CLOSED APRIL 27 | All operations of LancasterHistory will be closed on Monday, April 27 for a staff in-service day. We will reopen with regular hours on Tuesday, April 28. Thank you!
Museum Open Mon-Sat, 9:30am-5pm | Wheatland Open Mon-Sat, 10am-3pm
A Cabinet of Curiosities LancasterHistory has no shortage of candidates for the most unusual or strange object in our collection. Many of these objects are associated with individuals, others with events or places, and still others with ethnic traditions or folk practices. Objects that come to mind include a wig that once belonged to Thaddeus […]
Read MorePreparing the Ross Home Doorframe for Display The doorframe from the colonial-era George Ross home is finally in place! Although it has undergone a number of repairs and changes over the years, it still remains one of the most important and elaborate architectural elements to have survived from the eighteenth century. The much traveled doorframe […]
Read MoreOn 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. […]
Read MoreThe 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 […]
Read MoreCoverlets 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 […]
Read MoreBridging 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 […]
Read MoreOn 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 […]
Read MorePlay 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 […]
Read MoreA 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 […]
Read MoreA 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 […]
Read MoreArmor Frey established Turkey Hill Dairy in 1931.