Podcast: The Era of Susquehanna Log Rafts

Welcome to the Uncharted Lancaster Podcast, where we explore the hidden histories, forgotten places, and long-buried secrets of Lancaster County. Produced by Uncharted Lancaster and created using modern digital storytelling tools, each episode brings a new piece of local lore to life—revealing the strange, the surprising, and the stories history left behind.

From the late 18th through the early 20th century, the Susquehanna River functioned as one of America’s most important commercial highways. This episode explores the dangerous world of the river raftmen—skilled laborers who guided enormous, hand-built log rafts hundreds of miles downstream, supplying timber to growing cities like Baltimore and Philadelphia. The lumber they carried became ships, homes, mines, and the backbone of a rapidly expanding nation.

The story doesn’t end at the river’s edge, however. After selling their rafts, many raftmen walked the long Raftmen’s Path back home to preserve their hard-earned wages, completing a cycle defined by endurance, danger, and grit. As canals, railroads, and deforestation reshaped transportation and industry, this river culture faded into history. Today, only scattered place names, faint landscape traces, and surviving records hint at a time when the Susquehanna was crowded with timber, labor, and lives balanced against the current. Listen to the full episode here.

Click to read more about The Lost River Highway: Log Rafting on the Susquehanna and the Making of Lancaster County’s River Towns.

New podcast episodes are released every Monday and Thursday, featuring documentary-style deep dives into lost landmarks, unfinished dreams, off-limits ruins, and the legends woven into Lancaster County’s landscape. If you enjoy what you hear, be sure to subscribe wherever you listen to podcasts and consider leaving a rating or review. It helps more listeners discover the show. Until next time, keep exploring.

Learn More

📖 Learn about Lancaster County’s many unique places when you step off the beaten path with Uncharted Lancaster: Field Guide to the Strange, Storied, and Hidden Places of Lancaster County, Pennsylvania by Adam Zurn. This one-of-a-kind 239-page guidebook uncovers 56 fascinating sites, from the county’s very own fountain of youth to the oldest continuously operating short-line railroad in the western hemisphere.

Packed with history, local stories, and GPS locations, this book is your ticket to exploring the mysterious corners of Lancaster like never before. Whether you’re a lifelong local, a history buff, or just looking for a unique adventure, this field guide will spark your curiosity and send you exploring. Start your adventure here.

Never Miss a New Episode

Never miss a new article by signing up for email updates below. Be sure to follow Uncharted Lancaster on Facebook or Instagram for additional exclusive content.