Honoring George Ross: Lancaster’s Only Signer of the Declaration of Independence


Posted on by Dr. James McMahon

The Home of George Ross

A number of celebrations and exhibitions will mark this year’s Semiquincentennial celebration marking the signing of the Declaration of Independence in 1776. LancasterHistory is pleased to partner with Historic Rock Ford to honor George Ross (1730-1779) as part of their Lancaster Revolutionaries display in the John J. Snyder, Jr. Gallery of Early Lancaster County Decorative Arts. Opening on April 1, the display will highlight the contributions of many individuals from Lancaster County who made significant contributions to the patriot cause. As one of Lancaster’s wealthiest and best known lawyers during the colonial period, Ross owned a magnificent mansion located at the corner of East King and North Duke Streets. Constructed circa 1760, the home remained in the Ross family until torn down in the early 1850s to make way for the present Lancaster County courthouse.

Image of a male with powered wig.
Engraving of George Ross by Albert Rosenthal Sr. (1863-1939, a Philadelphia painter and engraver best known for lithographs of notable American figures, including Founding Fathers like George Ross. LancasterHistory

The Home of George Ross Remembered

With the demolition of the George Ross home in the early 1850s, the prominent pedimented doorway was incorporated into the home of Ann Coleman Hopkins, a great-granddaughter of George Ross, and her husband Isaac Newton Lightner. Located a few blocks away at the corner of North Duke and Lemon Streets, that home passed through several hands before becoming home to the Sheetz Funeral Home. The Lightner home was demolished in 1963 to make for a six-story apartment building appropriately named the George Ross House, now the City View Apartments. The Lancaster County Historical Society (now LancasterHistory) saved the doorframe from demolition, noting it to be one of the most important and elaborate architectural elements to survive from the eighteenth century. In 1976, the Historical Society loaned (and later donated) the doorframe to the Heritage Center of Lancaster County where it was placed on exhibit in their downtown building. The doorway came back to LancasterHistory in 2012 when the Heritage Center closed.

Stay tuned for updates as we track restoration and installation of the doorframe over the next few months!

From Object Lessons