiercest battles-The Second Battle of the Bull Run, Antietam Gettysburg, where the Guards defended their home state for three of the longest days in American history, looking out over the wheat fields and the peach orchards from their post on Big Round Top.

They, along with so many others, kept our small Victorian town safe, quiet and beautifully peaceful. One of the next two owners, Isaac High or Elias Frederick, built the foundations of Victoria House, as The Historic Preservation Plan of the Union County Historical Society states that the house was built in the 1860's. Isaac High owned the property from 1859 until 1865, when Elias Frederick assumed ownership, living out his remaining years in the slow, quiet period of Reconstruction. The railroad came to Lewisburg in 1869, giving rise the "Tight Enders" as they were known, men who did business in both Lewisburg and Mifflinburg, nine miles to the west, passing by the site of Victoria House by rail each day on their travels.

Mr. Frederick must have surely also seen the amazing Lewisburg Fourth of July celebration of 1885, when twenty-five thousand people descended on this sleepy river town to watch parades and fireworks, listen to brassy Marine bands and marvel at the beautiful bunting and bounty of arches of flowers following one another down Market Street (which we know today as Route 45) toward the Susquehanna. Two brothers, Charles and John McCall, next acquired the property on April 9, 1919, and in 1925 saw Bucknell's rolling campus overrun by a crazy new game called "football", much to the detriment of the university's local reputation. We thought, at the time, that tossing around the old pigskin was just a passing fad. The brothers McCall were loggers and amassed a considerable fortune in their business dealings. McCall's Dam, in the western part of Union County, was named for the McCall family, who are relatives of many of the current owners, the Byerly family, friends and guests.

Robert and Ruth Parker next owned the house and property, residing here from November of 1937 until 1972. Mr. Parker was the president of the Lewisburg Chair Company, which later came to be known as Pennsylvania House, Inc. He assured his position in 1933, after a period of collapse for the company, and helped to rebuild it into a thriving furniture business and economic boost to Lewisburg and the surrounding burgs and towns. The Parkers were a well-respected family in the Lewisburg and Buffalo Valley communities and made many generous donations to the local Beaver Memorial Library.

The later decades of the 20th century saw several owners of Victoria House, including Hollis Ross, Jimmy Walker and Arlene Belles. In July 1986, Donna Ward bought the property and opened an antique shop and small tearoom, serving unique sandwiches and soups. Fannie Mast, our protégé', was the chef at that time and still remains a vital part of out team today. Dr. Don Byerly and his wife, Mary, now own our restaurant, which opened for business on December 22, 1997.

The Byerly's, along with their sons, also own and operate Byerly Brothers' Meats, a family business begun in 1923, with locations in Milton and Lewisburg. Mary Byerly Gajda, their daughter, is our House Manager-she's very friendly and will probably be stopping by your table about now to say hello…and of course Philip Gajda, her husband, is our Executive chef; he'll soon be your tasteful acquaintance as well!