Rock Ford Plantation

The Rock Ford Plantation or the General Edward Hand House is an historic house in southeastern Lancaster, Pennsylvania. It is surrounded by Lancaster County Central Park. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on November 21, 1976. Edward Hand was an adjutant general to George Washington during the American Revolutionary War.

Gen. Edward Hand House
Location881 Rock Ford Road,
Lancaster, Pennsylvania
Coordinates40°1′12″N 76°17′17″W
Built1793
Architectural styleGeorgian
NRHP reference No.76001646[1]
Added to NRHPNovember 21, 1976

History
Front (north) view

Hand bought the land on which the plantation was built in two transactions, first purchasing 160 acres (65 ha) in 1785 and later buying an additional 17 acres (6.9 ha) in 1792. The Georgian-style brick mansion was built in 1794, and its architecture has since remained largely unchanged. All four floors conform to the same plan, a center hall and four corner rooms, as was typical of the period. The plantation stands on the banks of the Conestoga River, 1 mile (1.6 km) southeast of the center of Lancaster.[2] General Edward Hand and his wife Katherine Hand lived at Rock Ford with their seven children from 1794 until his death in 1802, and then her death in 1805.

Museum

Rock Ford was saved from destruction by the Junior League in 1958, the house was renovated and restored to become an historic house museum. Rock Ford Foundation was established as a nonprofit to take over the museum. Today visitors can come to Rock Ford Plantation for guided tours and learn what it was like to live there between 1794–1805. The house is set up to reflect the inventory of the house when Hand died in 1802. Rock Ford offers visitors an authentic example of refined country living as it existed during the early years of the Republic.

See also

References
  1. "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. April 15, 2008.
  2. "National Historic Landmarks & National Register of Historic Places in Pennsylvania" (Searchable database). CRGIS: Cultural Resources Geographic Information System. Note: This includes Charles W. Snell and Madeline L. Cohen (February 1972 and May 1976). "National Register of Historic Places Inventory Nomination Form: General Edward Hand House" (PDF). Retrieved 2012-02-23. Check date values in: |date= (help)


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