LANCASTER

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1927 - Our Beginning 

On May 8, 1927, The Sunday News had a feature article on the new "adult hikes inaugurated several weeks ago by the local Recreation and Playground Association under the direction of Grant D. Brandon". Professor H. Justin Roddy and Grant Brandon jointly led the hikes, with Dr. Roddy pointing out interesting geological features, identifying wildflowers, and giving natural history lessons along the way. The hikes met at the Science Building on the F&M Campus, and from there they might walk west to the nearby fields and woods (i.e., the area now known as the "Brickyards"). Sometimes they would take a trolley and begin the hike at the end of the trolley ride. There was a colorful cross section of people, from F&M professors, factory workers, students, to professional people. There were usually more women than men, and the writer noted the women wore "high laced boots, knickers, sweaters and other trappings of the Zane Gray heroine" and "seem to have given the matter a bit too much attention". The men didn't bother much with their "costuming", typically wearing "an old fishing hat, gardening shoes, nondescript coat and pants, perhaps leggings or puttees". The hike described in the newspaper article "started from Millersville, covering about five miles in a rough semi-circle west of the town"; Dr. Roddy picked up a rock that he claimed was a lava rock from an extinct volcano, and later showed them what he described as the crater of the volcano. One suspects he was pulling their legs, and the reporter was apparently taken in too. There were 35 hikers. 

December 9, 1946 

The Club met at the St. James Parish House to make the hiking club a separate organization. Until then, the club was "The Lancaster Hiking Club of the Lancaster Recreation Association". Bylaws were established. Dues were set at $1.00 per year and 25 cents would be collected from each hiker to reimburse the drivers. Forty-five members attended. The president at the time was Jay Bomberger. 

1947

The first issue of the Club newsletter was published.

1948 

The Club decided to adopt and maintain a section of the Horse-Shoe Trail, from the Cornwall Fire Tower to Rt. 501. 

1950

The Club joined the Appalachian Trail Conference as a "Class A" (i.e., trail-maintaining) club, and was given responsibility for the section from Port Clinton to Rt. 183. Establishing a clubhouse was considered but later abandoned after a meeting space was offered at the Grubb Mansion in Musser Park.

1956 

The Club joined a newly organized association called the Keystone Trails Association (KTA)

 January 7, 1959 

The Club changed its name to “The Lancaster Hiking Club” instead of "The Lancaster Hiking Club of the Lancaster Recreation Association" 

1970

The Club surrendered its maintenance section of the Appalachian Trail.

September 21, 1975 

Dick Tobias presented the idea of establishing a Conestoga Trail System which would be 25-30 miles long. Later, it was to be over 62 miles. 

1976

The Conestoga Trail System was cleared and blazed and opened to the public. 

Late 1970s or early 1980s 

The Club surrendered its section of the Horse-Shoe Trail, since it now had the 62-mile Conestoga Trail System to maintain. It also stopped maintaining a section of the Tuscarora Trail, which it had been doing unofficially for a number of years.

​2016

LHC was incorporated as a 501(c)(3) charitable organization.

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2017

LHC new website was created.

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