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My responsibilities as curator for the collections of LancasterHistory not only include acquiring and cataloging objects but inventorying and monitoring objects already in our collections. Performing routine inventories allows us to verify the physical location of objects as well as the accuracy of catalog records. By physically going through the collection we get to learn […]
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 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 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 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 MoreContributed and Written by James McMahon and Andre Dominguez A New Object for Ware Commons LancasterHistory is pleased to announce that a nineteenth century velocipede built and operated by celebrated Lancaster balloonist John Wise will soon join President James Buchanan’s 1853 Rockaway Carriage on the mezzanine of Ware Commons. The two-wheeled velocipede and four-wheeled carriage […]
Read MoreArmor Frey established Turkey Hill Dairy in 1931.