Chester County History Center (CCHC), formerly the Chester County Historical Society, is a

nonprofit A nonprofit organization (NPO), also known as a nonbusiness entity, nonprofit institution, not-for-profit organization, or simply a nonprofit, is a non-governmental (private) legal entity organized and operated for a collective, public, or so ...

historical society A historical society is non-profit organization dedicated to collecting, preserving, interpreting, and promoting the history of a particular place, group of people, or topic. They play a crucial role in promoting historical awareness and understan ...

, founded in 1893, dedicated to collecting, preserving, and exhibiting the history of

Chester County, Pennsylvania Chester County (Pennsylvania Dutch language, Pennsylvania Dutch: ''Tscheschter Kaundi''), colloquially referred to as Chesco, is a County (United States), county in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. It is located in ...

, and the surrounding area. The History Center is located at 225 North High Street in downtown West Chester.

Collections

The museum collection contains more than 80,000 artifacts, with strengths in southeastern Pennsylvania furniture, textiles, and decorative arts. The library collection contains over 500,000

manuscript A manuscript (abbreviated MS for singular and MSS for plural) was, traditionally, any document written by hand or typewritten, as opposed to mechanically printed or reproduced in some indirect or automated way. More recently, the term has ...

s, 80,000 photographs, and 20,000 volumes. Since the early 1980s, the CCHC has partnered with the county government to administer the Chester County Archives, spanning 300 years of county records.

Buildings

The History Center is a complex that houses a museum, a library, and a 250-seat auditorium. The complex's buildings are connected by an elevated enclosed walkway. The older building, known as Horticultural Hall, was designed by architect Thomas U. Walter in 1848. It was the site of the 1852 Pennsylvania Women's Rights Convention.

Uriah Hunt Painter Uriah Hunt Painter (March 5, 1837 – October 20, 1900) was an American journalist, lobbyist, entrepreneur, and investor. He broke the news of the Union defeat at the First Battle of Bull Run in 1861 and of the Confederate invasion of the North ...

converted it into the West Chester Opera House in the late 1800s. His widow deeded the hall to the local chapter of the Grand Army of the Republic in 1904, stipulating that it was to be given to the CCHC when no longer needed. CCHC moved to the building in 1942 and renovated it in 1979. In 1992, the adjacent

YMCA YMCA, sometimes regionally called the Y, is a worldwide youth organisation based in Geneva, Switzerland, with more than 64 million beneficiaries in 120 countries. It has nearly 90,000 staff, some 920,000 volunteers and 12,000 branches w ...

building was incorporated into the complex. Built in 1908 and expanded in 1928, it was designed by architect Charles Barton Keen.

History

The historical society was founded in 1893.

Gilbert Cope Gilbert Cope (August 17, 1840 – December 17, 1928) was an American historian and genealogist who authored numerous publications on the history and prominent families of Chester County, Pennsylvania. His magnum opus was the ''History of Chester ...

was among its founding members.

Robert Lukens Robert D. Lukens, Ph.D., (November 8, 1972 – August 2, 2015) was an American collection manager, historian and columnist. During his career, Lukens oversaw exhibitions at the United States Capitol Visitor Center in Washington D.C. He served as t ...

served as the president of the Chester County History Center from 2011 until his death in 2015. Lukens oversaw renovations and beautification of the society's buildings and other facilities. He obtained state grants for the society and published a historical column in the ''

Daily Local News The ''Daily Local News'' is a daily newspaper based in Chester County, Pennsylvania, Chester County, Pennsylvania. The newspaper covers Chester County news and provides limited coverage of neighboring Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, Lancaster an ...

''. Conor Hepp has served as president of the CCHC since 2020.

References

External links

* * * {{Authority control 1893 establishments in Pennsylvania Historic American Buildings Survey in Pennsylvania Historic district contributing properties in Pennsylvania Historical societies in Pennsylvania History museums in Pennsylvania Museums in Chester County, Pennsylvania National Register of Historic Places in Chester County, Pennsylvania Thomas U. Walter buildings West Chester, Pennsylvania

Collections

Buildings

History

See also

References

External links