Welcome to Glasbern It was late 1980 when we (Beth & Al) plus an innkeeper friend and Chessie (our since deceased Chesapeake Bay retriever) opened Coachaus, a small bed and breakfast located in downtown Allentown. Since only a very few people in the area knew anything about B & B's, it was a challenging and scary adventure. The general prediction for success was gloomy. Chessie, of course, offered her puppy-like whole-hearted support from the start.

In the beginning, we were both still working at other jobs. After leaving the corporate world, Al had bought and was managing Coachworks, an auto body shop in Allentown, and I was teaching at Albright College in Reading. Our children, Larry, Steve, and Alan were all grown and away at college.

Coachaus grew and became recognized, especially by business travelers, as a unique hospitality niche in the Lehigh Valley. We began to think about developing and embellishing the same British B & B concept in a rural setting, preferably to the west of Allentown where corporations were beginning to locate and where there were practically no overnight accommodations available.

It took us two years to discover in November 1984, what would become the Glasbern property. It was a rundown farm left unoccupied for 13 years. In March 1985, we actually bought 16 acres and the very "tired" farm buildings that we all know intimately as GLASBERN.

While all of our architectural and conceptual changes have been going forward we have also been intent on enhancing an already beautiful piece of farmland. The landscaping and the organic vegetable and perennial flower gardens have become a passion of dedicated workers. We now have over 100 acres, a constant care and challenge to all who work outside as well as inside where all the nooks and crannies demand our unforgiving attention.