Three hundred years after its founding, Columbia is entering a new and exciting chapter.
(VIDEO LINK AT BOTTOM OF ARTICLE)
As America prepares to celebrate its 250th anniversary, Columbia has already marked a remarkable milestone of its own. During Riverfest this past weekend, the community celebrated its 300th anniversary—not simply by remembering its past, but by showcasing the momentum that is transforming this historic Susquehanna River town.
The timing is perfect, as something remarkable is stirring in this historic Rivertown.
For generations, Columbia was known as a town with a proud past. Founded in 1726 as Wright’s Ferry—even before Lancaster City—the community played an important role in the development of Pennsylvania and the young nation. Yet like many industrial towns, Columbia faced difficult times as economic opportunities shifted elsewhere.
Today, a new chapter is being written.
Across town, entrepreneurs, artists, restaurateurs, and investors are breathing new life into historic buildings and forgotten spaces. New businesses are opening their doors. Properties are being lovingly restored. Columbia is joining the ranks of the more historic and charming Pennsylvania towns.
A thriving collection of restaurants, cafés, bakeries, and specialty shops now welcomes visitors to explore the community. Friends can gather over coffee at one of the town’s inviting cafés, or step back in time at a classic malt shop. Handmade goods, local art, and fresh-baked treats await discovery.
Columbia has also become a destination for antique lovers, collectors, and treasure hunters. Drawn by an ever-growing collection of antique stores, vintage shops, and artisan spaces, visitors regularly travel from Philadelphia, Baltimore, New York, and beyond to explore the town’s historic streets.
The creative spirit of Columbia is equally alive. Artists and makers have transformed former industrial spaces into studios, galleries, and workshops that invite visitors to experience the town’s burgeoning cultural scene firsthand.
The excitement surrounding Columbia’s future is evident. But few investments demonstrate more confidence in Columbia’s future more clearly than the completion of an expansive new Hampton hotel this summer, providing visitors with another reason to make Columbia their home base for exploring the Susquehanna River and Lancaster County regions.
Riverfest was a festival filled with history, heritage, and community spirit. Visitors enjoyed river excursions, walking tours, kayak races, live entertainment, and more. It showcased that history remains woven into every corner of the community.
Architectural tours observed the grand nineteenth-century architecture that tell the story of a town that once stood at a crossroads of commerce and transportation. Recreations of the Underground Railroad commemorated the critical part Columbia and the rest of Lancaster County played in guiding escaped slaves to new lives.
Visitors explored local museums such as Columbia Crossings, which oversaw the festivities. They also toured the elegant Wright’s Ferry Mansion, cruised the Susquehanna aboard the historic Chief Uncas steamboat, and experienced the widely recognized National Watch & Clock Museum—literally one of the premiere institutions of its kind in the country.
The weekend ended with the dramatic Flames of the Susquehanna, a yearly event commemorating the burning of the Columbia-Wrightsville bridge during the Civil War in 1863, which stopped the advancing Confederate Army in its tracks. This is one of the greatest factors contributing to why we talk about the Battle of Gettysburg instead of the Battle of Harrisburg—or Lancaster.
As hundreds gathered on the Columbia-Wrightsville bridge—itself a historic treasure—the piers of the old bridge were all set alight. Thanks to funding by the Louise Steinman von Hess Foundation, all twenty-six piers were set ablaze for the first time since the 150th anniversary of the burning held in 2013.
As the flames reflected across the Susquehanna Saturday evening, they illuminated more than a dramatic moment from the Civil War. They symbolized a community that continues to honor its past while building its future with new confidence. Three hundred years after its founding, Columbia is proving that history is not simply something to preserve—it is something that can inspire renewal.
