Pop Quiz: What connection does King George, Queen Caroline, the Prince of Wales, and the Duke…
Category: Local History
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…
Side Quest: Go inside St. Charles Furnace
Click here for the GPS location St. Charles Furnace Learn more about the St. Charles Furnace…
Lancaster’s Darkest Chapter: The Massacre of the Conestoga
On December 27, 1763, the Paxton Boys broke into the Lancaster County Workhouse and slaughtered the…
Lititz answers the call of freedom; becomes a hospital town for Revolutionary War wounded
For eight months in 1778, the town of Lititz served as a hospital caring for hundreds…
America’s first documented Christmas tree was here in Lancaster
Many of America's Yuletide customs were brought to Pennsylvania by European immigrants. Of them, a various…
The surprising message of Lancaster’s first commercial telegraph
Lancaster was home to the first commercial telegraph in 1846 after Morse's successful proof of concept…
This Lancaster bookworm has been reading the newspaper daily for 40 years
Lancaster's metallic bookworm has been reading the newspaper daily for nearly 40 years. But how much…
Death by Dynamite: The 1906 Shenks Ferry TNT factory explosion obliterates 11 men
Here's a tale of the macabre detailing the worst accident in Lancaster County history. On June…
Hang’em High! The macabre history of public hangings in Lancaster
Almost as soon as people started living in Pennsylvania, we started executing them. Lancaster's first hanging…
In the 1700s no one ever accused Lancaster’s constables of being soft on crime
During the 1700s, no one ever accused Lancaster’s early constables of being soft on crime. Records…
Haunted Lancaster: The Ghost of General Reynolds
Some believe General John Reynolds' spirit never found peace. As such, his ghost wanders the streets…
The day Lancaster was the nation’s capital
September 27 On this day in 1777, Lancaster became the nation’s capital when fourteen members of…
Was Lampeter named after handicapped tavern keeper Peter Yeordya?
Legend has it Lampeter was named after an early resident and disabled tavern keeper, Peter Yeordya.…
The Grape: Secret meeting place for Lancaster’s Sons of Liberty
If you are looking for the epicenter for the spirit of independence in Lancaster County, look…
The Great Indian Treaty of 1744
In June of 1744, scores of Native Americans began to gather outside of Lancaster in a…
The Conestoga Horse: The first outstanding horse to be developed in America
Welcome to a chapter of American history where horsepower wasn't just a metaphor but a magnificent…
How Columbia and Millersville nearly became the county seat for Lancaster
Lancaster County's first courthouse was not at Penn Square. It wasn't even in Lancaster City.
Tschantz Graveyard: The final resting place for several of Lancaster’s first settlers and one of the County’s oldest cemeteries
The First Mennonite Settlement in Lancaster County In 1710, the first large-scale European settlement in what…
Conestoga Wagon: Century Strong Ship of Inland Commerce
The Conestoga wagon, as known as "the ship of inland commerce," was used for over a…