Gochnauer's Home Appliance closed at the end of February 2026 after 78 years on East Petersburg's Main Street, and its building sold at auction in April. Down the road, the barn-style Turkey Hill that opened in 1972 now operates as a different store. The building that will host much of the borough's holiday season is older than both by well over a century. It's the Daniel Wolf House at 1905 State Street, a circa-1810 masonry home where the town's founder once ran a dry goods and grocery store.
This year, the house's owner, the East Petersburg Historical Society, marks its 50th anniversary. According to the borough's Fall 2026 Town Crier, the Society will close out that anniversary year with a free Christmas Open House on the first Saturday in December. One of its features is a working train table that recreates East Petersburg's original street layout.
The Calendar From Here to Mid-December
Pumpkin Fest wrapped on Oct. 10, and the Society's Oct. 5 talk on local hauntings has come and gone. Here's what's left on the borough's own calendar and the community events sites:
- Saturday, Oct. 31, 6 to 8 p.m.: Borough-wide trick-or-treat.
- Tuesday, Nov. 3, 7 a.m. to 8 p.m.: Election Day polling hours.
- Saturday, Nov. 7, 9 a.m. to noon: The Wolf House museum and gift shop open, as they do on the first Saturday of every month.
- Saturday, Dec. 5, 9 a.m. to noon, then 5 to 7 p.m.: The regular first-Saturday gift shop hours, followed that evening by the Historical Society's free Christmas Open House.
- Friday, Dec. 11, 5 to 7 p.m., and Saturday, Dec. 12, 9 to 11 a.m. and noon to 2 p.m.: Santa in the Park, three free sessions listed on the resident-run eastpetersburgday.com.
Because Dec. 5 is the first Saturday of the month, the Wolf House opens twice that day, once for the gift shop's usual morning hours and again for the open house. That makes it the one day of the season when the museum is open both morning and evening.
The Oldest Building in the Story
LNP's guide to places to visit in East Petersburg calls the Wolf House the first masonry home in town. The building has had several lives. Daniel Wolf, whom LNP identifies as the town's founder, kept his dry goods and grocery store there. From the mid-1800s through 1899 it was the Captain Lawrence Hotel. After that it was a home, with a butchering business operating out back.
The Historical Society bought the property in 1994. The borough says the Society was established in 1976, and that date lines up with this year's anniversary programming. That's 32 years of ownership inside a 50-year organizational history, and the rehabilitation is still going. The Town Crier says restoration continues through individual donors.
Inside is a collection built from what neighbors handed over. LNP mentions Haydn Zug's old rocking chair and the sign from Glatfelter's barber shop, which reads "I Need Your Head in My Business." The Society is still collecting. Its anniversary notice asks residents to donate journals, letters, relics and other materials that help preserve the town's history.
The anniversary has already been running all year. TownLively's January rundown of the Society's 2026 speaker series included a June 1 program titled "50 Years of the East Petersburg Historical Society: How It Began." In September came a walking tour of the borough and a Civil War encampment at the museum with reenactors from the 71st Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry Regiment. The December open house is the last anniversary event on the published calendar.
Main Street's Newer Storefronts Have Turned Over
The age of the Wolf House stands out more now that several of Main Street's newer storefronts have turned over. Here's how the three properties compare:
| Address | What it was | How long | What's known now |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5939 Main St. | Gochnauer's Home Appliance | 78 years, four generations | Sold at auction April 15 for $1,120,000. LGA Appliance & Fireplace announced plans for a second location here. |
| 5921 Main St. | Adjoining Gochnauer's parcel with a separately deeded restaurant space | Under long-term lease at sale | Sold at the same auction for $365,000 |
| 5959 E. Main St. | Turkey Hill convenience store | Opened 1972 | Reopened as One Hope Mart, an independent convenience store |
LNP reported that Gochnauer's would close at the end of February after 78 years as a four-generation family business. Hess Auction Group offered both parcels on April 15, 2026. Its listing describes roughly 5,000 square feet of retail space and 5,000 square feet of warehouse at the main building, with frontage on Route 72. The posted sale prices were $1,120,000 for the main parcel and $365,000 for the restaurant parcel.
LNP later reported that LGA Appliance & Fireplace bought the former Gochnauer's building in June. A company spokesperson said the East Petersburg location would likely open sometime in August. As of mid-October, the LGA contact page still lists only its new Gordonville showroom at 240 Old Leacock Road. Call ahead before planning a stop at the Main Street building.
A short drive east, LNP reported that the former Turkey Hill at 5959 E. Main St. reopened as One Hope Mart. The store sells snacks, drinks and tobacco products and was renovated with new flooring and shelving. The building opened in 1972 as one of Turkey Hill's early barn-style stores, from the years when the chain was locally owned.
Next to those dates, the Wolf House's circa-1810 origin puts the house roughly 160 years ahead of the Turkey Hill building and well over a century ahead of Gochnauer's.
Two Train Tables, Six Days Apart
Both December events feature a model railroad.
The Historical Society's Christmas Open House runs Dec. 5 from 5 to 7 p.m. at the Wolf House. The Town Crier describes it this way:
Enjoy festive decorations, music, refreshments, archival displays, and a working train table featuring a replica of East Petersburg's original street layout.
Six days later, Santa in the Park brings its own model train table, along with a dollhouse display, a life-size reindeer and a reindeer food bar where kids mix treats for Santa's team. Aubrey Montgomery of State Farm is providing a hot chocolate and cookies bar. Children can sit with Santa, and families take photos with their own cameras. All three sessions are free. The Santa page doesn't name a building, so check eastpetersburgday.com closer to the date for location details.
The borough's calendar describes eastpetersburgday.com as a community events site run by local residents and sends people there for Fall Fest and Santa in the Park. The same site promoted this fall's Pumpkin Fest, which was free thanks to sponsors including Charles Family Farm, Lancaster Toyota, S. Clyde Weaver and Dinse Dental Care.
What the Gift Shop Carries
The Wolf House gift shop is one of the few places to buy something made about East Petersburg itself. According to the Town Crier, its stock includes:
- Wooden replicas of historic East Petersburg buildings
- Dorothy Hollinger prints
- Booklets, including one on historic Lancaster County barns
- East Petersburg Historical Society T-shirts
- 50th anniversary logo refrigerator magnets and stickers
The anniversary magnets and stickers come from this year's milestone. Between now and the holidays, the shop's regular hours fall on Nov. 7 and Dec. 5, 9 a.m. to noon. More information is on the Society's site at eastpetehistory.org. The Society's free speaker programs are held at the East Petersburg Civic Grounds Community Building, 6051 Pine Street, on the first Monday of March, April, May, June and October. The next one is in March.
When Josh Wood markets an older Lancaster County home, the history of the house is part of how it's presented. That's how a circa-1810 storefront ends up with a barber's sign and a founder's name attached to it. If you own a home on one of East Petersburg's older blocks and want to know how its history and build quality would come across to today's buyers, Josh Wood is glad to walk through it with you. Schedule a Private Consultation.
