LANCASTER, PA — LancasterHistory will host a new program, "Thaddeus Stevens and the Legacies of Reconstruction" to spotlight a new collecting initiative as part of its Collections Up Close series on Saturday, April 20 at 11am and 2pm at LancasterHistory.

Thaddeus Stevens fought for civil rights and democracy in the 19th century, but his impact has been felt far beyond the three Constitutional Amendments that he helped pass during the Reconstruction Era. Join LancasterHistory’s Dr. Mabel Rosenheck (Director of Education & Exhibition Planning) and Naomi Subotnick (Research & Curatorial Assistant) for a special guided tour of LancasterHistory’s latest exhibition “Thieves & Vagabonds” as well as a pop-up exhibit of new historic artifact acquisitions that together explore social movements from the 19th century to today.

The Collections Up Close series, known for its engaging, conversational setting, allows LancasterHistory staff and visiting experts to showcase significant documents, photographs, and artifacts from the organization's vast collections. These sessions aim to uncover the rich stories behind these items and their contribution to understanding Lancaster County's significant role in American history.

"Thaddeus Stevens & The Legacies of Reconstruction" is part of a new initiative by LancasterHistory to collect materials that tell the long story of freedom, equality, and democracy in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, and around the nation from America’s founding to today. The Legacies of Reconstruction Collection will be held at LancasterHistory alongside 2 million other documents, photographs, books, and artifacts that help tell the stories that make up our diverse community. It will bring these stories into dialogue with people, organizations, and movements of national significance and foster conversations about the meaning of freedom and equality today.

LancasterHistory has begun the process of acquiring new materials related to this history. Among the recent acquisitions:

• 1870 Invitation to a Ball Celebrating the Ratification of the 15th Amendment
• 1946 NAACP Registration Form
• 1970 Newspaper Printing of the Black Panther Party Manifesto
• 1980s “Disabled Americans Rally for Equality” Button
• 1990s Papers of the Lancaster Pink Triangle Coalition

"We want to bring community voices into the museum and community history into this collection," said Rosenheck. "Protests, celebrations, and activism related to civil rights and voting rights in the 20th and 21st centuries are central to the legacy of Reconstruction both nationally and locally. We invite the Lancaster community to donate, loan, or simply share your stories and collections with us. This is America’s story, but it is your story too and we want to make sure your voice is part of that history."

To learn more about LancasterHistory's new collecting initiative or about donating to it, please visit the Donate Objects page on LancasterHistory's website.

"Thaddeus Stevens & The Legacies of Reconstruction" will be held on Saturday, April 20 with presentations at 11am and 2pm at LancasterHistory. The event is free and open to the public, but does require advance registration due to limited capacity. Those interested can reserve tickets for the timeslot of their choice online or by calling LancasterHistory at (717) 392-4633.

About LancasterHistory
LancasterHistory is a community-based, not-for-profit organization established to educate the public on the history of Lancaster County and its place in the history of Pennsylvania and the United States, to advance the missions of regional historical organizations, and to promote the acquisition, preservation, and interpretation of resources representing the history of Lancaster County, Pennsylvania within the broader context of state and national history, including the homes of 15th US President James Buchanan and Congressman Thaddeus Stevens and Lydia Hamilton Smith.

# # # #