Stoy Museum

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A guided tour of the Stoy Museum begins with a stroll through several early shops and offices. Throughout the museum, visitors will find fine examples of Pennsylvania German craftsmanship in such items as furniture, quilting and weaving, fraktur, and redware. Young and old enjoy browsing in the one-room schoolhouse and experiencing a turn-of-the century general store, stocked with everything from cookie cutters to kerosene lamps. Community industries such as carpentry, weaving, printing, firefighting, law enforcement and mining are exhibited as they were found throughout the area over the county’s history.

Did you know?

The original front portion of the Stoy Museum was built in the 1780’s as a home for Dr. William Henry Stoy, a local minister and prominent Revolutionary War doctor.

Now Featuring: Women’s History of Lebanon County

This exhibit includes photos, uniforms, and documents highlighting accomplished women throughout Lebanon County History.

This temporary exhibit is located in the front parlor by the main entrance and is available to the public for free during our open hours.

Tours

The full Stoy Museum is only available through guided tours scheduled in advance. Please allow an hour and a half for a complete tour of the museum.

Tours are by appointment only. Before visiting the Society for a tour, please contact us at 717-272-1473 or office@lchsociety.org to schedule your tour in advance to ensure we have adequate staff and volunteers to accommodate your tour. For the protection of our collection, we cannot currently allow visitors to walk through the museum without a tour guide but are working towards doing so in the future. However, our front parlor exhibit is free and available for a self-guided tour anytime during our regular operating hours.

Please note that the Society building is not handicap-accessible due to the age of the building. We regret any inconvenience this may cause. Street, metered parking is available in front of the Society building, and free-two hour parking is available at the Farmer’s Market parking lot off of 9th Street and Cumberland.

Exhibits

Each exhibit provides insight into the lives of the men and women who built our strong nation. Our perennial exhibits include:

  • The Barber Shop
  • The General Store
  • Gollam’s Ice Cream
  • The Coleman Family
  • The Union Canal
  • Perseverance Band
  • The Pharmacy
  • The Schoolhouse
  • Victorian Parlor
  • The Civil War
  • Railroads
  • Firefighting
  • The steel industry

Donations

Monetary Donations

We appreciate donations in any amount. The Lebanon County Historical Society Incorporated is registered as a charitable organization with the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. A copy of the official registration and financial information may be obtained from the Pennsylvania Department of State by calling toll-free within Pennsylvania, 800-732-0999.

Monetary Donations: visit our Donation Page

Donations of Museum Artifacts

We would be happy to correspond or talk with you about any donations you are interested in making. Please use the email addresses below or give us a call at 717-272-1473. All accepted donations must be accompanied by a Custody and Deed of Gift Form. Click the link below to view and print the form.

Artifacts (clothing, tools, etc.): email office@lchsociety.org
Archives (paper and pictures): email registrar@lchsociety.org

Custody and Deed of Gift Form

Please do not bring artifacts or archival material to the historical society or mail items without contacting us first. Unsolicited donations mailed or dropped off at the museum will not be accepted and the owner will be responsible for the removal of the items. All donations must be reviewed to determine appropriateness to our collection.  In general, items must be related to Lebanon County history, be in good condition, and not duplicate our current holdings. We do not offer appraisals.