York County, Pa. – Lancaster Conservancy is excited to announce the acquisition of a 56-acre property currently known as the Historic Hellam Preserve located in both Hallam Borough and Hellam Township in York County. The property includes floodplain forest, meadow, a section of Kreutz Creek, and agricultural land. The preserve also includes several historic structures including a renovated 19th century bank barn and farmhouse and a restored 18th century log cabin. The preserve is being donated to the Conservancy by the Graham Family who acquired the property tract by tract and lovingly restored the historic structures. In honor of Ingrid Graham whose vision led to the development of what is a cultural, historic, and conservation site, the Conservancy will rename the preserve the Ingrid Graham Historic Hellam Nature Preserve.
“We are so glad that my mother’s efforts to transform this special property from a collection of neglected buildings to a truly beautiful and serene historic homestead, ready for future generations to enjoy and interpret, will now be protected forever. We are proud of our part in its evolution and are happy to see the Lancaster Conservancy steward Historic Hellam Preserve for future generations,” said Kristin Graham, on behalf of the Graham family.
The Conservancy will acquire the property in 2025 and has already initiated historic and natural resource research. Once acquired, the Conservancy will develop a management plan for the preserve that focuses on its unique historic, natural, and cultural resources.
“As well as permanently protecting natural resources, the Ingrid Graham Historic Hellam Nature Preserve will protect significant cultural resources from the Native Peoples that inhabited the region to the European immigrants who populated Hallam Borough and Hellam Township in the 18th century,” shared Kate Gonick, the Conservancy’s Senior Vice President of Land Protection and General Counsel. “The Conservancy works to preserve all that is dear to us, both natural and cultural, and we look forward to engaging diverse audiences from within York County and the larger region on this preserve.”
Kreutz Creek at Ingrid Graham Historic Hellam Nature Preserve (Photo by Anne Harnish)
In addition to serving as a future public nature preserve readily accessible to the residents of Hallam Borough and Hellam Township, the Ingrid Graham Historic Hellam Nature Preserve will serve as the Conservancy’s engagement and education center in York County.
“The Ingrid Graham Historic Hellam Nature Preserve will help us tell the interrelated story of human and natural histories,” said Keith Williams, the Conservancy’s Vice President of Engagement and Education. “The preserve will serve as the Conservancy’s primary education programming hub for York County, while we will continue to engage the community on all of our preserves in the region, especially Wizard Ranch Nature Preserve, which serves as our flagship for ecological restoration education.”
Along with the Conservancy’s hands-on conservation education programming, engagement activities at the preserve will include interpretation of the restored 18th and 19th century historic structures. This preserve features key infrastructure such as parking, shelter for inclement weather, and restroom facilities, which are needed to easily and safely welcome groups of students and learners of all ages. The Conservancy operates Climbers Run Nature Center as its educational programming hub in Lancaster County. In 2024, the Conservancy served over 1,300 local K-12 students and plans to expand its conservation education offerings on both sides of the river in the coming years.
This nature preserve will be part of the Conservancy’s Hellam Hills Conservation Area, which stretches from Wrightsville to the Codorus Creek and encompasses over 1,000 acres of contiguous forests including Wizard Ranch, Robert A. Kinsley, and Roundtop nature preserves. Since 2015, the Conservancy has acquired and protected over 3,000 acres in York County along the Susquehanna River, which includes 11 of its over 50 nature preserves. This site is also within the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources’ Susquehanna Riverlands Conservation Landscape, as well as the federally recognized Highlands Region. The Conservancy will manage the natural resources on the property to preserve the critical floodplain forest that provides a buffer to protect the waterways that flow into the Susquehanna River.
Spring house along a tributary to Kreutz Creek at Ingrid Graham Historic Hellam Nature Preserve (Photo by Anne Harnish)
“The Conservancy is honored to partner with the Graham family to celebrate their legacy of care and interpretation of this unique property,” said Fritz Schroeder, the Conservancy’s President and CEO. “Ingrid Graham’s passion for the history of this land has created a space that will now educate youth for years to come. This site lends itself to classroom programming, and we are excited to partner with York County schools and youth programs to expand experiential outdoor learning. From a conservation perspective, the Conservancy will create a plan and strategy to nurture the forest, wetlands, and riparian buffers that protect Kreutz Creek.”
Lancaster Conservancy is a nonprofit land trust that has protected over 10,000 acres of natural lands since its founding more than 50 years ago. The Conservancy manages over 50 nature preserves in Lancaster County and in York County in the Susquehanna Riverlands Conservation Landscape. Volunteer, sign up for an event, find a preserve, or donate at lancasterconservancy.org.
