Uncharted Lancaster
Uncharted Lancaster reveals the county’s most fascinating stories—local history with odd twists, forgotten places, and the occasional brush with the supernatural. Each episode explores the hidden histories and long-buried secrets of Lancaster County, where legend, landscape, and local lore collide.
Episodes
16 episodes
Roslyn Mansion: A Husband's Gilded Age Birthday Gift
This episode explores Roslyn Mansion, one of Lancaster’s most striking Gilded Age homes and a masterpiece of late Victorian design. Built in 1896 and designed by renowned architect C. Emlen Urban, Roslyn was commissioned by Peter T. Watt, co-fo...
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Season 1
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Episode 16
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41:12
The Buzzard Gang: The Jesse James Gang of the East
This episode dives into the violent, fascinating true story of the Buzzard Gang—one of the most infamous outlaw families to ever roam the rugged hills of Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. Rising from post–Civil War poverty, brothers Abe Buzzard a...
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Season 1
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Episode 15
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32:41
General Edward Hand: Patriot, Physician, and Master of Rock Ford
This episode explores the remarkable—and complicated—life of Edward Hand, an Irish-born physician who rose to prominence during the American Revolution. Serving as a major general and adjutant general under George Washington, Hand played a crit...
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Season 1
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Episode 14
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43:50
The Bausman House Eavesdropper
This episode explores one of Lancaster’s most curious architectural details—the stone face known as the Eavesdropper carved into the exterior of the historic Bausman House. Built in 1762, this rare sandstone residence stands apart not ...
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Season 1
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Episode 13
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34:02
The Gentleman Bum of House Rock
Who was Colonel John Mead—the so-called “gentleman bum” of the Susquehanna River hills? In this episode of the Uncharted Lancaster Podcast, we explore the remarkable life of a well-spoken, well-read hermit who spent decades living in c...
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Season 1
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Episode 12
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31:20
The Susquehanna Ice Railroad of 1852
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 tells the extraordinary story of how the Ph...
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Season 1
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Episode 11
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36:03
The Face in the Window on Carter's Hill
In this episode, we unravel the strange history and enduring folklore behind a ghostly face staring out from the attic window of an 18th-century brick farmhouse in Peach Bottom, Pennsylvania. For generations, locals have whispered chilling expl...
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Season 1
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Episode 10
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30:09
The Enola Low Grade: Iron, Blood, and Engineering Glory
This episode traces the dramatic rise—and lasting legacy—of the Enola Low Grade, one of the most ambitious railroad engineering projects ever undertaken in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. Constructed between 1903 and 1906 by the Pennsylvania Ra...
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Season 1
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Episode 9
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39:08
The Albatwitch: Pennsylvania's Little Bigfoot
In the area around Chickies Rock, near the ancient Susquehanna River, stories of a 4-foot-tall hairy ape-man have circulated since Native Americans dominated the region. As recently as 2024, people have seen the hairy beast. Legend says this sm...
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Season 1
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Episode 8
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30:28
The Mile-Long Covered Bridge That Became a Civil War Firebreak
On June 28, 1863, Lancaster County was saved by fire.The Columbia–Wrightsville Covered Bridge—once the longest covered bridge in the world—spanned the Susquehanna as the only crossing between Harrisburg and Maryland. When...
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Season 1
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Episode 7
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27:28
The Conestoga Wagon: American Ship of Inland Commerce
On the approaching December 31, 1717, anniversary of the Conestoga Wagon, this episode takes a deep dive into the history of the Conestoga wagon—America’s original “ship of inland commerce.” Developed in 18th-century Pennsylvania, particularly ...
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Season 1
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Episode 6
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36:08
The Belsnickel: A Pennsylvania Dutch Christmas Tradition
Meet the Belsnickel: A Wild Pennsylvania Dutch Christmas Tradition! Forget the jolly Santa Claus—Pennsylvania German folklore brings us the Belsnickel, a shaggy, fearsome figure who’s part Christmas cheer and part moral compass!...
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Season 1
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Episode 5
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32:07
How the Lancaster Woolworth Sparked a Christmas Tradition
It’s the autumn of 1880 in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. A young businessman has recently opened a store and quickly found success by offering high-quality goods at low prices. The store has become a popular destination for traveling salesmen.
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Season 1
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Episode 4
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31:12
The Lancaster Bathtub That Started a Revolution
Lancaster's Bathtub Revolution: How America’s First Tub Made a SplashDid you know Lancaster, PA, was home to America’s first bathtub? In 1839, Jacob Demuth installed this trailblazing tub at 116 East King Street, marking ...
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Season 1
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Episode 3
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31:55
Lancaster Crematorium: The Country’s First Public Crematorium
America’s First Public Crematorium Was in Lancaster!Tucked away behind a line of trees in Greenwood Cemetery stands a crumbling red-brick building that changed the course of American funerary practice. Built in 1884, the ...
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Season 1
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Episode 2
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26:04
The Unfinished Dream of the Pequehanna Inn
The Pequehanna Inn: The Grand Hotel That Never Was.High above the mouth of the Pequea Creek lie the moss-covered foundations of a dream that almost transformed the Susquehanna River gorge. In 1906, Lancaster builder John K. Hartma...
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Season 1
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Episode 1
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34:11
