FOR EDUCATORS

Tours

Primary sources take on a whole new meaning when students get to see the real thing. Bring your students for a 45-60 minute tour of our exhibition gallery, library, and archives.

Contact:
Felice Ethun
Director of Education & Public Programs
Felice.Ethun@lancasterhistory.org
or call at 717-392-4633 x113.

Lesson plans

Sample lesson plans dealing with the Underground Railroad and Examining Period Newspapers can be found on our Web site. Staff and volunteers are available to work with educators as they prepare curricular materials for their students.

Contact:
Felice Ethun
Director of Education & Public Programs
Felice.Ethun@lancasterhistory.org
or call at 717-392-4633 x113.

History Comes Alive!

The materials available at the Lancaster County Historical Society help students put a real face on the past.

• Original Civil War diaries provide a personal look at the excitement, horror, boredom and squalor that was life for their writers.
• Slave returns for Lancaster County register slaves in compliance with the Fugitive Slave Act of 1780.
• 15,000 photographs of Lancaster County reveal the visual image observed by people in our community a century ago.
• Large, detailed nineteenth century maps of Lancaster City and County depict individual buildings and list landowners.
• Hundreds of parchment deeds signed by the Penn family describe the land transactions that created the original land parcels of Lancaster County.
• Objects such as textiles, pottery, paintings, firefighting equipment and more enliven the story of Lancastrians in a tangible way.

The collections of the Lancaster County Historical Society provide rich resources relating to the history of Lancaster County. We have a significant collection of books on Lancaster County history and its communities as well as hundreds of thousands of primary source materials from the founding of the county in 1729. Changing exhibitions engage the public in some aspect of Lancaster County life and its relationship to the state, nation and world.

A Case Study: Hands on History

Find out how this high school senior gained a new appreciation for history by volunteering at the historical society.