Susquehanna Gateway Heritage Area (SGHA)  offices are located
at the Zimmerman Center for Heritage, just south of Wrightsville in Long Level, York County. The historic blue stone home sits on a hill overlooking the Susquehanna River.

Lovingly restored and renovated by John and Kathryn Zimmerman in the late-1990’s, this Colonial-era masterpiece dates back to the mid-1700’s. In the spring of 2007, the Zimmerman’s graciously donated the property to SGHA and it was dedicated as the John & Kathryn Zimmerman Center for Heritage. 

During the home’s renovation, archaeological work unearthed over 20,000 artifacts that helped fill in some of the blanks of this wonderful building’s history. The Zimmerman's donated these artifacts the State Museum however SGHA looks forward to borrowing artifacts in the future for a display. 

The home sits on property that was originally named “Pleasant Garden” by Thomas Cresap, who was sent to this area in 1730 to collect taxes for Maryland. The home is listed in the National Register of Historic Places as having been constructed in 1758. Further research has suggested the home may have been built around 1740, after Thomas Cresap departed.

The home is also commonly known as the Dritt Mansion after the family that owned the home for many years between the late 1700's and mid-1800's. The property remained a working farm until the late 1930’s. View the Zimmerman Center Visitor Guide for more information on the property's history.


The Zimmerman Center is available to rent and is an ideal setting for meetings and business functions. Please see PDF for more information on facility rentals.

Currently plans are underway for enhancing the Zimmerman Center by adding additional public space and amenities. Please see our page on the Zimmerman Center Enhancement Project for more information. This project is expected to be completed in 2012.

Open to the Public While the Zimmerman Center functions as SGHA's historic headquarters, guided tours of the Zimmerman Center on the first Friday of each month from 10am-3pm. The Visions of the Susquehanna river art collection is also available to view during this time. Tours are also available by appointment during our regular business hours, Monday-Friday 9am-5pm. Please schedule in advance to ensure we are available to receive your group. For a full listing of upcoming events and public openings, please view our events page.