Latest Articles
John Jarvis ‘Lancaster and the Civil War’ themed lithographs rediscovered in archives
John Jarvis is, without a doubt, one of Lancaster County's favorite local artists. In addition to…
April 11: Mysterious Petroglyphs of Safe Harbor Presentation
Join me at the Quarryville Library Center for my "Mysterious Petroglyphs of Safe Harbor" presentation on…
On this Day in History: First known Photo of a Presidential Inauguration
This image is the first known photo of a presidential inauguration. It shows the March 4,…
The Spook of Turniptown Bridge
The bridge crossing Pequea Creek outside of Lampeter is said to be haunted. The tragic story…
River Monsters of the Susquehanna Deeps
Local legend holds that a diver at Safe Harbor went down behind the dam to remove…
4,000-year-old emoji discovered on Susquehanna River island
If you think emojis are a fad, think again. This 😐 neutral face carved rock unearthed on…
Lancaster hangs the same man…twice!
The 5th Amendment to the Constitution says you can’t be tried twice for the same crime.…
Brief History of Quarryville
Spoiler Alert! Quarryville takes its name from the area's 12 quarries that once employed over 100…
Side Quest: Briar Patch hunt for Lancaster County’s only Mason-Dixon Line Crownstone
Lancaster County has five Mason-Dixon line markers along her southern border. I recently posted about an…
On this Day in History: Lancaster prints its first newspaper under the guidance of Benjamin Franklin
On this Day in History. On January 15, 1752, Lancaster's first newspaper, Lancastersche Zeitung or The…
On this Day in History: Winter so cold the railroad ran tracks across a frozen Susquehanna
On this Day in History. The winter of 1852 was so cold that it froze the…
Peculiar Names: Cocalico
"Snakes. Why did it have to be snakes?" Lancaster County is full of communities with peculiar…
The History of the Hempfield Townships as recorded in the ‘1875 Historical Atlas of Lancaster County’
Welcome to Township Tuesday, where we will examine the history of different Lancaster County townships each…
Peculiar Names: How did ‘Heckel Stettle’ become East Petersburg?
Known initially as Heckel Stettle, the town of Petersburg eventually added East to its name for…
The History of Columbia Borough as recorded in the ‘1875 Historical Atlas of Lancaster County’
In the summer of 1726, three prominent Quakers—Robert Barber, John Wright, and Samuel Blunston—came from Chester…
On this Day in History: 82-car freight train collides with a three-ton boulder near Safe Harbor
What happens when an 82-car freight train collides with a three-ton boulder? Engineer William Neway found…
Update on the Search for Lancaster County’s Oldest Headstone
Just when I thought the oldest headstone in Lancaster County debate was settled, I received a…
The History of Leacock Township as recorded in the ‘1875 Historical Atlas of Lancaster County’
In 1875, Leacock and Upper Leacock Townships were considered two of the foremost townships in Lancaster…
Lancaster’s Forgotten Presidential Candidate: Prohibitionist James Black
Raise a glass (of water) to the honorable James Black, Lancaster's forgotten presidential candidate. In addition…