Historic Resources Inventory

What is the HRI? 

It’s a database of historic resources in 14 of the county’s 18 boroughs. Most buildings constructed in these communities before 1965 are included. The database contains over 12,000 records, most of which include an estimated built date, architectural style, building materials, and a photo. This information can be used to support municipal ordinances, design guidelines, facade improvement programs, etc.

Where is the data?



NOTE: The websites listed below work best in Internet Explorer. Data and photos are shown in pop-ups which may not display in Chrome and other browsers, or if you are using a pop-up blocker.

Database


Which municipalities are included?


Fourteen boroughs were included, and 4 were not. These 4 boroughs had existing inventories, or were planning their own survey at the time the HRI began. All townships and the City of Lancaster were also excluded from the HRI.

Included Not Included
Akron
 Adamstown
Christiana
 Ephrata
Columbia
 Lititz
Denver
 Millersville
East Petersburg
 All Townships
Elizabethtown
 Lancaster City
Manheim
Marietta
Mount Joy
Mountville
New Holland  
Quarryville  
Strasburg  
Terre Hill  

Background


In 2009, Lancaster County was awarded a Preserve America grant (administered by the National Park Service, U.S. Department of the Interior) for this project, which was managed by the Lancaster County Planning Commission (LCPC) with assistance from the Lancaster County IT and Budget Services Department. Historic York, Inc. conducted the survey under contract with the County of Lancaster. Data was collected between 2010 and 2014.

About the Data


Within the boroughs included in the HRI, data was collected for most buildings constructed before 1965. As with any survey, however, some buildings were missed, and others could not be seen from a public way.

Some of the resources included in the HRI were identified in prior surveys. Whenever possible, HRI records were cross-referenced with other records such as:

  • Scans of PA Historic Resource Survey Forms
  • Information from publications such as Our Present Past (1985)
  • Key number and inventory ID used to identify historic resources in records maintained by the PA Historical and Museum Commission (PHMC)
  • Listings in the National Register of Historic Places
  • Photographs from earlier surveys

About the Mapping


Abbreviated information about the historic resources in the HRI is also available in map form through an application called ArcGIS online. Zooming into a participating borough displays a series of blue points. Each of these points represents a historic resource. Clicking on a point displays a pop-up with the year built, architectural style, and a photo. The pop-up also allows the user to link directly to the resource’s full record in the HRI database.

The location of historic resources was mapped using the parcel ID number (also known as the account number) from the Lancaster County Property Assessment Office. The data mapped was pulled from the HRI database in April 2015. Because the mapping data was pulled at a single point in time, changes to the database do not result in immediate changes to the mapping. The database and mapping application are not directly linked.

Terms of Use / Disclaimer

For important information about the use of this data – and its limitations – please read the terms of use and disclaimer, which is available here.

For More Information


Kip Van Blarcom, Director for Planning Implementation
Lancaster County Planning Department
kvanblarcom@co.lancaster.pa.us
717-299-8333