9/21/2023 Update: Starting on Friday, September 22, 2023, a landscape construction project will start at Stauffer Park. The Stauffer Ludgate Trust has hired a landscape contractor to replace the hardscaped patio and walkway areas between Stauffer Mansion and the Carriage House. Additionally, trees and shrubs will be replaced and low-voltage landscape lighting will be installed. The project is estimated to take 8-10 weeks. A temporary handicap ramp will be installed on the South side of the mansion to accommodate access to the Mansion during construction. Anyone looking to access the Mansion is asked to park in the Southern parking lot that is accessed from Marshal Avenue to the South (Graphic below).
Stauffer Park is the Township's signature park. The park is located along Route 501, just north of the city of Lancaster. While not the largest park, at 18 acres, Stauffer Park was willed to the Township by its former owners for the pleasure of its residents and visitors. Stauffer Park is the only park to have a Board of Trustees to oversee its operations. The Manheim Township Recreation Department utilizes the Mansion as their main office. The Mansion is an old homestead that is registered with the Lancaster County Historic Preservation Trust. The Mansion houses several offices as well as meeting rooms. Stauffer Park also has a Carriage House which has been restored and used for various recreational programs and classes. The park offers a formal garden, pet cemetery, four tennis courts, three basketball courts, one volleyball court, a soccer field, a lighted softball field, lighted walking/biking paths and a wide variety of specimen trees and shrubs throughout.
