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The Thaddeus Stevens & Lydia Hamilton Smith Center for History and Democracy
The Thaddeus Stevens & Lydia Hamilton Smith Center for History and Democracy
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A sepia-toned drawing of a two-story brick house with three dormer windows, shuttered windows, and two main doors. The caption reads, The Home of Thaddeus Stevens.

Fahnestock’s Daguerreotype

On ViewWelcome to Lancaster

Dated1845

Description Pioneering photographer William B. Fahnestock created what is now the earliest known surviving photograph of Lancaster City. Taken just three years after the daguerreotype was invented, the image offers a remarkable glimpse into the city’s past. From a second-floor window of his home on West King Street, Fahnestock pointed his camera east toward Center Square. The result opens a window onto one of Lancaster’s busiest thoroughfares, capturing the rhythms of daily life and the businesses that shaped it.