CLOSED DECEMBER 31 – JANUARY 19 | All operations of LancasterHistory will be closed to the public from Wednesday, December 31, 2025 through Monday, January 19, 2026. We reopen to the public for the 2026 Season on Tuesday, January 20. Have a very Happy New Year!
Temporarily Closed | Reopening January 20, 2026
Thanks to Louis Daguerre and George Eastman How many of you realize that August 19 is World Photography Day? The day was first observed on August 19, 2010 to commemorate the day in 1839 that the French government recognized Louis Daguerre’s patent for the daguerreotype photographic process. Although not the first individual to capture an […]
Read MoreIntroducing Quaker-Felt Rugs and Floor Coverings Armstrong Cork Company began to produce linoleum flooring in Lancaster in 1908 as a way to use excess cork produced by cutting round corks from rectangular slabs of corkwood. The ingredients of linoleum—oxidized linseed oil, cork dust, and organic resins—were combined to form a uniform layer attached to a […]
Read MoreThe 1915 Panama-Pacific International Exposition & 1929 Ibero-American Exposition My name is James McMahon and I am a project archivist for LancasterHistory. My responsibilities include cataloguing and digitizing a vast collection of archival materials that document the significant role of the cork industry in the local economy. Recently, I wrote two blogs documenting Armstrong’s participation […]
Read MoreWhat is Art? Art allows us to express our creativity and nurtures imagination. Through painting, sculpture, photography or another medium, artistic works allow individuals to express feelings, thoughts and observations while allowing us to appreciate what is around us or to see the world around us in different ways. Art is beauty, but beauty, as […]
Read MoreThe Armstrong Archive of Armstrong World Industries contains a vast array of documents, photographs, and objects that document the history of the company from its founding in 1860 to the present. Following the end of World War I and again after World War II, the company erected plaques at various locations honoring those who served […]
Read MoreThe Armstrong Archive of Armstrong World Industries contains a vast array of documents, photographs, and objects that document the history of the company from its founding in 1860 to the present. Following the end of World War I and again after World War II, the company erected plaques at various locations honoring those who served […]
Read MoreIn December 2019, LancasterHistory received the General Thomas Welsh Family Papers collection from Richard C. Wiggin, a direct descendent of the General. Thomas Welsh (1824-1863) was born in Columbia, Lancaster County and served with distinction in both the Mexican War and the Civil War. The bulk of the collection consists of original papers and official […]
Read MoreMy name is James McMahon and for the past year I have been working as a project archivist for LancasterHistory. My responsibilities include cataloguing and digitizing a vast collection of archival materials that document the significant role of the cork industry in the local economy. As Women’s History Month draws to a close, I want […]
Read MoreCatherine Hershey, Philanthropic Catalyst Catherine Sweeney Hershey married Lancaster confectioner Milton S. Hershey on May 25, 1898. Prior to his marriage, Milton Hershey showed little interest in philanthropy. Soon after his marriage, however, the successful businessman and proprietor of both the Lancaster Caramel Company and the Hershey Chocolate Company made his first verifiable charitable gift—a […]
Read MoreThe 1939 Golden Gate International Exposition & The 1964 New York World’s Fair My name is James McMahon and for the past year I have been working as a project archivist for LancasterHistory. My responsibilities include cataloguing and digitizing a vast collection of archival materials that document the significant role of the cork industry in […]
Read MoreJohn Philip Sousa and his band performed at Conestoga Park on June 30, 1893.