I was recently made aware of this rare vintage brochure from the 1950s entitled "Indian Relics…
Category: Armchair Explorer
Armchair Explorer: LiDAR Scans of Little and Big Indian Rock
On a voyage out to the millennium-old petroglyphs of Little Indian Rock and Big Indian Rock…
Armchair Explorer: Inside the Bowels of Safe Harbor Dam
I got an early Christmas present this year when a friend gave me what felt like…
Armchair Explorer: Fishing Creek’s Murder House
After writing a story about a headless singing ghost rumored to haunt Fishing Creek, several people…
River View Hotel Visitor’s Guide
It's hard to imagine today, but the now sleepy village of Pequea in Martic Township was…
Armchair Explorer: Safe Harbor Nature Preserve Root Cellar
On Saturday, I had the opportunity to co-lead a history hike through Lancaster Conservancy's Safe Harbor…
LiDAR scans of Conestoga Boulevard Mystery Rock
I recently upgraded to a new phone that has LiDAR capabilities. I've been eager to experiment…
Lock 12 Historic Area
Being a firm believer that "information wants to be free," when I came into possession of…
LiDAR imagery reveals the site of Mt. Gretna’s proposed Maximum Security Prison
In October 1938, workers broke ground near Mt. Gretna to build an escape-proof maximum security prison.…
LiDAR imagery of Safe Harbor reveals razed ghost town
Prepare to have your mind blown because I recently gained access to LiDAR imagery of Lancaster…
Portage Party: Retracing the path of early fur traders between the Conestoga and Schuylkill watersheds
On December 30, "a group of intrepid history buffs" met in Berks County to reenact a…
Peruse the 1976 edition of the ‘Watt & Shand Employee Handbook’
At this year’s The Friends of the Lancaster Public Library book sale, I came into possession…
Aiden Lair Lodge and Theodore Roosevelt’s Midnight Ride to the Presidency
During a recent trip to the Adirondacks, I retraced Theodore Roosevelt's historic midnight ride to the…
Side Quest: Explore the wreckage of the Safe Harbor Christmas train accident
What happens when a freight train collides with a 3-ton boulder? Train engineer William Neway found…
Armchair Explorer:Â Make your reservation today for the Pequehanna Inn –Â Pennsylvania’s Crown Jewel answer to Lake Placid
In an alternate universe, a five-story, 384-room luxury hotel sits high on a hill above the…
Armchair Explorer: The Search for Pequea’s Subterranean Lake
In 1870, a Lancaster newspaper reported that a mysterious subterranean lake existed in Pequea Township. Was…
The Lower Susquehanna that was! Enjoy this 1951 Safe Harbor / Holtwood visitor’s guide and map
Enjoy this 1951 Visitor's Guide to Safe Harbor & Holtwood plus an annotated map marking areas…
Side Quest: Safe Harbor Village Walking Tour
Explore the historic Safe Harbor Village with this 1.25 mile self-guided walking tour.
Visit ancient Egypt without ever leaving Lancaster County
Like the Pharaohs of old, "Lancaster's Westminster Abbey" acts to preserve the remains of Lancaster's noblest…
Some like it hot. Step inside the cold heart of Columbia’s St. Charles Furnace
While you can safely climb inside the St. Charles Furnace today, things would have been very…