PLEASE NOTE: In the smaller spaces such as the Library & Archives, Colonial Complex buildings and Fire Museum masks are required by all guests. For vaccinated guests masks are optional in the general areas and gallery spaces. Anyone unvaccinated is still required to wear a mask for the health and safety of our volunteers and staff.
In order to maintain proper capacity numbers and social distancing, online reservations (for Members and General Public) are recommended to access the Library and Archives. You may choose from 1/2 day or full day options. First time visitors should contact us before scheduling so that we can assist you with planning your visit. Please call 717-848-1587 x 223 or email Adam Bentz at abentz@yorkhistorycenter.org. Thank you
Please review Library Rules & Policies before your visit. Please only bring what you need for research into the Library. Lockers are available for bags, purses and other personal items. We allow pencils, papers, notebooks and folders. We encourage you to bring a personal laptop since there are a limited number of public computers available. Cell phone photography of documents and books is also allowed.
For information on donating to the Library & Archives, please contact Nicole Smith at 717-848-1587 x225.
Online Resources
This website has a number of online resources including Online Research Request ordering, genealogy and property research resources and collections databases. To access these resources, see EXPLORE on the main menu or click a link below.
Genealogy Resources and South Central Pennsylvania Genealogy Society
Property Research and Hively Land Records books and maps
Library & Archives News:
Newspapers.com Update!
Newspapers.com has uploaded additional newspapers from the History Center archives!
These smaller York County papers will now be keyword searchable and a great research resource.
Stay tuned for announcements of additional uploads to Newspapers.com from the York County History Center collection.
Now available on Newspapers.com
The Age: 1883-1889
Cartridge Box: 1864-1865
Delta Herald/Delta Herald Times: 1907-1946
Glen Rock Item: 1870-Feb 1871, Sept. 1904-1943
Monthly Friend: Aug 1843, Oct 1844, Oct 1849
Hanover Guardian: Sept. 1818- Jan. 1827
Hanover Gazette: 1810-Feb 1859
Pennsylvania Herald & York General Advertiser: 1789-1798
Pennsylvania Republican/York Republican: March 1830-1853
Peoples’ Advocate: Sept 1849-July 1855
True Democrat: June 1864-1865, June 1866-1872, June 1873-May 1875
Volksberichter ein Yorker: July 1799-July 1801
York County Farmer: Dec. 1831-Jan 1834
York Democratic Press/Semi-Weekly: July 1839-May 1901
York Press/Semi-Weekly Gazette and York Democratic Press: 1903
The York County History Center is now a FamilySearch affiliate research center
This agreement allows members and visitors to the Library & Archives greater access to genealogy resources on the FamilySearch.org website. For more information, please visit https://www.familysearch.org/blog/en/familysearch-affiliate-libraries/.
African American Collections
There is a new regularly-updated guide to African American collections at the History Center on this website. See Special Collections and Finding Aids.
In our Reading Room, we offer extensive collections of family genealogies; books on local, state and regional history, with a focus on York County history; York City and County directories; York County high school yearbooks; historical atlases and maps; and local and regional periodicals and newsletters covering a wide range of topics. The York County History Center’s Library & Archives is also one of the only repositories in Pennsylvania that offers the two major York newspapers and their predecessors on microfilm. For more information about the York County History Center’s holdings, please see our list of the Library & Archives Resources.
All library users, whether members or not, have on-site access to the Library Edition of Ancestry.com. Included with this subscription is Fold3 and Newspapers.com/Pennsylvania Edition. Fold3 provides access to US military records and Newspapers.com/Pennsylvania edition provides access to the growing number of digitized newspapers, which now include portions of the Delta Herald and the Gazette & Daily (now known as the York Daily Record).
We annually host visitors from all 50 states across the country, as well as several other countries. Visitors receive assistance in using the collection from well-trained staff and volunteers.
