CLOSED MEMORIAL DAY | All operations of LancasterHistory, including President James Buchanan’s Wheatland, will be closed to the public on Monday, May 26, 2025 in observance of Memorial Day. We will reopen for normal business hours and operations on Tuesday, May 27. Thank you!
Open Mon – Sat, 9:30am – 5pm | Wheatland Tours 10am – 3pm
A Seasonal Storefront Window Seasonal holiday window displays offer businesses and organizations unique opportunities to not only sell their products but to do so in an entertaining and sometimes informative way. Such is the case in this undated negative of a window display created by retailers Chandler & McBrearty in Sacramento, California discovered in the […]
Read MoreBy Payton Becker, Curatorial Intern My name is Payton Becker, and I am a doctoral pre-candidate in the American Studies program at Penn State Harrisburg. I grew up in Lancaster County and graduated from Lancaster Country Day School and Franklin and Marshall College with a B.A. in Classical Studies. I received my M.A. in Textile, […]
Read MoreA Rather Large, Heavy, Unmarked Crate The recent installation of a high-density storage system in the Decorative Arts Center necessitated a detailed inventory of objects to update locations. During the inventory process, we rediscovered a number of interesting objects that caused us to pause, ask questions, and conduct a little more research. One such item […]
Read MoreA Study of Witmer’s Bridge In 1933, local artist Ruth Hager painted this study of the nine arch bridge that then spanned the Conestoga River on the east side of Lancaster at Bridgeport. Completed in 1800 and named for its builder, Witmer’s Bridge was 19 feet wide and 540 feet in length. Constructed as a […]
Read MoreA Centennial Celebration – U.S. Postage Stamp On September 28, 1960 the United States Post Office issued a 4-cent first class stamp to commemorate the centennial of the Treaty of Amity and Commerce between the United States and Japan. That 1860 treaty officially opened trade between the two countries, provided for diplomatic relations, and opened […]
Read MoreIf you haven’t already heard, we’re hiring! This month, I was thrilled to post the job listing for a new position at LancasterHistory. With the opening of the Stevens & Smith Center next year, LancasterHistory is growing, and our new Education and Programs Manager will be a key member of the team. The to-do list […]
Read MoreThe recent installation of a high density storage system in the Decorative Arts Center has necessitated a detailed inventory of objects to update locations. During the inventory process we have rediscovered a number of interesting objects that cause us to pause and take a moment to ask questions and conduct a little more research. One […]
Read MoreIn June, LancasterHistory welcomed three undergraduate 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. In this post, you’ll get to meet each intern and learn about their projects! Sarah Gehret, Historic […]
Read MoreNow available online to the public, scans of the scrapbooks provide a window into life in Lancaster County as far back as 1738. Lancaster, PA | In June 2024, LancasterHistory completed a large digitization project of four historic scrapbooks and 850 individual historic documents, creating a total of 3,565 digital scans of the items that […]
Read MoreA Sesquicentennial Celebration July 4, 2024 marks the 150th anniversary of the 1874 dedication of the Soldiers and Sailors Monument located in the center of Lancaster’s Penn Square. Constructed of white granite and erected by the Lancaster County Monumental Association in memory of those who fought and died in the Civil War, the monument features […]
Read MoreLancaster became the capitol of the United States for one day on September 27, 1777.