Events: Special Event

Research Center Book Sale

Support LancasterHistory’s Research Center at this one-in-a-generation book sale! A comprehensive review of the library resulted in the removal of many books from the collection. These books include duplicates, outdated editions, or those that are unrelated to the history of Lancaster County. This is your chance to browse and buy them! Books from the personal collections of LancasterHistory’s staff will also be on sale, so expect to find offerings from all genres, for all ages.

More information, including preferred way to pay, coming soon!

Sale Family-Friendly In-Person Event

September 13, 2025 LancasterHistory, 230 N. President Ave., Lancaster 10am - 4pm No Entry Fee

Capital Day Celebration

Celebrate September 27, 1777, the day when Lancaster served as the nation’s capital! Full of family fun and quirky history, there will be activities throughout the evening, and all attendees are invited to dress in a capital way for a Capital Day!

More information and tickets coming soon!

Open House Family-Friendly In-Person Event

September 27, 2025 LancasterHistory, 230 N. President Ave., Lancaster, PA 5:30-7:30pm To Be Determined

Dred Scott’s Daughter: Birthright Citizenship & The Meaning of ‘American’

Headshot of an older woman with light skin, short brown hair, and a blue collared shirt.
Amanda Frost

Throughout its history, the United States has grappled with the question of who qualifies as an “American.” Citizenship was contested throughout the antebellum era, culminating in the Supreme Court’s 1857 decision in the case of Dred Scott which denied citizenship to all Black people, whether enslaved or free. After the Civil War, Thaddeus Stevens, together with other members of the Radical Republicans, raced to guarantee citizenship to recently emancipated people and to others born in the United States by introducing a policy of birthright citizenship in the Fourteenth Amendment. Though the Supreme Court has repeatedly affirmed this policy in landmark decisions, it remains a contentious issue which some Americans wish to reconsider. On Thursday, October 23, Amanda Frost, an immigration attorney and law professor at the University of Virginia, joins LancasterHistory to examine the legal and historical significance of birthright citizenship for the nation, as well as its prospects for the future.

Amanda Frost is a professor of law at the University of Virginia, where she specializes in immigration and citizenship law, as well as U.S. Constitutional law. Her scholarship has been cited by the U.S. Supreme Court, as well as dozens federal and state courts, and she has been invited to testify on the topics of her articles before both the House and Senate Judiciary Committees. Her non-academic writing has been published in The Atlantic, The New Republic, The Washington Post, The New York Times, Slate, USA Today, and The American Prospect. Her book, You Are Not American: Citizenship Stripping from Dred Scott to the Dreamers (2021), was named as a “New & Noteworthy” book by The New York Times Book Review and was shortlisted for the Mark Lynton History Prize. She is currently at work on a second book on the history of birthright citizenship, which will be published by One Signal (Simon & Schuster) in 2026.

More information, including the confirmed location of the lecture, and tickets coming soon!

Presented in Partnership with Franklin & Marshall College

Franklin & Marshall College logo

In-Person Event Lecture

October 23, 2025 To Be Determined 5pm Reception | 5:30pm Lecture

The ExtraGive

Lancaster County’s largest day of online giving is back! The ExtraGive kicks off a season of gratitude, and your support is more important than ever for LancasterHistory.

More information coming soon, including any day-of events.

Fundraiser

November 21, 2025 All Day Event

Campus of History Cheer

Get in the holiday spirit with Campus of History Cheer, a festive event filled with fun for the whole family! From tours of Wheatland to live music, kids’ activities, and a cookie station, there’s something merry and bright for everyone.

More information and tickets coming in November!

Family-Friendly Holiday In-Person Event Tour

December 6, 2025 LancasterHistory, 230 N. President Ave., Lancaster, PA