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Lancaster, Pennsylvania: The Amish, the Germans, and the City That Was Once the Capital

2026

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Synopsis

Lancaster, Pennsylvania, served as the emergency capital of the United States in September 1777, when the Continental Congress relocated inland after British forces occupied Philadelphia. The town's history extends well before that moment, encompassing frontier conflict, religious settlement, and industrial development.

1608–1763: The Lost River Nations. John Smith recorded contact with the Susquehannock along the riverbanks in 1608. Their history continues through William Penn's 1681 land charter to the December 1763 destruction of the last Conestoga settlement by the Paxton Boys.

1693–1730s: Faith and the Plow. Swiss and Palatine immigrants fleeing European conflict settled the region's farmland. The 1693 division led by Jakob Ammann led to the establishment of Amish farming communities that continue in the area today.

1775–1783: The Continental Arsenal. Gunsmith William Henry and local artisans produced long rifles and Conestoga wagons that supported George Washington's army throughout the Revolutionary War.

1799–1868: Politics, Iron, and Freedom. Lancaster served as the Pennsylvania state capital beginning in 1799. Rail service arrived in 1838. Congressman Thaddeus Stevens advocated for emancipation until his death in 1868.

Drawing on primary records, this account traces Lancaster's development from early contact through the nineteenth century.

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