With Albatwitch Day and Halloween right around the corner, SNHA has put together a new map of our favorite haunted places, legends, and strange histories. Using local resources like authors Rick Fisher and Scott Butcher, the map pinpoints strange happenings, creature sightings, and wild tragedies. This map is just in time for spooky season and is perfect for those who want to learn more about things that go bump in the night in the Susquehanna National Heritage Area. The descriptions and stories are chilling, involving terrifying creatures, and tales of the supernatural and paranormal experiences, combining both the familiar and the bizarre.
Paranormal Experiences
Use the map to explore all the Orange Pinpoints for information on local haunted sites. From cold spots to random spirits crying, there’s no shortage of haunted spots in these old river towns. Don’t miss these haunted spots on the map: Haldeman Mansion, Shenk’s Ferry Tunnel, and the Shock’s Graveyard.
Folklore & Legends
Have you heard any local legends? They often evoke strong emotional reactions such as horror, shock, revulsion and humor. The retelling of legends over time ensures that they become part of public record and explains why they are so well known. The strange thing is that notoriety and disproof do not prevent legends from resurfacing generation after generation. Enjoy some of our favorite local legends indicated by the Black Pinpoints on the map. Be sure to read up on the Albatwitch and Lover’s Leap Legend.
Tragedies & Odd History
Looking for just the facts? Check out all the Purple Pinpoints on the map for some strange but true stories from the river region. Learn about Marietta’s Gilliland Laboratories and Brownie, the horse that provided enough blood for 1 million tetanus vaccines. If you prefer a good true crime story, check out the Hex Hollow Murders and their connection to the Marietta Witch. Don’t forget to check out the tragedies like the Chickies trolley accident that killed six people or the Columbia opera house fire of 1947.
Columbia River Park Advisory Committee (CRPAC) has been working to expand River Park beyond the Veteran’s Memorial Bridge. A Master Site Plan for the 10-acre area was created over the course of an 11-month time period and utilized extensive and on-going public engagement throughout the process. In total, more than 1,200 persons participated in the effort. The most popular ideas for historic, cultural, environmental and entertainment features included bridge pier restoration, canal restoration, live outdoor music/performance programming, picnicking, stream restoration and native plant gardens. The final design is visionary riverfront development plan that showcases the convergence of people and nature over thousands of years in a memorable and daring design.
Although this visionary design will take years to complete, the CRPAC is seeking inexpensive and unique ways to make the area more user friendly. Cutting the trail paths created in the design and removing all the invasive species from the forested areas would be a great start. The Pennsylvania Outdoor Corps is a crew that can quickly and professionally complete this project.They have a Public Partnership Program that provides municipalities and other non-profits the opportunity to partner with the Corps to undertake recreation and conservation projects on non-DCNR public lands on a cost share basis.
CRPAC is seeking $3,000 in cost-share needed to pay PA Outdoor Corps to complete this project. Part of the project has been funded by the Columbia Park Rangers as well as Mountz and Kreiser and the Foresters of America. We are so grateful for their support but need your help to make it to $3,000 total.
PROJECT DETAILS:
Improve trail paths highlighted in red
10’ – 12’ wide on the primary loop and 6’ – 8’ wide on the auxiliary loops
Level the trail surface, add trail surface material
Remove invasive species from forest area between PA 462 Bridge & Lock Wall Area
We hope you will consider donating to this small but important project!
There is no doubt that the Northwest Lancaster County River Trail is the most popular hiking and biking trail in the Susquehanna NHA. In about a month, the trail will be complete from Columbia to Falmouth for a total of 14 miles. The trail offers trips through wooded areas, rolling farmland, and historic river towns. It also has many remnants from centuries of riverfront industry. Quarries, mills, company towns, furnaces, and lumbering dotted the waterfront until the early 19th century. Ferries, canals, and railroads kept the people and resources moving for the whole system to thrive.
Sharing these stories of the river is our mission at Susquehanna NHA. In normal circumstances, guided walks, bike trips or kayak excursions are our favorite ways to share all the amazing history. As more and more people have turned to local outdoor recreation to stay fit and enjoy nature during these trying times, SNHA has sought creative avenues to connect people to all the river has to offer.
We’ve created this custom GoogleMap featuring 36 heritage stops on the 14-mile trail between Columbia and Falmouth. Click on any red marker to see more information. Some stops include series of images including drawings, historic maps, and photographs. Click on the blue markers for parking and trail amenity information.
This map will immerse you in the river stories that most interest you. Whether you’d just to rediscover the NW River Trail in a new way or you want to plan a detailed homeschool adventure, this map will get you moving! You can start from home clicking through stories and then plan your trail excursion. Then take the map with you on your smartphone using your Google Maps Application. Open the map directly to GoogleMaps on your smartphone: bit.ly/NWRTHeritage
River Roots is Susquehanna NHA’s blog series featuring history from York and Lancaster Counties that showcases the Susquehanna River’s historic, cultural, and natural resources contributions to our nation’s heritage.
On its journey to the Chesapeake Bay, various rivers, creeks, and streams converge with the Susquehanna as it traverses the terrain. The Susquehanna River is one of the oldest and most important rivers in North America. Flowing 448 miles, the Susquehanna travels through three states: New York, Pennsylvania, and Maryland.The 28,000 square mile watershed is the longest commercially unnavigable river system in North America. The Susquehanna River Corridor provides an excellent glimpse of unique geological land forms. Providing ample opportunity to study a variety of distinct features and examples of geologic processes on display in Lancaster and York Counties.
Geology is everywhere beneath our feet.
The stories of the Susquehanna wind through time, influencing the lives of those who live along its banks and the landscape itself. On its journey, the river provides abundant resources and connects communities, flowing through ancient rock along the way. The Susquehanna is so old that the mountains and valleys formed around it, rather than the river shaping the valleys. The river has witnessed mountain building and erosion as the land was shaped and then reshaped around it. Geologists have looked at the Susquehanna for explanations of the formation of the East Coast. It has always inspired visitors, many attempting to unlock the secrets of the Susquehanna.
Just like the river that cuts through them, every rock has a story to tell along the way. The geology of the Susquehanna River is a leading factor in its unnavigability. Even during times when other sections of the river were considered navigable, the Lower Susquehanna remained untamed. The river itself never served as a successful commercial waterway because of rapids and other obstructions. Despite many wholehearted attempts throughout history, nature has held its claim to this part of the watershed. Over time our communities and transportation routes have developed upon the sculpted landscapes, preserving undeveloped stretches of beautiful scenery and important resources along the watershed.
Every year visitors flock to the Lower Susquehanna to see the many geological wonders to be found on the river. We’ll focus on just a few of the most notable features found in the region.
Potholes and Sculpted rock in Falmouth
When the Susquehanna is low the rocks seem to come alive as sculpture-like shaped rocks emerge from the water and stretch across the river below the Conewago Falls in Falmouth, Pennsylvania. Discovered during extremely low water, this otherworldly landscape is one of the most expansive pothole fields uncovered in the United States.
When the York Haven dam was completed in 1904, it was the third largest in the world. The dam follows an existing rock ledge, causing it to cross the Susquehanna river at an angle. Here the river drops 19 feet in 1⁄4 mile. It’s not surprising to find changes in rocks in the riverbed wherever you have a waterfall or otherwise rapid movement in the water. The rocks at the foot of the falls range in size and display various smooth, curvaceous shapes that captivate visitors.
The Conewago potholes and the sculpted rocks found here are composed of diabase, a hard igneous rock, the result of hardened magma emerging during continental drift 200 million years ago. Water and rivers are a major agent of erosion, shaping landscapes over time with the power of water and the sediment it is carrying with it. The potholes were formed as a result of the fast-moving water with the combination of sandy sediment creating underwater vortexes to swirl and carve out the round features in the rock. The igneous rock can withstand the weathering from the water, slowly creating the large smooth boulders… but the hard quartz-sand blasting away with tornado like force did a lot of the carving work, creating a truly unique example of erosion and weathering.
Chickies Rock outcrop in Marietta/Columbia
Chickies Ridge is composed of the uplifted Cambrian Chickies Formation, a mapped bedrock unit in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and Maryland. It is named for Chickies Rock, a popular rock cliff just north of Columbia along the Susquehanna River. According to the United States Geological Survey (USGS), the summit of the ridge is 587 feet above sea level.
The Chickies Formation is described as a light gray to white, hard, massive quartzite and quartz schist with thin inter-bedded dark slate at the top. Originally the rock was sandstone, but heat and pressure changed the rock into a harder and denser rock. It is a rare metamorphic rock deposit with multiple faults, thrusts, dips, ripples and fossils that can be found throughout the formation. The surrounding rock in the valley was softer compared to the quartzite, leading the softer rock to be weathered and eroded away.
1933 Views of Chickies Rock Anticline
Relative age dating places the Chickies Formation in the Lower Cambrian Period, deposited over 500 million years ago. It was also during this time that the rock was pushed up into an arch. Geologists called this type of fold an anticline.The famous Chickies Rock cliff itself is a classic example. Overlooking the river, Chickies Rock is the largest exposed anticline on the East Coast.
Susquehanna “Deeps”
The Susquehanna Gorge formation starts to take its shape south of Columbia, Pa. Below Turkey Hill, the Susquehanna River is funneled to Port Deposit, MD through a deep canyon-like gorge carved into the ancient rocks of the Piedmont. The river is squeezed through the quarter mile gorge while dropping sharply, roughly 6 feet per mile. On the flat bottom of the 40-mile-long gorge are 6 long spoon-shaped depressions, called the Susquehanna Deeps. These deeps first appeared on Latrobe’s map, derived from his 1801 survey.
During the construction of the Holtwood dam in 1909 some of the deep were exposed, prompting more extensive studies of the depths of all 6 of the Susquehanna Deeps. Some of the deeps are over 100 feet deep, their deepest portions extending below sea level.
Learn more about the geology of the Lower Susquehanna
Use the Geologic Guide of the Northwest Lancaster County River Trail (Columbia to Falmouth) to take a geology tour of the area. A great resource to understanding the unique geology of the Lower Susquehanna River along the scenic Northwest Lancaster County River Trail. Available for purchase in our online store or in person at both Columbia Crossing River Trail Center and Zimmerman Center for Heritage.
Want to visit the Conewago Potholes? They are best viewed when water is low during the late summer and early fall. Parking is available at the Falmouth Access.
Want to visit Chickes Rock? View it from the NW Lancaster County River Trail or stand on top the anticline at Chickies Rock scenic overloook. Parking is available at Chickies Rock Overlook.
Experience the Susquehanna while supporting local businesses and SNHA’s work to connect people to the river and its history. For a minimum gift of $50, you’ll receive a unique, one-of-a-kind Picnic Passport Pack that includes a special guidebook with suggestions for great picnic locations, delicious menu options from area restaurants, and engaging information and stories about the river and its many attractions.
Donate online and pick up at one of our riverfront visitor centers. Donations in the form of check or cash can be given at either the Zimmerman Center or Columbia Crossing. Get your Picnic Passport while supplies last!
Though we can’t join you on your outing, we’ll be with you in spirit, as your Picnic Passport package also includes this lovely SNHA-branded picnic blanket, courtesy of Donegal Insurance Group. A free Susquehanna River Water Trail Map & Guide and a variety of restaurant information and coupons. Plus a local sweet treat will complete the package.
We hope you’ll enjoy an excursion on the river this summer while supporting SNHA and local businesses through the Picnic Passport!
Susquehanna NHA in partnership with Borough of Columbia’s Parks and Recreation Committee has launched a 2020 Columbia Summer Bucket List. We have all been struggling to keep busy and find new fun during the global pandemic. The Columbia Summer Bucket List is here to keep you exploring whether you live in town or your visiting for the day. It’s the perfect time to discover the unique experiences available right here! With over 35 activities featuring nearly 50 Columbia organizations, businesses and landmarks there’s something for everyone!
Keep Your Kids Busy
Columbia has wealth of free and low cost adventures for all types and tastes. We focused on activities that were readily available and safe during the pandemic. Discover new parts of town, beautiful murals, and silly activities. It’s perfect for families. Like #13: Make a train noise at the Columbia & Reading Railroad Car at Manor & 4th Street. Or #3: Pretend to milk the Turkey Hill Experience Cow.
Explore Local History
Dive into Columbia’s history while you’re here. The Bucket List features historic sites and markers like #24: Find the Lincoln Highway marker on Chestnut Street. Pop into the historic district to stroll down the cobblestones to the Wright’s Ferry Mansion. Check off number #21: with a stop at Zion Hill Cemetery where you can learn about Columbia’s African American residents who fought in the Civil War.
Support Small Businesses
It’s also designed to support the Columbia business community. The Bucket List features all kinds of businesses in Columbia that you may not know existed. From the comic book store to the quaint gift shops, you’ll be pleasantly surprised at the variety of shops. Shopping small has a big impact so pick up some Susquehanna glassware, old-fashioned penny candy, or a new-to-you antique while you’re in town. Each stop checks off a bucket list item.
Eat Your Heart Out
Fill your belly too! Columbia Bucket List features old-fashioned favorites like the classic Shifter sandwich to our new obsession: the savory Soul Roll at Cafe 301. Pick your favorite cheesesteak and try some new brews on your quest to conquer the whole list. It’s impossible to leave town hungry!
Download your Bucket List and get started! Or pick up a paper copy at Columbia Crossing River Trails Center: Open Wednesday – Sunday 10 am – 5 pm.
Track your efforts by snapping photos of as many of our summer activities in Columbia as you can and share them to social media using #2020ColumbiaBucketList. Complete a short form on the back of your bucket list and return it Columbia Crossing River Trails Center to claim your prize!
For those that complete at least 15 activities, you will receive this unique sticker! This vintage style crimson and gold sticker captures Columbia’s colors and historic Veterans Memorial Bridge. These 3″ circles are durable, weather resistant, premium vinyl stickers. Slap one on your car, bike, kayak, water bottle or laptop and it will last!
For those that complete at least 30 activities, you will earn the sticker as well as a voucher for a small ice cream cone at Hinkle’s Restaurant. Hinkle’s will scoop your choice of vanilla or chocolate into a cone or dish. Enjoy it as you walk around town or devour it at their classic Ice Parlor & Soda Fountain.
Thanks to Hinkle’s Restaurant for supporting the Columbia Bucket List. We also thank Sticker Mule who has great weatherproof stickers. The Columbia Summer Bucket List was created by the Borough of Columbia’s Park and Recreation Committee in partnership with Susquehanna National Heritage Area. Working together to share Columbia’s historic, scenic, and recreational stories and experiences with residents and visitors and support our local business community.
River Roots is Susquehanna NHA’s blog series featuring history from York and Lancaster Counties that showcases the Susquehanna River’s historic, cultural, and natural resources contributions to our nation’s heritage.
This month SNHA is uncovering the details of Benjamin Henry Latrobe’s 18-foot long survey of the Lower Susquehanna River. Although Benjamin Latrobe is remembered as an accomplished architect, in the Susquehanna NHA we honor him for his amazing map of the Lower Susquehanna.
Susquehanna, The Navigable?
Near the turn of the 19th century, water-based transportation was essential to civilization. With no automobiles or trains, land transportation was limited to horse and foot. Across the new United States, surveyors and map makers were seeking to find connective water routes – like the Lewis & Clark Expedition that started in 1803. The Susquehanna’s connection to the Chesapeake Bay made it an obvious target for commerce.
The Lower Susquehanna was swift and rocky. The Susquehanna was only navigable downriver to Columbia, even during spring freshets. There wheat, beef, coal, lumber, and other goods were unloaded and carried via wagon to Philadelphia. Downriver from Columbia, craggy metamorphic ridges rise up between 200 and 500 feet above the water in what is called the Susquehanna Gorge. At the bottom of the gorge, the river was dominated by huge rocks protruding above the waterline. This is no small obstable to overcome as the gorge runs from Turkey Hill to Port Deposit, a distance of nearly thirty miles.
Benjamin’s Survey
In 1801, Pennsylvania Governor Thomas McKean appointed Latrobe surveyor and assistant to his uncle, Frederick Antes, as authorized by a 1799 state statute providing for navigation improvements to the Lower Susquehanna River south of Columbia. Latrobe and Antes represented Pennsylvania in a joint venture with the Susquehanna Canal Company, a Maryland entity building a canal from the Pennsylvania border to tidewater.
With his uncle’s death in September 1801, Latrobe assumed control of the Pennsylvania portion of the project, working with his Maryland partners. Latrobe surveyed the river in October-November 1801 with the help of two assistant surveyors, chainbearers, axemen and canoemen. He completed his map over the winter, including a proposed new route for navigating the rocky river. Latrobe presented his work to the governor in Lancaster (then Pennsylvania’s capital) in March 1802 and lobbied the legislature for project funding. His efforts were successful, and the navigation improvements were completed soon after.
Latrobe’s Susquehanna survey map represents a rare profile of the physical features of a region just beginning to feel the impact of agricultural and commercial development. This landscape has changed drastically since Latrobe’s time, with 60 percent of the river below Columbia now submerged by reservoirs from three 20th century dams. Latrobe’s original 18-foot long survey of the Susquehanna was before Congress for consideration of internal improvements when it was destroyed during the Capitol’s burning by the British in 1814. His personal copy of the 1801 survey, shown below, now resides in the collections of the Maryland Historical Society. A full-size reproduction of this survey copy is on public display at the waterfront pavilion of Susquehanna NHA’s Zimmerman Center for Heritage.
Benjamin’s Map
The river rapids shown by Latrobe reveal that the river’s steepest gradient is near its mouth. Such conditions exist in most of the great African rivers, but they are not found in any other river on our Atlantic seaboard. These circumstances made upstream travel almost impossible. Even downstream travel was made only by arks and rafts which were usually dismantled at their destination and sold as lumber. Latrobe sought a route to take boats northbound but there were many challenges.
Most narrow part of the southern half of the Susquehanna River is at McCall’s Ferry, modern day York Furnace. In Latrobe’s survey it was listed as 16 perches, or 264 feet wide. In 1815, when a bridge was built across the river there it was 360 feet long. After the Holtwood Dam was constructed, the river was widened by the backed-up water, but the spot is still less than ¼ mile wide or 1320 feet. Near this narrow spot in the river were also many deeps.
At a place known as The Neck, Latrobe dropped a 180-foot line with a lead weight, and it didn’t hit the bottom. The weight also didn’t hit bottom along the eastern shore at McCall’s Ferry. During the construction of the Hotlwood Dam (1909), Conowingo Dam (1925), and Safe Harbor Dam (1930), many deep gashes were found in the riverbed. These underwater canyons descend below the surface as much as 200 feet and stretch up to two miles in length. Latrobe was likely puzzled by his observation of such deep water since the levels elsewhere were very low. Latrobe was able to walk across the river south of Turkey Hill. He wrote “I walked dry shod across the rocks from Savers bottom to the channel on the Eastern side, which was then about 100 feet wide.” In the end, Latrobe laid a channel to allow southbound traffic in all seasons. Even with blasting obstructions and clearing a narrow channel, the Susquehanna was still very hazardous.
Enduring Features
Use the slider image above to compare Latrobe’s map to modern Google Earth. Latrobe’s ability to capture the shape and scale of the river with accuracy is impressive. Although many of the river’s islands shown by Latrobe were submerged because of the construction of the hydroelectric dams, some of the islands and their names still endure. South of the Norman Wood Bridge is the Bear Islands. Latrobe described their features as “They are high Rocky masses of great extent, covered chiefly with pines” that “rose from 20 to 30 feet above the water.” Just north of the Pequea Creek outfall is Weise Island. On Latrobe’s Map this is labeled Stoner’s Island and has two small structures on it that may have been part of the local ferry operation. Mud Island near Columbia remains the same while Reed Island, south of Pequea, has shrunk dramatically. Many of the islands are now under the river’s flow which has skewed our vision of the river’s natural state.
The sheer cliffs and peaks along the riverfront also remain. These are helpful to orient the 1802 map with modern maps or other historic maps. Latrobe identified:
• Neal’s Point now Hawk Point Overlook
• Neck Mountain now Pinnacle Overlook
• House Rock now House Rock Overlook
• Raven’s Nest now Safe Harbor Overlook
• Turkey Hill now Turkey Hill Overlook
Although the goal of the survey was to increase navigability of the Lower Susquehanna to the tidewater some of the notes and features expand our understanding of early American life. Latrobe identifies over two dozen riverfront homesteads and farms. There are six ferries listed as well as three sawmills. There’s also a slate quarry near Peach Bottom and a fishery north of Pequea Creek. One enduring structure is “Col. Tritt’s” home, now the Zimmerman Center for Heritage, which still stands as shown on Latrobe’s map, just below “Tritt’s Islands.” Latrobe also made pencil sketches and watercolors along his journey, capturing a scenic natural area just beginning to develop as a corridor of culture and commerce.
Views of Susquehanna from foot of falls above Columbia
George Stoner’s on Pequea Creek, Burkhalters Ferry
The Susquehanna River from Turkey Hill
Anderson’s Mill Below Wright’s Ferry, Susquehanna River
Latrobe’s survey resulted in the blasting of rock to create a 40-foot-wide channel but it would be thirty years until canal companies would make the river easily navigable. The Susquehanna & Tidewater Canal finally carried cargo on the west side of the river between Havre de Grace, Maryland and Wrightsville, Pennsylvania in 1840. Boats were then towed along the Columbia-Wrightsville Bridge and entered the Pennsylvania Main Line Canal which traveled up the east side of the river to north of Harrisburg. The advancement of land transportation via railroads would eventually end the age of canals and with it the quest to make the Susquehanna navigable.
The Latrobe map was pulled from the archives and used by Pennsylvania Water & Power Company as it prepared for construction of the Holtwood Dam in 1909. The map served as a guide to subdue the river just as it had been 100 years earlier. Today, the Latrobe map shows us the power of people to affect the environment, as well as the power of nature to resist those changes. The Susquehanna Gorge has retained its mysterious deeps, its sheer cliffs, and its rocky bottom despite two centuries of human manipulation.
Learn More
Brubaker, J., 2002. Down The Susquehanna To The Chesapeake. University Park, Pa: Pennsylvania State Univ. Press.
View the Susquehanna! Go to the Overlooks noted on Latrobe’s map and see what the river looks like today. Can you imagine where all the rocks, rapids, and homesteads were 200 years ago?
With Lancaster and York Counties entering new phases of PA’s COVID-19 response, Susquehanna National Heritage Area is re-opening our two visitor facilities along the Susquehanna River and launching our second season of River Discovery Boat Tours. York County entered the GREEN phase on June 12th and Lancaster County enters the GREEN phase on June 26th . Here’s what to expect for each facility and our boat tours during re-opening:
ZIMMERMAN CENTER FOR HERITAGE – SNHA owns and manages this historic 18th century riverfront home south of Wrightsville in York County, with visitor services, exhibits, and galleries. With York County in GREEN, the Zimmerman Center re-opened to the public onFRIDAY, JUNE 19TH with regular hours, Tuesday-Sunday, 10am-4pm. New procedures are in place for visitors and staff to comply with CDC and PA Department of Health guidelines. All inside visitors to the building are required to sign-in with contact information. Self-guided tours of the first floor are offered, with no full-house tours or inside programs. Masks are required for visitors and staff inside the building, with disposable masks available.
COLUMBIA CROSSING RIVER TRAILS CENTER – SNHA manages this riverfront visitor education center in Columbia River Park in Lancaster County for the Borough of Columbia, including visitor services, maps and guides, exhibits, programs, and facility rentals. With Lancaster County entering the GREEN phase, Columbia Crossing re-opens to the public on FRIDAY, JUNE 26th, with revised hours, Wednesday-Sunday, 10am-5pm. Restrooms are open with outside access, 6am-6pm daily. All activities will comply with CDC and PA Department of Health guidelines. Masks are required for visitors and staff inside the building, with disposable masks available.
RIVER DISCOVERY BOAT TOURS – SNHA will launch our 2nd season of free pontoon boat tours from the Zimmerman Center on Friday, July 3rd. Tours will be offered Friday/Saturday/Sunday and frequency increased from 3 to 4 per day. Registration will be limited to 8 passengers per tour instead of 10 to allow for social distancing. The boat and equipment will be sanitized between tours. Similar to last year, pre-registration will be required online, but no walk-ons will be permitted to fill no-show seats. All check-in will be done outside in the waterfront pavilion, with Covid-19 screening questions, temperature checks, and face masks required. Disposable masks will be provided to passengers as needed. Online registration for boat tours will be available at this website link starting MONDAY, JUNE 15th: https://susqnha.org/programs/boat-tours/
We look forward to welcoming the public back to the Zimmerman Center, Columbia Crossing, and our River Discovery Boat Tours. For further updates and other information about SNHA and our facilities, programs, and projects, please visit our website and social media pages at the following links:
Black Lives Matter – Yesterday, Today, and Tomorrow
In 2020, America once again faced the reality of systemic racism and violence against Black Americans in the
wake of George Floyd’s horrible murder by a police officer in Minneapolis. The passionate protests and calls for change flowing from this tragedy roiled people and places across the nation and the world. This was right and proper, and it wasn’t new. Many protested the hate and hostility inflicted on people of color in our country long before Mr. Floyd’s death, including here at home. Such activism has been necessary because our region shares the same history and pervasiveness of racism as the rest of America, and has done so for a very, very long time.
When the Dritt Mansion, now SNHA’s Zimmerman Center for Heritage, was constructed along the Susquehanna River in York County about 1750, slavery was legal in Pennsylvania, with over 6000 Black Americans in bondage. Slavery was not abolished here until 1780, and then only phased out, with many still enslaved well into the 19th century. For over thirty years after our area and people played a key role in securing freedom and independence during the Revolutionary War, Black Americans were still enslaved here, including at the Dritt Mansion itself.
We should be proud of those who strived for racial justice in the two centuries that followed. Black businessmen like William Goodridge, William Whipper, and Stephen Smith, Quakers like the Wrights and Mifflins, and many lesser known Underground Railroad supporters who assisted those escaping slavery. We should be proud of the Christiana Resistance of 1851, when Black and non-Black Lancaster Countians clashed with a Maryland enslaver to ensure freedom for his fugitive former captives. We should be proud of those who fought to end slavery in the Civil War and abolitionists like Thaddeus Stevens who helped advance equality for Black Americans. We should be proud of local citizens who strove for justice in the civil rights era, desegregating Lancaster pools and facing racial strife in York in the 1960s. And we should be proud of the racial justice movement today.
The very need for such heroes and actions throughout our history demonstrates one thing we should not and cannot be proud of – the persistent and still-prevalent racism and injustice experienced by people of color in our community. Since our founding in 2001, SNHA has sponsored projects highlighting the importance of Black Americans in our region’s history and hosted programs that bring young people of color to the river for fun and learning. But we have not done nearly enough. As we embrace, learn from, and take part in America’s historic racial justice movement, we must, and will, stand against racism and for racial equity, diversity, and inclusion – in our storytelling, our community projects, our partnerships, and our workplace.
Since 2020, SNHA has engaged our staff and Board to assess and update our policies and practices to ensure justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion in our programs, projects, and leadership. SNHA staff have participated in excellent forums on these issues through the National Park Service, Alliance of National Heritage Areas, and other partners. We will apply this learning and other resources and guidance to make our organization better.
In 2022, SNHA completed our National Heritage Area Management Plan to guide our work over the next decade. As we implement the plan, we’ll ensure that the advisory groups, partners, consultants, and communities we work with are diverse and inclusive and that contributions from people of color are heard and addressed. Our current inclusive storytelling project focused on key people, places, and events important to Black lives and Black history in our National Heritage Area will provide an essential framework for this work in the years ahead.
We look forward to working with our community and partners to ensure that our organization promotes racial justice and celebrates cultural diversity.
Mark N. Platts, President
Originally posted June 2020 / Updated August 2023
River Roots is Susquehanna NHA’s blog series featuring history from York and Lancaster Counties that showcases the Susquehanna River’s historic, cultural, and natural resources contributions to our nation’s heritage.
Iron was essential in building America. In the 19th century, iron was used in railroads, boats, ships, buildings, and steam engines among other items. Before steel could be easily manufactured, iron was the most popular metal. A small but mighty stretch of iron furnaces could be found along the Susquehanna River in Pennsylvania in the vicinity of Columbia, Marietta, and Wrightsville . In the latter half of the 19th century, eleven iron furnaces were operated between Columbia and Marietta. The industrial complex was expansive enough to rival the Iron City of Pittsburgh, earning it the title The Pittsburgh of the East.
Anthracite Iron Revolution
In the early 1800s, the iron industry went through an important transition from pioneer ironmasters to skilled industrialists. Early iron masters toiled with their workers. To be successful they had to take a real interest in the details of their work, including solving metallurgical problems and transportation logistics. They also had to solve financial problems without the aid of commercial banks. By 1850, progress in technology, banking, and transportation changed the iron industry. Ironmasters could oversee the business operations and hire knowledgeable skilled laborers to lead the furnace operation.
The most important technological change for the Susquehanna River region involved developing the use of anthracite coal in creating pig iron. Charcoal was the standard fuel for combustion but depended on the availability of wood, which was less readily available in the Lancaster area. Anthracite coal was readily mined in Pennsylvania but was too dense to burn productively in blast furnaces. It was so dense it was referred to as ‘Stone Coal.’
The addition of hot air was all that was needed to promote combustion of the dense anthracite coal. The hot blast method was developed in Britain and was then brought to Catasauqua, Pennsylvania. Knowledge of this development spread quickly, which may have led to the construction of the first Columbia area furnace, Shawnee Furnace, in 1844. Just over a decade later in 1856, Lancaster County produced ten percent of all anthracite iron in United States.
Finding the Perfect Location
Harold Cramer, “An Overview of Pennsylvania Mapping Circa 1850 to 1900”
Compared to Pittsburgh located at the foot of the Allegheny Mountains, the anthracite furnaces of Lancaster County were located near similar geologic conditions. Nearby raw materials like limestone and iron ore inspired savvy entrepreneurs to set up blast furnaces. The nearby flowing water of the Susquehanna could help cool the furnaces and power operations. The towns of Columbia and Marietta were well established and could supply a steady workforce of skilled and unskilled labor.
Like the three rivers in Pittsburgh, the Susquehanna River provided a transportation hub that allowed for the distribution of goods and the success of the pig iron furnaces, allowing for a booming industry. Transportation infrastructure was critical to success. Those businesses and industries along existing or newly constructed routes could easily receive raw materials and ship finished products. For the iron industry in Pennsylvania, canals and railroads were essential. The Eastern Division Canal and the Union Canal in Pennsylvania brought coal from places like Scranton, Wilkes Barre and Pine Grove, and was delivered to Columbia for the nearby furnaces. Much of the pig iron was then shipped east via the railroad to Philadelphia where it was worked and forged into usable products.
Ironworks and Transportation in Southeastern Pennsylvania, 1842-1858. From Knowles, Anne Kelly, and Richard G. Healey. “Geography, Timing, and Technology: A GIS-Based Analysis of Pennsylvania’s Iron Industry, 1825-1875.”
Making Pig Iron
Mechanics of the Cornwall Iron Furnace in Lebanon PA.
Iron ore are rocks from which metallic iron can be extracted. It is extracted through a blast furnace into iron bars or pig iron. The pig iron was then sent to forges where it was worked into wrought iron and, later in 19th century, steel. Pig Iron is produced directly in a blast furnace. Layers of limestone, iron ore, and anthracite coal were dumped into the top of the furnace. Outside the furnace, hot air was made by blower engines powered by water or steam. Hot air was then blasted into the bottom of the furnace which forced the coal to ignite and begin a chemical reaction.
The reaction created molten iron as well as slag. Slag is the waste product of impurities that were removed from the iron ore in the blasting process. The molten slag sits on top of the molten iron so it can be easily poured or channeled out of the furnace. The molten iron flows from the furnace into a channel consisting of large molds in a sand floor. The flow of molten iron continued into smaller molds attached to the sides of the large ones. The arrangement of smaller and larger molds reminded ironworkers of pigs (the smaller molds) spread at the sides of sows (the larger molds). Thus, ironworkers called the bars made in smaller molds “pigs,” the ones in larger molds “sows,” and the overall product “pig iron.”
1886 Sanborn Map showing the complex structures in the Henry Clay Furnace operations in Marietta.
Little Pittsburgh in Lancaster County
In the area between Marietta and Columbia eleven furnaces operated between 1845 and the end of the century. It’s important to note that the furnaces did not operate as a lone stack. There were many connected and ancillary buildings to keep the hot blast furnace flowing. It was common to have a casting house, stock house, ore roasters, engine house, as well as houses for the workers. Let’s follow the development and operations of just one of the furnaces: the Chickies Furnace. It is a great example of how iron industry developed and changed quickly in the late nineteenth century. It was the longest operating and most successful furnace in the Columbia-Marietta area.
Chickies No. 1 Blast Furnace, circa 1870.
Chickies No. 1 was constructed in 1845 by Henry Haldeman, who in that same year turned it over to his sons, Samuel and Edwin. Furnaces built by the Haldemans were notable for their advanced technology. Samuel shared information and diagrams of the Chickies No. 1 furnaces in a national journal. Chickies No. 1 went into blast in 1846 and was never out of blast for long periods thereafter. In 1848, it produced 2,464 tons of iron. Letters show us that Samuel Haldeman studied the furnace design and made frequent improvements. In one letter, he wrote that the furnace was built to produce forty ton of pig iron a week but in six days had made seventy-two tons. It was the most productive and technologically advanced of the furnaces on the floodplain.
Chickies No. 1 was originally 32′ high with an 8′ bosh, but the furnace underwent a number of remodeling projects until it was completely rebuilt in 1886. At that time, the stone stack was removed and replaced with an iron cylinder lined with firebrick and set on a mantle ring supported by six cast iron columns. A separate concrete foundation supported the lower bosh and crucible. The resulting furnace was 65′ high with a 12′ bosh and an annual capacity of approximately 17,000 tons, thirty times its output in 1848. All new blast machinery, stoves, and boilers were installed, and a new Romanesque-style brick cast house replaced the earlier one. Special rail connections for moving materials between the two Chickies furnaces were constructed.
The principal ores used at the Chickies furnaces were brown hematite from Chestnut Hill located six miles east and magnetic ores from the Cornwall mines. The pig iron produced was sold under the brand name “Chickies” through agents in Philadelphia, New York, Baltimore, and Pittsburgh. The furnace went out of blast permanently in 1899 and was dismantled not long thereafter. Ten other furnaces operated between 1840 and 1930. To explore the history of each operation visit Rivertownes.org.
Technology Advances Ending Iron Production at Chickies
Just like a change in technology allowed for booming blast furnaces, it was also what ended the era. Between 1840 and 1880 the iron industry experienced profound technological changes, including a shift in fuel from charcoal to anthracite coal and then to bituminous coal and coke. During the 1850s furnaces fueled by anthracite superseded charcoal furnaces. By 1875, furnaces fired with bituminous coal and coke supplanted anthracite furnaces. Bituminous coal allowed for better efficiency and reduced costs for Ironmasters. The iron industry at Chickies was able to produce pig iron for some steel uses and cast-iron products through the 1880s despite the popular fuel change.
In the 1880s, steel mills began to manufacture iron in iron furnaces and then converted the iron into steel. From raw iron ore to steel, the process was under one location and operation. The ironmasters of Columbia and Marietta were quickly unnecessary for steel manufacturing. In 1892, the output of America’s steel mills first surpassed iron production. Most of the furnaces along the river were dismantled or stopped operating by 1899 and the Pittsburgh of the East faded into history.
Learn More
You can see the remains of the iron furnaces today, most of which can be found along the Northwest Lancaster County River Trail between Columbia and Marietta. Find a map here.
Run your own furnace! The BBC has created an interactive Blast Furnace Animation. There’s also an option to ‘Build It,’ which allows you to construct all the parts of the furnace stack.
Resources
Rivertownes PA USA: Iron Furnace History: Marietta. Retrieved May 20, 2020, from http://www.rivertownes.org/
Bining, Arthur C. “Early Ironmasters of Pennsylvania.” Pennsylvania History: A Journal of Mid-Atlantic Studies 18, no. 2 (1951): 93-103. Accessed May 27, 2020. www.jstor.org/stable/27769194.
Knowles, Anne Kelly, and Richard G. Healey. “Geography, Timing, and Technology: A GIS-Based Analysis of Pennsylvania’s Iron Industry, 1825-1875.” The Journal of Economic History 66, no. 3 (2006): 608-34. Accessed May 27, 2020. www.jstor.org/stable/3874854.
Overman, Frederick. The Manufacture of Iron. United States: University of Michigan Library, 2012.
Stapleton, Darwin H. “The Diffusion of Anthracite Iron Technology: The Case of Lancaster County.” Pennsylvania History: A Journal of Mid-Atlantic Studies 45, no. 2 (1978): 147-57. Accessed May 27, 2020. www.jstor.org/stable/27772508.
With Albatwitch Day and Halloween right around the corner, SNHA has put together a new map of our favorite haunted places, legends, and strange histories. Using local resources like authors Rick Fisher and Scott Butcher, the map pinpoints strange happenings, creature sightings, and wild tragedies. This map is just in time for spooky season and is perfect for those who want to learn more about things that go bump in the night in the Susquehanna National Heritage Area. The descriptions and stories are chilling, involving terrifying creatures, and tales of the supernatural and paranormal experiences, combining both the familiar and the bizarre. 
Chickies Ridge is composed of the uplifted Cambrian Chickies Formation, a mapped bedrock unit in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and Maryland. It is named for Chickies Rock, a popular rock cliff just north of Columbia along the Susquehanna River. According to the United States Geological Survey (USGS), the summit of the ridge is 587 feet above sea level.
Though we can’t join you on your outing, we’ll be with you in spirit, as your Picnic Passport package also includes this lovely SNHA-branded picnic blanket, courtesy of Donegal Insurance Group. A free Susquehanna River Water Trail Map & Guide and a variety of restaurant information and coupons. Plus a local sweet treat will complete the package.
For those that complete at least 30 activities, you will earn the sticker as well as a voucher for a small ice cream cone at Hinkle’s Restaurant. Hinkle’s will scoop your choice of vanilla or chocolate into a cone or dish. Enjoy it as you walk around town or devour it at their classic Ice Parlor & Soda Fountain.
With his uncle’s death in September 1801, Latrobe assumed control of the Pennsylvania portion of the project, working with his Maryland partners. Latrobe surveyed the river in October-November 1801 with the help of two assistant surveyors, chainbearers, axemen and canoemen. He completed his map over the winter, including a proposed new route for navigating the rocky river. Latrobe presented his work to the governor in Lancaster (then Pennsylvania’s capital) in March 1802 and lobbied the legislature for project funding. His efforts were successful, and the navigation improvements were completed soon after.
COLUMBIA CROSSING RIVER TRAILS CENTER – SNHA manages this riverfront visitor education center in Columbia River Park in Lancaster County for the Borough of Columbia, including visitor services, maps and guides, exhibits, programs, and facility rentals. With Lancaster County entering the 
RIVER DISCOVERY BOAT TOURS – SNHA will launch our 2nd season of free pontoon boat tours from the Zimmerman Center on Friday, July 3rd. Tours will be offered Friday/Saturday/Sunday and frequency increased from 3 to 4 per day. Registration will be limited to 8 passengers per tour instead of 10 to allow for social distancing. The boat and equipment will be sanitized between tours. Similar to last year, pre-registration will be required online, but no walk-ons will be permitted to fill no-show seats. All check-in will be done outside in the waterfront pavilion, with Covid-19 screening questions, temperature checks, and face masks required. Disposable masks will be provided to passengers as needed.
