Papers filed for construction and repair of bridges. The types of petitions presented to the Court of Quarter Sessions include: petitions for bridge construction and repair, petitions for inspections, and petitions for bridge funds. Other types of items include: specifications, proposals, and contracts for bridge construction and repair; bridge blueprints and plans; correspondence; bills for materials; and bridge condition reports. Many papers show date; court term and case number; names of petitioners, viewers, inspectors, and contractors; costs and fees; location of bridge; and name or number of bridge. The order and report of viewers documents are of particular interest as they usually include a copy of the original petition; the order and names of viewers to inspect the site; the public announcement for the viewers meeting; the report and recommendation of viewers, often with a drawing of the site and surrounding area; and the court decision.
System of Arrangement
Records are arranged by township, then chronologically within each township.
In: The Old Lancaster Antiques Show, (November 17-20, 1983)
Summary
"On the eastern bank of the Susquehanna River in southeastern Pennsylvania, ten miles west of Lancaster, Wright’s Ferry Mansion was built in 1738 for a remarkable English Quaker, Susanna Wright. In 1726, when Susanna was twenty-nine, she purchased one hundred acres in this region on the fringes of Pennsylvania wilderness, then inhabited by a small tribe of Indians and known as Shawanahtown-on-Susquehanna.Bright, unmarried, possibly using money from her dowry for the purchase of the land, this dynamic eighteenth-century lady was aware of the needs and potentials – not only political, agricultural and commercial, but also spiritual and intellectual – for the development of this area."
Letter from John Steinmetz in Philadelphia to Joseph Hubley in Lancaster requesting assistance in collecting the balance due on a bond by David Brown & Co.
George Steinman Papers, Series 1 (MG0184_S01) https://collections.lancasterhistory.org/en/permalink/786b3ffc-7908-40de-9362-817467455650
George Steinman Papers, Series 2 (MG0184_S02) https://collections.lancasterhistory.org/en/permalink/6c7e11c6-f3ca-469c-891a-145832196710
Notes
Preferred Citation: Title or description of item, date (day, month, year), George Steinman Papers (MG0184), Series 2, Object ID, LancasterHistory, Lancaster, Pennsylvania. URL if applicable. Date accessed (day, month, year).
Access Conditions / Restrictions
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Credit
Courtesy of LancasterHistory, Lancaster, Pennsylvania.
Other Numbers
MG-184, Series 2
Other Number
MG-184, Series 2, Folder 39, Insert 2, Item 1
Classification
MG0184
Description Level
Item
Custodial History
Added to database 21 February 2024.
Digitization of this document was funded by the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission, PHMC Appl ID # C980002119, 2021-2024.
Engraved print entitled "Wright's Ferry, on the Susquehanna,/Pennsylvania." Above the title and under the scene is printed: "Engraved by G. Cooke, from a Large Print, by permission of Mr. Nightingale."
The scene depicts the Susquehanna River as it flows between Wrightsville and Columbia. Two behatted men on the river bank in the foreground, one seated and one standing with a walking stick. The scene looks north to the town of Columbia on the right (east) bank with building nestled close to a large cliff which represents Chickies Rock. Several sailboats are docked at Columbia and another is moored at the west bank of the river with several men standing nearby. No signs of settlement apparent on the York County side of the river.
As noted, this print is copied from another 'large print,' which in turn was published by George Nightingale in London in 1809, drawn by George Beck and engraved by Thomas Cartwright.
A superb example of Pennsylvania architecture in the English style, the Wright's Ferry Mansion in Columbia, Lancaster County, has been restored and furnished as it was in 1738 when it was built for Susanna Wright, daughter of John Wright who named the county after the town where he was born in England.
Provenance
Photographs and slides donated by Discover Lancaster/Pennsylvania Dutch Country Visitors Bureau, June 2016.
