Adams County
Utilizing artifacts, historical documents, interactive displays, and 3-D productions, visitors will gain a better understanding of the events that took place in the town before, during and after the battle.
The Daniel Lady house and barn are open for guided tours from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays. There is a requested donation of $5 for each building to assist ongoing restoration and preservation efforts. Children 16 and under are admitted at no charge.
The David Wills House is a National Park Service museum in downtown Gettysburg that tells the story of David Wills, Lincoln and the Gettysburg Address. The museum features six galleries, including two rooms that have been restored to their 1863 appearance.
Eisenhower National Historic Site
See where the meetings of world leaders took place at Eisenhower National Historic Site, the home and farm of President Dwight D. Eisenhower. This site was the President’s weekend retreat and relaxation area and was where he led efforts to reduce Cold War tensions. With its peaceful setting and view of South Mountain, it was a much needed respite from Washington and a backdrop for efforts to reduce Cold War tensions.
Evergreen Cemetery Walking Tour
With the caretaker as their guide, visitors to the Evergreen Cemetery have a chance for a guided tour of Gettysburg’s most historic cemetery. On a 90 minute trip through history you will see the grave sites of Gettysburg’s most notable people and hear their stories. This is the best walking tour offered in Gettysburg and the only walking tour where all the proceeds benefit preservation.
General Lee’s Headquarters Museum
It was on July 1, 1863 that General Robert E. Lee established his personal headquarters in this old stone house. An ideal location, it was at the center and rear of his battle lines and it was on the same road that many more of his troops were quickly approaching. The Battle of Gettysburg lasted three days but the memories of this historical event are displayed in the building; one of the finest collections of Civil War artifacts in the country.
First watch the Gettysburg film A New Birth of Freedom then witness the drama of the 42 feet high Gettysburg Cyclorama exclusively at the Museum and Visitor Center. Tickets for the film and Cyclorama also include admission to the Gettysburg Museum of the American Civil War.
With over 4,000 artifacts, everyone from the historian to child will be awed by our collections. Check out our exhibits for the American Civil War, World War I and II, JFK and other presidents, Elvis, Marilyn Monroe, and much more. The Gettysburg Museum of History was founded by its curator, Erik L. Dorr, whose ancestors moved to Gettysburg in 1818, eventually settling in Ziegler’s Grove, the location of Pickett’s Charge on July 3rd, 1863.
Gettysburg Museum & Visitor Center
At the Museum and Visitor Center you will find the National Park Service Information Desk, Visitor Center activities, ticket sales, Museum Bookstore, Refreshment Saloon and restrooms. Entrance to the Visitor Center is free; some activities require tickets. The Gettysburg Museum of the Civil War, with 22,000 square feet of exhibit space, features relics of the Battle of Gettysburg and personalities who served in the Civil War, inter-active exhibits,
Gettysburg Railroad Station Museum
The Gettysburg Railroad Station, also known as the “Gettysburg Train Station,” “Lincoln Train Station” or “Western Maryland Railroad Station,” is a historic train station with depot, platform, museum and offices. Operable from 1858 to 1942, it contributes to the Gettysburg Battlefield Historic District and is most notable as President Abraham Lincoln’s point of arrival and departure following delivery of the Gettysburg Address.
The George Spangler Farm Civil War Hospital Site is one of the most intact Civil War field hospitals used during the battle of Gettysburg. During and after the battle, the Spangler family’s homestead was occupied by the Union army’s Eleventh Corps who used the buildings and fields as a hospital for some 1,900 wounded Union and Confederate soldiers.
Gettysburg National Military Park
The park is open daily and visitors may drive their vehicles to many of the places known in battlefield lore- Culp’s Hill, McPherson’s Ridge, Cemetery Hill, Spangler’s Spring, Devil’s Den, the Peach Orchard, Little Round Top, and the “High Water Mark” to name but a few. The park also has hiking trails, a horse trail, and welcomes on-road bicyclists.
Authentically furnished from cellar to attic, the Jennie Wade House is a shrine to Jennie and to life during the American Civil War. The Jennie Wade House features Guides in period attire that are well-versed in the history of the home. For years, they’ve enthralled visitors with passionate retellings of the tragedy that befell young Jennie and her family.
Our museum presents President Lincoln’s Funeral route from Washington DC to Springfield Illinois in operating layout including an audio/video presentation of the experience as well as American History Collectibles and our large model train collection which features an interactive operating train layout. Finally you will ride our simulated Funeral Car United States with the Spriit of President Lincoln as he pays tribute to those who made our nation great.
On November 14, 1925, the doors of the Majestic Theater opened for the first time, welcoming audiences to the largest vaudeville and silent movie theater in south-central Pennsylvania. Built by Henry Scharf as an annex to the historic Gettysburg Hotel, the theater seated 1,200 patrons and proudly served as the cultural crossroads of commerce, college, and community. The Majestic-now beautifully restored to its original grandeur-once again welcomes audiences with an extraordinary showcase of the performing arts and cinema in the grandest small-town theater in America!
Museum and Visitor Center at Gettysburg National Military Park
The Museum and Visitor Center at Gettysburg National Military Park is the best place to start your visit to Gettysburg. Here you will find the National Park Service Information Desk, Visitor Center activities, ticket sales, Museum Bookstore, Refreshment Saloon and restrooms. Entrance to the Visitor Center is free; some activities require tickets. *Buy tickets here
Ron Palm’s Museum of Civil War Images
Established in June of 2000, Ronn Palm’s Museum of Civil War Images opened its doors to the public in the small, historic Pennsylvania town known as Gettysburg. Ronn took on the intricate task of acquiring a building large enough to display his large collection of photographic images and other historic military memorabilia. Aside from what’s inside the museum, the building itself is of some important significance; dating back to 1802 as a two story log home, which is now covered in brick. It is the second oldest known structure in the historic district of Gettysburg.
The Rupp House is the in-town presence of the Gettysburg Foundation and a very familiar place to many Friends members. Open to members and the free to the public, the house features interactive exhibits and activities and also stocks exclusive Friends of Gettysburg merchandise.
Sachs Covered Bridge
The bridge is located in the Gettysburg National Military Park and was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1980. During the American Civil War, both the Union and Confederate Armies used the bridge in the Battle of Gettysburg and its aftermath.
Located on the campus of the Lutheran Theological Seminary at Gettysburg, the Seminary Ridge Museum features
four floors of state-or-the-art interactive exhibits–Voices of Duty and Devotion–will inspire people of all ages with in-depth looks topics not emphasized in any other Gettysburg museum: the first day of the Battle of Gettysburg, care of the wounded and faith and freedom. Additionally, the museum building features the famous cupola used by Gen. Buford during the battle of Gettysburg!
Travel back in time with a guide in period attire as you walk through the Shrivers’ meticulously restored 1860 home to learn the other side of the story – the civilian side of the Battle of Gettysburg. Connect to the past while you listen to the story of George, Hettie, Sadie (7) and Mollie (5) unfold as you move from room to room to appreciate what life was like before, during, and after the Civil War.
The Soldiers National Cemetery at Gettysburg
Gettysburg National Cemetery is the final resting place for more than 3,500 Union soldiers killed in the Battle of Gettysburg, a Union victory often cited as a turning point in the Civil War. Numerous monuments stand in both the cemetery and battlefield to commemorate the Union and Confederate troops who fought there.
Berks County
The Berks County Heritage Center is a historical interpretive complex commemorating important eras of our cultural history. The Gruber Wagon Works, a National Historic Landmark, the C. Howard Hiester Canal Center, Wertz’s Covered Bridge, Melcher’s Grist Mill, Deppen Cemetery, Bicentennial Eagle Memorial, Police and Veteran’s Memorial, Doctor’s Grove, the Distlefink and a salad and herb garden are all encompassed within the Heritage Center
The Berks History Center is an educational center that serves to engage and excite our community by interpreting its unique past to understand the present. The Berks History Center has a vast collection of objects, paintings, books and photographs. Included in the library collection are over 15,000 volumes, 523 Fraktur, 345 broadsides, 30,000 photographs.
Conrad Weiser Homestead – Read Reviews
The Conrad Weiser Homestead is a Pennsylvania state historic site located in Womelsdorf, Berks County, Pennsylvania which interprets the life of Conrad Weiser. Weiser was an 18th century German immigrant who served as an Indian interpreter and who helped coordinate Pennsylvania’s Indian policy. He played a major role in the history of colonial Pennsylvania. The Conrad Weiser Homestead is located on Rt. 422, within easy driving distance of Philadelphia, Lancaster, Hershey and Harrisburg.
Daniel Boone Homestead – Read Reviews
The Daniel Boone Homestead is a historical site in Birdsboro that tells the story of Daniel Boone’s youth in Pennsylvania’s Oley Valley and illuminates the daily lives of the region’s 18th-century settlers through the eyes of the Boone, Maugridge and DeTurk families who occupied the site. Join us for hands-on activities, living-history demonstrations, historic tours and more. Don’t forget to pack your sneakers to carry you along our hiking trails and a lunch to enjoy in one of our picnic areas!
The Dreibelbis farm in Virginville, PA is the second oldest continuously owned family farm in Berks County being founded in 1778 by Jacob B. Dreibelbis, son of the original family immigrant, John Jacob Dreibelbis. The farm has been owned and maintained by the same family for over 250 years. The farm is home to several buildings built in the mid-1800s, as well as an original Native American site.
The Hay Creek Valley Historical Association was organized in 1975 with a mission to promote an understanding and an appreciation for our local heritage by maintaining and instructing in those crafts, skills, and artifacts that represent our heritage. With the acquisition of Historic Joanna Furnace in 1979 and 1980 from Bethlehem Steel, the mission broadened to include preservation, restoration, and maintenance of this 18th & 19th Century iron making community.
Hopewell Furnace National Historic Site – Read Reviews
Hopewell Furnace showcases an early American industrial landscape from natural resource extraction to enlightened conservation. Operating from 1771-1883, Hopewell and other “iron plantations” laid the foundation for the transformation of the United States into an industrial giant. The park’s 848 acres and historic structures illustrate the business, technology and lifestyle of our growing nation.
Jacob Keim’s property, however, has two pre-Revolutionary buildings, built in 1753, and a barn in great condition. The Keim Farmstead is open every day by advance appointment only. Please contact the Trust office at least 14 days in advance of your trip to make an appointment. Whenever possible, please supply 2 alternate appointment date
The building is an example of the Huguenot and Germanic influence on the Oley Valley and is a bank house. The Johan DeTurk cabin is open every day by advance appointment only. Please contact the Trust office at least 14 days in advance of your trip to make an appointment. Whenever possible, please supply 2 alternate appointment dates.
Anyone with the last name Stoltzfus, and many many more can trace their ancestry back to Nicholas Stoltzfus, and this home he owned in Berks County, PA. We preserve the Nicholas Stoltzfus house (now a homestead) to document the early struggles of our ancestors and to show their perseverance and faith as they met these struggles. We are caretakers of the homestead.
A living-history farm museum located in the Blue Marsh Lake Recreation Area of Berks County, Pennsylvania. The Old Dry Road Farm Complex includes 200 acres of farm land on which are three farmsteads: the 19th Century Essig Farm, the 18th Century Staudt Farmand the mid-18th Century Dundore-Hottenstein Farm.
Pennsylvania German Cultural Heritage Center – Read Reviews
The Pennsylvania German Cultural Heritage Center is an open-air museum dedicated to preserving and promoting the Pennsylvania Dutch or Pennsylvania German culture; including material culture, architecture and language. The site of the PGCHC contains a Georgian-style farmhouse, a decorated Pennsylvania bank barn, 2 log cabins, a one-room schoolhouse, and several outbuildings. Events include, but are not limited to Easter on the Farm, Heemet Fescht, and Christmas on the Farm.
The Friends of the Robesonia Furnace was established in 1988 to preserve and disseminate information about the Robesonia area, with an emphasis on the Furnace andthe local iron industry played in the growth of the area. We try to increase public awareness of our rich heritage and present historic information through festivals, lectures, displays and publications. An annual Furnace Festival is held each September featuring great food, entertainment, arts and crafts and walking tours hosted by Lester Breininger Jr.
Cumberland County
Cumberland County Historical Society Museum
Visitors to the museum get a glimpse of life in Cumberland County and its changes throughout the years. Our award-winning galleries, containing over 3,000 square feet of exhibit space, were redesigned and reopened in 2005. From the story of the early Native Americans to the creation of the turnpike, changes in the landscape and industries of Cumberland County are shown through historic artifacts. The military gallery represents county experience in American military history, from Molly Pitcher to Black Hawk Down. The work of talented local artisans is represented in furniture, quilts, pottery, paintings, and more. Particularly noteworthy are the Schimmel and Mountz woodcarvings, as well as materials from the Carlisle Indian Industrial School.
Dauphin County
Aberdeen Mills is located on the border of Lancaster and Dauphin counties in beautiful central Pennsylvania. This is a historical property dating back to 1770 and is truly an experience to visit. The buildings of Aberdeen Mills date to 1770. they consist primarily of the original stone house, a distillery which had been converted to a second residence, and the old mill, complete with race (like an aqueduct to channel water – built of stone). They remain in excellent condition and retain their historical integrity. The Aberdeen Mills property consists of wooded hillsides and wetlands, rocky meadows and a steep forested ravine, dotted with large boulders, through which the Conewago Creek flows in a series of picturesque rapids, pools and waterfalls. The property provides excellent habitat for wildlife, fish and other aquatic life.
Built on a bluff overlooking the Susquehanna River, Fort Hunter Mansion and Park has served as a war fort, a hub for frontier commerce, and an exclusive private estate. Now preserved and open to the public, Fort Hunter Mansion and Park invites you to explore Pennsylvania’s rich history.
Hershey Derry Township Historical Society Museum
The Hershey Derry Township Historical Society is home to over 50,000 artifacts and photos. Browse through our museum and learn about the early settlers of Derry Township and the community of Hershey. Derry Township Historical Society is dedicated to preserve, promote, and interpret the history of Derry Township, Dauphin County, Pennsylvania.
Nestled among the beautiful mountains of Central Pennsylvania is the historic town of Millersburg, home to the last known all wooden double stern-wheel paddle boats believed to be operating in this country. The Millersburg Ferry Boat is the oldest transportation system in Pennsylvania. Ride the ferry across the scenic mile wide Susquehanna River and relive a part of transportation history.
Franklin County
Allison-Antrim Museum is a museum featuring local artifacts and history of Greencastle, PA and the surrounding community of Antrim Township. The museum is located within the borough of Greencastle.
The Heritage Center is an excellent place to begin your exploration of the region. This historic building located on Chambersburg’s Memorial Square in the National Historic District is a renovated 1915 marble bank building, the former Valley National Bank. The Heritage Center is an interpretive center, explaining five areas of historical merit in Chambersburg and Franklin County through exhibits. There is also a Children’s Activity Room, and walking/driving tours are available by scheduling in advance (fee included). The Center opens the door to the distinctive history of Franklin County and its communities.
The Institute operates a 30-acre historic site with 18th-and 19th century log houses and outbuildings, a German 4-Square Garden, a visitors center, a rose garden, an 18th-century summer kitchen, and provides access to an historic cemetery dating to the 1760s. The Institute’s buildings and its collections of historic costumes and other textiles, furniture, weaponry, and tools are stored, researched, cataloged, and sometimes exhibited.
The Fort Loudon Historical Society maintains Fort Loudoun, an authentic French and Indian frontier-period fort.The site offers exhibits and occasional recreational and educational events (including living history events). The fort was built in 1756 during the French and Indian War by the Second Battalion of the Pennsylvania Regiment under Colonel John Armstrong, and served as a post on the Forbes Road during the Forbes expedition that successfully drove the French away from Fort Duquesne. In 1765, following Pontiac’s Rebellion, settlers upset with the resumption of trade with Native Americans forced the British garrison to evacuate the fort, part of an uprising known as the Black Boys Rebellion.
Franklin County Historical Society Tours
The historical society offers tours of the Old Jail museum, the John Brown House, the Brown’s Mill School, the Chambersburg-Bedford Turnpike Tollhouse and the Carrick Furnace.
Renfrew Museum is a restored farmstead with many outbuildings to see and activities to participate in. Your tour begins at our Visitors Center with a DVD presentation, and an explanation of the nation’s leading collection of John Bell and Bell family pottery. Paid admission takes you on a guided tour of the 1812 Renfrew Museum where you will see the kitchen, dining room, parlors and bedrooms with period furnishings throughout. As an historical institution, Renfrew offers its visitors an intimate view of the past. Visit us and discover how the agriculture, industry and domestic life of over 200 years ago worked together to make a prosperous Pennsylvania German farmstead. Not to be missed is a display of farming and tannery tools, and the John Bell pottery permanent exhibit also in the Visitor Center.
Lancaster County
Americana Museum of Bird-in-Hand
Take a nostalgic walk through small town America at the dawn of the 20th century. Museum exhibits include a barber shop, woodworking shop, tea parlor, print shop, millinery, toy store, blacksmith shop, tobacco shop, apothecary, wheelwright shop, and a country general store, where neighbors often gathered to share news and play a friendly game of checkers beside the potbelly stove.
Our historic 1805 farmhouse and 15 acre farm is the only home available for tours that an Amish family actually lived in. Our 45 minute guided tours will educate you and your family on the history of the Amish community in Lancaster county. The room by room experience will show how the Amish function without being connected to the electric grid. Included in your house tour is a self-guided tour of our 15-acre farm with fun activities like the scooter run, schoolhouse visit, and farm animal feeding. Our Authentic Farm features: the original 1803 stone bank barn -a unique Pennsylvania Dutch design; An original tobacco shed set up as a tobacco stripping room, tobacco plants hang from the ceiling of the building where you can learn how this important crop is grown by local Amish farmers; A blacksmith shop highlighting the art of the blacksmith; In the barn and the surrounding meadows are many animals including goats, sheep, steer, chickens, turkeys, alpacas, pigs, and more!
Amish Experience at Plain & Fancy Farm
The Fisher Family Homestead & One-Room Schoolhouse. The Amish Country Homestead is a reflection of our commitment to accurately and sensitively portray the Old Order Amish as they live and work in today’s world. Inside the Homestead, we learn of Amish traditions and practices, plain clothing and life without electricity. The Fisher One-Room School is attached to the house and filled with authentic desks and furnishings from an actual Amish school. You’ll learn the tradition of teaching eight grades in one room. From the pantry stocked full of freshly canned vegetables to the family’s plain clothes… from propane-powered lamps to air-compressor driven appliances… the Fisher Family Homestead truly provides insights into the complex riddles of a culture so very different from our own.
Located in the heart of Pennsylvania Dutch Country, The Amish Village is an authentic look at today’s Amish lifestyle. Located on 12 scenic acres, The Amish Village lets visitors tour an authentic Amish property, including a one-room schoolhouse, barn with farm animals, blacksmith shop, smokehouse market and more. We are also pleased to introduce a school teacher in our Amish one-room-schoolhouse, on Saturdays, during the Summer Season! While you’re here, explore our 12-acre Village Grounds, and take our 25 minute guided farmhouse tour.
Christiana Underground Railroad Center at Historic Zercher’s Hotel
The events that occurred on September 11, 1851 in Christiana, Pennsylvania are cited as major flash points that led to the outbreak of the Civil War. These events are described in a guided tour by local historians at the Christiana Underground Railroad Center in an interesting and educational format for all ages. The persons, dates and the locations leading up to and following the Resistance at Christiana – originally called the Christiana Riot — are presented in an authentic and easy-to-follow format of maps, photographs and narratives.The map has been reproduced in a brochure that will guide you to the station master’s houses and the points of interest in the rolling hillsides of picturesque Lancaster County and neighboring Chester County.
Cocalico Valley Historical Society Museum
Come on in and pull up a chair. Whether you are a newcomer or an old timer you can get to know us and experience our rich heritage. The Society was founded in 1957. There is so much to see and learn about the Cocalico Valley. Visit the Theodore R. Sprecher Museum housed in the Connell Mansion in it’s Victorian elegance. You will find thirteen rooms of exhibits with collections from the early 1800’s to present and period room settings. Be sure to see the current feature exhibit.
Conestoga Area Historical Society Museum
Located in southwest Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, the Penn Manor Area (the Penn Manor School District) consists of the Conestoga township, Manor township, Martic township, Pequea township and Millersville Borough. The Conestoga Area Historical Society is dedicated to preserving the history of the Penn Manor Area. We now have 7 major buildings making up our museum grounds. The buildings consist of the Tobacco Shed, the Steven Atkinson log cabin, the Michael Harnish Stone House, the Elmer Hoak Broom Shop (a toll booth), The Myers Tannery Shed, a replica of a Sweitzer Bank Barn, the Tobias Stehman Blacksmith Shop.
One of America’s earliest religious communities, the Ephrata Cloister was founded in 1732 by German settlers seeking spiritual goals rather than earthly rewards. Gathered in unique European style buildings, the community consisted of celibate Brothers and Sisters, and a married congregation of families. At the zenith of the community in the 1740s and 1750s, about 300 members worked and worshiped at the Cloister. Admission to the historic site includes a self-guided exhibit in the Visitor Center, seven historic buildings which can be viewed before or after the guided tour, and a guided tour and self guided tour option. A guided tour takes you inside the Sister’s dormitory and the Meetinghouse, two places unaccessible on the self guided tour.
Hans Herr House Museum & Tours
The 1719 Hans Herr House Museum contains buildings and exhibits tracing the formation of Lancaster County and early America, including three Pennsylvania German farmhouses; several barns; a blacksmith shop, smokehouse and outdoor bake oven and an extensive collection of farm equipment spanning three centuries. The 1719 Hans Herr House is open to visitors Monday through Saturday, April through November. Docents in period dress talk about 18th-century life and lead tours through the küche, stube, kammer, attic and cellar of the oldest building in Lancaster County. Grounds and outbuildings are open to self-guided tours.
The Herr Family Homestead is a fine example of a Lancaster County farm property. You are invited to visit the buildings and grounds and to explore the history and traditions of Pennsylvania Germans in this southeastern area of the state. From 1845 until 1987, three generations of Herrs farmed the 92 acres that were all part of a William Penn land grant.
Historic Lancaster Walking Tour
Did you know that Lancaster was once the capital of the U.S.? Have you heard of the Conestoga rifle or the Conestoga Wagon? Can you name any famous local citizens who were instrumental in forging the development of our country? Come to Lancaster and we’ll tell you. Tour Guides are located within the Visitors’ Center located at 38 Penn Square. They are easy to recognize in their 18th or 19th Century garb representing such dignitaries as George Ross, Gen. Edward Hand, Adam Reigart, Matthius Slough, James Buchanan, and Thaddeus Stevens. Come early in the day and shop at Central Market before the tour.
Nestled into the hillside along the Conestoga creek, sets the once vibrant iron plantation called Poole Forge. The spectacular 1700’s Iron Masters mansion, paymasters house, tenant houses, lime kilns and covered bridge dating from 1859, create the perfect setting for special events. This beautiful and peaceful setting provides the perfect backdrop for outside weddings, family reunions in the pavilion, casual get togethers around the playground and picnics throughout the park.
Come discover the warmth and hospitality of President James Buchanan’s Wheatland. As you tour the home you will realize why President Buchanan described it as his, “agreeable country residence about a mile & an half from Lancaster” City. Tour guides share Buchanan’s family stories that reveal a stern, yet lovable bachelor uncle who raised orphaned nieces and nephews, cared for Lancaster’s widows and orphans and was a successful attorney.
The Lititz Museum, Johannes Mueller House costumed, 45-minute guided tours and the gift shop are open 10 a.m.-4 p.m., Monday-Saturday beginning Memorial Day through the last Saturday in October. The Lititz Museum and the gift shop remain open 10 a.m.-4 p.m. every Friday and Saturday in November and December until the Saturday before Christmas. The entire facility closes for the season the weekend before Christmas.
Landis Valley Museum was once an actual crossroads village. Situated on 100 acres in scenic Lancaster, PA, it is a living history museum that collects, preserves, exhibits, and interprets Pennsylvania German culture from the 1740s through the 1940s. We are a living history village and farm, that collects, preserves and interprets the history and material culture of the Pennsylvania German rural community from 1740 to 1940. Landis Valley Museum’s richly layered story is the history of an early Pennsylvania German settlement, an unusual farm family and the ongoing creation and exploration of a wonderfully diverse collection of artifacts. When brothers Henry Kinzer Landis and George Diller Landis opened the museum in 1925 at their Landis Valley residence, the area had been a small Pennsylvania German settlement since the mid 1800s. Expanded to its current size, we now invite visitors to experience the 18th and 19th century village and farm life in Lancaster County, PA all in one visit.
The Marietta Museum is inside the Old Town Hall that was built in 1847. On display are artifacts and memorabilia from early Marietta, such as the first Marietta fire engine (below) from 1840, examples of furniture made here and early photographs and records from the Marietta area. The Grand Army of the Republic (GAR) Post 226 was headquartered here, and many Civil War memorabilia and records are among the archives.
Mascot Roller Mill & Ressler Family Home
Each year the Mascot Roller Mills and Ressler Family Home welcomes more than 12,000 visitors to this historic site nestled in the heart of a thriving Amish community in eastern Lancaster County. The remarkably preserved water-powered grain mill sends visitors back in time to learn about milling history along the banks of scenic Mill Creek.
P1010990 The adjacent 1855 miller’s house, once home to three generations of Resslers, offers a charming look at early 20th century housekeeping and family life. The home is preserved just as it was when siblings Franklin and Anna Ressler offered their neighbors the finest flour, along with neighborly hospitality.
Musselman-Vesta Iron Furnace Center
The Musselman-Vesta Iron Furnace Center is located in a restored two story building, one of the last vestiges of the iron industry that flourished here until 1930. It now serves as an ideal location to learn about and explore the surrounding area. Ruins of the furnace can be visited daily from dawn to dusk. The Center is open 1:00 PM to 3:00 PM Sundays from May through October. Exhibits include photographs and ledgers from local iron furnaces, tools, and material samples. A scale model of the site is also under construction. There are no restroom facilities.
Robert Fulton was a painter, American engineer, and builder of the 1st steamboat “Clermont”. Visit his birthplace, in Fulton Township. Hours: Saturday 11:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. and Sunday 1:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m. Memorial Day through Labor Day.
Rock Ford Plantation, the preserved 18th Century home of Edward Hand who served as Adjutant General to George Washington during the American Revolution, is comprised of 33 acres at the southeastern edge of Lancaster City surrounded by Lancaster County Central Park. The mansion is on the National Register of Historic Places and is recorded in the Historic American Building Survey. Rock Ford is widely considered to be one of the most important examples of Georgian domestic architecture surviving in Pennsylvania and the most intact building predating 1800 in Lancaster County. The mansion’s elegant rooms are furnished with an outstanding collection of period furnishings and decorative arts. Rock Ford offers visitors an authentic example of refined country living as it existed during the early years of the Republic.
Climb aboard our larger-than-life steam train and enjoy a 45-minute, round-trip ride through the tranquil Amish countryside to Paradise, PA and back. Marvel at more than 1,000 acres of farm fields as they pass by your window. Disembark and enjoy old-fashioned fun at Groff’s Grove or Leaman Place Grove, convenient recreation areas along the train’s route for mid-way boarding or unloading. Ride aboard our First-Class Cars for an especially memorable experience.
Winters Heritage House Museum is a community driven effort to responsibly preserve and interpret several of Elizabethtown’s earliest structures and provide a place for the community to learn about its history, share this knowldege, and preserve it for future generations. The museum consists of three original in-town log structures dating from 1750 to 1847, and a Victorian era brick house dating to 1877. They are excellent intact examples of Scots-Irish log building, PA German building and Nogging construction. The two preserved log houses provide a rustic setting for year-round educational programs, tours, and demonstrations of interpretive folk traditions. The volunteer staff runs the museum, supports various interpretive committees, organizes building care and gardens, and operates the Seibert Library and Resource Center.
Wright’s Ferry Mansion is a historic home located in Columbia, Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. It was built in 1738, and is a 2 1/2-story, rectangular limestone dwelling with a gable roof and pent eave. It was built for Susanna Wright, an English Quaker poet and businesswoman, and its architecture reflects a mix of English and Germanic elements. The mansion houses a superlative collection of Philadelphia furniture, English ceramics, needlework, metals and glass, all made prior to 1750 and is open to the public May through October, Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday, Saturday 10AM to 3PM.
Lebanon County
Cornwall Furnace is indeed a unique survivor of the early American iron industry. Originally built by Peter Grubb in 1742, the furnace underwent extensive renovations in 1856-57 under its subsequent owners, the Coleman family, and closed in 1883. It is this mid-19th century ironmaking complex which survives today. At Cornwall, furnace, blast equipment, and related buildings still stand as they did over a century ago. Here visitors can explore the rambling Gothic Revival buildings where cannons, stoves, and pig iron were cast, and where men labored day and night to satisfy the furnace’s appetite for charcoal, limestone, and iron ore.
Historic Schaefferstown, Inc.’s Mission is the collection, preservation, study, and dissemination of the history and folk culture of the Pennsylvania Germans in South Central Pennsylvania, with particular focus on Schaefferstown, Pennsylvania. The organization provides information through educational programs for adults and children, tours of its buildings and collections, festivals and special events, and publications of research and promotional materials.
Throughout the museum, visitors will find fine examples of Pennsylvania German craftsmanship in such items as furniture, quilting and weaving, fraktur, and redware. A guided tour of the museum begins with a stroll through several early shops and offices. Young and old enjoy browsing in the one-room schoolhouse and the toy shop before experiencing a turn-of-the century general store, stocked with everything from cookie cutters to kerosene lamps. Community industries such as blacksmithing, farming and milling, carpentry, weaving, printing, shoemaking, and mining are exhibited as they were found throughout the area many years ago. Each exhibit provides insight into the lives of the men and women who built our strong nation. From war memorabilia to railroading to 18th Century firefighting equipment, a tour of the Stoy Museum offers a delightful and informative experience for everyone.
The Lebanon County Historical Society owns and maintains the Union Canal Tunnel, the oldest existing transportation tunnel in the United States. The Union Canal once linked the commercial centers of Harrisburg and Reading and, by extension, the port of Philadelphia. The tunnel and canal are located within the confines of Union Canal Tunnel Park, an open recreational area located at 25th and Union Canal Drive, Lebanon, PA. Narrated boat rides on the canal and through the tunnel are available for a nominal fee every Sunday, as weather permits, during the months of June through October, from 12:30 to 4:30PM. Enjoy a leisurely boat ride while learning some of the history of the Lebanon Valley.
Lehigh Country
The Smithy is an historic site where trained blacksmiths demonstrate the skills needed to work in a 1700s blacksmith shop. In 2004, the Smithy was reconstructed of limestone taken from a local 1700s barn being torn down, and was built on the foundations of the original smithy, thanks to detailed records kept by the Moravians and stored in the Moravian Archives. The original vaulted cistern is intact. An archaeological report, tools, and metal objects made in the 18th-century smithy are in the Historic Bethlehem Museums & Sites collection.
Step inside and go back in time to the early 1800’s after the Moravians had settled in Emmaus. The house preserves the architecture of the Moravian culture of Colonial Pennsylvania and illustrates the lifestyle of Colonial America. This beautiful renovated “time capsule” of the past is a vital link to our heritage and one of the oldest structures in Emmaus.
Burnside Plantation is available for public tours by appointment. If you plan on visiting Bethlehem and would like to explore Burnside Plantation with a guide from Historic Bethlehem Museums & Sites, call 1-800-360-TOUR at least 48 hours before your visit.
Emmaus Historical Society Museum
The museum is open for the public every Saturday from 12 – 4 PM. And Sundays 10am-2pm.
You can also call to make an appointment at other times/ The mission of the Emmaus Historical Society is to collect, preserve and exhibit Emmaus artifacts, documents, histories, photographs and genealogy for displays and research and to offer educational programs and events throughout the year.
The 1810 Goundie House, built by Moravian town brewer and business man John Sebastian Goundie, is believed to be the first brick residence in Bethlehem and the first private home to reflect the new architectural American Federal style rather than the German Colonial style. The Goundie House is open to the public Tuesday through Sunday. Visitors can explore the “Bethlehem Brewed & Distilled” exhibit through guided tours at noon and 2 p.m. Admission to the Goundie House is available through Pass Into History, an admission pass which lets you explore between two and five historic sites.
Haines Mill, an example of the Lehigh Valley’s agricultural heritage, is at the west end of Cedar Creek Park. It is a grist mill that dates back to the US colonial times. The mill uses water power to grind crop grains into flour. The original mill was built around 1760. The mill was reconstructed in 1909 after a fire gutted the interior of the building and operated until 1956. Today, the mill is owned by Lehigh County and operated by the Lehigh County Historical Society. Visitors can watch the mill operate as it did when it was a commercial facility.
Historic Bethlehem Museums & Sites
Take a step back in time and discover Historic Bethlehem with a Pass Into History. With one ticket, visit our beautiful sites, rich in the stories of Bethlehem’s past. Experience our museums and historic sites and be transported to another time and place. We offer tours on Saturdays from 11 am – 4 pm, on the hour every hour.
Josiah White II Canal Boat Ride at the National Canal Museum
Take a ride back in time aboard the Josiah White II! Pennsylvania’s only mule-drawn canal boat cruises Section 8 of the Lehigh Canal in Hugh Moore Park during the summer. The authentically-dressed crew will guide you through the story of the anthracite canals and the people who worked and lived on them, while our mules — George and Hank — tow you on a 45-minute trip through serene scenery to the Locktender’s House and Guard Lock #8. Located in historic Easton, Pennsylvania, the National Canal Museum features the state’s only mule-drawn canal boat ride. It’s also the only museum in the country dedicated to telling the story of America’s historic towpath canals! Learn more
Lehigh County Historical Society Historic Sites
Step into the the era of the American Revolution as you explore Trout Hall. Take an enjoyable trip into the world of the Pennsylvania Dutch rural community as you tour the Troxell-Steckel House, Claussville One-Room School, and Haines Mill. Learn how Lehigh County served as a birthplace of the American Industrial Revolution as you view the soaring remains of the Lock Ridge Iron Furnace and Saylor Cement Kilns.
Lehigh Valley Heritage Museum
The Heritage Museum includes both permanent and rotating exhibit galleries featuring historical artifacts, photographs, and documents from the Society’s collection. The KNBT Historical Exhibit Gallery focuses on Lehigh County history from the earliest Native American inhabitants to the German settlers of the 1700s through the Industrial Revolution to mercantile and wartime accounts from the 20th century, leading to a reflection of our modern society.
Lockridge Furnace Museum & Park
Lock Ridge Furnace Museum is a unique monument to the Lehigh County’s industrial heritage. It was an important part of the early iron industry. It operated as an iron mill from 1868 until 1921. The museum is operated by the Lehigh County Historical Society. Visitors can tour the rebuilt furnace room, the engine house, and the original cast house. Exhibits illustrate how iron was made over a hundred years ago. Numbered signs allow visitors to take a self-guided tour at any time.
The Moravian Museum of Bethlehem introduces guests to the earliest history of the Bethlehem community. On tours, guests discover the remarkable stories behind Bethlehem’s founders, including early Moravian medicinal practices, communal living, missionary work, and a progressive educational system.
The Moravian Museum of Bethlehem complex includes some of the most important and oldest buildings in the Lehigh Valley. Due to its incredible history and architecture, the Gemeinhaus has been designated a National Historic Landmark and is part of Historic Moravian Bethlehem’s National Historic Landmark District.
The 1758/1765 Nain-Schober House is, according to the Delaware and Lehigh National Heritage Corridor Commission, the only extant 18th century building that was built by and lived in by Native Peoples in Eastern Pennsylvania. The house is a 1½ story structure with exterior walls made of white oak timbers with dove-tail joints and logs that are parged with stucco and scored to resemble coursed stone. The Nain-Schober House is open to the public upon request as part of the Moravian Museum of Bethlehem tour.
Saylor Park Cement Industry Museum
he main attraction at this 2.6 acre site is the vertical cement kilns. The 90 foot kilns were a marked improvement over prior methods and helped make Lehigh County the center of the Portland Cement Industry at the time. Portland cement enabled construction of bridges, subways, and buildings that transformed America in the late 19th and early 20th century.
The site is on the National Register of Historic Places. The open air museum is operated as by a partnership between Lehigh County and the Lehigh County Historical Society. It is open year round.
The Coplay Creek runs through this 31 acre property, which was once part of a 400 acre farm. The centerpiece of the property is the stone farmhouse, built in 1756. A spring house and 19th century barn are alo on the property. The farmhouse is an authentic Pennsylvania German farmhouse and offers an example of Lehigh County agricultural history. The Troxell-Steckel house was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1980. The site is a great place to picnic as the early settlers did. The Lehigh County Historical Society operates the Farm Museum.
Montgomery County
Goschenhoppen is one of the oldest continuously existing Pennsylvania German communities in America. This geographic region occupies a small corner of southeastern Pennsylvania in Montgomery County. The Goschenhoppen Historians Inc., was founded in 1964 in order to preserve the folk culture of this area’s earliest immigrant settlers, known as the Pennsylvania Dutch. Today, the Goschenhoppen Historians maintain several museums, a library, and offer educational and seasonal events and fundraisers throughout the year
Northampton County
The Jacobsburg Historical Society brings history alive at the Boulton Historic Site in eastern Pennsylvania. Continuing the practice and passion of the Henry Family of Pennsylvania for making and preserving history, the Society is your gateway to nineteenth century life and culture, Pennsylvania Longrifles, and much, much more. Visit us in person or on the web today!
Governor Wolf Historical Society Museum
Governor Wolf Historical Society Museum contains historical items from the local area. Recently, the museum has undergone a major reorganization. Situated next to the Wolf Academy, this late eighteenth century home is typical of the beautiful Georgian-style square cut limestone houses built by the Scots-Irish and German immigrants who settled in this area. Built as the Allen Township Academy, Governor George Wolf attended and later taught in this beautiful one-room building.
Moravian Historical Society & Whitefield House
Our permanent exhibition features our outstanding collection of objects connected to: The expansion of the Moravian community through missionary service in Europe, the New World, Africa, and beyond; The establishment of the 18th-century Pennsylvania settlements of Nazareth, Bethlehem, and Lititz, as well as the Salem settlement in North Carolina; The significance of music and education in the Moravian culture.
The Pennsylvania Longrifle Museum, which opened to the public in 2006, contains a substantial collection of original, hand-crafted Pennsylvania longrifles and items related to the making of longrifles from the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. The museum features more than 100 historic arms on either permanent display or in rotating, topical exhibits. Displays feature Henry firearms dating from the American Fur Trade, the War of 1812, the Civil War, the American West, and the early twentieth century. Most of the firearms were made by the Henrys of Boulton, but the collection also contains arms made by Abraham Henry. These and related exhibits are housed in special galleries at the historic Henry Homestead at Boulton.
The Sigal Museum is Northampton County, Pennsylvania’s leading institution of local history, and home to significant collections of pre-European settlement artifacts, decorative arts and textiles, farming implements and colonial furniture. The Museum opened in summer of 2010, offering its visitors interactive exhibits, self-guided and docent-led tours, special children’s programs, and a lecture series on local and American history. It is one of four museums operated by the Northampton County Historical & Genealogical Society in Easton, the county seat.
The Slate Belt Heritage Center was built in 1907 and originally served as the town hall, council chambers, borough offices, and fire department for the town of Bangor, Pennsylvania. In 2000, the Slate Belt Heritage Center opened its doors to the public in order to serve as a tribute to the early Slate Belt settlers and showcase their unique blend of ethnic cultures. The center contains two floors of self-guided exhibits.
Located on Main Street in Historic Downtown Bethlehem, the Sun Inn is a restoration of a 1758 building which functioned as an inn in Bethlehem from 1760 to the late 1960s. The Sun Inn’s history includes an extensive list of distinguished visitors including Benjamin Franklin, Martha Washington, George Washington, John Adams, Samuel Adams, Ethan Allen, Henry Laurens, Richard Lee, Marquis de Lafayette, and many others. Today, thanks to the Sun Inn Preservation Association, much of the building has been architecturally restored to appear as it would have in the 18th century. Self-guided tours of the first floor entrance, Gastube, bedroom suites and kitchen are available on Saturdays and Sundays
York Country
Agricultural & Industrial Museum
Learn about York County’s many contributions to agricultural and industrial progress on a visit to the Agricultural and Industrial Museum. Agricultural artifacts produced or used in York County for over three centuries include locally made wagons, tractors, steam engines and farm tools. Working industrial exhibits include a 72-ton A-Frame ammonia compressor, once used to manufacture large blocks of ice, and three-story gristmill, a hydraulic ramp pump, 1930s telephone exchange, and more.
How many families can say they lived in a house for almost 100 years? The Bonham family did just that from 1875 to 1965. Horace and Rebekah Bonham moved with two daughters into this home in 1875. Horace trained as a lawyer, but spent most of his life as a painter of portraits, landscapes and genre scenes. Many of his paintings can be seen throughout the structure. One daughter, Elizabeth, continued to live in the house until her death in 1965. Rooms in this three-story house reflect the period from the 1850s to the 1930s. Through a guided tour, visitors learn about life for an upper-middle class family during the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
Burning of the Bridge Diorama at Wrightsville
On June 28, 1863, a brigade of Confederate soldiers advanced on York. In an attempt to undo Confederate troop movement eastward across the Susquehanna River, the townspeople of York, who were loyal to the Union, did the only thing they could. They torched the Wrightsville Bridge, a covered bridge that provided them important social and economic links to Lancaster County and points east. The Burning of the Bridge Diorama, housed in a building that stands a stone’s throw from the river, tells the story of the night the bridge was set ablaze. Destruction of the bridge was a strategic act that prevented Confederates from crossing the river. In so doing, the South’s attention turned toward the town of Gettysburg and, thus, altered the Civil War’s outcome.
Political intrigue, tavern life and 18th century culture – all available in a single visit to this site on the corner of West Market Street and North Pershing Avenue in Downtown York. Four buildings reflect both private and public lives in early York. The Pennsylvania German Golden Plough Tavern, built in 1741, presents the significant role a tavern played in a community as a hotel, restaurant and source for news. The General Gates House (c.1751) reflects the year 1778 when General Horatio Gates occupied the house while the Continental Congress met in York. You can visit a reconstruction of the Colonial Court House where the Second Continental Congress met during York’s nine-month tenure as Capital of the United States, just across the street from the Plough Tavern. The Barnett Bobb Log House, built with squared timbers, in 1812 and relocatd to the site, highlights an average Pennsylvania German home in the early 19th century.
Dill’s Tavern is a twelve room stone structure erected from 1794 to 1819. The Dill family (Dillsburg’s namesake) maintained a tavern in Dillsburg, Pennsylvania, beginning in the 1750s and the present-day tavern was one of several business ventures carried on at this site. A large farm, a mill, and a productive distillery kept family members, indentured servants, hired hands, and some slaves busy.
The Northern York County Historical and Preservation Society hired Sam McKinney, Traditional Builder, to restore the Tavern in January 2005. The Tavern is now open as an Interpretive & Educational Center. This means that visitors can use the building and its period contents to experience tavern life in the early 19th Century. Sit in the chairs, lie in the rope beds, watch dinner boiling in the fireplace, and even try hearth cooking yourself. Explore all twelve rooms and handle the items contained in those rooms.
Fire engines, sirens and old-fashioned alarm systems all await you at the Fire Museum. Stationed in the historic Royal Fire House. The museum holds collections from the more than 200 years of fire-fighting in York County including horse drawn fire carriages, vintage fire trucks, firefighter uniforms, photographs and much more.
Goodridge Freedom House and Underground Railroad Museum
Goodridge was a freed slave, and self-trained entrepreneur who became one of the richest men in York at the time. His house in York was a station of the Underground Railroad where many Freedom Seekers sought refuge in the straw-filled basement.
The museum highlights the evolution of the fire service in the Hanover area and honors those who dedicated their lives to protecting the community. The fire museum will be a living and evolving museum with new and changing displays as items are received.
Hanover Junction Railroad Station Museum
Built in 1851-1852 by the Hanover Branch Railroad. During the Civil War, the station was raided by Confederates on June 27, 1863, several days before the Battle of Gettysburg. The telegraph wires were cut and railroad bridges over the Codorus Creek were burned. The railroad station was left intact. President Abraham Lincoln visited the station on November 18 and 19, 1863, on his way to give the Gettysburg Address and on April 21,1865, his funeral train passed through Hanover Junction again. A project to restore the station to its 1863 appearance was completed in 2001.
The Museum at Wrightsville is located in a house built in 1871, the former residence of John and Mary Redman. The house was given to Historic Wrightsville, Inc. in 1987 and since that time has served as the home of the organization which has done much to preserve the rich heritage of the town. The first floor of the museum contains exhibit rooms housing permanent exhibits on the history of the town, including information on the different bridges at Wrightsville, and special rotating exhibits on particular aspects of local history.
York Historical Society Museum
From quilts to tiny photographs, the Historical Society Museum and Library houses both exhibits and an extensive research library. The building, constructed in 1921 as an automobile dealership, still has the original showroom floor in the spacious two-story entrance hall. William Richley donated the building to the Historical Society in the 1950s. In addition to more than 10,000 square feet of exhibitions, this building also houses the main offices for the York County Heritage Trust.
MA & PA Railroad Heritage Village
With train rides for all, restored buildings to explore, special event and re-enactments to enjoy, geocaches to find, and a museum full of antiques, railroad artifacts, and milling equipment, the Heritage Village at Muddy Creek Forks is alive with countless people. Come begin your Journey in Time.
100 year old Arts and Crafts style cabin; over 10,000 Native American Artifacts embedded in the structure. The Indian Steps Cabin celebrates local Native American culture and well as the civilization of early people from all over North America. The artifact-pictographs imbedded throughout the structure reflect John Vandersloot’s extensive research.
The Miller Carriage and Wagon Museum
Jim Miller runs The Miller Carriage and Wagon Museum at his Codorus Township home. Its collection includes long years of collecting wagons, carriages and buggies. The museum, near Glenville, is open by appointment. For details, call 717-235-3673. Admission is free. Donations accepted.
The historic Neas House is a Georgian residence located at West Chestnut and High Streets was built around 1783 by Mathias Neas, a tanner who acquired six lots from his brother, George Neas, in November 1782. The Neas House is closed during the Winter months. Tours are available from April til October on Saturdays from 12:00-3:15.
Filled with artifacts, photographs and clothing, the museum helps a visitor to quickly understand what life was like in the 19th century. The museum also emphasizes the Welsh heritage of the Delta area and features Indian artifacts and Maryland and Pennsylvania railroad material. The Old Line Museum in Delta is great way to discover the history of Pennsylvania. The museum was founded in the 1970’s. The Old Line Museum is open Sunday afternoons. May through September from 1:30 pm until 4:00 pm.
Steam Into History, Inc. operates a Civil War era steam train on the former Northern Central Railway between New Freedom and Hanover Junction PA.
Wallace Cross Mill Historic Site
Wallace-Cross Mill is a restored 1826 water-powered grist mill located near Cross Roads, East Hopewell Township. Wallace-Cross Mill was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1977. Harry Cross, the last operator of the mill presented the building to York County in 1979. In 2006, the second and third floors of the mill were opened with new displays containing mill equipment and history on local milling. These displays further enhanced the operating mill located on the first floor.
The Myers Mansion was built over a period of three years, beginning in 1911, as the residence of Clinton N. Myers of Hanover Shoe Company. The mansion already included the solarium with its marble floors, but the Myers’ plans included enclosing the porches at the rear of the house before completing the rest of the mansion. Mr. Warehime added the beveled leaded glass and art glass to these porches. He also added the fountain, gazebo and lions to the grounds. The bowling alley in the basement is still intact, as are the intricately Greek Key design border in the oak floors throughout the mansion. Very little in the structure has changed over the years and it is in excellent condition.
The historic blue stone home, known to many as the Dritt Mansion, sits on a hill overlooking the Susquehanna River. The grounds and river access facilities are open to the public from dawn to dusk everyday. The house is open Wednesday through Saturday from 10:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. and features Visions of the Susquehanna river art collection. Guided house tours are offered on Friday and Saturday at 11:00 a.m. and 2:00 p.m. for a $3 donation per person.
