The Gateway Inn was one of the first businesses to open shortly after the first cars and trucks began traveling the Pennsylvania Turnpike between Carlisle and Irwin in 1941.
The restaurant and service station were owned and operated until 1956 by Merle and Marion Snyder. During World War II, the “Gateway” as it was known, was a major stop-off point for many servicemen and women on the way to Maryland, Virginia, the Carolinas and states to the west.
The Snyders were known to have traded meals, gasoline and rest in the second-floor “bunkhouse” for a Military Service Insignia Patch. The Snyders’ service insignia collection is preserved and on display today in the restaurant. In 1956, the operation was taken over by Merle and Marion’s nephew Frank Bittner and his wife Alice.
The Bittners have expanded the Gateway several times since, adding new services for travelers. While the recent expansion project has replaced the original structure, the Bittner family continues the Gateway tradition of good food and friendly service to this day.