Lancaster County Firsts & Bests, III

Lancaster County has an unusual depth of history and variety in its economy.  Did you know that for all the commercial and residential growth in recent years, Lancaster County is still the largest producing agricultural county in Pennsylvania?

In Lititz, the Sturgis Pretzel House is the oldest commercial pretzel bakery in the United States!  The stone house was built by Peter Sturgis in 1784, and the first pretzels were baked by Julius Sturgis in 1861.

In Elizabethtown, A. Buch & Sons was the first commercial wheelbarrow manufacturer in the U.S.

In Columbia, The National Watch & Clock Museum has the largest clock collection in North America.

The Demuth Tobacco Shop at 116 East King Street, Lancaster, founded in 1770, is the oldest tobacco shop in the nation. It was founded by Christopher Demuth, and is still in the family.  Charles Demuth, the famous artist, lived next door, and his house has been restored to a museum.

The Strasburg Railroad is the oldest short-line railroad in America.  Only four miles long, it was first chartered in 1832, and finished by 1851.

The Philadelphia-Lancaster Turnpike, completed in 1794, was the first successful turnpike in America.  It was built between 1792 and 1794, the first road built with a hard stone base in the United States, following the design of the Scottish engineer MacAdam (sound familiar?)  The Lancaster Turnpike Company was a stock company, and tolls were charged at nine different tollgates, or pikes.  When the toll was paid, the pike would be rotated so that the horse-drawn vehicle could pass - hence the name "Turnpike"!

 

Copyright2007BrianSchulman©

Brian Schulman offers expert real estate consultation and services in Lancaster County, PA.  To contact him, visit http://www.FindLancasterHomes.com/

 

 

Brian Schulman offers expert real estate representation for buyers and sellers of homes in Lancaster County, PA.  To learn more, visit http://www.FindLancasterHomes.com/

Lancaster County Facebook Business Page Brian Schulman LinkedIn R.E. Lancaster County Newsletter 

Interested in Receiving Information on  Local Lancaster County Events?

Lancaster Local Events  

 

 
This post has been included in Pennsylvania Real Estate News Lancaster County, PA Real Estate News
Post is included in group: Local Expert

2 Comments on Lancaster County PA Firsts & Bests, III

JUN
21
2007
While we lived just outside of Philly, we used to visit Lancaster Co every few months.  I miss it!!
9:00pm • #1
JUN
22
2007
445,301 Points 5 Featured Posts Localism Sponsor Outside Blog
Christina, even with all the recent growth, there's still a definite Lancaster County ambience in the countryside -
11:00am • #2


What does the graphic say?
Leave a response…

(optional)
Spam Prevention:
 
Img_8884_r2_2_final Ambassador_large

Brian Schulman - Your Lancaster County, PA Real Estate Expert

Lancaster, PA

More about me…

Coldwell Banker Select Professionals, Lancaster PA

Address: 1000 N. Prince Street, Lancaster, PA, 17603

Office Phone: (717) 735-6265

Cell Phone: (717) 951-5552

Email Me

Lancaster County PA real estate news, homes, communities, information, local events plus useful advice on buying and selling your home!



Listings

Links

Archives

RSS 2.0 Feed for this blog