The Trust’s 2024 Highlights List

Please remember the Trust and donate to our organization during the ExtraGive on Friday, November 22!

The Historic Preservation Trust of Lancaster County has had a very successful year as far as our accomplishments that we would love to share with all of our supporters. By donating to the Trust on November 22, you will help us to continue or mission of preserving Lancaster County's built history.

Here is a snapshot of some of our biggest highlights from the past year:

• The Trust was featured in the news multiple times in 2024:
  • These historic spots are on Lancaster County's watch list of most endangered properties | Home & Garden | lancasteronline.com
  • Here are the Historic Preservation Trust of Lancaster County's 2024 C. Emlen Urban Award recipients | Yesteryear | lancasteronline.com
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  • Lancaster County’s last working grist and sawmill is open Saturday; here’s how to get free tickets | Home & Garden | lancasteronline.com
  • Former Gunzenhauser Bakery building demolition saddens neighbors | Local News | lancasteronline.com and Historic Preservation Trust calls for pause on Gunzenhauser Bakery demolition | Local News | lancasteronline.com
  • Quarry View Building Group completes $2M renovation of former farmstead for new company headquarters | Local Business | lancasteronline.com

• We had a busy year with events and preservation work, including, but not limited to, the following:
  • •  Our 3rd Annual Lancaster County Historic Preservation Summit was held on September 18 at the Ware Center. Read a quote from an attendee, Wade Hinkle, here:
      "Last Wednesday, Mary and I got to learn a lot about current thinking and practice on historical preservation and conservation, and why it may be more useful to think about "conservation" of historical structures and neighborhoods. We attended the day-long "Lancaster County Historical Preservation Summit." Hosted by the Historic Preservation Trust of Lancaster County. Lots of very infomative lectures and Q&A on concepts and definitions; the state of play in our region; how Historical Architecture Review Boards work; and, how emerging technologies may contribute to conservation, or undermine it. Summit itself was held at the Millersville University Ware Center in downtown Lancaster. A buffet lunch was served in the Trust's offices. They are housed in the Sehner-Ellicott-von Hess House, a preserved 18th cen Georgian townhouse a block from the Ware Center. Mary and I are going to become Trust members, and I want to learn more about volunteering for its digital archiving project."

      
  • With the help of multiple volunteers and interns, the continuation and near completion of the digitization of our historic archives
  • Conductied Historic Resource Surveys for both Strasburg Borough and Strasburg Township
  • Review of demolition and alteration requests for municipalities
  • Working with High Real Estate to adaptively reuse three farmsteads on the former Armstrong site in Manor Township
  • Encouraged a grassroots campaign against the demolition of the Gunzenhauser Bakery
  • We opened the historic Bowmansville Roller Mill to the public

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    Brian M. Kutner, Millville, NJ

  • Our annual C. Emlen Urban Awards dinner was held on June 20 at the Lancaster Country Club. See list of 2024 award winners.
  • Watch list monitoring of Endangered Properties – Preservation Action Committee  - Fox 43 news coverage: (See video here)
  • First Friday Open Houses at the Sehner-Ellicott-von Hess house, home of the Trust, located at 123 N. Prince St – We featured multiple artists and hosted the School District of Lancaster
  • Helped property owners with inquires about property history and proper preservation techniques
  • Architectural walking tours in downtown Lancaster, Columbia, and Ephrata, PA
  • Reinstated our Historic Plaque Program and have sold multiple plaques to historic properties across Lancaster County