The American Revolutionary War, which lasted from 1775 to 1783, was the war by which North America's 13 colonies won political independence from Great Britain. Ten years after sailing from Ireland to Pennsylvania, Edward Hand joined the Continental Army in 1775 - one year after he moved to Lancaster to practice medicine. Gen. Hand became commanding officer of the First Pennsylvania Rifle Regiment and played a critical role at the Siege of Boston, the Battle of New York, and the First and Second Battles of Trenton. Following the war, Hand returned to Lancaster, where he became involved in politics. He and his family moved to Rock Ford in 1794.

Located along the banks of the Conestoga River at 881 Rockford Road, Lancaster, Hand's house became a historic house museum in 1958 after the Rock Ford Foundation was established. Once restorations to the property were completed, the house opened to the public in 1960. Although the current barn on the property is not original, it is situated where Hand's barn once stood. After more than three years of planning and designing, the John J. Snyder Jr. Gallery of Early Lancaster County Decorative Arts opened on the second floor of the barn in the spring of 2021.

From Wednesday, June 1, to Sunday, Oct. 30, the gallery will host a new exhibit titled "Long Rifles of the American Revolution: How Lancaster County Craftsmen Helped Win the War." Guest-curated by Pennsylvania long-rifle authority John Kolar, the exhibit will include approximately 35 Revolutionary War-era rifles from the collection of Historic Rock Ford as well as loaned rifles and related accoutrements from museums and private collectors from across the nation.

"We're getting a lot of objects from private donors and other museums, and some of those items have never really been on public display before, so I'm kind of blown away that we have a variety of people lending different things," stated curator Sarah Alberico.

Two significant items that will be featured in the exhibit will be loaned from the National Museum of the United States Army: the Thomas Tileston 1773 rifle as well as the 1776 seal of the 1st Continental Regiment. Hand's signature is on the only known surviving document bearing the original imprint from the seal.

"We want it to be an exhibit that would appeal to long-rifle aficionados and to the general public and people with an interest in history," said executive director Samuel C. Slaymaker III.

The exhibit will entail far more than a display of Revolutionary War weaponry; rather, it will be presented in a narrative format to tell the story of how Lancaster County and its rifle makers played a pivotal role in supplying American rifle regiments with weapons that provided the accuracy and flexibility to successfully overturn the British. This will be the first occasion that these objects have been brought together in a single exhibition, accented by storyboards, maps, and illustrations from the work of renowned military history artist Don Troiani.

For more information, contact Slaymaker at Director@HistoricRockFord.org or Alberico at Curator@HistoricRockFord.org.