Happy April! Pennsylvania is finally starting to get warm(ish)!
First, another shout out to Karen Galle, the director of the PHMC’s historical marker program. She recently updated their official blog with some info about new markers that are being erected this year, thus ensuring that I will continue to have blog subjects for years to come, and at the very end she gave a lovely shout-out to MarkerQuest! You can read the post, which is quite interesting, here.
If you read my post last year about the First Reformed Church of Lancaster, you may remember that I said I'm in that city at least once a year for Zenkaikon, the local annual gathering of pop culture enthusiasts. We were together once again at the end of March, so a big hello to any of my Z-pals who are reading this! While I was there with my usual guest star party members Rachel and Andrea, we took some time between panels to collect a few more signs for this blog. Today's subject was unexpected - we stumbled upon it while traveling between our hotel and the convention, and of course made the detour to get photos.
First, another shout out to Karen Galle, the director of the PHMC’s historical marker program. She recently updated their official blog with some info about new markers that are being erected this year, thus ensuring that I will continue to have blog subjects for years to come, and at the very end she gave a lovely shout-out to MarkerQuest! You can read the post, which is quite interesting, here.
If you read my post last year about the First Reformed Church of Lancaster, you may remember that I said I'm in that city at least once a year for Zenkaikon, the local annual gathering of pop culture enthusiasts. We were together once again at the end of March, so a big hello to any of my Z-pals who are reading this! While I was there with my usual guest star party members Rachel and Andrea, we took some time between panels to collect a few more signs for this blog. Today's subject was unexpected - we stumbled upon it while traveling between our hotel and the convention, and of course made the detour to get photos.
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| The marker is located on South Duke Street, by the Conestoga River, near the entrance to Lancaster County Central Park |
I forget how I first heard about Rock Ford, but I remember reading about it before this blog became a reality. The place's history is very nearly as interesting as that of the man who owned it, General Edward Hand.
General Edward Hand was a native of Clyduff, County Kings (now County Offaly), Ireland, where he was born on December 31, 1744. He studied medicine at Trinity College in Dublin, then joined the Eighteenth Royal Irish Regiment and accompanied them in 1774 to the American frontier, where they served at a location near what is now Pittsburgh. He finished his service in that same year and resigned, relocating to the city of Lancaster, where he opened a medical practice. In 1775, he married Catherine Ewing, a native of Philadelphia.
As the year would suggest, the American Revolution was brewing around this time, and Hand decided to return to military service in his new country. In 1775 he took a commission in the Continental Army, serving as a lieutenant colonel with the Pennsylvania Line (infantry). In 1776 he was promoted to colonel; on Christmas of that year, Hand was part of the group who crossed the Delaware River with George Washington. The next year he was promoted to brigadier general, serving as the commander of Fort Pitt, and then in 1779 he left the fort to be a brigade commander under the Marquis de Lafayette. He was recognized for outstanding service in four different battles, and in 1781 was promoted to the rank of adjutant general, serving as chief administrative officer for the Army. This was his rank when he participated in the siege at Yorktown.
I don't have any pictures of Hand, although there is a portrait on the official website of his home. His profile on FindAGrave.com notes that his right eye was injured in battle, and for the remainder of his life he would only allow portraits to be done of his left profile so that the eye couldn't be seen. I'm also blind in my right eye, so I found that particularly interesting. However, the Rock Ford Facebook page informs me that there is no confirmation of this; he was definitely injured in the eye, as one of his letters to his wife notes that he's recovering, but there's nothing to indicate that the story shared at FindAGrave is true.
In November 1783, after serving with so much distinction, Hand left the Continental Army and returned to his wife in Lancaster. This was when he began acquiring what would be known as Rock Ford, which sits on 33 acres comprised of two adjacent parcels of land; Hand purchased one in 1785 and the other in 1792. General Hand was a close personal friend of President Washington, who visited the property before the mansion was constructed. The actual mansion of Rock Ford was constructed in 1794, a Georgian style manor whose architecture remains virtually unchanged.
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| Rock Ford's back porch, backyard, and (in the distance) barn, as seen from my car |
From the gates of Lancaster County Central Park, which surrounds the estate, my friends and I followed a winding road, a few signs, and a slight sense of whimsy in order to find the plantation. It was quite early in the day, clear and very cold as March sometimes can be in our commonwealth, and no one was anywhere in sight. The road took us along the side of the property, giving us sweeping views of the place.
Rock Ford has four floors, each of which consists of a central hall and four corner rooms, and overlooks the Conestoga River. Porches wrap around three sides of the house, which features two chimneys and a gable roof. The interior of the house is designed to look as much as possible as it did when the Hands lived there; in fact, several of the furnishings are original family heirlooms. The barn on the property is not the original one, but it does stand where the original barn did. The barn there today was constructed in the 1780s in Manor Township, and was dismantled and rebuilt at Rock Ford in 1973.
General Hand continued his medical practice in Lancaster for several years, and was widely regarded as a public benefactor because he would often provide medical services at no or very low cost to the poor. He also became very active in local affairs, holding posts such as Chief Burgess of Lancaster and member of the Pennsylvania Assembly. He and Catherine raised seven of their eight children at Rock Ford. He died at home on September 4, 1802, and she followed on June 21, 1805. They're both buried in the cemetery of St. James's Episcopal Church of Lancaster, where Hand had served as a deacon; the church has its own marker, so click that link to read more about it. Several of their children are buried there as well.
Rock Ford remained in the family until 1810, at which time it was sold and operated as a tenant farm for roughly 150 years. By the mid-20th century, it was the property of the Lancaster Area Refuse Authority, and in danger of being demolished to make way for a trash incineration plant and landfill. Fortunately, in 1957, the plantation was rescued from this fate by the efforts of the Junior League of Lancaster. After it was renovated and restored to create a museum, the Rock Ford Foundation was created to operate it as a nonprofit organization. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1976.
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| This plaque is erected directly across the road from the Rock Ford plantation |
Unfortunately for my friends and me, actually going inside the house was not an option; Rock Ford is only open to visitors between the months of April and October. During those months, you can visit between 10 am and 3 pm Tuesday through Saturday. Guided tours begin on the hour, with the last tour starting at 3. (Group tours, I have since learned, are offered year-round.) When planning your visit, please note that the first floor and lower level, including the museum shop, are wheelchair accessible. Also, there are no public restrooms in the house itself, in order to maintain the historic architectural integrity; for the convenience of visitors, a portable unit is available in the parking lot during the months when tours are conducted. For current prices, group tours, and special events, please consult the official website for more information.
Special thanks to the Rock Ford Facebook page for correcting the number of General Hand's children and advising me about year-round group tours.
Sources and Further Reading:
Official website of Rock Ford Plantation
Rock Ford's application for the National Register of Historic Places
Edward Hand's entry in the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress
Edward Hand's profile at FindAGrave.com
The Edward Hand Papers, property of the Historical Society of Pennsylvania, detailing his military career during the 1770s and 1780s
Visit Lancaster City - official visitor website
Lancaster County Central Park, which surrounds Rock Ford
Rock Ford at the Historical Marker Database
If you've enjoyed this, please leave a comment!
Except where indicated, all writing and photography on this blog is the intellectual property of Laura Klotz. This blog is written with permission of the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission. I am not employed by the PHMC. All rights reserved.
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