Historical Society Museum

Now Open! Regular Hours are Tuesday through Saturday 10 am - 4 pm.

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The headquarters, Library and Archives and many of the History Center’s diverse exhibits are housed in a building that is itself an historic artifact. Constructed in 1921 as an automobile dealership, the main lobby retains its original showroom tile floor and the spacious two-story entrance hall. William Richley donated the building to the York County Historical Society after it had outgrown its prior home in 1955.

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Featured Exhibits

  • Street of Shops, an immersive exhibit representing crafts and businesses of York, Pennsylvania during the early 1800s
  • 1804 David Tannenberg Organ
  • Lewis Miller Gallery — a changing exhibit of the works of prominent local folk artist Lewis Miller
  • Pfaltzgraff Pottery — Currently on loan from the Pfaltzgraff Pottery Company, this exhibit features approximately 175 years of Pfaltzgraff history
  • Creating an American Community — decorative arts of the 18th and 19th Centuries, everything from quilts to dishes to furniture and more
  • A Place to Call Home — York County at home, work, worship, and play
  • A Timeless Collection: The John J. Snyder Jr. Exhibition – Featuring tall case clocks of York County and decorative Pennsylvania German furniture
  • Rutter’s Discovery Center for Children — Interactive exhibit for children generously funded by Rutter’s Corp

Agricultural and Industrial Museum

Now Open! Regular Hours are Tuesday through Saturday 10 am - 4 pm.

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Learn about York County’s vast contributions to the progress of agriculture and industry. Housed in a former factory complex, the York, PA museum features two floors with over 20 exhibits highlighting 300 years of transportation, agriculture and the development of manufacturing and industry. Many of the exhibits feature hands-on experiences for visitors of all ages.

Step into a 1916 trolley car or sit in the seat of a 1940 train switcher engine in the Transportation Gallery. Explore the Local Industry Galleries to try your hand at using rotary phones operated by a 1930s switchboard. Discover what it’s like to milk a dairy cow in the Agricultural Gallery and check out the working 3-story grist mill during your visit. You will also be able to enjoy exhibits on pottery making, casket manufacturing, wallpaper creation, pianos and organs, as well as the York Plan, which was York’s industrial contribution to World War II. Before leaving, do not miss the Hall of Giants Gallery to see a 72-ton A-frame ammonia compressor used for producing ice in the early 1900s.

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Featured Exhibits

  • Local Industry Galleries
  • Agricultural Gallery
  • Transportation Gallery
  • The York Plan
  • Hall of Giants

Colonial Complex

The Colonial Complex is open seasonally with guided tours Tuesday through Saturday

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One of our most popular York, PA museums, the Colonial Complex encompasses four historic buildings located downtown. Your 45-60 minute guided tour will explore York County’s role during the American Revolutionary War and everyday life and culture during the 18th century.  Built in 1741, the Golden Plough Tavern served as a source of news and information for travelers and locals alike, and showcases daily colonial life.  The General Horatio Gates House (c. 1751) reflects an upper class English home of the late 18th century, highlighting the stay of American General Horatio Gates during the winter of 1777-1778. You will also visit the reconstructed Colonial Courthouse that highlights the story of the Second Continental Congress when they worked out of York during the winter of 1777-1778, and adopted the Articles of Confederation. The Barnett Bobb Log House, built in 1812 and relocated to the Colonial Complex, is currently used during programs for artisan demonstrations and hands-on activities.

For tour times, please click Public Tour Schedule button to the right.  The Colonial Complex tours will be available at 11 am, 1 pm and 3 pm Tuesday through Saturday.

 

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Featured Exhibits

  • The Golden Plough Tavern
  • The General Horatio Gates House
  • Colonial Courthouse
  • The Barnett Bobb Log House

 

 Colonial Complex Public Tour Schedule 

 

360 Interactive Tour

 

The Bonham House

Check our Events Calendar for upcoming events at the Bonham House

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Originally built in 1840, this three-story dwelling was purchased by artist and prominent Yorker, Horace Bonham. Visitors to the Bonham House will learn about the Bonham family and the evolution of the structure that reflects the changes in society between the 1870s and 1960s. While Horace trained as a lawyer, he spent most of his life as a painter of portraits, landscapes, and genre scenes. Several of his works are displayed in the house.

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Fire Museum

The Fire Museum is open on Saturdays, 10 am to 4 pm. Open Seasonally through November

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Located in the historic 1903 Royal Fire House. The museum allows visitors to see how York Firefighters worked, lived, and played. The building holds more than 225 years of firefighting equipment representative of the 72 fire companies of York County. Exhibits and objects on display include six fire trucks ranging from the 1920s to the 1950s, hand-drawn pumpers, uniforms, and historic alarm systems.

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Our Artists Our Stories

Now Open! Regular Hours are Tuesday through Saturday 10 am - 4 pm.

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York County has produced many artists from the internationally famous to the lesser known “local” artists. Their works and personal connections to place provide a powerful window into York County’s past and present.

Our Artists Our Stories features art pieces from the York County History Center’s collection either not previously or recently exhibited. The exhibit features works from various periods and genres, and includes formally trained to self-taught artists. The current rotation features the work of local cartoonist and watercolor artist, Walt Partymiller, who worked for York’s Gazette and Daily newspaper from the 1940s-1970s. The exhibit was co-curated by local artist, Brett Greiman, and Director of Collections, Rachel Warner. It explores how Partymiller used his “visual voice” to make commentary on the social, economic, and political issues of his time.

Our Artists Our Stories will run through September 5, 2020 on the Mezzanine of the Historical Society Museum. The exhibit and related programming is supported by the Cultural Alliance of York County.

Lewis Miller's Makers

Now Open! Regular Hours are Tuesday through Saturday 10 am - 4 pm.

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Come explore York’s rich history of artisans and makers through the eyes of our most beloved folk artist, Lewis Miller, from December 10, 2019 through September 5, 2020!

Join us on the Mezzanine at our Historical Society Museum site to view the latest rotation of the Lewis Miller Gallery featuring “Lewis Miller’s Makers”. Through a series of 16 original and reproduction sketches, we examine how Miller depicted various local artisans and makers including tailors, gunsmiths, wine and spirit makers, shoemakers, and many more. To compliment his sketches, we have also pulled various related artifacts from storage that were made or used locally.

Lewis “Loui” Miller (1796-1882) was born and lived most of his life in York, Pennsylvania. Though a carpenter by trade, he is remembered today as a folk artist. His sketches chronicle historical events, his travels in America and abroad, and the lives of ordinary people. The History Center maintains a collection of more than 2,000 original Lewis Miller sketches.