The Reese-Peters House was built in 1835 for William James Reese and his wife, Mary Elisabeth Sherman. Reese, a native of Philadelphia, was a well-educated man, graduating from the University of Pennsylvania’s law school in 1822. Mary Elisabeth was the eldest sister of General William T. Sherman and Senator John Sherman, who would both find fame later in the nineteenth century. The Reese’s mansion on “Main Hill” in the famous Square 13 was known from the beginning as the finest house in Lancaster.