Author: Dr. James McMahon

Honoring George Ross, Lancaster’s Only Signer of the Declaration of Independence | Part II: Restoration of the Ross Home Doorframe

On Display at the Heritage Center Museum of Lancaster County When the colonial-era home of George Ross was razed in the early 1850s to make way for the present county courthouse, the prominent pedimented doorway was incorporated into the home of Ann Coleman Hopkins, a great-granddaughter of George Ross, and her husband Issac Newton Lightner. […]

Honoring George Ross, Lancaster’s Only Signer of the Declaration of Independence – Part I: Lancaster’s Revolutionaries

From Object Lessons

The Home of George Ross A number of celebrations and exhibitions will mark this year’s Semiquincentennial celebration marking the signing of the Declaration of Independence in 1776. LancasterHistory is pleased to partner with Historic Rock Ford to honor George Ross (1730-1779) as part of their Lancaster’s Revolutionaries display in the John J. Snyder, Jr. Gallery […]

Peter Harting, The Coverlet Weaver

From Object Lessons

Coverlets vs. Quilts The LancasterHistory object collection includes a number of nineteenth-century coverlets woven by various weavers from around the county and the surrounding area. Like a quilt, a coverlet is intended as a bedcover; however, there are some important differences. Whereas a quilt consists of three assembled parts – a decorative top, a middle […]

Bridging Literature and History: James Buchanan Meets an American Author

From Object Lessons

Bridging Literature and History: James Buchanan Meets an American Author by Nathaniel Drenner, Collections Intern, Summer 2025 Politicians and Authors When we think of major figures in history, we probably first envision people like politicians, activists, business tycoons, or military leaders. Novelists may not make the cut. Writers, though, have a life outside of their […]

Summer Interns Visit B. R. Howard Conservation

From Object Lessons

On July 22nd, a group of LancasterHistory summer interns, staff, and volunteers visited the museum conservation facility of B.R. Howard Conservation in Carlisle. Head conservator Brian Howard provided the group with a tour of his facility and insights into the work that goes into preserving cultural heritage objects for museums and historical organizations as well […]

The Lancaster Red Sox and a Local Two-Time World Series Champion

From Object Lessons

Play Ball! When most people think of early organized baseball in Lancaster, the first team that usually comes to mind is the Lancaster Red Roses. That team existed intermittently under various major league teams and minor league affiliations between 1906 and 1961. The most well-known version of the team was founded in 1940 and played […]

Keeping Time with Buchanan and Lincoln

From Object Lessons

A Pocket Watch for Union Soldiers Nestled away in a drawer in the LancasterHistory Decorative Arts Center is a Civil War era pocket watch with a fascinating story and an interesting connection to both James Buchanan and Abraham Lincoln. Manufactured by the American Watch Company of Waltham, Massachusetts, the William Ellery Model 1857 pocket watch […]

Honoring Lancaster County’s Medal of Honor Recipients

From Object Lessons

A Solemn Ceremony On March 25th, I had the honor of attending a National Medal of Honor Day ceremony at Greenwood Cemetery. The invitation came from Scott Fasnacht, longtime friend, fraternity brother, and past camp commander of the General George H. Thomas, Camp 19, Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War (SUVCW). Although the […]

A Brief History of the Stahr Armory

From Object Lessons

Planning for An Armory 438 North Queen Street, now home to Decades Lancaster, was originally known as the Lancaster Armory. The facility was renamed Stahr Armory in 1956. The Armory was constructed for use by the Pa. National Guard, an organization that traces its history all the way back to 1747 and Benjamin Franklin’s effort […]

Grave Markers and Memorial Plaques

From Object Lessons

My responsibilities as curator for the collections of LancasterHistory not only include acquiring and cataloging objects but inventorying and monitoring objects already in our collections. Performing routine inventories allows us to verify the physical location of objects as well as the accuracy of catalog records. By physically going through the collection we get to learn […]

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