Opening in 2021, this beautifully designed gallery showcases a one of-a-kind collection consisting of over 230 objects by Lancaster County artisans including tall case clocks, silver, furniture and portraiture created during Edward Hand’s residency in America and the period interpreted at Rock Ford (c.1765-1810). The grouping represents one of the largest and most significant collections of early Lancaster County decorative arts ever assembled and came to Historic Rock Ford as a bequest from noted antiquarian John J. Snyder, Jr. The objective of the new gallery is to not only showcase the exquisite creations of Early Lancaster County craftsmen but also the diverse population that supported them. The donor, John J. Snyder, Jr. was an outstanding collector and scholar of early Pennsylvania decorative arts. A graduate of Dickinson College and a Fellow of the Winterthur Program in Early American Culture, he authored, co-authored or edited dozens of books and articles on early American architecture, furniture and clocks and was frequently called upon by some of the most prestigious American auction houses to research and authenticate pieces. While the Snyder Collection comprises the core of the Gallery, it is supplemented by the Henry J. Kauffman Collection of over 20 Lancaster County Pennsylvania long rifles as well as periodically rotating focus exhibits of thematically connected objects. These focus exhibits will allow visitors to explore the stories of both the artisans who created the objects and the persons who owned them.