Susquehanna Discovery Center & Heritage Park
February 2025 Project Update

Pete Miele, Senior Project Leader

February has been a momentous month for the Susquehanna Discovery Center & Heritage Park! With exciting public engagement, preservation milestones, and expanded storytelling opportunities, we are making incredible strides in bringing this nationally significant site to life.

On Thursday, February 6th, we welcomed DCNR Secretary Cindy Adams Dunn to the Mifflin Farm to mark Black History Month. The event featured speeches from Susquehanna National Heritage Area (SNHA) President & CEO Mark Platts, SNHA Board members Neicy Deshields-Moulton and Nelson Polite, Jr., State Senator Kristin Phillips-Hill, and York County Commissioner Doug Hoke. These speakers honored the Mifflin House as a place of resistance and refuge in the early nineteenth century. The program was covered by Commonwealth Media Services, ABC27, Fox43, and WGAL. You can watch the full program and view high-resolution photographs here: PACast. Additional news coverage is linked here:

As part of this commemoration, SNHA President & CEO Mark Platts announced the creation of an Underground Railroad Work Group. These local historians will aid the SNHA staff in developing interpretation and exhibits for the new Underground Railroad Learning Center in the Mifflin House and on the historic landscape. The inaugural meeting of this group will occur in early March.

The story of the Underground Railroad in our region is reaching increased audiences. LNP recently released a short documentary featuring our own Senior Project Leader Pete Miele, alongside Randy Harris of LancasterHistory. The documentary highlights the significance of sites like the Mifflin House in the fight for freedom. You can watch it here: LNP Documentary. This is a fantastic opportunity to spread awareness of the powerful history embedded in our landscape​.

Over the past month, River Art consultants Terrie Sultan of AMS Hudson Ferris and Rob Evans, aided by the River Art Work Group, drafted mission, vision, and purpose statements for the new Susquehanna River Art Museum. These foundational documents establish philosophies for both the permanent collection and special exhibitions of historic and contemporary art. This museum will harness the transformative, educational, and experiential power of art to tell the nationally important stories of the Susquehanna River region. We are thrilled that this unique, world-class collection of Susquehanna River Art is an integral component of the Susquehanna Discovery Center & Heritage Park.

On Wednesday, February 26th, we hosted our second public presentation of the Master Plan & Interpretive Framework at Wrightsville Presbyterian Church. After seven months of effort, our Master Plan & Interpretive Framework process is nearing completion and sixty attendees joined us to learn about the future of the site. The response was positive, with the community embracing the vision for this site as a premier gateway to history, art, and nature along the Susquehanna River. Public enthusiasm reaffirms our commitment to developing a world-class visitor destination that honors the past while creating new opportunities for engagement​.

Finally, February also brought thrilling news from the Pennsylvania State Historic Preservation Office: the Mifflin House has been determined “nationally significant” under the criteria for listing in the National Register of Historic Places. This is a game-changer for our project. Not only does it recognize the profound role the Mifflin House played in the Underground Railroad and Civil War history, but it also opens doors for additional grant opportunities. Our historic preservation consultant, Becky Zeller of Zeller Preservation, is now preparing the nomination form for submission to the National Park Service. We hope to achieve listing in the National Register of Historic Preservation by late 2025 or early 2026.

What’s Next?

  • Public Access Improvements: As we prepare to welcome visitors, work continues on initial site enhancements, including parking and walking paths. With the warmer weather, this work will restart.
  • Grants: We are actively applying for local, state, and federal grants to continue our work to tell the story of this property.
  • Educational & Community Programming: Plans are in motion for interactive tours and programs to begin this spring, ensuring that visitors can experience the Mifflin House’s story firsthand​.

Thank you all for your continued support in making this vision a reality. The momentum is building, and 2025 is shaping up to be a truly transformative year for the Susquehanna Discovery Center & Heritage Park!