Blog Archives
Journey to Buchanan’s 1857 White House this June during your visit to Wheatland. Meet with President Buchanan and his cabinet as they discuss a multitude of topics, from political appoints to recent Democratic victories at the polls to their concerns about troubles in Kansas. A sudden, panicked request from Washington Mayor William B. Magruder takes Buchanan by surprise. How will Buchanan respond? Experience the debate and learn about Magruder’s request in this June’s Living History at Wheatland!
The Living History at Wheatland program, Election Day Riot: 1857 Washington, takes place on Saturday, June 3, 2017 with tours on the hour starting at 12pm and the last starting at 3pm. Standard tours of Wheatland are also offered at 10am and 11am. Visit LancasterHistory.org or call 717-392-4633 to purchase your tickets. Advanced tickets strongly recommended as Living History tours often sell out and walk-in space is not guaranteed. Your tickets also include admission to the exhibition galleries.
Join us as we transport you back to 1857 and 1858. President James Buchanan and Secretary of State Lewis Cass discuss intelligence and strategy to capture the freebooter William Walker and his private army which has invaded Nicaragua. Experience and learn of the challenges faced by United States Senate which debated the invasion, as well as the Navy’s arrest of Walker. Did his arrest violate the Neutrality Laws? Experience the debate and learn of Walker’s fate in this May’s Living History at Wheatland!
The Living History at Wheatland program, The Arrest of An American Dictator, takes place on Saturday, May 6, 2017 with tours on the hour starting at 12pm and the last starting at 3pm. Standard tours of Wheatland are also offered at 10am and 11am ONLY. Click here or call 717-392-4633 to purchase your tickets. Advanced tickets strongly recommended as Living History tours often sell out and walk-in space is not guaranteed. Your tickets also include admission to the exhibition galleries.
Horticulturist, lecturer, and John Bartram re-enactor Kirk Brown returns to LancasterHistory.org to portray Frederick Law Olmsted in a dramatic presentation on the life of the father of landscape architecture. Responsible for designing over 6,000 landscapes in North America, Olmsted’s legacy includes the grounds of The White House, Central Park in New York City, and a conservation movement that is still challenging the world today.
Kirk R. Brown is the current Treasurer of the Garden Writers Association and has served that organization in many other volunteer capacities. He is a horticulturist, world-recognized botanist, key note speaker, business lecturer, and dramatist appearing across the United States and Canada. Brown is also a recipient of the Pennsylvania Nursery and Landscape Association “Green Achiever” Award for advancing horticulture in Pennsylvania among many additional accolades. Brown last visited LancasterHistory.org in April 2016 to portray John Bartram, America’s first botanist and father of the nursery industry in the original thirteen colonies.
The colloquium Olmsted: Landscape Architect & Environmental Visionary will take place on Thursday, March 16, 2017 in Ryder Hall at LancasterHistory.org, 230 N President Avenue, Lancaster. A social gathering will begin at 4pm, followed by the lecture from 4:30-5:30pm. This event is free and open to the public.
Lancaster is in danger of invasion! Alarming news has reached Wheatland in Lancaster that the Confederate Army has invaded Pennsylvania! The Rebels have been seen near the bridge at Wrightsville, PA. As you step back to 1863 at Wheatland, you may be stopped by a member of Masonic Lodge 43. Be sure to show him your calling card, tell him you are a friend of the former President, and find out how those at Wheatland are handling this shocking news.
Tours will be offered:
Saturday, September 24
- Standard Tour of Wheatland at 10am and 11am
- Living History Tour at 12pm, 1pm, 2pm, and 3pm
Sunday, September 25
- Living History Tours at 12, 1, 2, and 3pm
We strongly advise making reservations in advance for your tour since tours do fill up and walk-in space is not guaranteed. Please arrive 15 minutes prior to your tour so you may use the facilities and check in.
Visit http://www.LancasterHistory.org/events or call 717-392-4633 to purchase your tickets.
Civil War re-enactors from across the region will set up camp, relive, and remember the Burning of the Wrightsville Bridge and the ensuing Battle of Gettysburg. More than a dozen military and civilian tents will dot the landscape as soldiers and civilians display the equipment and accoutrements of a Federal Union Camp. There will be music, food, and plenty of educational displays.
On Saturday evening at 6:30pm, visitors can experience the camps at dusk as you wind through the grounds lit by luminaries and listen to the voices from the past capture life in the camps through story and song. Good walking shoes recommended.
Living History Encampment Hours:
- September 24, 2016 from 10am-8pm | Torchlight Tours begin at 6:30pm
- September 25, 2016 from 10am-4pm
This is a free event and open to the public.
Join us as we transport you back to September 1866 at the Wheatland Farm of James Buchanan. Desperate for good domestic help, Mr. Buchanan has hired Thomas & Rosanna Gordon, a couple who had resigned from their posts only a few months earlier. Rosanna is the best cook Wheatland has ever had; however, Thomas is, as Mr. Buchanan describes, “anything but agreeable!” When you visit, you will have a unique opportunity to eavesdrop on the arguments and drama that took place at Wheatland in 1866.
The Living History at Wheatland program Anything but Agreeable takes place on Saturday, September 3, 2016 with tours on the hour starting at 12pm and the last starting at 3pm. A standard tour of Wheatland is also offered at 10am & 11am. We strongly advise making reservations in advance for your tour since tours do fill up and walk-in space is not guaranteed. Please arrive 15 minutes prior to your tour so you may use the facilities and check in.
Visit LancasterHistory.org/events or call 717-392-4633 to purchase your tickets.
Join us we transport you back to May 1869!
Members of Harriet Lane Johnston’s family and friends join her at Wheatland where they are feeling nostalgic about moments from the past and sharing stories. They also discuss their experiences with their Uncle James Buchanan and express their deep concerns about his legacy, especially on why their plans and efforts to preserve his legacy continually face resistance.
The Living History at Wheatland program Harriet Lane Johnston takes place on Saturday, May 7, 2016 with tours on the hour starting at noon and the last starting at 3 p.m. Standard tours of Wheatland are also offered at 10am and 11am ONLY.
Visit LancasterHistory.org/events or call 717-392-4633 to purchase your tickets.
