Events: In-Person Event

Second Founding: A Symphony by D. Michael Wege [March 13]

  • March 13, 2026
  • The Gardner Theatre, 725 Hamilton Road, Lancaster, PA
  • 7:30pm Concert
  • Varies

Celebrate the 250th birthday of the United States and the grand opening of the Stevens & Smith Center with a showcase of classical music exploring the life and times of Thaddeus Stevens and Lydia Hamilton Smith. Second Founding, a powerful new work by local composer D. Michael Wege, will be performed alongside Aaron Copland’s 1942 work, Lincoln Portrait, and William L. Dawson’s piece, Negro Folk Symphony, from 1934.

Performances are available on:

  • Friday, March 13, 2026 @ 7:30pm
  • Saturday, March 14, 2026 @ 2:30pm
  • Saturday, March 14, 2026 @ 7:30pm
  • Sunday, March 15, 2026 @ 2:30pm

Join the Lancaster Symphony 45-minutes before each performance for a free pre-concert lecture.

Tickets may be purchased through the Lancaster Symphony online or by calling their box office at 717.291.6440. LancasterHistory is unable to sell tickets directly to these performances.

Featured Event Concert In-Person Event Off-Site Event Performance

Second Founding: A Symphony by D. Michael Wege [March 14]

Celebrate the 250th birthday of the United States and the grand opening of the Stevens & Smith Center with a showcase of classical music exploring the life and times of Thaddeus Stevens and Lydia Hamilton Smith. Second Founding, a powerful new work by local composer D. Michael Wege, will be performed alongside Aaron Copland’s 1942 work, Lincoln Portrait, and William L. Dawson’s piece, Negro Folk Symphony, from 1934.

Performances are available on:

  • Friday, March 13, 2026 @ 7:30pm
  • Saturday, March 14, 2026 @ 2:30pm
  • Saturday, March 14, 2026 @ 7:30pm
  • Sunday, March 15, 2026 @ 2:30pm

Join the Lancaster Symphony 45-minutes before each performance for a free pre-concert lecture.

Tickets may be purchased through the Lancaster Symphony online or by calling their box office at 717.291.6440. LancasterHistory is unable to sell tickets directly to these performances.

Concert In-Person Event Off-Site Event Performance

March 14, 2026 The Gardner Theatre, 725 Hamilton Road, Lancaster, PA 2:30pm & 7:30pm Concerts Varies
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Second Founding: A Symphony by D. Michael Wege [March 15]

Celebrate the 250th birthday of the United States and the grand opening of the Stevens & Smith Center with a showcase of classical music exploring the life and times of Thaddeus Stevens and Lydia Hamilton Smith. Second Founding, a powerful new work by local composer D. Michael Wege, will be performed alongside Aaron Copland’s 1942 work, Lincoln Portrait, and William L. Dawson’s piece, Negro Folk Symphony, from 1934.

Performances are available on:

  • Friday, March 13, 2026 @ 7:30pm
  • Saturday, March 14, 2026 @ 2:30pm
  • Saturday, March 14, 2026 @ 7:30pm
  • Sunday, March 15, 2026 @ 2:30pm

Join the Lancaster Symphony 45-minutes before each performance for a free pre-concert lecture.

Tickets may be purchased through the Lancaster Symphony online or by calling their box office at 717.291.6440. LancasterHistory is unable to sell tickets directly to these performances.

Concert In-Person Event Off-Site Event Performance

March 15, 2026 The Gardner Theatre, 725 Hamilton Road, Lancaster, PA 2:30pm Concert Varies
Get Tickets

The Varied Faces of James Buchanan

Headshot image of Patrick Clarke, an older light skinned man wearing a dark blue polo shirt and brownish glasses.
Patrick Clarke

Following 21 years as Director of President James Buchanan’s Wheatland, Patrick Clarke has decided to retire. Early in his tenure as Director of James Bcuhanan’s Wheatland, Clarke discovered that most visitors, like himself, knew very little about James Buchanan’s early career in Pennsylvania and national politics, and they knew even less about his private life. Driven by his curiosity, Clarke decided to delve deep into primary research on Buchanan’s childhood and education, as well as the lives of his parents, siblings, nieces, and nephews, and the lives of the individuals who worked as domestic servants at his farm. He also probed Buchanan’s early entry into politics during the War of 1812, as well as his 21 years in Congress and his decade of service in foreign and domestic diplomacy. On Thursday March 19, Clarke joins LancasterHistory once more to share how and why he reshaped the interpretative approach at James Buchanan’s Wheatland. He will share the fascinating, varied faces of the man he has come to know as Buchanan the politician and campaigner, the family patriarch, father and disciplinarian, and the Sage of Wheatland.  

Since 1981, Patrick Clarke has held leadership positions at a variety of history museums. During his career he has studied and interpreted early community life in New England, New Jersey’s 18th and 19th century iron industry and farming history, as well as the political careers of William Blount, Washington’s 18th century Southwest Territorial Governor, and two United States Presidents: Thomas Woodrow Wilson and James Buchanan. In 2005, Pat was appointed Executive Director & CEO of the James Buchanan Foundation for the Preservation of Wheatland. Four years later, he and Tom Ryan, then President & CEO of the Lancaster County Historical Society, agreed that the time was right to guide their respective nonprofit Boards through a new business strategy. The result was the successful merger of the two nonprofits to create a new not-for-profit called LancasterHistory. Tom remained the President & CEO and Pat continued as the Director of President James Buchanan’s Wheatland with the added leadership position of Director of Visitor Services. He holds those positions until his retirement in February 2026.

Information & Registration

The lecture, “The Varied Faces of James Buchanan,” will take place on Thursday, March 19, 2026 at the LancasterHistory Museum & Research Center, 230 N. President Ave., Lancaster. A reception will precede the lecture at 5pm, followed by the main event at 5:30pm. The lecture will be available via livestream, and will be posted publicly in the following days to LancasterHistory’s YouTube channel.

This event is free and open to the public, but requires registration to guarantee a seat. Select your registration option below, or call 717.392.4633 to register over the phone. An email is required to receive the link to the livestream on Zoom.

ATTEND IN PERSON

ATTEND ONLINE

Online/Virtual Event In-Person Event Lecture Reception

March 19, 2026 LancasterHistory Museum & Research Center, 230 N. President Ave., Lancaster 5pm Reception | 5:30pm Lecture FREE | Registration Required

Spring Ephemerals of the Susquehanna River Hills

Image of a woman with light skin wearing a baseball hat, glasses, and bandana on the left. On the right, an image of Dutchman's Breeches, which look like delicate little white pantaloons, upside down, on a stem.
Peggy Eppig (left) and a photo of Dutchman’s Breeches (right).

Trilliums, wild columbine, Dutchman’s Breeches. These are a few of the delicate spring ephemerals, early season wildflowers, that are the stars of woodlands and meadows for a short window of time. Peggy Eppig, Conservation Education Ranger for the Lancaster Conservancy, will connect the dots between ephemerals, the pollinators who rely on them, the landscapes in which they thrive, and where you can find them in the man Lancaster Conservancy preserves throughout the lower Susquehanna Valley.

Peggy Eppig is a Conservation Education Ranger for Lancaster Conservancy and works with youth, adults, and groups to learn about conservation practices and natural history on the Conservancy’s over 50 nature preserves. She holds a Ph.D. in Environmental History, and teaches undergraduate and graduate programs in Environmental Studies and Natural Resources Management at Goucher College.  Peggy practices botanical illustration/nature journaling and is an avid backpacker.

HOW TO REGISTER
The event, “Spring Ephemerals of the Susquehanna River Hills” will take place on Saturday, March 21 from 10-11am at the LancasterHistory Museum & Research Center. The event is open to the public. Tickets are $10/Adults (18+) and Free for Children 17 and Under (must be accompanied by an adult). Friends of the Tanger Arboretum members receive complimentary admission, but should still register for the program. Tickets may be purchased online or by calling 717.392.4633. Advance tickets recommended as walk-in tickets are not guaranteed.

PURCHASE TICKETS ONLINE

Membership gets you more! Membership to the Friends of the Tanger Arboretum not only supports the care and conservation of this local natural resource, but also gets you great benefits such as complimentary admission to Nature Series programs! Learn more about membership and sign up today here.

The Friends of the Tanger Arboretum is a member of the American Horticultural Society Reciprocal Admission Program. AHS Reciprocal Admission Program members may register for tickets in advance and must show a valid membership card upon checking in. AHS Members should contact Emily Miller, emily.miller@lancasterhistory.org, with any questions or to register for tickets in advance.

This event is hosted by the Friends of the Tanger Arboretum. The Friends of the Tanger Arboretum, a subsidiary organization of LancasterHistory, helps foster public interest in, and support for, the maintenance and development of the Tanger Arboretum as a community asset. To learn more about the Arboretum or to become a member, please visit the Arboretum’s webpage.

 

The 2026 Friends of the Tanger Arboretum Nature Series is sponsored by Pine Brook Farm, Inc. and Ever Green Tree & Lawn Care.
Their support enables us to offer these programs for the community and free tickets for children! Thank you for your generosity!

Family-Friendly In-Person Event Nature Series Program

March 21, 2026 LancasterHistory Museum & Research Center, 230 N. President Ave., Lancaster 10-11am $10/Adults (18+) | FREE for Children | FREE for Tanger Members
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Democratic Faith: From Abolitionism to Civil Rights

Image of a young Black man with dark skin sitting on a chair, hands crossed over his knees. He wears a light blue suit and tie.
Dr. Melvin Rogers

A moral and political vision of democratic faith has guided the struggle for racial justice from the abolitionist movement in the 19th century to the civil rights movement in the 20th century. Figures such as Thaddeus Stevens and Lydia Hamilton Smith, alongside David Walker, Frederick Douglass, Anna Julia Cooper, and Martin Luther King Jr., reveal that faith in democracy is not a matter of optimism but of moral courage—the conviction that equality must be enacted in both public institutions and everyday life. Drawing on this inheritance, Dr. Melvin L. Rogers of Brown University, considers how such faith can sustain us amid the moral and political crises of our own time. In the year of America’s Semiquincentennial, these questions lie at the heart of our past, present, and future. 

Dr. Melvin L. Rogers is the Edna and Richard Salomon Distinguished Professor of Political Science and Co-Director of the Democracy Project at Brown University. A leading scholar of American and African American political thought, his work examines the moral and spiritual foundations of democracy. He is the author of the award-winning The Darkened Light of Faith: Race, Democracy, and Freedom in African American Political Thought (Princeton University Press, 2023), The Undiscovered Dewey: Religion, Morality, and the Ethos of Democracy (University of Chicago Press, 2009), and co-editor of African American Political Thought: A Collected History (University of Chicago Press, 2021).

Information & Registration

The lecture, “Democratic Faith: From Abolitionism to Civil Rights,” will take place on Tuesday, March 24, 2026 at 7:30pm at the Ann & Richard Barshinger Center for Musical Arts at Franklin & Marshall College, located along College Avenue near the intersection with W. Frederick Street in Lancaster. [Click here for a campus map.] Parking is available on-street or in nearby Franklin & Marshall lots., or in nearby Franklin & Marshall lots. [Click here for a map of campus parking.]

This lecture is free and open to the public, but registration is required to guarantee a seat. At this time, in-person attendance is the only option available. We plan to make a livestream option available. Please check back in early March for this option.

Register to Attend In Person

Event Update, 1/21/2026: Previous versions of this event listing included a start time of 7pm. Due to changes with the venue, the start time of this program is anticipated to be 7:30pm. This change and any future changes will be communicated to ticketholders. Thank you!

This event is presented in partnership with Franklin & Marshall College with support from the Center for Politics and Public Affairs and Reckoning with Lancaster. 

In-Person Event Off-Site Event Lecture

March 24, 2026 The Barshinger Center for Musical Arts, Franklin & Marshall College, College Avenue, Lancaster 7:30pm FREE | Registration Required

The 2026 Annual Dinner of the Friends of the Tanger Arboretum

Celebrate and gather with friends for the Annual Dinner of the Friends of the Tanger Arboretum! Join us on Wednesday, April 8 from 6-9pm at the DoubleTree Resort by Hilton Lancaster for an evening of fellowship and fun, benefitting the care and conservation of the Louise Arnold Tanger Arboretum at LancasterHistory.

The Annual Dinner begins at 6pm with cocktails, followed by a plated dinner at 6:30pm and a program and raffle drawings around 7:30pm. We’re excited to welcome Andrew Conboy (@andrew_the_arborist), a passionate urban forester and native plant enthusiast from Philadelphia, PA, whose creative, educational videos have earned him a devoted following on social media.

RSVP INFORMATION & DINING OPTIONS

Tickets to attend the Annual Dinner for the Friends of the Tanger Arboretum are $70 per person. Ticket purchase includes access to the event, a plated dinner (salad, sides, main entree, and dessert), and the main presentation by Andrew Conboy. Raffle tickets may be purchased during the cocktail reception at 6pm with cash. Proceeds from the dinner and raffle benefit the care and conservation of the Tanger Arboretum.

Dinner includes: Salad with sun-dried cranberries, garden vegetables, & balsamic vinaigrette, sides of wild rice and seasonal roasted vegetables, a main entree (choose one: Caprese chicken with tomatoes, fresh mozzarella, and basil; New England style baked haddock with blistered tomatoes and sauteed spinach, or grilled vegetables and pecorino cheese ravioli), and cheesecake with fresh berries for dessert. There will be a cash bar.

RSVP by March 27 by registering online or by calling Emily Miller at 717.392.4633, ext. 133. Reservations are held upon receipt of payment.

RSVP Online

If you have any allergies or dietary restrictions that we should be aware of, please communicate those to Emily Miller in advance of March 27 by emailing emily.miller@lancasterhistory.org or by calling 717.392.4633, ext. 133.

If you are unable to attend the Annual Dinner and would like to make a tax-deductible donation to the Friends of the Tanger Arboretum, please click here.

ABOUT THE PRESENTATION:

A young man with light skin and a reddish beard wearing a baseball cap and a olive colored sweatshirt.
Andrew Conboy

“Exploring the Remarkable Trees of Tanger Arboretum”

The Tanger Arboretum is a living library of remarkable trees, each with a story to tell and a history of times gone by. For the 2026 Annual Dinner of the Friends of the Tanger Arboretum, we are thrilled to welcome Andrew Conboy, urban forester, arborist, and social media content creator, who will speak on and explore the fascinating variety of trees, from the lesser-known to Champion Trees, that call the Tanger Arboretum home. From maples to magnolias, silverbells to sweetgums, discover which trees support the most wildlife, how trees from across the globe found their way to Lancaster, and the challenges faced by our native species.

Andrew Conboy is an urban forester and ISA-certified arborist in the Philadelphia area who believes everyone needs more trees, native plants, and nature in their lives! His user-friendly content on social media platforms (@andrew_the_arborist) aims to educate and inspire people to reconnect with the living world. He founded an ecological restoration non-profit called Community Canopy Project, which empowers his community to participate in land stewardship. Through his work, he hopes to encourage a deeper integration of nature into the spaces where we all live, work, and play. Get to know Andrew by checking out two of his videos on restoration work and risk assessment.

 

Thank You to Our Annual Dinner Sponsor, Bartlett Tree Experts!

Bartlett Tree Experts logo

Fundraiser In-Person Event Off-Site Event Program Reception

April 8, 2026 DoubleTree Resort, 2400 Willow Street Pike, Lancaster, PA 6-9pm $70/person
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Leaf & Learn: A Celebration of Arbor Day

A view of the Black Maple’s branches and bright green leaves.

Join the Friends of the Tanger Arboretum on Saturday, April 18 from 10am – 2pm for a special April Nature Series extravaganza, “Leaf & Learn: A Celebration of Arbor Day!” This new, four-hour event features programs for all ages, including a nature Storytime and craft for kids, a tree dedication for America250, and a tree walk of the Tanger Arboretum with Lancaster County Senior Naturalist Lisa Sanchez!

HOW TO REGISTER
The event, “Leaf & Learn: A Celebration of Arbor Day” will take place on Saturday, April 18 from 10am-2pm at the LancasterHistory Museum & Research Center. The event is free and open to the public.

Registration opening soon! Please check back later.

This event is hosted by the Friends of the Tanger Arboretum. The Friends of the Tanger Arboretum, a subsidiary organization of LancasterHistory, helps foster public interest in, and support for, the maintenance and development of the Tanger Arboretum as a community asset. To learn more about the Arboretum or to become a member, please visit the Arboretum’s webpage.

 

“Leaf & Learn:” A Celebration of Arbor Day is sponsored by Pine Brook Farm, Inc. and Ever Green Tree & Lawn Care.
Their support enables us to offer this new program to the community for free! Thank you for your generosity!

Children's Program Dedication/Memorial Family-Friendly In-Person Event Nature Series Outdoor Program Tour

April 18, 2026 LancasterHistory Museum & Research Center, 230 N. President Ave., Lancaster 10am-2pm FREE | Registration Requested

There Is No Candidate Named James Buchanan

An illustration of a crowd gathered around James Buchanan on the front porch of Wheatland. Men are tipping their hats and shaking Buchanan's hand.
An illustration of Buchanan accepting the presidential nomination. From Frank Leslie’s Illustrated News, March 14, 1857

In 1856, James Buchanan became the Democratic Party’s candidate for president, running his campaign from his Lancaster home. In response to the nomination, Buchanan’s colleague and fellow Lancastrian, Thaddeus Stevens, said, “There is no candidate named James Buchanan… Nothing remains but a platform and a bloated mass of political putridity.”

On April 25, join us at President James Buchanan’s Wheatland for a Special Subject Tour on these two famous Lancastrians. During your guided tour, you’ll learn how James Buchanan used Wheatland as his campaign headquarters to promote his candidacy in an age before modern media. The campaign not only secured Buchanan’s election, but secured local support of Buchanan as Lancaster’s president.

There Is No Candidate Named James Buchanan, a special guided tour of Wheatland, will be held on Saturday, April 25, 2026. This special tour will be available at 1:30pm and 2:30pm. Please Note: These tours are not our regular General Admission tours and may be more focused on a particular topic than a general history of Buchanan and the home.

Tickets are available for purchase online or over the phone by calling 717.392.4633. Advance reservations are highly recommended as tours may sell out and walk-in tickets may not be available. Members receive complimentary admission, but should reserve their tickets in advance to secure the tour time of their choice.

Register for A Tour

In-Person Event Tour

April 25, 2026 LancasterHistory Museum & Research Center, 230 N. President Ave., Lancaster Tours at 1:30pm & 2:30pm FREE for LancasterHistory Members | $17 Adult (18+) | $15 Seniors (65+) | $10 Students (11-17 or College ID) | FREE for Children Under 10
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2026 Annual Presidential Wreath-Laying Ceremony

Image of Buchanan's grave site in Woodward Hill Cemetery.Join LancasterHistory at Woodward Hill Cemetery for the Annual Wreath Laying Ceremony for President James Buchanan, the United States’ 15th President. Taking place two days after Buchanan’s birthday, the ceremony features the laying of fresh flowers at the gravesite of the former president and remarks by the presiding officer of the Pennsylvania National Guard as well as local dignitaries.

Please check back later for a full schedule.

This event is free and open to the public. No reservations are required. For directions to the Cemetery, please click here.

Dedication/Memorial In-Person Event Off-Site Event Outdoor

April 25, 2026 Woodward Hill Cemetery, 508 S. Queen St., Lancaster, PA 10am FREE | Registration NOT Required