Skip to content

Monday, March 27, 2023

Uncharted Lancaster

Discovering history through adventure.

Search

Home
Store
Adventures
Side Quests
Armchair Explorer
Haunted
About
- About
- Contact
- In the News
- Hall of Fame
- Sponsor
- Disclaimer
- Hiking Safety
Sponsor

Home
06 Slide48

06 Slide48

Shenks Ferry Hotel with Enola Low Grade tunnel and train in background.

Post navigation

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Search

You may Missed

Art

John Jarvis ‘Lancaster and the Civil War’ themed lithographs rediscovered in archives

Event Presentation

April 11: Mysterious Petroglyphs of Safe Harbor Presentation

Local History On this Day in History

On this Day in History: First known Photo of a Presidential Inauguration

In the News Podcast

In the News: ‘Live from the CodeBar’ Podcast featuring Uncharted Lancaster

February 17, 2023

Subscribe to Blog via Email

Enter your email address to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.

Email Address

Join 19,803 other subscribers

Follow Us

Facebook
Instagram
Pinterest
Twitter

Uncharted Lancaster

Uncharted Lancaster

Instagram

Have you ever wondered why some tombstones have coins on them?

In October 1938, workers broke ground near Mt. Gretna to build an escape-proof maximum security prison. But Depression Era budget cuts stopped the "Alcatraz of Pennsylvania" from ever being completed. Now LiDAR imagery helps reveal what the site would have looked like.

Towards the end of the Great Depression in 1937, rumors circulated that a “new maximum security prison” was to be built near Mt. Gretna in Lebanon County. Project architect Henry Hornbostel described it this way:

Lancaster County has five Mason-Dixon line markers along her southern border. I recently posted about an easy to get to one at the intersection of Grubbs Corner Road and Pilottown Road. Another is located inside Lancaster Conservancy's Rock Springs Nature Preserve. I attempted to find it once before but was defeated by an incredibly dense briar patch. Last weekend I tried again. This time wearing thicker pants and leather work gloves. Not only did I find it, but the marker proved to be an elusive "crownstone."

I spotted this iron spike coming out of one of the stone blocks at the culvert in Shenks Ferry. I did my best King Arthur impression, but it didn’t move. Not worthy I guess. Click the bio link in the profile to learn more about the area

Many of you know that I have a propensity for maps so when I saw this one from @chesapeakemermaid I had to share it.

Copyright © 2023 Uncharted Lancaster

Theme by: Theme Horse

Proudly Powered by: