This website is a homebase for my online projects about historic architecture of Lancaster City and Lancaster County, Pennsylvania.
Frequently Asked Questions:
Question: Who are you, and why did you create this website? Answer: I am a retiree with lots of free time. I recently downsized from a big, old farmhouse near Lititz to a modern apartment near Lancaster. During that downsizing process I was reminded, again, of the city's distinctive architecture. My DNA is Amish, and my cultural identity is Mennonite, so Lancaster County's heritage has much meaning for me.
Above: My awkward iPhone selfportrait. If you see me wandering around photographing historic buildings, come say “Hello.”
Above left: ca. 1844 house at 334 West Orange Street
Above right: Wolf Museum of Music and Art at 423 West Chestnut Street
Question: Where are the utility wires? Answer: I buried them under the sidewalks with Photoshop because these historic buildings deserve that attention. This website is about the art of architecture. It's not about commerce or technology. If you really want to see the wires you can always find them on Google Maps street view.
And while I was at it, I digitally removed some air conditioners and removed the gas meters. Because this is the way I see these historic houses in my mind's eye.
The Hess Homestead
A Mennonite Farm in Lancaster County, PA
(My former home before I retired.)
My Websites about Lancaster County History:
Above left: The Black Art: A History of Printing in Lancaster County, PA.
Above center: The Hess Homestead: A Mennonite Farm in Lancaster County, PA.
Above right: John Fass: A Pennsylvania Dutch Artist in New York City.
Above: These links are to Wikipedia articles I wrote.
I am currently moving my websites about these subjects to a new server.
Above left: Historic Mennonite Farms in Lititz, PA.
Above right: Picnics in my Pasture: The Photography of Dillman Bomberger.
I am currently moving these websites to a new server.
My Instagram project: Lancaster Streetscape: Here.
Above: Lancaster Streetscape project on Instagram
Magazine article “History, Community, & Love”
by Marian Pontz
In the magazine Fine Living Lancaster. Summer 2022.
about this research project of Lancaster City architecture.
An Award from the Historic Preservation Trust of Lancaster County:
