Remembering Leoras Cafeteria

Many people remember Leoras as ‘the’ place to stop in Lewistown, whether it was after Saturday night dances at the YMCA, or the unofficial “Breakfast Club” when men gathered to talk about sports or the latest headlines.

But mostly, it is remembered for the homemade meals and the fantastic pies, which have sustained the hungry in downtown Lewistown for over 50 years.

The late Bill Logan and his wife Pam were associated with Leoras for many years.

The business started in 1947, by Steve and Phoebe Leoras, Bill’s aunt and uncle. Steve came home from the war in the 1940s, moving to Lewistown from Altoona with his wife Phoebe.

Steve had been working as a cook in the Army. Bill’s father owned a couple of buildings on Dorcas Street, so Steve opened a restaurant there, at 28 South Dorcas Street.

A few years after opening in 1947, they expanded next door with a dining room, and later added banquet facilities upstairs.

The restaurant operated at this location until 1968, when it was razed for redevelopment.

Shortly thereafter, the Leoras found a new location at 19 South Brown Street. It was reopened in August of 1968, now as a cafeteria.

In 1977, Bill and his wife Pam purchased the business from his aunt and uncle. Two years later, the Logans purchased the building, which housed the cafeteria on the lower level.

Phoebe Leoras stayed on, in charge of baking the legendary pies in downtown Lewistown.

Bill and Pam sold Leoras on September 6, 2001. After changing hands a few times, the business closed for good in 2006.