For the past year or so I have had an idea forming in my mind about how to tell the visual stories of the people and places in Cabbage Hill, a historic neighborhood in South West Lancaster City where my husband and I bought our first home three and a half years ago. Supposedly the name comes from the large German immigrant population that grew cabbage on their land here in the early 1900's. Though today there are not many original "Hillians" left, the narrow one way streets lined with brick row homes and angular intersections still remain a part of this unique neighborhood.

My main motivation for this personal photography project is to give a face to the diverse population of people who live here and bring a positive light to the good things I see happening in our neighborhood. Despite being pictured in several recent LNP articles as one of the city's "aging and increasingly distressed neighborhoods", I think there are a lot of treasures to be found in this historic part of town. 

First, it is probably one of the most culturally diverse areas of the city. My neighbors are a mix of people; blacks, latinos, "Hillians" who have lived here their whole lives, urban Mennonites and recently resettled refugees from Somalia, Iraq and Nepal to name a few. 

A couple years ago my husband and I started the Cabbage Hill Supper Club in order to get to know more folks in the neighborhood through potlucks hosted in neighbors' homes. It has been a great way to build community. Our Facebook page has become a place to share news, concerns and events in the neighborhood. 

There are non-profits such as the Lancaster Housing Opportunity Partnership (LHOP), Boys and Girls Club and Habitat for Humanity who are doing great work in our neighborhood. Recently LHOP and local partners have refurbished and sold two formerly blight houses to first-time home buyers on W. Strawberry street and with a grant from Wells Fargo they plan to continue this work. In the short time I have lived here, I know of around a dozen young families who have purchased their first home in Cabbage Hill, which is encouraging. 

There are churches who are invested in the neighborhood, hosting block parties, teaching ESL classes to refugees, and providing a space to hold community meetings. There are businesses who contribute to the neighborhood such as Two Dudes Painting Company who have beautified the area with several murals over the years. 

In the coming months and beyond, I plan to create a series of blog posts called "Who's Who on the Hill" featuring photo essays of local residents and businesses who are making a difference in the community. To kick off this project, I've decided to share some images from a few fall photo walks in the neighborhood. I wanted to capture the images of Cabbage Hill that stand out to me as unique and beautiful, whether it be interesting architecture or the way light falls through the colorful autumn trees. Stay tuned for the first "Who's Who on the Hill" post. If you live in Cabbage Hill, feel free to nominate someone to feature in this series or send me your ideas. I want to spread the Cabbage Hill pride!

In the spirit of Halloween, here are a few twilight photos taken at Saint Joseph's Church, a defining landmark in Cabbage Hill.