The "Lancaster City's Historic Marketplaces" Story

A curb market on East King Street in downtown Lancaster, PA.

It was an ordinary day.  Just returned from taking photographs of Lancaster's early farmer's markets.  Interesting to know that the "town planner" of Lancaster, Pennsylvania was James Hamilton who laid out the city and sold lots to new residents.  He founded the city as a "market town" and one of his first acts was to designate a market space in the very center of the new town.  

Another city curb market

On May 15, 1730, Hamilton and his wife deeded three lots for three specific uses; a courthouse, a jail and a market- house.  Under his leadership the city of Lancaster became the largest inland town in America.  Lancaster County is known far and wide for its agricultural prominence with just about every sort of produce and livestock; known at the time as being available at one of its farmers markets.  Lancaster was at that time, and is still, known as the most productive non-irrigated county in America.  And, the farmer's markets, which date back to 1730 Lancaster, were a critical ingredient to our nation's food system.  

And yet another curb market near Lancaster's Court House.

In the center of the city was a 120 square foot lot designated as a public market which eventually gave birth to what we who live in Lancaster call Lancaster Central Market.  Over time the size of the market and the number of vendors has changed, but at one time there were about 400 vendors in Lancaster's Central Market.  

Here can be seen Lancaster's Town Hall with
Central Market tucked in behind it on the right.

From 1818 until after WWI several "curb markets" sprung up around the town.  These markets saw local farmers and merchants setting up their wagons on the curb to sell their goods.  Then in 1889 the area designated as Central Market saw a market house built in the Romanesque Revival architecture.  It has become one of Lancaster's treasures and was designated as one of the "Great Public Places" in America in 1995.  Lancaster Central Market is the oldest continuously operating farmer's market in America.  A number of other areas of the city also had market houses which developed on the spots designated by James Hamilton in the early 1700s.  

Interior of Central Market years ago.

Today there are over 8,000 markets operating throughout the United States which shows that farmer's markets are still a vital source of fresh, locally produced foods with strong ties to our nation's history.  My trip today to take photographs yielded only one active remaining markethouse, since all have closed except for Central Market.  Follow along and I will tell you about the markethouses that at one time dotted the different areas of Lancaster City.  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy. 

Southern Market was built in 1888 in the Queen Anne Style which was designed by C. Emlen Urban.  The building displays ornamental terra cotta and decorative brickwork and is anchored by two pyramidal towers.  It is located at 100 South Queen Street, about a block from Central Market.  Both my wife and I remember making visits with our mothers to buy produce and meats on Saturday mornings while growing up in Lancaster.  This markethouse closed in 1986 and now houses the City Council Chambers.

This closer view show the architecture of the building.

This is Eastern Market which was located at 308 East King Street which is three blocks from Central Market.  It was built in 1883 to serve residents in the city's eastern end and illustrates Second Empire Style architecture.  It features the bell-curved mansard roof with a three-story corner tower.  It closed as a markethouse in 1927 when exterior changes were made to the building.  The building now houses offices.

The Eastern Market marquee still remains.

Fulton Market stands at 607 North Plum Street and was built in 1907 using Colonial Revival Style architecture.  It too was designed by C. Emlen Urban nineteen years after he designed Southern Market.  It was centrally located in this photograph with flanking residential wings.  Today the building still has residential as well as retail space.

Here you can see the name on top of the central section of the building.

Western Market was located at 528 West Orange Street.  It was built in 1882 as a three-story markethouse in the Romanesque Revival Style and featured seven bays defined by blind arches and corbelled brickwork.  It eventually closed as a market and became a skating rink.  It was later reduced to one story by a 1942 fire.  Carol and I bought our first new car, a Pontiac Firebird, from the dealer who occupied this building at the time.  It has changed hands a few other times, but is now home to Groff Family Funeral Services.  Sadly we have made a few visits to the place since it has changed.

One of the main entrances to the building along Orange Street.

Northern Markethouse stood on this location at one time. It is located at the corner of North Queen St. and West Walnut Street, about three blocks from Central Market.  If it were still standing it would be Lancaster's oldest Victorian era markethouse, having been constructed in 1872.  It eventually became Lebzelter's Service Station which was Goodyear's oldest tire company in the World.  That building was torn down in 1958, replaced with this service station and tire dealership.

Central Market which I have already described.  It is located at what is now called Penn Square.  "Meet me at the market" has for decades been a phrase commonly heard throughout Lancaster County.  The market is open Tuesday, Friday and Saturday.  I have written quite a few times about my favorite items I buy at the market, but my all-time favorite would have to be the ceam-filled Long Johns that I buy every single time I go to market.  If you ever get a chance to visit Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, Lancaster Central Market must be on your list of places to visit.  It is the only remaining farmer's market in the city of Lancaster.

Another view of the markethouse.

One of my altered Polaroid prints that I have taken of Lancaster Central Market on the left.