The 10-Hour House: How a Bet Built Lancaster’s Fastest Home

How a Wager Built One of Lancaster’s Most Unusual Homes

In the 500 block of South Prince Street stands a house with a story as remarkable as its speed of construction. Known locally and beyond as the 10-Hour House, the two-story brick residence at 533 South Prince Street owes its existence to one man’s sense of adventure—and a bold wager.

It all began on the morning of August 1, 1873. Dr. Benjamin Mishler, a well-known Lancaster businessman and patent medicine manufacturer, wasn’t content simply making his fortune selling remedies. Mishler also enjoyed making bets—especially those that put his daring to the test. After proving he could build a house in 24 hours to win a previous bet, Mishler decided to raise the stakes. He wagered that he could have an entire home built in just 16 hours.

As dawn broke that Friday, a small army of carpenters, masons, and handymen paraded down Prince Street from Penn Square. Their wagons groaned under the weight of wood, bricks, nails, and tools. With the sun barely over the rooftops, they set to work on a 20-by-30-foot structure that would soon become legendary.

The pace was astonishing. By noon, the frame was up, the brick walls were climbing, and the roof was in place. Despite frequent pauses to pose for a photographer who documented the spectacle, the crew wrapped up construction by around 4 p.m., beating even Mishler’s ambitious goal. That evening, Mishler’s son Harry moved in furniture and sat down to enjoy supper inside Lancaster’s newest home.

The result? A two-story, eight-room house with a tin roof that was built faster than many people could plan a dinner party.

Over the decades, the 1,200-square-foot, 10-Hour House has remained a source of curiosity. It even graced popular Lancaster postcards in the 19th century. While interior renovations modernized the home over time, the exterior remains essentially unchanged from its appearance on that August afternoon in 1873.

In 1938, the house gained new life when Raymond Erisman and his family moved in. Though the home had been built in record time, it took Erisman some 200 hours to remodel it into the ideal family dwelling. Upstairs, he added three bedrooms and a bathroom; downstairs, a kitchen, dining room, and living room. Remarkably, after 65 years, Erisman found no cracks or rotting lumber—testament to the craftsmanship of Mishler’s wager-winning crew.

Today, the 10-Hour House is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and bears a plaque from the Historic Preservation Trust of Lancaster County. It stands not just as a residence, but as a reminder of the day when Lancaster’s spirit of ingenuity—and a good bet—created one of the city’s most memorable landmarks.

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Note Well
The property is a private residence, and any sightseeing should be limited to the sidewalk or from the road inside your vehicle. Please respect the owner’s privacy.

Interested in reading about Lancaster’s darker, spookier side?

Check out my first full-length book, Uncharted Lancaster’s Ghosts, Monsters, and Tales of Adventure. This 283-page book is packed with 64 unforgettable stories, all set right here in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania.

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Resources

• Intelligencer Journal Wed, Mar 05, 1986 ·Page 3
• Lancaster New Era Thu, Jul 28, 1938 ·Page 2
• Sunday News Sun, Mar 10, 1929 ·Page 5
• Zillow Listing