Museum Open Mon-Sat, 9:30am-5pm | Wheatland Open Mon-Sat, 10am-3pm
When it comes to the outbuildings at Wheatland, many are familiar with the privy and the icehouse/smokehouse. These original 1828 outbuildings flank both ends of the Wheatland mansion from the back. But a few more outbuildings stood on the grounds at Wheatland. Though they no longer remain on the property, illustrations, photographs, and descriptions clue […]
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 MoreThe LeFevre Bible is one of the most requested items from our collections. The Bible belonged to the French Huguenot family of Isaac LeFevre. These images show the genealogy of Isaac LeFevre, the person to bring this Bible from France to present-day Lancaster County. He survived the massacre of his family and townspeople after the […]
Read MoreLancasterHistory is thrilled to welcome this year’s Class of 2021 LancasterHistory NEH Summer Interns. Since starting on June 8, this class of intrepid interns have been working on individual projects as well as travelling to other museums and historic sites in our area to learn more about the fields of museum studies and public history. […]
Read MoreWhen discussing women’s clothing and Victorian hygiene, one question comes up in the minds of many. How did Victorian women use the restroom with multiple layers of clothing? To the modern person, the idea seems impossible, but it was not nearly as complex as it may seem. In fact, the construction of clothing, particularly the […]
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 MoreAnthony Iske came to Lancaster, Pennsylvania by accident. A cabinet maker in the German area of France, he was hired to build a church altar in Lancaster, New York. At the train station in New York City, the twenty-two-year-old immigrant was sold a ticket to the wrong town, Lancaster, Pennsylvania. However, Iske found a new […]
Read MoreWhen gold was discovered at Sutter’s Mill just west of Sacramento in 1848, thousands of people flocked to California to get in on the action. The following is a selection of brave, adventurous (and maybe a bit foolhardy) men from Lancaster County who ventured west in search of gold, silver and whatever riches they could […]
Read MoreOn May 4, 1852, the Lancaster Intelligencer announced… “Messrs. Hager and Eberman, the purchasers of the Old Prison Property, at the corner of West King and Prince Streets, it is said, intend to erect a large and commodious hall on that site during the present building season, a portion of which is to be used […]
Read MoreIn 1882, Abe Buzzard and seven other prisoners tunneled in to the Lancaster County Prison’s chicken coop to make their escape.