Where history is King

Melody Keim, the director of the East King Improvement District, stands at the Lion Fountain in Reservoir Park. The fountain is a part of the EKID's new walking tour brochure that features 38 other historical sites in eastern Lancaster city.Photo Courtesy Lancaster Newspapers

Walking tour brochure is guide to unique buildings, other treasures in eastern Lancaster.

Lancaster Sunday News

September 23, 2007

For 300 years, Lancaster city has changed with the times.

Old buildings and facades abound on East King Street, detailing this history.

From hitching posts for people to park horses, to the inauguration of East King Street as part of an intercontinental thoroughfare, eastern Lancaster has seen its fair share of a rapidly evolving America in the 19th and early-20th century.

"It's rather eclectic, that's what makes it fun," said Jean Weglarz, neighborhood coordinator for the East King Improvement District, 308 E. King St. "It's a neighborhood that has evolved over 300 years to meet needs of its residents."

The EKID teamed up with the Lancaster department of Economic Development and Neighborhood Revitalization to develop a self-guided walking tour brochure, which was released last week and features 39 historical sites.

The tour extends from the Lancaster County Courthouse on North Duke Street to the county prison on North Marshall Street.

"The architecture along East King Street reflects three centuries of social history," the brochure says. Some of the buildings included on the tour, such as the Demuth Foundation on 118 E. King St., date back to the 1760s.

"There's a lot to discover," said Anne Williams, who lives in a single-family residence at 235 E. King St.

Williams, who also owns an interior design company at 245 E. King St., said the brochure project shows off the district's unique architecture.

"Architecturally it's one of the most sophisticated blocks in town," she said. "There are some beautiful buildings."

Many of the residential homes on the street vary in style, from Victorian to French "Chateauesque."

Reservoir Park, on the 700 block of East King, is also featured in the brochure. One landmark is a bronze lion statue on the park's east side. It was sculpted by Blanche Nevin, a member of a prominent Lancaster County family, and dedicated by the city in 1905.

Suzanne Cassidy, a historical preservation specialist for the city, created the concept for the tour. She hopes that the brochure will bring more attention to that part of the city.

"There's value here," she said. "It will help revitalize the neighborhood. We'd like to see more owner-occupied houses."

Along with the brochure, a treasure hunt pamphlet was made for younger audiences. The pamphlet challenges kids to spot unique architecture along the street, such as Corinthian columns and old hitching posts.

The project was made possible through a $19,000 National Park Service grant given to the city's department of Economic Development and Neighborhood Revitalization.

The department has done similar projects in the past.

Last year, Cassidy developed a walking tour of Mussertown and Churchtown in the southeast quadrant of Lancaster.

Copies of the free walking tour brochure are available at city hall, the Lancaster Chamber of Commerce Visitors' Center and the EKID office.

Guided tours are also available through the EKID office. Call 358-9261 or email jweglarz@tabornet.org for more information.