We recently took a guided walking tour of downtown Lancaster City. Our
guide was extremely knowledgeable and entertaining, captivating us with
numerous stories during our 2-hour walk along tree-lined city streets
and quaint alleyways. What a colorful past we have here in Lancaster!
For
instance, few people outside our area know that the city of Lancaster
was actually the capital of the United States… for one day! It happened
on September 27, 1777, when the 2nd Continental Congress, with the
original Declaration of Independence in their possession, held session
in Lancaster’s courthouse (they were in the process of moving from
Philadelphia to York to evade British troops). And in 1789, shortly
after our new Constitution was ratified, Edward Hand (George
Washington’s former Adjutant General) officially submitted the city of
Lancaster for consideration as our new nation’s capital.
Among
our many other stops were the Demuth Tobacco Shop (the oldest tobacco
store in the U.S., and the oldest business in Lancaster, dating back to
1770), and the Trinity Church on Duke Street where the Declaration of
Independence was first read to the citizens of Lancaster during that
first week of July 1776, and whose present day steeple was constructed
while George Washington was still President.
To
see and hear all that this great walking tour has to offer, we
recommend experiencing it for yourself. Tours start at the Southern
Market building at the corner of Queen and Vine Streets. Call
717-392-1776 for all the details. And have a great summer!
Written by Steve & Jamie Shane, Apple Bin Inn
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