05/18/2026
My 5x great grandfather built this historic landmark in Lancaster City, also.
The Gottlieb Sehner House, widely known as the Sehner-Ellicott-von Hess House, is an excellently preserved Georgian-style townhouse located at 123 N. Prince Street in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. Built in 1787 by master carpenter Gottlieb Sehner, it now serves as the headquarters for the Historic Preservation Trust of Lancaster County. Highlights Historic Significance: Built between 1787 and 1789, it is one of the most intact late-1700s Georgian residences in Lancaster County. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1972.Famous Resident: From 1801 to 1813, the home was rented to Major Andrew Ellicott, the first United States Surveyor General. Ellicott famously helped prepare Meriwether Lewis for the Lewis and Clark expedition. The house features classic Georgian details, including Flemish bond brickwork, keystoned lintels, an original pedimented entry, and unusually elaborate surviving woodwork. The property was meticulously restored in the late 1970s by the Louise Steinman von Hess Foundation. Today, it operates as the headquarters for the Historic Preservation Trust of Lancaster County. Recent photo (not mine).
