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    Gratz Historical Society

    5.0 (1 review)

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    Joseph Priestley House

    Joseph Priestley House

    4.7(6 reviews)
    19.6 mi

    Joseph Priestley (1733-1804) was known for identifying carbon monoxide, but mainly as the…read morediscoverer of oxygen in 1774. He was also a theologian, educator, political activist and writer. He spent the last years of his life in then rural Northumberland, Pennsylvania. He was a strong supported of the political ideas of the french revolution and had supported many religious Dissenters (both no-no's in his homeland of England), for this his house, library & laboratory were burned down, he was accused of treason and then he immigrated to The United States. First settling in Philadelphia, then moving to northumberland, he had hoped that moving to such a rural and secluded area would perhaps give him some breathing-space and time to think. He wasn't welcome as a preacher in Northumberland, but founded the first congregation of Unitarian faith in Philadelphia. His house was equipped with a laboratory, where he conducted experiments. His ideas greatly influenced Thomas Jefferson and the Constitution, and also his education planning is the basis for the liberal arts college. This is basically a tour of his original house, it has been modified since then. takes about a half-hour. 4.00 admission per person.

    Dan pretty much hits the nail on the head in his review. I'd heard of the Joseph Priestley House…read morebefore, but I'd never visited it. Not only did Priestley discover oxygen, he also conducted early experiments in electricity and counted Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Jefferson, and James Watt among his friends. His teachings were so controversial that his house in Birmingham England was burned to the ground. He and his family fled Engand and Priestley spent the last decade of his life in Northumberland. The Joseph Priestley House is a National Historic Landmark and from the outside, it looks like a typically unassuming English gentleman's estate. But it's really easy to spend some time in here. Priestley and his family not only lived here, he had his laboratory here too. And I'm happy to say that the lab has been recently renovated. When the lab was renovated, it was done so without intruding on the elements of the house. The exhibit is set as though Priestley is at work investigating carbon monoxide in his Northumberland laboratory. Reproduction glassware pieces were selected, based on pieces that Joseph Priestley was known to have used here. The original laboratory glassware is now at the Smithsonian Museum in Washington, DC. Other renovations include two representative furnaces with chimneys and a fume hood spanning the width of the lab. There's also a lot of family history in the house. His spouse Mary Priestley did a lot of the planning for the new house. She passed away, however, two years after they arrived in Northumberland and she never saw the completion of the house. As a widower, Joseph Priestley lived here with his eldest son, Joesph Priestley Jr and his daughter-in-law and his grandchildren. In 1919 Dr. George Gilbert Pond bought the house at auction. Dr. Pond was dean of the School of Natural Sciences at Pennsylvania State College (now Penn State). After his death in 1926, the college purchased the house and built the Pond House in his honor. It was used as a firepoof museum for Joseph Priestley's artificats. It once served as a visitor center, however plans are afoot to adapt it for public meetings and exhibits. I think that visiting small historical houses such as Priestley's can be just as rewarding as visiting well-known museums. If you visit the Priestley House, do the "Priestley Pilgrimage" by also visitng the Joseph Priestley Memorial Chapel, Riverview Cemetery and Northumberland's Historic District.

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    Joseph Priestley House - Joseph Priestley

    Joseph Priestley

    Joseph Priestley House
    Joseph Priestley House - The Home of Joseph Priestley:Northumberland , PA

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    The Home of Joseph Priestley:Northumberland , PA

    State Museum of Pennsylvania - flags throughout penna history.

    State Museum of Pennsylvania

    4.3(44 reviews)
    25.5 mi

    When I saw on social media that the Pennsylvania State Museum was offering Pay As You Wish…read moreadmission throughout July in celebration of America's 250th birthday, I figured it was the perfect excuse to revisit a place I hadn't been in...about 23 years. I vividly remembered visiting as a kid, especially the planetarium, and since the museum is scheduled to close for major renovations beginning in August, it felt like the right time to see it one last time before the transformation. Normally, adult admission is only $6, but during July visitors could choose what they wanted to pay. My choice? $0. Thank you very much! I arrived around 1:30pm on a Saturday afternoon and easily found parking right outside the museum. The weather was beautiful, so I expected most people were outside enjoying the sunshine rather than spending the afternoon indoors. That worked out well for me because the museum never felt crowded, making it easy to explore at my own pace. At the admissions desk, the employee explained that only the second and third floors were open and that the planetarium had already closed in preparation for the upcoming renovations. I'll admit...that was a bit of a bummer. The planetarium was one of the things I remembered most vividly from childhood, and I had been looking forward to experiencing it again. But...you get what you pay for. And in this case, I paid exactly zero dollars. I spent about an hour and a half wandering through the exhibits, and while I enjoyed taking my time, I found myself a little underwhelmed. The highlight of the visit was, without question, standing beneath the towering 18-foot William Penn statue once again. Seeing it as a forty-something adult immediately brought back memories of seeing it as a kid, and that little wave of nostalgia alone made me smile. My biggest disappointment, though, was the number of replica artifacts throughout the museum. I understand that replicas certainly have a place, especially when preserving fragile originals, but I found myself wishing there were more authentic historical objects on display. For me, that's part of what makes museums special. I can see photos and reproductions online. Standing in front of something that actually witnessed Pennsylvania's history is an entirely different experience. I'm not sure whether many of the original artifacts have already been removed because of the upcoming renovations or whether this has always been the museum's approach. Either way, it wasn't what I expected. I also noticed that several exhibit areas were extremely dark, making it difficult to read some of the informational panels. I'm not sure whether that was intentional or simply part of preparing the museum for renovation, but it definitely affected the experience. Overall, I'm glad I went. I satisfied my curiosity. I revisited a piece of my childhood. And I was reminded that Pennsylvania has a fascinating story to tell. That said, I probably don't need to visit again until the renovations are complete...maybe. I'm genuinely hopeful the upcoming improvements will better showcase the history, innovation, creativity and natural beauty of the Keystone State. As a lifelong Pennsylvanian, I'd love to see our state museum become the kind of place that leaves visitors walking out saying, "Wow...I had no idea." When it reopens, I'll consider giving it another chance. Maybe. If they bring back another Pay As You Wish promotion? There would be a stronger chance I'd check it out again.

    I love museums, so on a weekend trip to Hershey and Harrisburg, I made the stop with my girlfriend…read moreand 11-year-old son. We found parking right outside of the museum - $8 for two hours. The State Capitol building is right next door, so it would be easy to combine the two and make a whole day of it. We went to the NJ State Museum in Trenton last spring, and this museum was a lot better. It helps that they charge admission in PA, whereas they do not in NJ, and the money is used to create a clean, informative and well-curated museum. Like NJ, this is a hodgepodge museum of all things related to Pennsylvania, including companies and products created in the state, its Native American and prehistoric histories, notable PA residents, and of most interest to my son, animal dioramas to rival those in the Mammal Halls of the Museum of Natural History in NYC. This museum is big with a ton of interesting things to read and see. For a Saturday in November, it was not that crowded at all. Overall, it's definitely worth seeing at least once and definitely worth the very cheap cost of admission.

    Photos
    State Museum of Pennsylvania - Dinosaur exhibit.

    Dinosaur exhibit.

    State Museum of Pennsylvania - Dinosaur fossil.

    Dinosaur fossil.

    State Museum of Pennsylvania - Bell.

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    Bell.

    Industrial & Agricultural Museum

    Industrial & Agricultural Museum

    4.4(9 reviews)
    45.1 mi

    As oxymoronic as this is going to sound, this place was educationally fun. But that's only if you…read morecan appreciate learning something that you didn't know before. As a head's up, I visited back in September and I was told that they were in the process of moving items to a new location. So my take on that is that a lot of what is here will be moved/moving very soon to a new location. Throughout my visit you would come across certain areas that were covered over in preparation for moving. Being a born and raised Pennsylvanian I had no idea how much of an impact York had on the nation in respect to advancements in industry and agriculture. To say that York played a part in a lot of things might be an understatement. When I say I learned something here, I mean it. I had no idea that York had it's own automotive manufacturing or that the huge ice machine was thought up and created in York. For this museum to focus on just the industry and agriculture, and to be able to fill three large spaces (enough to have to move) should be telling you something. York is not only known for some automotive manufacturing, but they also went back a bit further than that. Bicycles, horse carriages, to horse drawn sleds. You can throw in there some aquatic movement as well as trains and streetcars. When you enter the industry area, my best suggestion is to go up the ramp and then head down the ramp and take the stairs. You will go through eras of the area. Then you move into the agricultural side where you see many pieces of equipment that were used to farm the lands and produce the food. Also in this area you see that Rutter's (sorry, not my go to convenience store in PA) started out as a dairy farm. Who knew? Not me, but I am sure that people from York and surrounding areas knew. There is also a spot in here that you can kind of get the feel of what it would have been like to work in a barn/on a farm. As you make your way through the agricultural section you kind of go back into industry. Did you know that York made dental products. I mean like the false teeth that you might have to get one day in your mouth. Other things that I did not realize being made in York: barbells, pottery, and snowmobiles. Before heading out of this last section of this portion, be sure to stop and look at/interact with the siren. And take a good moment to play around at the telephone area. Rotary phones up to dial tones. You can call numbers that connect the phones and hear the rings of the phones. Then as you head upwards to the main level again, stop and take a gander at the 275 time capsule. The last portion of this place is gigantic in size. It has to be as they pieces in here aren't meant to be moved or displayed in low ceiling rooms. This is where you will see the ice machine, firetruck, and the huge electric sign. One last thing I want to touch on here was the staff. They were super nice and very informative of the museum itself. They were also very knowledgeable of everything else in York. I ended up chatting with the lady at the front desk for a bit. When I entered they were having a bit of trouble with their computer system and they were doing the honor system with me. I had to pay on my way out, don't worry, I checked back in and paid. It was nice of them to do that, or else I might not have had a chance to enjoy this museum.

    They moved the museum into a new building a while back which greatly improved it. Clean all around,…read moretime consuming, interesting, and interactive. Would consider coming back.

    Photos
    Industrial & Agricultural Museum
    Industrial & Agricultural Museum
    Industrial & Agricultural Museum

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    North Museum of Natural History - Bugs

    North Museum of Natural History

    3.9(24 reviews)
    44.5 mi

    Sometimes an adventure gets added to the list and then patiently waits an entire year for its turn…read more That was the North Museum of Nature and Science for me. I'd passed it during a different Lancaster adventure last summer, made a mental note that I wanted to come back and then...didn't. Fast forward to an early August Thursday afternoon when my adventure schedule finally brought me back to the area with some time to spare. FINALLY! Let's go see what's inside this place! I stopped in around 1:45pm and I'm pretty sure I was the only visitor in the entire museum. Honestly? I didn't hate it! Having the place almost entirely to myself meant I could wander around, open drawers, stare at things for entirely too long and explore everything at my own pace without feeling like I was holding anyone up. The woman at the front desk was super helpful, getting me situated with my ticket and explaining the general lay of the land before sending me off to explore. Parking was easy for me, too. I found plenty of street parking and nearby lots, although I could see availability varying depending on the day, time and whatever else might be happening in the neighborhood. The main level was my first stop and definitely felt geared more toward families with younger children. There were lots of hands-on activity stations, interactive exhibits and live critters to check out. I especially liked seeing some of the artwork kids had created displayed throughout the museum. It's obvious that this isn't supposed to be a "stand quietly and stare at things behind glass" kind of museum for kiddos. They actually get to interact, explore and DO things. Then I headed downstairs to the Cabinet Museum. And THAT'S when things got really interesting for me. I opened the door and actually stopped for a second to take it all in. Floor-to-ceiling wooden cabinets with glass fronts and backs filled the room, displaying hundreds of preserved and taxidermied specimens. It had this wonderfully old-school natural history museum feeling that I absolutely loved. There was SO much to look at! Toward the back were displays filled with rocks, minerals and gems, but my favorite part of the entire museum was the Curiosity Cabinet. This double-sided cabinet has drawer after drawer that you can pull open to discover specimens underneath plexiglass. Bugs, bats, starfish, coral and all kinds of other fascinating little pieces of the natural world were hiding inside. What made it even cooler was the question posed on the cabinet asking visitors to think about what was the SAME about the objects on opposite sides and what was DIFFERENT. Suddenly I wasn't just opening drawers to see what weird little treasure was hiding inside. I was comparing things, looking more closely and thinking about why the specimens had been grouped together. Apparently I am exactly the kind of adult who can be entertained for an unreasonable amount of time by a cabinet full of mysterious drawers. Noted! Before leaving, I headed upstairs to the third floor, which was primarily an art gallery during my visit. There were works displayed along the walls, including pieces available for purchase, along with a large community space that looked like it could accommodate parties, classes and other gatherings. My biggest adventure-planning failure of the day? THE PLANETARIUM. I knew they had one, but because I was working the North Museum into an already-packed Lancaster Adventure Day, my timing didn't line up with the next planetarium show. I peeked inside and immediately wished I'd planned that part better because it looked really cool. PRO TIP: If the planetarium is something you want to experience, don't do what I did. Check the show schedule BEFORE you plan your visit and build your arrival time around it. Future Me will absolutely be doing this because now I have unfinished planetarium business. All in all, the North Museum of Nature and Science was a really enjoyable way to spend part of an afternoon. Is it an enormous museum that's going to take you an entire day to explore? Nope. I spent a relatively short amount of time wandering around and felt like I'd gotten a good look at most of what was there. But that's also part of what makes it such an easy addition to a Lancaster adventure. If you've got kids who love hands-on activities and animals, I could see them having a blast here. If you're an adult wandering around by yourself like me, head downstairs, start opening drawers and prepare to unleash your inner curious 8-year-old. I'm glad I finally made good on the mental note I made last summer and stopped to explore. The North Museum is clearly a place that cares about curiosity, education and giving its community opportunities to experience science in an approachable way. And someday...I'm coming back for that planetarium!

    I was disappointed with my first visit to the Museum today. The live animal room was closed, many…read morelights/buttons/hands-on activities were not working, and we could BARELY hear the narration for the planetarium show (even after I asked that the volume be turned up). Overall there was very little to do. It's crazy that I spent $62 dollars for 2 adults and a 4 year old to see what we saw today. There should absolutely be a lower rate for 3-10 year olds!!!

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    North Museum of Natural History
    North Museum of Natural History
    North Museum of Natural History - Dino eggs

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    Dino eggs

    Gratz Historical Society - libraries - Updated October 2026

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