The Varied Faces of James Buchanan
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.
Online/Virtual Event In-Person Event Lecture Reception
It’s the moment we’ve all been waiting for: the Grand Opening of the Thaddeus Stevens & Lydia Hamilton Smith Center for History and Democracy!