Andrew Dalton, Executive Director of the Adams County Historical Society presented his program, “A Home for Your History”.  The Society, founded in 1940, has origins dating to the 1880’s that includes Adams County’s vital records, church records, wills and estate papers, tax ledgers, deed books, family collections, 100,000+ photographs, and business and organization records.  Some historical artifacts pre-date the civil making it possible to explore over 300 years of local history.

 

Society headquarters also houses the Battle of Gettysburg Research Center which includes a focus on the role local civilians played before, during, and after the Battle of Gettysburg.  They have 300 civilian accounts of the time surrounding the war.

 

With 1 million historical items, the headquarters is a rich resource for researchers, family genealogy buffs, and those interested in learning more about Adams County.  Unfortunately, the Society is lacking adequate space to properly store and display the archived materials.

 

To address these dire needs, the Society will be launching a $5 million dollar capital campaign to build a new home that will include a reading room with space for educational programs, an exhibit gallery, and an event center.  Currently, there is no climate control or fire protection for these valuable items that will assure they are preserved for future study and enjoyment.  Many items are in storage which limits the ease of sharing them with the public.  $800,000 has been pledged toward the campaign and $2 million is expected to be available from the State of Pennsylvania.

 

Adam showed slides of some of the interesting items housed at Society headquarters and brought a few items that he passed around for the group to see.  For more information, visit Society headquarters at 368 Springs Avenue, Gettysburg.  Check their website at achs-pa.org for hours of operation.