On Tuesday September 5th, 1871 the Litiz(1) Springs Hotel hosted a most wondrous and extravagant Masquerade Ball. Dignitaries, prominent businessmen, and members of high society from all over Lancaster County received invitations to this delightful affair. General Richard McCallister of Washington, D.C. was the Master of Ceremonies for the evening, and Mr. Harvey Clyde was the Treasurer. These two gentlemen came up with the idea for the Ball, and planned the entire evening of festivities. As guests arrived, they quickly went to designated rooms where they put on their colorful and elaborate garb. A.R. Van Horn, costumer from Philadelphia, supplied guests with a roomful of costumes for the evening, and the dress ranged from the plain Domino, to the most beautiful attire of Prince and Noble. As the guests finally ascended the staircase towards the ballroom, onlookers saw men with contorted faces; distorted forms; long noses; no noses; and broken noses. As for the women, they were dressed as slender shepherdesses; gorgeous fairies; pretty peasant girls; and beautiful queens.
The ballroom was very handsomely decorated on its walls and pillars with evergreens, and a vast amount of flags. This was all the hard work of the female employees and the management of the hotel. In addition, Chinese lanterns were suspended along the hallways, adding to the beauty of the night. At exactly 9:00 p.m., the Ball was officially underway. Keffer’s Full Orchestra provided the excellent music for the entire night. A total of 22 different dances were played, including “Les Lanciers Quadrille,” “Quadrille Polka,” “Redowa and Galop Waltz,” and “Quadrille Mazourka” just to name a few.
