Stevens and Smith Historic Site

FAIN: CZ-50199-09

Historic Preservation Trust of Lancaster County (Lancaster, PA 17603-3525)
Gail E. Tomlinson (Project Director: February 2008 to October 2009)
Timothy A. Smedick (Project Director: October 2009 to August 2010)
Ron Funk (Project Director: August 2010 to October 2013)

Restoration and construction of the Thaddeus Stevens and Lydia Hamilton Smith Historic Sites as well as endowment for the position of Education Director.

The Honorable Thaddeus Stevens (1792-1868) demonstrated an unyielding commitment to freedom and equal opportunity for Americans. He is considered the father of the 13th, 14th, and 15th amendments to the U.S. Constitution, which, respectively, ended slavery, extended equal protection under the law to all citizens, and granted all male citizens the right to vote. He was also a vital advocate of the Free School Act in Pennsylvania, which guaranteed a free public education to all citizens of the Commonwealth long before public school education was commonplace in the United States. As part of the current renaissance occurring in the City of Lancaster, properties once owned by Stevens and his free black housekeeper/business manager/confidante, Lydia Hamilton Smith, will be fully restored and adaptively re-used to create an interpretative and educational center that will address themes central to their legacy, including the Underground Railroad Movement.