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Honoring George Ross, Lancaster’s Only Signer of the Declaration of Independence – Part III: Preparation and Installation of the Ross Home Doorframe

Preparing 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 […]

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

From Object Lessons

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 […]

The Restoration of Wheatland’s Back Porch

From LancasterHistory News

Written by Patrick Clarke, Director of President James Buchanan’s Wheatland The Wheatland mansion was built at the end of the Federal style period in 1828 for William Jenkins, the president of the Farmers’ Bank of Lancaster. We don’t know the architect or builder, but they may have been familiar with the popular manuals circulating in […]

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 […]

Meet LancasterHistory’s Summer Internship Class of 2025

From LancasterHistory News

This past June, LancasterHistory welcomed one undergraduate and two post-graduate students into our NEH-funded Summer Internship Program. Each intern has been diligently working in one of three museum departments at LancasterHistory on various day-to-day projects as well as a larger research project. We’re also excited to welcome another post-graduate student this summer working on artifacts […]

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 […]

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