Genealogical Gems

Today Lancaster City Mayor Rick Gray will proclaim it is Lancaster History Day. His proclamation will officially be presented to Historic Preservation Trust of Lancaster County President Lisa Horst at 10 a.m. The presentation will be made by City Council Member James Reichenbach at the Sehner-Ellicott-von Hess House at 123 North Prince Street .  Click HERE to read the full article as it appeared on Examiner.com this morning.

The Historic Preservation Trust of Lancaster County announced that it will collaborate with Manbel Devco to document the buildings and history of the Mayer-Hess Farmstead (c. 1870-1874) at 1580 Fruitville Pike. The farmstead is across the street from the 71 acres that has been approved by Manheim Township for the Shoppes at Belmont. The farmstead’s mansion and surrounding area have been separated from the development and will be protected. “While we have had concerns about this property for many years, we are pleased to know that developer Phil Frey and his team are conscientious about saving the mansion and carefully documenting those buildings that are being saved but in a new location,” said Lisa Horst, president of the Preservation Trust Board of Directors. “We were hoping all buildings would remain on the farmstead. That could have been a possibility many years ago before Fruitville Pike became a commercial area so we agree that relocating the barn and other build...

Twenty sites with ties to Lancaster’s industrial and commercial past have been identified for the 2014 Historic Walk + Talk Tour on Saturday, October 18, in downtown Lancaster. The tour is a joint effort of the Historic Preservation Trust of Lancaster County and Moxie House, publisher of Fig Lancaster. “The focus of the tour is on buildings that contributed to Lancaster’s economic growth in the 19th century,” said Lisa Horst, president of the Historic Preservation Trust Board of Directors. “The tour route includes where the city’s railroad station once stood on North Queen Street and where the tracks ran along North Prince Street past what used to be tobacco warehouses – buildings that have been restored for use as offices, residences, restaurants and hotels. The Preservation Trust encourages adaptive reuse, and we are pleased to showcase on the tour excellent examples of this.”   Sites on the tour are: Sehner-Ellicott-von Hess House (1787) – 123 North Prince St...

  Photos: Historic Preservation Trust  

Le Petite Patisserie has scheduled several upcoming monthly teas at Lancaster's Historic Preservation Trust. English High Teas have proven to be a perfect fit for the house where Andrew Ellicott taught Meriwether Lewis navigational skills in 1803, prior to the Lewis & Clark Expedition. “The house and its courtyard make such a beautiful and historic setting for teas,” said Donna Lussier, owner of La Petite Patisserie and hostess for the teas. “We are very pleased to be in partnership with the Historic Preservation Trust to expand what we started in May.” The themed monthly teas are scheduled for: September 20 – Afternoon Tea at the Trust October 19 – Breast Cancer Awareness Tea November 15 – Downton Abbey Tea December 13 – Tea with Santa (children’s tea) December 14 – Holiday High Tea (adult tea) Click HERE  for information about tea times, seatings, pricing and reservations. The English Duchess of Bedford Anna Maria Stanhope (1783-1857) is said to...

The courtyard at the Historic Preservation Trust headquarters at 123 North Prince Street will be the setting for an English High Tea on Saturday, 10 May from noon to 4 p. m. “The courtyard at the Preservation Trust is a beautiful venue and quite appropriate for a tea in the tradition of European teas,” said Donna Lussier, owner of La Petite Patisserie and hostess for the event. “Proceeds from the tea will benefit the Preservation Trust’s countywide initiatives to identify and protect homes, barns, bridges, mills and other structures that are historically significant.” According one account, Anna Maria Stanhope (1783-1857), a lady-in-waiting to Queen Victoria and known as the Duchess of Bedford, is credited as the creator of afternoon teatime. Because the noon meal had become skimpier, the Duchess suffered from "a sinking feeling" at about four o'clock in the afternoon. At first the Duchess had her servants sneak her a pot of tea and a few breadstuffs. A...

The Historic Preservation Trust of Lancaster County is accepting nominations for the annual awards for excellence in historic preservation. Nominations will be accepted until Friday, 4 July. “ Lancaster has one of the largest inventories of historic homes, barns, bridges, mills and other structures of any place in the United States ,” said Lisa Horst, president of the board of directors for the Historic Preservation Trust.   “The annual historic preservation awards recognize those in our community who are helping to keep historic Lancaster County historic through their exceptional work to save, preserve, restore and celebrate the beauty of structures built by our forefathers. Recipients will be honored at our annual awards program on Tuesday, November 11.” The historic preservation award categories are: Leadership -- presented to individuals or organizations that have demonstrated the vision, wisdom and perseverance necessary to incorporate historic preservation into...

The 2014 Gourmet Gala, the annual fundraiser for the Historic Preservation Trust of Lancaster County, will be held on Sunday, 18 May, from 4 pm to 7 pm at the historic Mylin House (1787) and the Cultural Center at Willow Valley Communities in Willow Street. "The venue is ideal for the gala which has become Lancaster ’s premier food and beverage social and our primary fundraiser,” said Lisa Horst, president of the Historic Preservation Trust of Lancaster County Board of Directors. “The Mylin House will be the gala’s centerpiece while food and beverage will be in the adjacent and beautiful Cultural Center at Willow Valley Communities.   The care that has been taken in preserving and restoring the Mylin House is a must see and the reason why this venue was chosen for the 2014 Gourmet Gala.” The recipient of a 2013 historic preservation award by the Preservation Trust, the Mylin House was built in 1787 by Martin Mylin III and his wife Barbara Baer (granddaughter of Christian...

A major first step toward making records on more than 10,000 historic properties in Lancaster County available online has become a reality. The Preservation Trust’s Our Present Past has been digitized and is posted on the Preservation Trust’s website – www.hptrust.org .  “This is a significant achievement not only because it makes research of our county’s architectural history easier but also because it gives us peace of mind in knowing that we have digital files of the massive paper records that we maintain at our downtown Lancaster library,” said Lisa Horst, president of the Historic Preservation Trust of Lancaster County Board of Directors. “Our records date back to the founding of Lancaster County in 1729 so it is very reassuring to have digital backup files. Digitizing Our Present Past is phase one. The second phase involves digitizing hundreds and hundreds of file folders and other references. The third phase will merge phase one with phase two.” Funding f...

The Historic Preservation Trust of Lancaster County has released the 2014 Watch List of the most threatened historic properties in Lancaster County .   T wo sites added to the list are the Dorsey Station (1876) in Fulton Township and the former Long Funeral Home (1895) in Columbia .    “Being on the Watch List is not a negative because each of the 10 properties represents an opportunity to save a significant structure that helps define our Lancaster County history,” said Lisa Horst, president of the Historic Preservation Trust Board of Directors. “Everyone loves historic restoration after it occurs, but it takes vision, leadership and resources to make it happen.   The Historic Preservation Trust of Lancaster County works to bring together individuals and organizations to make it happen.” Properties on the Historic Preservation Trust’s 2014 Watch List are: Circle Creek Farmhouse/Guy’s Distillery (1826) – 1467 Long Lane, East Donegal Township Th...