Bologna Museum, Outlet Store Opens In Central PA

PALMYRA, PA — Seltzer’s Smokehouse Meats served up several hundred fried Lebanon bologna sandwiches in about half an hour's time when it opened its new outlet store and... wait for it... museum recently.

The new venture for the storied bologna company held its grand opening on Sept. 1.

While there was no ribbon cutting ceremony, the store celebrated its opening with a bologna cutting ceremony.

"Business was crazy with the grand opening," store manager Denny Kettering told Patch. "We had way more people than we thought."

Kettering, who used to be a manager at the actual bologna plant, said they served about 350 fried Lebanon bologna sandwiches to an "unimaginable" amount of customers at the event.

Seltzer communications manager Melissa Man told Patch by the end of the day, they served more than 700 sandwiches.

"Seltzer's is really well known here, we were overwhelmed by the response," she said. "The community really came out to support us."

"We had people from as far as South Carolina here," Kettering said.

Mann said natives to the area incorporate Lebanaon bologna in their diets, and those who move out of the region or state often yearn for the taste.

Mann, a Lebanon County native herself, said when she lived elsewhere, her family would ship Lebanon bologna to her.

"When you grow up with this food and you leave, you miss it," she said. "We have people from Alaska that call and ask, 'how can I get your product?'"

While a bologna museum might sound silly, Seltzer's has the history to open its own museum.

According to the company's website, butcher Harvey Seltzer in 1902 mastered the Lebanon bologna recipe.

"Nestled in the gentle rolling hills of Pennsylvania Dutch country, the Seltzer family carefully guards the secret to producing our beloved smoked meats," the website reads. "Our savory creations originated in the 19th century as resourceful Pennsylvania Germans incorporated Old World butchering, curing, and sausage making skills into life on Lebanon County farms."

Mann said the museum, which was the brainchild of fourth generation owner Autin Wagoner, 4th generation features tons of old photos from the company's history, old tchotchkes, Seltzer's truck drivers jackets from the 1970s, and much more.

The outlet store features Seltzer's products, including its newly rolled out line of jerky, as well as other local central Pennsylvania and Pennsylvania Dutch goods and foods.

"We want to keep it a celebration of Central Pennsylvania," she said. "That's why we opened it, proud to be from Palmyra and want to showcase that. We want to give back to the local community that has made us a successful business."

Back in the day, kids could ride their bike past the plant and get a free piece of bologna from workers.

But Mann said when regulations changed after Sept. 11, 2001 and then the COVID-19 pandemic, doing so became impossible.

"The store allows that again," Mann said. "We wanted to have a place the community can come to and see our product."

The store is located at 209 N. Railroad St. in Palmyra.

"If you're nice and you play a game, Denny will give you a prize," Mann said.