Talks and Presentations

Documentary Screening by Keystones Oral History and Bryan Wade. This documentary will highlight a history of the Underground Railroad and the abolitionists throughout South Central Pennsylvania. A major focus will be on the collaboration between Quakers, other religious denominations, abolitionists, and conductors of various ethnic backgrounds and social economic standing who worked together to ensure […]

Join CCHS staff and board for this members-only open house with refreshments. Featuring a special visual presentation by Richard Tritt, photo curator. He will highlight his 40 years of curating the collection of the historical society’s photos. We will also have our annual business meeting, election of new officers. Doors open at noon, meeting at […]

Fort Halifax, in what’s now northern Dauphin County, was a garrisoned supply depot during the 7 Years War. Its precise location was lost to history until a series of archaeological excavations between 2011 and 2024 rediscovered the fort and provided a window into daily life in a military garrison at the edge of the frontier. […]

David Biser who is the official John Harris Jr. for the Historical Society of Dauphin County and the city of Harrisburg PA will speak on speak on our important neighbor. John Harris was born on the banks of the Susquehanna River. He lived from 1727-1791 and was an influential figure during the French and Indian […]

With Planned Giving Chair Alvin Blitz, Esq. Members only, snacks provided. RSVP Here:

The J. Sherwood McGinnis, Jr. War, Peace, and Justice Project and the Carlisle Bridge Builders present author Jeffrey E. Finegan, Sr. and first-person historical interpreters George Washington and his enslaved valet, William Lee, for a story that needs to be told — one of loyalty, friendship, and slavery during war and peace. Also at Bosler […]

90 years ago this November, bodies found near Pine Grove Furnace led to a national search for their identity and the reasons behind their deaths. Historian and author of “The Babes in the Woods Story,” David Smith, will give a talk with new findings on this topic. RSVP Here:

Archives & Library Director, Cara Curtis, will explore the complex history of Carlisle’s oldest historic Black cemetery at the corner of Pitt and Penn Streets.

Virtual program. Celebrating Cumberland County’s 275th anniversary with historian and author Judith Ridner. Sign up to receive a link to this program. RSVP Here:

Between the rides of the Blue Mountains and the crystalline waters of the Yellow Breeches Creek, one-room schoolhouse of yesteryear dot the landscape of Cumberland County. By the latter half of the 19th century, there were more than 160 one-room schools operating throughout the region. Join us for a talk exploring the schools that educated […]

The son of a Philadelphia shipping merchant and the namesake for the capital of New Jersey, William Trent carved his own legacy as a gentleman, throughout the latter half of […]

Sources of Untapped Information for Historians and Family Researchers in Cumberland County Court House Records. Merri Lou Schaumann, author an local historian, will shed light on the kinds of county […]