Donate Objects

LancasterHistory collects a wide variety of materials that represent the history of Lancaster County, the life and legacies of President James Buchanan, Thaddeus Stevens, and Lydia Hamilton Smith, and the decorative arts traditions of Lancaster County, including:

• Historical objects
• Manuscripts
• Photographs
• Books
• Art
• Maps
• Ephemera
• Oral history
• Audio/visual recordings
• Born-digital images, recordings, manuscripts, etc.

Please complete this online form or paper form [PDF, 192kb] and a staff member who specializes in the appropriate collecting area will follow up with you to request clear, high-resolution images and/or to meet if LancasterHistory is interested in learning more about the item(s). Donors can also reach out directly to relevant departments.

LancasterHistory considers many factors when reviewing a donation, including, but not limited to, the item's historical or cultural significance; physical condition; whether or not LancasterHistory already owns a similar item or copy; the ability of LancasterHistory to store and care for an item; and the item’s ownership and use history.

Potential additions to the permanent collection go through a rigorous review process and are subject to a vote by LancasterHistory’s Collections Committee. Other donations may be added to the library collection or education collection for public use and educational programming. If you do not wish to donate your item, we still invite you to discuss it with us for a potential loan now or for a future exhibition.

Yes. Donated items are accessible to the public for research and through exhibitions. Items in LancasterHistory’s collections that are not on exhibit are available for research on-site during regular hours and online on our website. All artifacts are preserved in secure, climate-controlled storage areas when not on display.

Donated items are sometimes deaccessioned (permanently removed from the museum's collections) for several reasons, including duplicate items, materials that have deteriorated beyond repair or beyond the reasonable cost of repair, or materials that are considered injurious to health and safety. We do not accept items into the permanent collection if we have a concern that they may need to be deaccessioned.

Items that have been formally accessioned into the collections cannot be returned to the donor or their descendants. At the end of the donation process, donors are asked to sign a Deed of Gift that legally transfers ownership of the materials, as well as all associated rights and interests, to LancasterHistory.

Donations to LancasterHistory are generally tax deductible. Consult with a tax specialist to determine your eligibility. The staff of LancasterHistory cannot provide a monetary appraisal of your gift, but we may be able to suggest professional appraisers. In most cases, an appraisal of the donated item will be necessary to receive a tax deduction.