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
In the Sitting Room at Wheatland, a pretty impressive desk quickly catches the eyes of visitors. The desk is made of hand-carved teakwood, including the inside well at the center. A set of faux drawers add detail to the front of the desk, whereas real drawers provide function at the back. Though this desk resides […]
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 times of company, Buchanan often joked that Wheatland stretches. As people came to visit, the rooms morphed and changed to accompany their needs. If the bedchambers on the second floor were filled, then rooms in the attic turned into guest rooms. Guests would then settle into bedchambers, shifting people about in the spaces upstairs. […]
Read MoreLocated in the Sitting Room, framed lithograph prints of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert watch over space with regal authority. The lithographs were made by J.A. Vinter (engraver) and Day & Son (lithographer) and signed by Queen Victoria and Prince Albert. Grouped together with lithographs of the Royal children, they sailed across the ocean with […]
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 MoreOn 23 April 1791, James Buchanan was born to James and Elizabeth Speer Buchanan. Though Buchanan didn’t celebrate with balloons and streamers, he did have a few known favorites that he may have enjoyed on his birthday. Favorite Way to Spend the Day A publication from the Daily Democrat and News on 20 December 1859 […]
Read MoreWritten by Martha Abel You will have noticed, if you look at old deeds, that many property sales took place on April 1. No fooling. It was also the day that all rental housing leases expired, and so many people took the opportunity to move (or flit) to a new place. From the colonial days […]
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 MoreOver the next few weeks, we will look at some dinnerware objects on our Instagram page. Today’s blog post will reveal what it may have been like to be a dinner guest at Wheatland. Small Guest Lists Meals at Wheatland generally had a smaller guest list. Buchanan preferred to entertain smaller dinner parties between two […]
Read MoreMcCaskey High School track star Barney Ewell won a gold medal at the 1948 Summer Olympics.