Columbia PA - A Small Town with a Big History

Nestled along the bank of the Susquehanna River and just three miles from B. F. Hiestand House, you’ll find the quaint river town of Columbia that played a big part in the building of America herself. From the frontier days to the Revolution, to the Civil War, to the birth of the industry, Columbia will give you a taste of American history.

In 1726, John Wright established a tiny settlement that would become known as Columbia in 1788. At that time, it was frontier woodlands and the Wrights were blazing the trail. Visit the magnificent Wright’s Ferry Mansion and discover how this pioneering family influenced the westward expansion of culture and industry.

The historic First National Bank Museum, built in 1814, still retains the original teller’s cage and bank vault from the 19^th century and is the only known bank still preserved in its original setting in the United States. The bank museum contains the account books of Underground Railroad activists and prominent businessmen, William Whipper and Stephen Smith. Their lumber business provided employment to formerly enslaved people, and their special railroad cars included secret compartments that allowed freedom seekers safe travel to Philadelphia and northern territories.

At Zion Hill Cemetery, located at 5^th & Linden Streets, is the final resting place of many soldiers who fought with the U.S. Colored Troops from Columbia during the Civil War. Not far from here is the National Watch & Clock Museum,  with a collection of pieces from the Civil War that connects the past to the present in a literal sense.

In June of 1863, as Lee’s Army of Northern Virginia was set to cross into Columbia to capture Lancaster on its way towards Harrisburg, militia from Columbia along with locals, Union soldiers, and African American militiamen burned the Columbia-Wrightsville Bridge.  What was once the longest covered bridge in the world was now just a charred reminder of the sacrifice and burden that crippled their economy for a decade. The span’s massive stone piers remain to mark its crossing of the wide Susquehanna River.

Before you leave Columbia you have to stop at Prudhomme’s Lost Cajun Kitchen.  Food flavored with inherited family recipes from the world-famous Cajun connoisseur Paul Prudhomme fills the menu. His nephew has created a place you can’t believe is north of Mississippi much less in a town that held strong for the Union Army.

Take home a treasure from our history. Explore the antique shops, galleries, and arts and crafts proprietors.  Book your stay at the B. F. Hiestand House Bed and Breakfast so you can explore Columbia at your own pace.