The residents of Bethelstown

A neighborhood in southern Lancaster City

Will Esposito

Bethelstown was a neighborhood along South Queen Street, and ran from a few blocks south of the city center to the banks of the Conestoga river. During the 18th and 19th centuries, this area was home to dozens of people who all rented their land from the Bethel family, one of the city's oldest families. A 1764 map of Bethelstown made by notable Lancaster citizen John Hubley listed almost every resident of the neighborhood and which plots of land they rented. This interactive map shows where John Hubley's family lived in Bethelstown, along with some other notable residents of the neighborhood.

John Hubley's House

The house of the mapmaker and lawyer John Hubley, whose 1764 map of Bethelstown was recently aquired by LancasterHistory. Revolutionary war hero, lawyer, and public servant, John Hubley was certainly a significant member of the neighorhood. Passing away at age 74 on January 21st, 1821, John Hubley was a foundational figure in the early history of Lancaster County, and arguably the most important member of the Hubley family to live in Bethelstown.

Lodwick Lowman's House

Lowman was a revolutionary war officer, volunteer fireman, and a member of the Martic Township legislature. His name appears on the constitution of the Friendship Fire Company, and was one of the department's original founders. Several members of the Lowman family, including Martin Lowman, lived in Bethelstown along with Lodwick.

Bernard Hubley's House

Bernard Hubley was the son of Joseph Hubley and brother of Michael Hubley. Bernard was born in Maulbrun, Germany on October 18th, 1719 and moved with his father and brother to Pennsylvania a day before his thirteenth birthday in 1732. He and his brother moved to Lancaster around the year 1740 and would go on to serve in several levels of the county government, including a stint as the county treasurer from 1756-1762. A tanner as well, Bernard operated his shop out of his house on South Queen street. Along with this home, he also owned propoerty just to the west of the number land plots Samuel Bethel II laid out for rent. He passed away on June 19th, 1803 after marrying twice and fathering twenty-one children.

Johann Frederick Hubley's House

This house likely belonged to Johann Frederick Hubley, who was the brother of Joseph Hubley, the first of the Hubley's to move to Lancaster. He arrived in Philadelphia after Joseph did, landing in the city in 1743 and moving to Lancaster shortly thereafter. He had four daughters and a son Frederick, who operated the tavern shown on this map and is believed is the ancestor of the Hubleys who lived in York. He passed away on March 16th, 1769 at fifty years of age.

Michael Hubley's House

Michael, the younger of the two Hubley's boys to move to Lancaster, was often overshadowed by his older brother Bernard but was nevertheless a prominent ciizen of colonial Lancaster. He operated a tavern and worked with his father in his tanning business. Along with Lodwick Lowman, Michael would serve in the Friendship Fire Company, servising and taking care of their fire engine Like his brother, Michael would enlist in the continental army and would rise to the rank of Barrack Master and Captain. All this time he was a devout Lutheran, and served with the Trinity Lutheran Church for over forty years. The younger Hubley would have seven children with his wife Rosina Strumpf, and he would pass away on May 17th, 1804 at the age of 82.

Nicholas Delow's House

John Hubley’s map shows a large dammed-up area for Nicholas Delow’s mill, which also shows a mill race which would have driven the machinery and routed to the Conestoga River. This is the property Delows owned outside of his mill, which was located south of Bethelstown along the banks of the Conestoga River.

Frederick Hubley's Public House

One of Bernard's twenty-one children, Frederick would serve in the Revolutionary War like many of his cousins, topping out as major of the Eighth Battalion, Lancaster Militia. Along with being the proprietor of this public house, Frederick was also a coppersmith, selling them at Bernard's tannery. This land was originally purchased by Samuel Bethel shortly before he passed away in 1740, and he was the first person to put a permant sctructure on the property. Frederick Hubley only operated this pub for four years (1784-1788) before it would be taken over by George Ross. The property would pass ownership hands several times, at one point becoming the "Swan Hotel" before it was sold to private resident Matt Miller in 1932.

Thaddeus Stevens/Lydia Hamilton Smith center for History and Democracy

Former home of abolitionist and 19th century congressman Thaddeus Stevens and his partner Lydia Hamilton Smith. This property was originally purchased by Samuel Bethel on May 20th, 1735, and was rented out to several clients over the next 100+ years until Thaddeus Stevens extinguished the rent on September 5th, 1857 and assumed ownership of the property.

John Hubley's House

The house of the mapmaker and lawyer John Hubley, whose 1764 map of Bethelstown was recently aquired by LancasterHistory. Revolutionary war hero, lawyer, and public servant, John Hubley was certainly a significant member of the neighorhood. Passing away at age 74 on January 21st, 1821, John Hubley was a foundational figure in the early history of Lancaster County, and arguably the most important member of the Hubley family to live in Bethelstown.

Lodwick Lowman's House

Lowman was a revolutionary war officer, volunteer fireman, and a member of the Martic Township legislature. His name appears on the constitution of the Friendship Fire Company, and was one of the department's original founders. Several members of the Lowman family, including Martin Lowman, lived in Bethelstown along with Lodwick.

Bernard Hubley's House

Bernard Hubley was the son of Joseph Hubley and brother of Michael Hubley. Bernard was born in Maulbrun, Germany on October 18th, 1719 and moved with his father and brother to Pennsylvania a day before his thirteenth birthday in 1732. He and his brother moved to Lancaster around the year 1740 and would go on to serve in several levels of the county government, including a stint as the county treasurer from 1756-1762. A tanner as well, Bernard operated his shop out of his house on South Queen street. Along with this home, he also owned propoerty just to the west of the number land plots Samuel Bethel II laid out for rent. He passed away on June 19th, 1803 after marrying twice and fathering twenty-one children.

Johann Frederick Hubley's House

This house likely belonged to Johann Frederick Hubley, who was the brother of Joseph Hubley, the first of the Hubley's to move to Lancaster. He arrived in Philadelphia after Joseph did, landing in the city in 1743 and moving to Lancaster shortly thereafter. He had four daughters and a son Frederick, who operated the tavern shown on this map and is believed is the ancestor of the Hubleys who lived in York. He passed away on March 16th, 1769 at fifty years of age.

Michael Hubley's House

Michael, the younger of the two Hubley's boys to move to Lancaster, was often overshadowed by his older brother Bernard but was nevertheless a prominent ciizen of colonial Lancaster. He operated a tavern and worked with his father in his tanning business. Along with Lodwick Lowman, Michael would serve in the Friendship Fire Company, servising and taking care of their fire engine Like his brother, Michael would enlist in the continental army and would rise to the rank of Barrack Master and Captain. All this time he was a devout Lutheran, and served with the Trinity Lutheran Church for over forty years. The younger Hubley would have seven children with his wife Rosina Strumpf, and he would pass away on May 17th, 1804 at the age of 82.

Nicholas Delow's House

John Hubley’s map shows a large dammed-up area for Nicholas Delow’s mill, which also shows a mill race which would have driven the machinery and routed to the Conestoga River. This is the property Delows owned outside of his mill, which was located south of Bethelstown along the banks of the Conestoga River.

Frederick Hubley's Public House

One of Bernard's twenty-one children, Frederick would serve in the Revolutionary War like many of his cousins, topping out as major of the Eighth Battalion, Lancaster Militia. Along with being the proprietor of this public house, Frederick was also a coppersmith, selling them at Bernard's tannery. This land was originally purchased by Samuel Bethel shortly before he passed away in 1740, and he was the first person to put a permant sctructure on the property. Frederick Hubley only operated this pub for four years (1784-1788) before it would be taken over by George Ross. The property would pass ownership hands several times, at one point becoming the "Swan Hotel" before it was sold to private resident Matt Miller in 1932.

(All information courtesy of H. Ray Woerner's "The Taverns of Early Day Lancaster and the Latter-Day Hotels")

Thaddeus Stevens/Lydia Hamilton Smith center for History and Democracy

Former home of abolitionist and 19th century congressman Thaddeus Stevens and his partner Lydia Hamilton Smith. This property was originally purchased by Samuel Bethel on May 20th, 1735, and was rented out to several clients over the next 100+ years until Thaddeus Stevens extinguished the rent on September 5th, 1857 and assumed ownership of the property.

These locations were leased to these gentlemen at a cost of 12-15 shillings per year "ground rent", which was a discounted rental agreement on the stipulation that each renter needed to develop the land within a certain time period. The renters shown on this map had no problem developing their land within the stipuated time, but many of the neighborhood's other residetns could not meet the terms of the agreement. In this case, the rent would be extinguised and the property returned to the Bethel family, who owned the land and rented it out over several generations.

More information about Bethelstown and John Hubley's map (Document on OneDrive):