Uncharted Lancaster

Uncharted Lancaster Discovering history through adventure.

On January 17, 1920, the 18th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution went into effect. It prohibited the "manufacture, sale,...
01/17/2026

On January 17, 1920, the 18th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution went into effect. It prohibited the "manufacture, sale, or transportation of intoxicating liquors for beverage purposes."

Think again if you felt a little thing like the Constitution would stop Columbia from getting its beer. Then, on June 23, 1932, at the height of Prohibition, Columbia residents enjoyed six hours of free beer as 200,000 gallons were dumped into a 4th Street sewer. Some locals like to joke that, on a sweltering summer afternoon, the waters of Shawnee Run still have a faint “hint of hops.”
https://unchartedlancaster.com/the-day-columbia-residents-were-treated-to-200000-gallons-of-free-beer/

‘Doodle-Bug’ motor car of Mountville.The morning sun raised the icy temperature only a few degrees on this December day ...
01/17/2026

‘Doodle-Bug’ motor car of Mountville.
The morning sun raised the icy temperature only a few degrees on this December day in the 1930s as the Pennsylvania Railroad gas-electric car stops momentarily to drop off Christmas mail for Mountville residents.

Whenever the train was due, someone was at the station on the corner of Froelich Avenue and South Manor Street, to haul the mail to the post office. On days when the mail was heavy, it was a struggle to push the load up the steep hill to the town's main street. By the time the man reached the post office, he was in need of a good rest.

The Pennsy provided passenger service several times each day between Lancaster and York with stops at Mountville, Columbia, Wrightsville, and Hellam until replaced by buses on January 4, 1954. Affectionate names such as "doodle-bug" and "guinea killer" were given to the motor car by the old-timers. The old station was torn down in 1959.

Click here to see more drawings by JA Ruof.

On this day in 1920, the 18th Amendment hit the nation, banning all things boozy. But did that stop the beer-loving folk...
01/17/2026

On this day in 1920, the 18th Amendment hit the nation, banning all things boozy. But did that stop the beer-loving folks of Lancaster? Not a chance!

Dive into the thrilling tale of a local mobster who wasn't about to let the Constitution dry out his business. With the help of two intrepid spelunking dwarfs, he orchestrated a clandestine operation to transport his brews. The mission? To ship suds a whopping 3,000 feet from the Rieker Star Brewery, through Lancaster's sewers, all the way to a warehouse where Zoetropolis Cinema Stillhouse stands today.

Curious to see how they pulled off this underground beer run? Check out these incredible images (pictures 1-3) courtesy of Rieker Bottle Works, showing some of the underground the spelunking dwarfs navigated. The remaining images come courtesy of LancasterHistory. Click the link to explore this slice of Lancaster's spirited past. https://unchartedlancaster.com/to-keep-the-beer-flowing-during-prohibition-one-beer-baron-ran-a-3000-foot-suds-filled-hose-through-the-sewers-of-lancaster/

Did you know Lancaster’s oldest standing commercial brick building is hiding in plain sight?Tucked beside Trinity Luther...
01/16/2026

Did you know Lancaster’s oldest standing commercial brick building is hiding in plain sight?

Tucked beside Trinity Lutheran Church on East Mifflin Street stands the Demuth S***f Mill, a three-story to***co factory that powered a five-generation family business for over 200 years. From hand-ground s***f to Golden Lion ci**rs, this unassuming warehouse once supplied customers across the region.

Most people walk right past it without ever knowing its history. Full story on Uncharted Lancaster when you click the link. https://unchartedlancaster.com/lancasters-oldest-commercial-brick-building-the-hidden-story-of-the-demuth-s***f-mill/

📸: The Demuth Museum

How traveling in the snow might have looked 130 years ago… Pennsylvania Traction Company's trolley No. 63 on the Columbi...
01/16/2026

How traveling in the snow might have looked 130 years ago… Pennsylvania Traction Company's trolley No. 63 on the Columbia and Marietta line at what was known as the "Red Barn" just below Marietta in 1896. This car was one of the original Columbia and Ironville Electric Railway cars. Note the odd-looking homemade vestibules constructed in the Columbia carbarn to protect the motorman from the weather. The car was painted red with yellow lettering and built by J. G. Brill Car Company. Curious to learn more about Lancaster's bygone trolley system, particularly the scenic route to Pequea?
📸: LancasterHistory

👀 Meet the East King Street Eavesdropper—now watching from your wall or fridge.This is a project I’ve been especially ex...
01/16/2026

👀 Meet the East King Street Eavesdropper—now watching from your wall or fridge.

This is a project I’ve been especially excited to bring to life. Over the past few weeks, I’ve been creating high-detail 3D replicas of Lancaster’s legendary East King Street Eavesdropper using photogrammetry and digital modeling to capture every crease, curve, and weathered expression.

Two versions are now available:
🪵 A full-size wall edition
🧲 A miniature “Fridge Guardian”

If you’re not familiar with the original, the East King Street Eavesdropper is a carved face hidden beneath the eaves of the historic Bausman House—Lancaster City’s oldest townhouse. Built long before air conditioning, homes relied on open windows during the summer months. Local tradition holds that this watchful face served as a subtle warning: voices on the street could easily carry indoors.

Set just steps from the courthouse, the Eavesdropper has silently observed centuries of passersby, whispered conversations, and city life unfolding below—its expression frozen somewhere between curiosity and caution.

💰 Pricing starts at $14.99
👉 Available now in the Uncharted Lancaster shop. https://unchartedlancaster.com/meet-the-east-king-street-eavesdropper-a-lancaster-curiosity-reimagined/

Bring a piece of Lancaster’s architectural folklore home—and let it keep watch. 👁️

Explore the Legend of Cecil County’s Pig Woman! Nestled in the picturesque landscapes where U.S. Route 1 winds from Penn...
01/16/2026

Explore the Legend of Cecil County’s Pig Woman! Nestled in the picturesque landscapes where U.S. Route 1 winds from Pennsylvania to Maryland, a spine-tingling tale echoes through the countryside. By day, Cecil County is a serene haven, but by night, it transforms into the haunting realm of the infamous Pig Woman.

Tragedy birthed this eerie legend when a woman, engulfed in flames, leapt from a farmhouse only to be disfigured and lost to the woods. Since then, her ghostly presence has been the stuff of whispers and shivers, particularly among teens seeking secluded romantic spots.

Rumor has it, she lurks near an old bridge, using dark powers to stall cars and ensnare her victims. Those who've seen her speak of haunting memories, unexplained car damage, and some...never return. 🐷 Read more when you click the link. 🔗 https://unchartedlancaster.com/the-legend-of-cecil-countys-pig-woman/

This unassuming structure, shown in the first image near the power substation above Safe Harbor Dam at the end of Observ...
01/15/2026

This unassuming structure, shown in the first image near the power substation above Safe Harbor Dam at the end of Observation Road, once housed Lancaster County’s second-longest elevator—surpassed only by the Griest Building in Penn Square. The elevator’s impressive reach is illustrated in the third image, which shows its path from the hilltop down into the massive hydroelectric complex, descending two stories below where the photo was taken. During a recent visit, I had the opportunity to step inside. The second image highlights the elevator’s door, while the fourth image reveals a ladder leading to the structure’s second floor. Read more about Safe Harbor Dam when you click the link. https://unchartedlancaster.com/armchair-explorer-inside-the-bowels-of-safe-harbor-dam/

The forests along the banks of the Susquehanna River hold many secret and forgotten places. One such place is Shenks Fer...
01/15/2026

The forests along the banks of the Susquehanna River hold many secret and forgotten places. One such place is Shenks Ferry Wildflower Preserve. If you visit, it’s easy to forget that it hasn’t always been a forest. There was once a community here containing homes, hotels, school, post office, gristmill, charcoal briquette plant, iron ore mine, dynamite factory, and even a narrow-gauge railroad.

The area is named after Henry Shenks, who operated a ferry across the Susquehanna River to and from Lower Chanceford in York County during this time. He also owned two hotels and a gristmill. In an 1864 map of Conestoga Township, you can see two hotels and a gristmill. By the 1940s, all of this had faded, and most of Shenks Ferry was being used for agriculture. In the 1970s, reforestation efforts began, and the Shenks Ferry we recognize today began to develop.

Click the link for the culvert’s location and to learn more about Shenks Ferry: https://unchartedlancaster.com/side-quest-grubb-run-culvert-to-the-susquehanna-river/

On This Day in History: The Birth of Lancaster's First Newspaper! On January 15, 1752, the very first issue of 'Lancaste...
01/15/2026

On This Day in History: The Birth of Lancaster's First Newspaper! On January 15, 1752, the very first issue of 'Lancastersche Zeitung,' also known as 'The Lancaster Gazette,' rolled out of the New Printing Office on King Street. This historic event marked the beginning of a new era in local journalism and information dissemination.

Under the guidance of the legendary Benjamin Franklin, this newspaper not only served as a vital source of news for Lancaster's residents but also played a crucial role in shaping the community's identity. The publication of 'Lancastersche Zeitung' was a milestone that underscored Lancaster's growing importance in the broader narrative of American history.

🔗 Click the link to read more. https://unchartedlancaster.com/on-this-day-in-history-lancaster-prints-its-first-newspaper-under-the-guidance-of-benjamin-franklin/

In the winter of 1852, an unrelenting cold turned the Susquehanna River into an icy barrier, threatening to halt commerc...
01/15/2026

In the winter of 1852, an unrelenting cold turned the Susquehanna River into an icy barrier, threatening to halt commerce and mail along one of the nation’s most important rail corridors. This episode of the Uncharted Lancaster Podcast tells the extraordinary story of how the Philadelphia, Wilmington and Baltimore Railroad responded—by building a temporary railroad directly on the frozen river between Havre de Grace and Perryville.

Rather than risk a locomotive on the ice, engineers used stationary steam engines, ropes, and pulleys to carefully slide loaded freight cars across the frozen expanse. For more than forty days, thousands of tons of goods crossed the Susquehanna without a single recorded accident. The episode also explores how this remarkable feat was later immortalized in a commemorative lithograph distributed by the Adams Express Company, preserving one of the most inventive—and unlikely—chapters in American transportation history. Listen to the episode at https://unchartedlancaster.com/podcast-susquehanna-ice-railroad-of-1852/

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About Uncharted Lancaster

Hi, my name is Adam. Growing up in the 80s I enjoyed watching movies like Raiders of the Lost Ark and The Goonies. Later it was National Treasure and Ready Player One as well as the epic video game series Uncharted. When I wasn't watching one of these movies, I was cosplaying it. An old bicycle wrench was my Copper Bones. A surplus WWII gas mask bag became my Indiana Jones side bag.

I've always wanted to experience an adventure similar to one of my heroes, and that got me thinking. Why not? Why couldn't I have an adventure like one of my favorite characters, learn some local history, and maybe even find an artifact or some treasure along the way?

Maybe I couldn't, but I could definitely create them for other people. From this, the idea for Uncharted Lancaster was born. The elevator pitch sounds like this: National Treasure meets letterboxing meets Lancaster County history.

Armed with a basement full of maker space equipment, volumes of Lancaster County history, classic movie prop replicas, and a bunch of smart friends, I began constructing various adventures for Uncharted Lancaster.