Happy Birthday, Lancaster County! It was on May 10, 1729, that Lancaster became a county carved…
Category: Local History
Safe Harbor Archives: Native American Discoveries
In the early 1930s, Donald Cadzow led an archaeology team to survey the areas that would…
Art: Occupation of Wrightsville by Lee’s Army, June 28, 1863
A brief skirmish in Wrightsville and the burning of its covered bridge—immortalized in this print by…
The Lower Susquehanna before the dams
I have often wondered what the Lower Susquehanna looked like before the dams at Holtwood (1905)…
Ice Jam: Highest level of flooding ever seen at Safe Harbor—January 29, 1978
On January 29, 1978, a combination of ice and melting snow caused the highest level of…
Ice on the Susquehanna
Ice on the Susquehanna is a femme fatale—mysteriously beautiful and potentially dangerous. More than once, this…
Brief History of the Atglen & Susquehanna Branch of the Pennsylvania Railroad
In 1903, the Pennsylvania Railroad began an ambitious three-year engineering project which ran through Lancaster County,…
1852: Winter so cold the railroad ran tracks across a frozen Susquehanna
The winter of 1852 froze the Susquehanna at Havre De Grace solid. This presented a problem…
Enjoy this Safe Harbor Visitor’s Guide and Map from 1989
During a recent tour of Safe Harbor Dam, I picked up a copy of the company's…
River View Hotel Visitor’s Guide
It's hard to imagine today, but the now sleepy village of Pequea in Martic Township was…
Meet York County’s silent stone sentinels: the Wrightsville Lime Kilns
If you have ever eaten at John Wright Restaurant in Wrightsville, you may have noticed the…
A Brief History of Colemanville United Methodist Church
The Colemanville United Methodist church was first organized in 1849 on land donated by Mrs. Edward…
At Lancaster’s founding the town was English in name only
At its founding, Lancaster was English in name only. Had you walked down the streets of…
Sons of Liberty: Matthias Slough and the White Swan Hotel
Despite having no battles fought here, Lancaster was still a hotbed of political activity before and…
Lancaster City Revolutionary War sites: Equestrian Stables for Washington’s Army
With the outbreak of the Revolution, Lancaster was far enough away to be a safe location…
1907 McCalls Ferry Dam Postcards
I recently acquired three 1907 McCalls Ferry Dam (now called Holtwood) postcards. Being a firm believer…
Lock 12 Historic Area
I recently came into possession of an out-of-print booklet published by Holtwood LLC detailing the Lock…
In the News: ‘Mysterious Rock Art Island Of The Susquehanna River’ with TopoRanger
In August, YouTuber Topo Ranger and I journeyed out to see the petroglyphs of the Susquehanna…
Seeking information about Private Earl J. Lynn from 1921
When you own a property as old as the Drumore Mill, it is not uncommon to…
Meet Hannah Hetherley, the ‘pow-wowing’ witch doctor known as the ‘Sorceress of Lititz’
In 1879, a rag-tag group of Christmas day-born treasure hunters led by the "Sorceress of Lititz"…