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Location: Inside the Sehner-Ellicott von Hess House at 123 North Prince Street.
Challenge: Go inside the Sehner-Ellicott von Hess House and take a selfie while standing on the beautiful multi-floor staircase.
History Brief: This Georgian house was built around 1787 by Gottlieb Sehner as his private home. However, the building’s most famous resident was Major Andrew Ellicott.
He rented the property from 1801 to 1813 after being appointed Secretary of the State Land Office by Pennsylvania’s first governor, Thomas Mifflin. At this time, Lancaster was the state capital.
Ellicott was a busy man. Period.
He completed the plans for the nation’s capital at Washington D.C. after Pierre Charles L’Enfant gave up. Ellicott spent four years surveying Florida for the United States government. For Pennsylvania, he surveyed the Commonwealth’s northern boundary with New York State, a difficult task through rugged country. He was also a member of the commission, which completed the work of drawing the Mason-Dixon line.
Lewis & Clark
On July 4, 1803, President Thomas Jefferson completed the Louisiana Purchase. This $15 million land deal added an additional 828,000 square miles to the United States. The next step was to survey this mainly unknown territory.
Ellicott, then too old to undertake the proposed wilderness expedition, agreed to instruct a young Army captain by the name of Meriwether Lewis with the necessary skills that Ellicott had devised or adapted from conventional equipment specialized survey instruments over his lifetime.
Lewis spent several weeks here in Lancaster at 123 North Prince Street as a guest of Ellicot to complete his training.
West Point
In 1812 the United States started a military academy at West Point. Despite being nearly 60, Ellicott was asked to serve as the Commandant of the United States Military Academy at West Point until he died in 1820. Ellicott is buried on Academy grounds.
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Home | Thaddeus Stevens’ Tomb | Water Street Bindery | Devil Dave | Second Oldest Clock | Soldiers & Sailors Monument | The Grape | Moravian Church Cemetery | Andrew Ellicott | Staircase | Claiming Your Prize