Happening Now
Educators, Parents and Kids: Check out our expanded York History at Home for Kids page!
America at 250 – Coming in 2026!
“The Declaration at 250” is a multi-year, broad-based initiative by the Gilder Lehrman Institute to recognize the importance of the Declaration of Independence in the history of America, and of the world.
What is your wish for America’s future? Every single day, we get a chance to shape history—to share our visions, our hopes, and our wishes for the next 250 years. What role will you play?
Add your wish for America here!
CHALLENGING MOMENTS THAT TEACH AND INSPIRE
Self-Paced Course on the Origins of the Civil War by The Gilder Lehrman Institute
Virtual Tours, Videos & Webinars
You can still spend the day at the museum with our virtual museum tours and story maps! Virtually walk through our exhibitions to learn more about York History stories by visiting our YouTube Channel
Webinar Recordings
Miss one of the York County History Center’s webinars or programs? Visit our YouTube page for all of the video presentations
Download our Zoom Backgrounds
Share Your History
These are extraordinary times! We are now witnessing a unique historical moment as we respond as a state, nation, and world to a pandemic. The York County History Center wants to add your story of how you and your family are understanding and experiencing the current “new normal.” Take a moment to tell us YOUR story!
Share Your COVID-19 Story Here
Want to get started with your own genealogy? These guides will help you collect your family history!
Resources from Smithsonian: Folklife and Oral History Interviewing Guide
Family Search Website with Free Resources and Activities
Internet Archive: Digital Library This site includes links to the History of York County by Gibson (1886) and by Prowell (1907), York County and the World War (1920), an autobiography by Yorker Amanda Berry Smith, plus many other early publications and audio and video links:
Prowell: History of York County Pennsylvania Vol. 1 (1907)
Prowell: History of York County Pennsylvania Vol. 2 (1907)
Gibson: History of York County Pennsylvania (1886)
York County and the World War (1920)
Mrs. Amanda Smith, The Colored Evangelist (1921)
Digital Archives
Guide to Special Collections: African American Collections, Almanacs and more
Even though you are unable to visit right now, you can still access photographs, databases and finding aids to our Library & Archives collections. Thanks to the work of Ophelia Chambliss and others, we now have a guide to our current African American collections in the Library & Archives. We will continue to add collections and finding aids from the Library & Archives as we are able to and as new items are donated.
Check Out Our Collections Online
Please enjoy a look back in time with photos from the York County History Center collection. This is just a sampling over the over 100,000 photographs currently housed in our Library and Archives including York Streets and Alleys, one-room-schools, the Grant Voaden Mills collection, the Ness gas stations collection, Dempwolf architectural drawings, bible collection images, and York County postcards.
Read Past Journals of York County Heritage by accessing our online bookshelf here
The History Center is now offering free digital access to all published Journals of York County Heritage. Originally created in 2010 to celebrate York County history, material culture, cultural heritage, and people, the Journal is published annually as a benefit of membership and packed with scholarly articles on local history topics.
Want to know more about how to properly handle and store your family treasures? Click on this handy guide!
2021- Breaking Barriers
For 2021’s theme, we’ll be looking at both the people that broke barriers – whether they be racial, socioeconomic, societal, or technological – and the resulting physical manifestations of the problems they solved or the progress that was made. Our latest Centerpiece newsletter, due out in February will start to highlight barrier breakers in York’s history. Stay tuned!
Perspectives in History
During times like these, we tend to reflect on lessons learned from our past. Follow our local historians and others as they remind us how those who came before us persevered during challenging times.
Jim McClure: York County has seen it all before: war, disasters, epidemics
Jamie Kinsley: Hometown History
York Fairgrounds as a makeshift hospital
Lessons Learned from a York County Farmer
Scott Mingus: 1918 Spanish Flu ravaged York
More from the York Blog and Others
Lessons from York’s past lead to this conclusion: We can do better during this pandemic
York’s Black Community Suffered during the Spanish Flu Outbreak
Celebrating York County Nurses
America’s first White House gardens: Getting ready for spring plantings
York City Health Director Fought Politics and Polio
Journal of the American Revolution
Looking for a podcast with some historical context? Try NPR’s Hidden Brain!
