Historic Rock Ford — Attraction in Lancaster

History of Rock Ford & Major General Edward Hand. Rock Ford Owned by Edward Hand, an Adjutant General to George Washington during the American Revolutionary War, this house was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on November 21, 1976. Edward Hand (December 31, 1744 – September 3, 1802) was an Irish-born American army officer and politician who served in the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War. Rising to the rank of Major General, Hand served as Adjutant General of the Continental Army under George Washington. In Emanuel Leutze's famous painting, "Washington Crossing the Delaware," General Edward Hand is depicted seated and holding his hat within the boat. He is not the central figure, but is recognizable within the group of men surrounding General Washington. General Hand was also one of the Generals present at the surrender of Cornwallis at Yorktown; the key American and French generals present were George Washington, the Marquis de Lafayette, and the Comte de Rochambeau. Cornwallis himself did not attend the surrender ceremony, citing illness, and instead sent his second-in-command, General Charles O'Hara, to surrender on his behalf. Washington, in turn, had his second-in-command, General Benjamin Lincoln, accept the sword of surrender from O'Hara. After the war, Hand retired to farm his estate, Rock Ford, and served in the Pennsylvania General Assembly and Lancaster city government. George and Martha Washington visited the Edward Hand’s Rock Ford Estate on...

We cannot say enough great things about Historic Rock Ford! This was the first and only venue we toured for our wedding. The second we arrived we knew it was for us. Located in Lancaster County Central Park, it is the perfect location for a beautiful and serene wedding with all the amenities that Lancaster City has to offer. Besides the gorgeous views it has to offer, we also loved the rental period Historic Rock Ford gives you which is from Friday at 10am until Sunday at noon. This really allows you time to soak in your wedding and not feel rushed to set-up/clean up. Their rental coordinator Amanda is absolutely amazing to work with, and is worth every single penny to hire as your event coordinator. No one knows how to run a wedding here better than her.

The property offers so many different locations for photos that are all stunning and they also allow you to have the ceremony, reception, and cocktail hour in any location of your choosing. They have a new bridal suite upstairs that worked so well for all of my family since it had a full kitchen and bathroom along with a space for hair and makeup artists to work. There is also a second bridal cottage on the property that comes in handy for the ceremony.

Despite Historic Rock Ford being mainly a DIY location, they do include tables, chairs, and a tent in your venue rental fee. This place is really a hidden gem that I hope more people consider. We had the best day of our lives here and I don't think it would have been as half as good...

Beautiful house and property, but certain staff is extremely rude and unfriendly.

The house tour itself is AMAZING! Rock Ford House is a beautifully restored 18th century house in a park. They've paid so much attention to detail, from furnishings to carpets to paint colors. Our tour guide, Sam Slaymaker, did an excellent job explaining the rooms and lives of the Hand family. He was very informative and answered every question we had. If you love old houses and history, you have got to see Rock Ford House! Ask for Sam as your tour guide!

Now...on a side note:

We arrived half an hour before the tour and were just walking around, enjoying the view. There was a large, unmarked barn near the house that we thought was a museum or something. As soon as we got inside the tour guide (who had just finished a session with a visiting school) asked us what we were doing and why we were in there. Apparently we weren't supposed to be in there and should have known that, even though there were no signs saying "Private" or "Reserved".

If the barn isn't open to visitors, then please explain that with a sign or something instead of...