Onsite Programs & Tours

These programs are offered free of charge for our educational members. Admission is $4.00 per child for non-member schools and children's groups.

Fighting the Flames
Visit the 1903 firehouse and learn how York County's 72 fire companies function. Students will gain an understanding of fire fighting and the important impact firefighters, both professional and volunteer, have had on our community. The prevention of fires and fire safety will be stressed.
Location: Fire Museum
Time: 1 hour

Art Through the Ages (new and improved!)
A lesson in art enables students to examine the "anatomy" of a painting. At the Bonham House, they will hear about nineteenth-century York artist Horace Bonham. Activities include a personal exercise in art appreciation.
Location: Bonham House
Time: 1 hour
Bonus: Add a walking tour of York's murals for no extra charge! (30 minutes)

You Say You Want a Revolution? (expanded!)
Students are introduced to a time when York was the capital of the United States. In the Colonial Courthouse, students will re-enact the trial of Daniel Batwell, accused of treason in 1778. A tour of the General Gates House will include a discussion of the Marquis de Lafayette and the Conway Cabal.
Location: General Gates House, Colonial Courthouse
Time: 1 hour
Bonus: Add a walking tour of Colonial York for no extra charge! (30 minutes)

York County During the Civil War (new and improved!)
Students learn about one of our nation's most tragic times through the experience of costumed Civil War interpreters. They will meet Cassandra Small, a member of the Farquhar family and a Confederate soldier, all of whom will share their personal experiences as to the occupation of York County by Confederate forces in 1863.
Location: Bonham House
Time: 1 hour
Bonus: Add a walking tour of Civil War York for no extra charge! (30 minutes)

Farming, a York County Institution (new and improved!)
Assess the reasons as to why agricultural has thrived here in York County. Learn about farming as a business and early farming machines. Students tour the Bradley Gallery agricultural exhibits and play the "Grain Game".
Location: Industrial and Agricultural Museum
Time: 1 hour

Insight on Inventions (new and improved!)
Discover some of York County's local inventors, such as Phineas Davis, S. Morgan Smith, and A.B. Farquhar. Using the giant A-Frame compressor, which has been restored for museum demonstrations, students will learn how large machines operate and how inventions change and improve our way of life.
Location: Industrial and Agricultural Museum
Time: 1 hour

Big Mill-Simple System?
Test your students' math and reasoning skills during a tour of the Grist Mill. Using the fully operational water powered Bradley Grist Mill, students will explore how different mechanical systems interact to achieve the desired product: flour. This program also examines the importance of milling operations on a community's infrastructure.
Location: Industrial and Agricultural Museum
Time: 1 hour

On the Home Front
The year is 1941 and the United States has entered World War Two. York's industries are ready with the York Plan. Workers in York follow the slogan "To do what we can with what we have." As York leads the battle for production, the friends and relatives of the service men and women do the best they can. This program examines how the York Plan helped to win the war and what it was like in wartime York.
Location: Industrial and Agricultural Museum
Time: 1 hour