Our History
Founded in 1923
The Historical Society of Perry County was formally organized on May 28, 1923 from a previous organization called the Philomathean Literary Society of the old Bloomfield Academy (1880) and the Perry County Historical Society, (1881). These early societies roles were to publish articles on Perry County topics and place historical markers at significant historical locations. The first societies prior to 1923 held literary and scholarly lectures and discussions, but did not collect artifacts, nor engage in historic preservation. The present-day Society was incorporated in 1952 and shortly after this time acquired Ludolph Church (Spring Township), its first donated property, in 1954. Thereafter the Society became the recipient of numerous other historic properties including Red Bridge (Liverpool Township), Greenpark School House (Tyrone Township), Fairview Church (Toboyne Township), Fetter House (Landisburg), and the Cochran-Anspach House in Millerstown.
In 1976 the Society moved its artifacts and memorabilia to the Blue Ball Tavern at Little Buffalo State Park and later in 2010 acquired the Cunningham-Dromgold Farm in Carroll Township. The Society also held the old Brownawell Mill in Shermans Dale, which unfortunately had deteriorated beyond a realistic preservation threshold and had to be razed due to safety and liability concerns. Additionally, the Society was instrumental in saving, along with the Borough of Duncannon, the Clark’s Ferry Tavern, recently transferring ownership to the newly-created Friends of Clark’s Ferry Tavern, which will oversee the adaptive reuse of this important and historic structure.
The Society holds numerous records, books, artifacts and memorabilia dealing with all facets of Perry County history as well as conducts programs to raise funds for the ongoing and continual preservation and maintenance of our eight historic properties. To this end the Historical Society of Perry County is a designated 501c3 non-profit corporation designed for the purpose of the collection, preservation, and interpretation of historical records and artifacts of Perry County. This pertains to the natural, civil, and literary history of Perry County.
Board of Directors:
Jason Wilson, President
Carl Tressler, Vice President
Bobbi Armolt, Secretary
Cris Jones, Treasurer
Aaron Morrison, Financial Officer
Nathan Lesh
Darin Lesh
Jill Seaman
Mary Colledge
David Keller
Gary Eby
Mike Smith
Staff:
Michelle Smith-Lentz, Office Administrator/Archival Assistant
Our Vision
The vision statement of the Historical Society or Perry County encompasses the following tenets:
To Gather & Collect
artifacts and items as defined in the Historical Society of Perry County’s Collections Policy
To Create & Maintain
facilities to effectively display artifacts and other items
To Offer Historically-Related Programs
that stimulate interest and educate audiences of all ages in the rich heritage of Perry County and its people
To Grow Membership
so as to continue the Society
Support Our Work
Your donations & membership dues directly fund the important work of the society. Thank you for your generous support!