Andrew Ellicott
Lancaster, Lancaster County, Pennsylvania
Marker Inscription
Surveyor, mathematician, astronomer. Secretary, Pennsylvania Land Office, 1801-08. In 1803, while living here, he taught Meriwether Lewis surveying and navigation skills. Helped survey & draw boundaries of New York, Pennsylvania, Washington, D.C., & elsewhere.
Erected by Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission
The Story
Andrew Ellicott was one of the young republic's most accomplished surveyors, astronomers, and mathematicians, helping fix the boundaries of New York, Pennsylvania, and the new federal capital at Washington, D.C. While living in Lancaster and serving the Pennsylvania Land Office, he tutored Meriwether Lewis in surveying and celestial navigation in 1803—skills Lewis would soon carry across the continent on his expedition west.
Why it matters
The precise measurement of land and sky underpinned both the nation's borders and its westward exploration, and Ellicott trained the very hands that mapped the American West.
Own a business near here? Add it to the map.
Related people
- · Andrew Ellicott
- · Meriwether Lewis
Themes & tags
Nearby & related markers
John Durang (1768-1822)
Lancaster, PA · est. 2007
Born in Lancaster in 1768, John Durang holds the distinction of being the first American-born professional stage performer. A dazzling all-rounder—dancer, actor, clown, musician, acrobat, choreographer, and puppeteer—he toured the theaters of the young republic's Northeast, eventually founding his own company and a theatrical dynasty that outlived him. His career unfolded just as American popular entertainment was finding its own identity, distinct from its European roots.
Joseph Simon (1712-1804)
Lancaster, PA · est. 2006
In the mid-1700s, Lancaster sat on the edge of the British colonies' expanding frontier, a bustling inland hub where traders outfitted expeditions toward the Ohio country and beyond. Joseph Simon, a Jewish merchant, built a far-reaching network of trade and land ventures that reached as far as the Mississippi, and when the Revolution came he helped arm the Continental cause. His home doubled as one of the earliest gathering places for Jewish worship west of Philadelphia.
Thaddeus Stevens
Lancaster, PA · est. 1950
Thaddeus Stevens made Lancaster his home from 1842 until his death in 1868 and lies buried in this cemetery, which he chose because it admitted people of all races. As a congressman he was among the fiercest advocates for abolition, equal rights, and free public schooling, insisting on the "equality of man before his Creator." His epitaph, which he wrote himself, made his lifelong convictions his final statement.
Pennsylvania Medical Society
Lancaster, PA · est. 1998
In 1848, physicians gathered in a Lancaster church to organize the Pennsylvania Medical Society, part of a broader mid-century push to put American medicine on a professional footing. At a time when training and standards varied wildly, the society aimed to advance medical knowledge, ease suffering, and improve public health. Local doctor Samuel Humes served as its first president.