On the frosty night of Dec. 14, 1763, four Conestoga Indians sought shelter with farmer Peter Swarr at his cabin, two miles west of Lancaster.
According to a letter written by Edward Shippen, a local resident at the time, the Indians were survivors of a massacre that morning at "Conestogoe Town," staged by a band of ruffians called the "Paxton Boys."
The Indians' respite was brief. Taken to the Lancaster jail for their protection, they and other Conestogas were killed Dec. 26 when the Paxton Boys returned to finish what they started.
Today, the 90-acre Swarr farm, now known as the "Deisley property," is again in the news, this time as the possible site for Crossings at Conestoga Creek, a 646,000-square-foot shopping plaza proposed by High Real Estate.
On Tuesday, an ongoing conditional-use hearing reconvened as High tries to secure Manheim Township's blessing to build the center.
Tuesday's session was a tug of war, pitting the site's historic importance, if any, against its future use.
"This is the quintessential land-use battle in Pennsylvania, right here," said William J. Cluck, attorney for an opposition group called Lancaster for Smart Growth. "It's the last large agricultural property in the area, and it happens to be eligible for listing on the National Register of Historic Places.
"We're supposed to preserve and save, but they want to pave over it."
The property includes 10 structures, nine of which High plans to raze. All that would remain would be a stone farmhouse built in 1799, which would be restored.
Among the buildings that would be removed is a frame house along Harrisburg Pike. Lonnie R. Young of Rettew Associates, who conducted a historical report on the site, testified Tuesday the house was built in the 1930s and has no historic significance.
Kathy Ashworth, who lives on Farmingdale Road, near the proposed center, cross-examined Young. She said she has heard the structure referred to as "the log house" and suggested the 1930s structure may have been built around the original Swarr log cabin.
Young said he did not know, but saw no evidence to support her suggestion. In fact, he said, investigations at various spots around the property revealed little evidence of historic value.
"Our conclusions are that Crossings at Conestoga Creek development will have a null effect on our historic resources and that none of the sites identified or any artifacts recovered are eligible for placing on the National Register of Historic Places," Young said. "We further recommend that no additional archeological investigations are warranted on this property."
Ashworth said she does not know if bringing out the site's history will save it, but said, "I need to get it on the public record, so people know it has a past."
Later in the hearing, architect Francis S. Fox discussed the center's design. His design, which is subject to change, features 26 retail stores of 500 to 5,000 square feet, 15 stores of 5,001 to 49,999 square feet, one store at 50,000 square feet, a 51,000-square-foot theater, one store at 132,000 square feet and one at 135,000 square feet.
A "Main Street" with angled parking and a 22-foot-wide driving lane would course through the center of the shopping village, which would feature colored concrete pavers for sidewalks and crosswalks and have small parks for social events, as well as benches and lighting throughout.
The $100 million center would be surrounded by 2,420 parking spaces and possibly as many as two two-level parking structures with an additional 487 spaces.
The hearing will reconvene at 5 p.m. Sept. 12 at the Manheim Township Municipal Building, 1840 Municipal Drive.
E-mail: lalexander@lnpnews.com