MIFFLINBURG — Melanie Page and Matt Mackley this week fulfilled a vow they made last year when a fire ripped through their family-owned business Forest House Hotel in Union County.
The restaurant and bar reopened after extensive renovations recently at 10410 Buffalo Road, about five miles north of Mifflinburg and six miles east of Raymond B. Winter State Park. Originally built as a cabin in 1864 and first used as a tavern-inn in 1866, it is considered one of the oldest continuously operating businesses in Union County.
“It feels wonderful to be open, the best ever,” said Page who, with her husband, took ownership of the business in 2016. “It was too many days of being closed, too many expenses. We’re finally seeing a return.”
The fire occurred on Aug. 18, 2021, due to a faulty plug on a new freezer in the kitchen located on the first floor of the two-story structure. Firefighters from Mifflinburg and neighboring departments arrived to find flames and smoke rising from the building in the dead of night, and it took 45 minutes to completely extinguish the blaze.
The kitchen was a total loss. The bar and dining room experienced extensive smoke, water and heat damage.
The community support was immediate. Hundreds of people reached out by phone and social media that day to express grief and offer support. Dozens more arrived on scene — family and friends, patrons and employees — to deliver supplies, help clean up, secure the building and offer handshakes and hugs.
Fundraisers were held later that month, bringing in nearly 500 people to the Hidden Valley Campground. Additional fundraisers were held throughout the year. Some of the memorabilia from those fundraisers — including a signed wooden plank and a wood carving with #FOHOStrong on it — are now displayed on the walls, said Page and Mackley.
Rebuilding and renovating
With additional support, at least 50 percent of the renovations were completed by friends and family, they said.
“We have friends who were here day and night,” said Page. “If it wasn’t for them, we wouldn’t be here yet.”
The journey to get to opening day wasn’t easy by any means. Materials were triple the cost of what they were pre-fire and materials were often not immediately available. They started ordering equipment, chairs and tables in November and didn’t get everything until July, they said.
“Prices are ridiculous. It’s absurd,” said Page. “Insurance only goes so far.”
The kitchen had to be completely remodeled. They took the bar and dining room down to its bare studs and redid all the electrical, plumbing — everything. They replaced all the televisions that melted during the fire and rebuilt the bar area that was covered in ash. The upstairs rooms were repainted and renovated as well, they said.
They managed to salvage the carved bear statues and made sure to keep the well-known saw blade sign outside bearing the business’s name. They added a stage for weekly entertainment.
“We tried to keep the ambiance of what it was prior, as far as layout and look,” said Page. “It’s still the old Forest House, but we had to update. We had no choice.”
Community support
The restaurant opened on Sunday for breakfast at 9 a.m. Within 15 minutes, more than 80 customers were either seated or waiting for seats. Every day this past week has been busy — more than 350 burgers were made over four hours on Tuesday night and 284 customers were served over seven hours on Thursday.
“To be able to pick back up right where we left off is a good feeling,” said Mackley. “We never know what the turnout was going to be being away for that long.”
Page and Mackley thanked the community for its support — friends and family, donors and the Mifflinburg Fire Company.
“It could have been way worse,” said Page.
Gary Huntsberger, of Harrisburg, stopped in Friday for lunch on his way to Potter County for an oyster bake event.
“I haven’t been here since before the fire,” he said. “I wanted to check it out. I’ll have to stop again on Sunday for breakfast on my way home.”
The 2,396-square-foot building has a capacity for 136 customers. It is open 9 a.m. to 10 p.m. Sunday, 1 to 10 p.m. Monday through Wednesday, 1 to midnight Thursday and noon to 2 a.m. Friday and Saturday.
