York County History Center | York City

York County History Center

A constellation of museums under one banner
Rather than a single building, the York County History Center operates seven sites that together narrate 275 years of Pennsylvanian life. The flagship History Center & Library at 250 East Market Street anchors the complex; within a five-block radius stand the Agricultural & Industrial Museum, Colonial Complex, Fire Museum, Bonham House, Historic Barnett Bobb Log House, and the Murals of York outdoor gallery. One ticket grants same-day admission to all but special exhibitions.

Flagship History Center & Library (opening hours Tuesday–Saturday, 10 am–4 pm)
Housed in a former Met-Ed steam-heat plant reimagined by architect Susan Lampman in 2020, the 66 000-square-foot main building intertwines artifact halls with a climate-controlled research library. Permanent galleries walk you chronologically from Susquehannock archaeology through Revolutionary-era York—capital of the Continental Congress in 1777—then on to Civil War iron foundries, 20th-century York Safe & Lock, and the modern Harley-Davidson plant. Star objects include a 1776 hand-printed broadside of the Articles of Confederation, a fully restored 1916 Pullman trolley, and Olympic champion Hometown Hero Greg Gross’s 1980s Phillies jersey. The library’s 300 000 photographs, church registers, and microfilmed newspapers draw genealogists from across the Mid-Atlantic; researchers may scan materials free with a day pass.

Agricultural & Industrial Museum (217 West Princess Street)
Two former York Ice Machinery warehouses now thunder with operational machinery. A 40-foot Frick steam engine runs twice daily, powering overhead belts that drive lathes, a line shaft woodworking shop, and a 1930s printing press. Visitors climb aboard a 1915 Ahrens-Fox pumper, compare early gas tractors in the Tractor Gallery, and test pneumatic tools in a kid-friendly maker space.

Colonial Complex (157 West Market Street)
Four restored 18th-century structures form an immersive courtyard: the 1741 Golden Plough Tavern, 1755 General Horatio Gates House, a reproduction colonial courthouse, and the 1812 Barnett Bobb Log House. Costumed interpreters demonstrate hearth cooking, black-powder musket drills, and the art of coopering. Lantern-lit ghost walks on autumn Fridays trace York’s wartime spy stories and tavern lore.

Fire Museum (757 West Market Street)
Occupying the 1903 Royal Fire House, this site stages horse-drawn apparatus, ornate “parade” hose carriages, and an interactive alarm-box network where children ring in pretend emergencies. Volunteers crank a Gamewell gong every hour, recreating the sound that once summoned 19th-century firefighters from their shops.

Bonham House (152 East Market Street)
The 1875 Italianate townhouse of Civil War nurse-turned-writer Lila Bonham retains carved walnut mantels, Eastlake wallpaper, and a second-floor turret reading nook. Rotating exhibits focus on York’s women reformers and suffrage parades.

Programs and events
• Second-Saturday Workshops: hands-on paper-marbling, scherenschnitte (German papercutting), and barn-quilt painting.
• History on Tap: monthly talks at local breweries—order a pint, hear a 20-minute lecture, quiz the historian, win trivia prizes.
• Time Traveler’s Summer Camp: week-long sessions for ages 8–12 covering archaeology digs, artifact conservation, and costumed skits.
• Archives After Dark: limited to twenty guests, archivists unveil seldom-seen documents by flashlight twice a year.

Planning essentials
Admissions desk sells a one-day passport; discounts apply for AAA, military, and reciprocal museum members. Free parking lots lie beside the Agricultural & Industrial Museum and the flagship center; meters downtown are free evenings and Sundays. All main sites provide ramps or chairlifts, though the Bonham House retains original narrow staircases—staff offer a virtual-reality walkthrough on a tablet for guests with mobility limits. Photography is allowed without flash; tripods by appointment. The History Center café serves regional dishes—chicken-corn soup, whoopie pies, and locally roasted coffee—while picnic tables dot the Colonial Complex courtyard in warmer months.

Insider tips
Arrive at the Agricultural & Industrial Museum at 11 am or 2 pm to see the steam engine under pressure. Library researchers should reserve microfilm readers online to avoid waits. On First Fridays, all downtown sites extend to 8 pm with live folk music in the courtyard and half-price admission after 5 pm. If genealogy is your goal, purchase a three-day research pass; staff will pull boxes overnight so you can maximize daylight hours in the reading room.

From colonial tavern smoke to the hum of factory belts, the York County History Center stitches together the textures of everyday life, inviting you to wander, touch, and listen where Pennsylvania history was—and still is—made.