LancasterHistory, formerly Lancaster County's Historical Society, is a history museum, Research Center, and the home of President James Buchanan's Wheatland.| LancasterHistory
On July 22nd, a group of LancasterHistory summer interns, staff, and volunteers visited the museum conservation facility of B.R. Howard Conservation in Carlisle. Head conservator Brian Howard provided the group with a tour of his facility and insights into the work that goes into preserving cultural heritage objects for museums and historical organizations as well […]| LancasterHistory
Meet LancasterHistory’s Summer Internship Class of 2025| LancasterHistory
Meet LancasterHistory’s Summer Internship Class of 2025| LancasterHistory
This past June, LancasterHistory welcomed one undergraduate and two post-graduate students into our NEH-funded Summer Internship Program. Each intern has been diligently working in one of three museum departments at LancasterHistory on various day-to-day projects as well as a larger research project. We’re also excited to welcome another post-graduate student this summer working on artifacts […]| LancasterHistory
Play Ball! When most people think of early organized baseball in Lancaster, the first team that usually comes to mind is the Lancaster Red Roses. That team existed intermittently under various major league teams and minor league affiliations between 1906 and 1961. The most well-known version of the team was founded in 1940 and played […]| LancasterHistory
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A Solemn Ceremony On March 25th, I had the honor of attending a National Medal of Honor Day ceremony at Greenwood Cemetery. The invitation came from Scott Fasnacht, longtime friend, fraternity brother, and past camp commander of the General George H. Thomas, Camp 19, Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War (SUVCW). Although the […] The post Honoring Lancaster County’s Medal of Honor Recipients appeared first on LancasterHistory.| LancasterHistory
Like many of us today, James Buchanan took on several roles throughout the course of his life. These identifiers are often associated with various jobs and positions Buchanan upheld, including that of a caregiver, lawyer, and politician. But perhaps one of his strongest personal identifiers was that of a gentleman farmer, which he took on […] The post James Buchanan, Gentleman Farmer appeared first on LancasterHistory.| LancasterHistory
A successful museum exhibit does more than display images and artifacts—it weaves together the threads of local history, personal narratives, and shared experiences to create something meaningful for contributors, visitors, and curators alike. It was a true pleasure to work with Lancaster Asian American and Pacific Islanders (LAAPI) on Pathways of Persistence, the exhibit currently […]| LancasterHistory
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On February 8, LancasterHistory hosted the inaugural wreath-laying for Lydia Hamilton Smith at St. Mary’s Catholic Cemetery. Following our long tradition of participating in such ceremonies for President James Buchanan and Congressman Thaddeus Stevens, this year, we initiated the same honors for Mrs. Smith. Remarks by LancasterHistory President & CEO Robin Sarratt were followed by […] The post Lydia Hamilton Smith: A Multifaceted Woman appeared first on LancasterHistory.| LancasterHistory
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A Brief History of the Stahr Armory| LancasterHistory
By 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, […]| LancasterHistory
A 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 […]| LancasterHistory
By 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, […]| LancasterHistory
A 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 […]| LancasterHistory
From 1848-1868, Buchanan employed domestic staff at Wheatland. Some worked briefly and others worked for many years. The majority were people of Irish, African American, and German descent. Their age range during employment was as young as 13 and as old as early 60s. The domestic staff at Wheatland also had a variety of family […]| LancasterHistory
A 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 […]| LancasterHistory
Consumption: The Worldwide Epidemic’s Impact on the Buchanan Family| LancasterHistory
The 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 […]| LancasterHistory
In June, LancasterHistory welcomed three undergraduate students into our NEH-funded Summer Internship Program. Each intern has been diligently working in one of three museum departments at LancasterHistory on various day-to-day projects as well as a larger research project. In this post, you’ll get to meet each intern and learn about their projects! Sarah Gehret, Historic […]| LancasterHistory
Now available online to the public, scans of the scrapbooks provide a window into life in Lancaster County as far back as 1738. Lancaster, PA | In June 2024, LancasterHistory completed a large digitization project of four historic scrapbooks and 850 individual historic documents, creating a total of 3,565 digital scans of the items that […]| LancasterHistory
Contributed 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 […]| LancasterHistory
Written by Patrick Clarke, Director of President James Buchanan’s Wheatland Edited by Emily Miller Before You Read: This article is written to educate about the health struggles of the Buchanan family and the prevalence and impact of tuberculous on communities. Therefore, there are discussions of themes relating to disease (epidemics), death, and dying that may […]| LancasterHistory
