BRACKNEY -- Back in October, the popular Brackney Inn in Susquehanna County went up in flames. Many feared that the local staple that serves patrons from New York and Pennsylvania would be lost forever.
But months later, the owner has decided to rebuild.
After the fire, Brackney Inn owner Greg MacBlane told Newswatch 16 that he had hoped to rebuild the bar and restaurant that's been standing since the mid-1800s. Months after the accidental fire, the Brackney Inn is now under construction and is slated to be ready in the spring.
The Brackney Inn went up in flames in October of 2017. The entire second floor of apartments was ruined. The bar area, where people had been gathering since the 1800s was charred and soaked, but just a few months after that fire, the well-known establishment near the New York/Pennsylvania state line is under construction.
"The big thing is, there were six rooms upstairs and I got a room exemption from the state, so I don't have to rebuild the rooms. The bar is actually going to have vaulted ceilings, we're going to have brand new electric, heating and air conditioning. I only have to concentrate on the bar. I don't have to worry about the apartments upstairs," said MacBlane.
MacBlane tells us that construction started about two weeks ago. That's expected to go on for the next couple of months and by the spring, the hope is that the Brackney Inn will be back up and running.
"I'm excited for myself and my employees, too. They all want to get back to work. It's been tough on them. Everybody just wants to get back to normal. This place has been here since 1849. It's a staple in the community. Everyone wants it back, a lot of support," MacBlane said.
And folks in the area who have compiled plenty of memories at the Brackney Inn are excited to hear it's returning.
"It's kind of like home. It's been there so many years. People would go there and stop in there regularly," said Brian Babcock. "Once in a while, I used to stop in, get a couple buddies together. We'd have a little milk with the boys, you know? It was fun."
MacBlane said that almost everything was lost in that fire except for the actual bar. He went on to say that he wants the place to look mostly the same. The original bar top might assist him in that vision.