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Walking Tour Of Lancaster Cemetery Slated  Photo by Rick Hiduk By Rick Hiduk Historic Lancaster Walking Tour (HLWT), the all-volunteer organization that guides visitors and local residents through downtown Lancaster on a daily basis, will return to Lancaster Cemetery on Saturday and Sunday, Oct. 24 and 25, for the company's annual ghost tour. The hour-long walk will include six stops along the well-lit paths of the landmark graveyard at which tour-goers will meet historic figures from Lancaster's past, many of whom also became American legends. "It's not a scary tour; it's more historically bound," said HLWT member Tom Englert of Lancaster. "We usually have a lot of families since (the tour) is free for children under 12." Englert will portray Frank Longenecker, a notorious Lancaster banker whose underhanded dealings robbed a number of local citizens of their fortunes. "He was sort of the Bernard Madoff of the 19th century," said Englert. Longenecker was so disliked that, after his death in Philadelphia, he was buried in an unmarked grave in Lancaster Cemetery to thwart would-be avengers. Pat Stepanchak of Columbia will play the part of Mary Dickson Henry, who provided lodging to Revolutionary activist and writer Thomas Paine - portrayed by Dick Long of Lancaster Township - during the winter of 1777 and ’78, while the Continental Congress was stationed in York during the Revolutionary War. "She had her hands full with him," Englert said of the relationship between Henry and Paine. Paine reportedly kept late hours and did not pay his rent on time. Nonetheless, he was able to get many of his most famous manuscripts and pamphlets printed in Lancaster while he stayed there. Henry eventually became the first female postmaster in Lancaster and only the second in the new nation when her husband, William Henry, passed away. Other notable characters who tour-goers will meet will include Thaddeus Stevens, Daisy Grubb, Milton Hershey, and Augusta Bitner. Bitner's gravesite is marked by a statue of a woman descending a set of stairs. "There are lots of stories about her," Englert related. "Most of them are not true. She was married and had a daughter. But we still do not know why her stone has her maiden name on it. It was put up by her parents." The tours will begin at 7 p.m. each evening, with guides leading a new group through the cemetery gates on Lemon Street near Lime Street every 15 minutes up to 8:30 p.m. The adventure will culminate with refreshments, which are included in the admissions charge. "I would think that anyone who is interested in the history of Lancaster would enjoy the tour," said Englert, who noted that the cemetery is handicapped-accessible. HLWT donates the proceeds to several charities, including the operators of the cemetery to help cover maintenance costs.
Millersville Advertiser - 10/14/2009 Hempfield-Mountville Merchandiser - 10/14/2009 Manheim Township Merchandiser - 10/14/2009 |
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