Chester County History Center
Established | 1893 |
---|---|
Location | 225 North High Street West Chester, Pennsylvania |
Type | Historical/Museum |
Website | www |
Horticultural Hall | |
Built | 1848[1] |
Architect | Thomas U. Walter |
Part of | West Chester Downtown Historic District (ID85001447[2]) |
Designated CP | July 2, 1985 |
Chester County History Center (CCHC), formerly the Chester County Historical Society,[3] is a non-profit historical society, founded in 1893, dedicated to collecting, preserving, and exhibiting the history of Chester County, Pennsylvania and the surrounding area. The History Center is located at 225 North High Street in downtown West Chester.
History[]
Dr. Robert Lukens served as the President of the Chester County History Center from 2011 until 2015.[4] Lukens oversaw the renovations and beautification of the society's buildings and other facilities.[4] He acquired state grants for the society and published a historical column in the Daily Local News.[4]
Building[]
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/b/b2/Historic_American_Buildings_Survey%2C_Ned_Goode%2C_Photographer_June%2C_1958_RECESSED_ARCH%2C_WEST_FRONT._-_Chester_County_Horticultural_Hall%2C_225_North_High_Street%2C_West_Chester%2C_Chester_HABS_PA%2C15-WCHES%2C4-2.tif/lossy-page1-220px-thumbnail.tif.jpg)
The History Center is a 56,000-square-foot complex that houses a museum and a library. It includes two connected buildings.
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.[5] CCHC moved there in 1942 and it was modernized in 1979.
In 1992, the adjacent YMCA building was incorporated into the complex. The library collection contains over 500,000 manuscripts, 80,000 photographs, and 20,000 volumes. The National Register of Historic Places named West Chester one of "America's Dozen Distinctive Destinations" in 2006.[6]
See also[]
- List of historical societiesHorticultural Hall in the 1870s
- West Chester University
- National Register of Historic Places listings in Chester County, Pennsylvania
References[]
- ^ "National Historic Landmarks & National Register of Historic Places in Pennsylvania" (Searchable database). CRGIS: Cultural Resources Geographic Information System.Note: This includes Ray H. Ott Jr. (October 1984). "National Register of Historic Places Nomination Form: West Chester Downtown Historic" (PDF). Retrieved 2012-11-05.
- ^ "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. July 9, 2010.
- ^ Snavely, Allison (2020-07-07). "CHESTER COUNTY HISTORICAL SOCIETY REBRANDS TO BETTER CONNECT WITH COMMUNITY". chestercohistorical.org. Archived from the original on 2020-07-10. Retrieved 2021-04-16.
- ^ Jump up to: a b c Coyle, Cat (2015-08-06). "Robert D. Lukens, 42, president of Chester County Historical Society". The Philadelphia Inquirer. Retrieved 2015-09-01.
- ^ Young, Robyn (October 3, 2015). "The 1852 Women's Rights Convention at Horticultural Hall in West Chester". Chester County Day. Archived from the original on 2016-10-10. Retrieved August 25, 2016. Note that the pages are store by year, click "2015"
- ^ "About". Chester County Historical Society. Retrieved 31 March 2015.
External links[]
Media related to Horticultural Hall (West Chester, Pennsylvania) at Wikimedia Commons
- Official Web Site.
- 1893 establishments in Pennsylvania
- Historical societies in Pennsylvania
- History museums in Pennsylvania
- West Chester, Pennsylvania
- Thomas U. Walter buildings
- Historic district contributing properties in Pennsylvania
- National Register of Historic Places in Chester County, Pennsylvania
- Museums in Chester County, Pennsylvania
- United States organization stubs
- Organization stubs
- History stubs