Favorite Museums or Historical Events In Harrisburg Area (Lancaster, Columbia: house, live)

[residinghere2007]

Just wanted to post here to see if anyone is a history nerd like myself and can suggest some nice places to visit in/surrounding Harrisburg regarding the history of the area.

I'm planning a visit to the 2nd week of November in order to do some research at the Pennsylvania Archives and wanted to also take in a few cultural location visits as well after spending the mornings at the archives.

I do a lot of genealogical research and have 5 lines of my family who were from Pennsylvania prior to the 1850s, primarily from Harrisburg, Lancaster, and Columbia so any good historical sites or locations that offer historical tours would be great for me to visit.

[ki0eh]

The The State Museum of Pennsylvania | The State Museum of Pennsylvania demonstrates that Pennsylvania's story is America's story. is a nice example of its kind, located in the same complex as the archives. Its bookstore allows browsing of some works of particular PA interest.

Midtown Scholar Bookstore Used, Rare & New Books has significant numbers of gently used intermixed with new works on PA history and much else. It is near The Broad Street Market | Harrisburg, PA which could be considered for a long lunch, a few blocks' walk over from the Capitol complex.

Home | National Civil War Museum | Harrisburg, PANational Civil War Museum | Harrisburg, PA Civil War Museum is a newer museum that was a pet project of a politician now out of power, so its future is hazy. The walk up State Street to it from the Capitol Complex is recommended (in daylight) for determined city walker types.

Landis Valley Village & Farm Museum :: Pennsylvania German Heritage - Lancaster County Tourism, PA is good for the atmospherics of how your folks likely lived, although November is obviously not the best time of year to visit sites of that sort.

The outdoor exhibits at Heritage Trail are interesting even to the non-martial, again time of year might not be ideal but the path is stone surfaced and flat.

I'm sure there are a number of other sites of more particular interest that those more familiar specifically with Lancaster County could comment on. I have not been to Hans Herr House | The oldest homestead in Lancaster County (although I see it is open some hours in November) nor to The John Harris - Simon Cameron Mansion | Historical Society of Dauphin County as examples.

[residinghere2007]

Thanks for the suggestions!! I'll especially check out the state museum and the referenced book store!

[g500]

Fort Hunter Mansion Museum and Park - Archibald McAllister House, now officially known as Fort Hunter Mansion, is a historic home located at Harrisburg, Dauphin County, Pennsylvania. It was built about 1814, and is a 2 1/2-story, five-bay wide stone dwelling in the Federal style. It has an overall "T"-floorplan, with two rear additions built in the mid- to late-19th century. It features a front portico with Tuscan order columns. The entrance has a semi-circular fanlight and sidelights with thin wooden ribbing.[2]
The house is open as a 19th-century historic house museum and 40 acre park.
It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1976. It is located in the Fort Hunter Historic District.