Wheatland

Wheatland, a Federal-style brick mansion on the western edge of Lancaster, was the home of James Buchanan, the fifteenth President of the United States and the only president from Pennsylvania. Buchanan bought the estate in 1848 and used it as the base for his 1856 campaign — supporters came by the thousands to hear him speak from the front portico.

The house is open for guided tours, which lean into the contrast between Buchanan's polished political life and his now-tarnished reputation. Inside are original furnishings, the library where he wrote his memoir defending his presidency, and the small office where he received political callers. The grounds include a small museum on the LancasterHistory campus next door.

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A story
James Buchanan is routinely ranked the worst president in U.S. history for failing to act as Southern states seceded in the months before Lincoln took office. He bought Wheatland in 1848, ran his 1856 campaign from its grounds, and retired here in 1861 to write a defensive memoir of his administration.

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