The Conestoga River has once again been nominated for the Pennsylvania Organization for Watersheds and Rivers “River of the Year” award. There are two other streams in the running (no pun intended), the Lower Schuylkill River and the Chillisquaque Creek. Vote for the Conestoga at the following...
Yesterday (November 19), the Susquehanna Ramblers invited me to visit the ruins of an old mill site down in the south-east corner of Peach Bottom Township, York County. This time of year is ideal for these kinds of treks because the normally dense underbrush has died back...
The Society for the Preservation Of Old Mills (SPOOM) holds a photography contest each year. Members can submit exterior and interior photos for inclusion in the contest. The following video highlights the entries and winners for the contest for 2025.
After 118 years of operation, one of the water turbines at the Ressler Mill needed to be refurbished. This article describes the project engaged in 2024/25 to remove, refurbish, and replace the turbine.
The Ressler mill employs two turbines, an 18” S. Morgan Smith...
On February 3, 1899, on the 90th anniversary of the German composer Felix Mendelssohn, Dr. William A. Wolf opened a premier piano studio in Lancaster City. For the next six decades, students would travel from far and wide to attend lessons at the Wolf Institute of Pianoforte...
Two hundred years ago, in November 1824, Captain Ephraim Beach completed his survey and map of the Conestoga River for the purpose of making the river navigable from Lancaster City to Safe Harbor. Captain Beach was the principal engineer for the Schuylkill Canal which opened in 1827....
The Conestoga River meanders for sixty miles through the fertile farmlands of Lancaster County. From early Native American inhabitants to the European settlers who made the Conestoga Valley their home, the river has provided sustenance and transportation for generations. Victorian era resorts and hotels were built along...
Out on the eastern border of Lancaster County, spanning the Octoraro Creek between Sadsbury Township, Lancaster County and West Fallowfield Township, Chester County lies the Mercer’s Mills Covered Bridge. Thomas Kipphorn calls this “Captain John Mercer’s Mill Bridge”. Who was Captain John and where were the mills?
On February 3, 1899, a new piano teacher hung his shingle at 214 North Mulberry Street in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. The teacher was Dr. William A. Wolf, and the date was the 90th anniversary of the birthday of German composer, Felix Mendelssohn. On this day, Dr. Wolf and...
Many of the covered bridges in Lancaster County utilize an architectural style called the “Burr Truss” or “Burr Arch-Truss”. It’s easy to see the arch, but what is the “Burr”? Does it refer to the rough edges of the woodwork? Or maybe it’s the sound that your...
