Description:

The Wright’s Ferry Mansion, a historic building dating to 1738 (making it one of the oldest structures in Lancaster County) is open Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday from 10am-3pm from May – October.   The last tour begins at 3pm. The site is closed July 4th.  Tours cost $5/person and last about 1 hour.

The structure is a 2 1/2 story limestone building that was constructed for Susanna Wright, an English Quaker woman who came to Lancaster County from the Philadelphia area.  One reads about “Renaissance Men” who were accomplished in a wide array of skills and left their mark on all they came across.  Well, Susanna Wright was truly a Renaissance WOMAN!!  She was a successful entrepreneur, poet, scholar and industrialist.  Benjamin Franklin and his family were counted among her many friends.

The interior furnishings are ALL from the 1700s – 1750s and include original pieces acquired by the Von Hess foundation who run the site, in addition to pieces on loan from private collections.  The Wright’s Ferry Mansion’s collection of period furniture, art, pottery, glassware and silverware are equal to or beyond the quality found in major museums in the country.  Additionally, the guides who run the site manage to make you FEEL like you’ve been transported back to the 1700s and that the owners have just stepped out for a bit.  Small touches like fresh flowers, fruits and vegetables bring in smells that make the house feel more “alive”, not just like a “stuffy museum”.

The grounds are also lovely and well tended.

This isn’t a great tour for young children, but it’s fantastic for anyone with a love of Revolutionary or Civil War history.