At the top of the hill overlooking the park sat the Brandywine Springs Hotel.

 

The first Hotel was built on the site in 1826 and served as a posh resort for the rich from the South. Its major attraction was the Chalybeate Spring, which was reported to have curative powers, as the local Native Americans told the white men. Henry Clay, Daniel Webster and Jefferson Davis were among the Hotel's more notable guests. The first Hotel burned in 1853.

 

Two years later, the three homes of Matthew Newkirk and his two daughters were connected to form the second Hotel, which was later enlarged with the addition of a third floor. It was referred to as the “old” Hotel during the amusement park era and was used as a rooming house for the acts that performed in the park.