Philip Frank was a very successful businessman. He came to Mount Joy from Baden Germany in 1851. His first job was at the Hackman Mill which was on the north side of East Main Street, next to Little Chiques Creek. He soon decided he could make more money as a Maltster, so he started a small brewery and malt business on N. Market Street in 1856. He sold the brewery to Alois Bube in 1878 but continued the malt making business across the street.
Frank bought this lot in 1868 and built his house sometime prior to 1874. An addition was added in 1874 with a fence in front of it with P. H. Frank’s name and 1874 inscribed on it.
By 1886 Frank decided that his original Malt “House” despite the number of additions and outbuildings that he had added through the years, was just not big enough for the business he was doing. So, he built a new plant which was the “wonder of the citizenry”. It was over 40’ wide and 180’ long. There was a four-story malt kiln, large engine boiler rooms, and three storage bins with combined capacity of 45,000 bushels per year.
The malting process is a very complicated procedure that ferments barley. First the barley is sprouted, then its germination is delayed by removing the water and applying heat. Then the fermenting procedure progress to the beer making phase.
Fank’s malt was distributed throughout Pennsylvania, New Jersey and New York earning it the title of “The Malt Capital of the United States”. Malt is used in the making of liquors, beer, ale, and Porter.
In 1892 the business was reorganized and incorporated with Philip Frank staying on as the Director, but Harry C. Schock and John L. Breneman became his associates. In 1912 the voters approved a local law which banned the manufacture and sale of beer and liquor so the business closed. The building was used for several ventures before it burned to the ground on June 14, 1973 and the “Wonder of the Citizenry” was gone forever.