Historical Society Purchases St. Cecilia’s Church in Exeter

          April 2, 2025 - Will Conyngham, President of the Luzerne County Historical Society, said today, “We are very excited to announce the Society purchased St. Cecilia’s Church in Exeter Borough, Luzerne County. Once renovations are completed, it will serve as a unique resource for Luzerne County, including the West Side of the Wyoming Valley. It will contain historic county artifacts and exhibits in a museum, a research library, a community meeting and event room, and offices. While the Society will continue to utilize its current buildings in Wilkes-Barre and retain our presence there, the acquisition is a wonderful opportunity for the growth and future of our organization, which has served County residents for over 165 years.”

Conyngham noted the Society uses and maintains five buildings, four of which are 130 to 234 years old: the Bishop Memorial Library (1876); Museum (1893), Denison House (1790), Swetland Homestead (1803), and Darling House. Unfortunately, age, space limitations, and past flooding of the Library and Museum have forced the Society to look for additional space in the County to better preserve and exhibit many of its resources and serve its membership and the general public.

He explained that the Society had explored several relocation options, including the Sterling Hotel complex in Wilkes-Barre, the D&H Railroad Station and other buildings in Wilkes-Barre, and the construction of a new multi-purpose facility on its Swetland Homestead property in Wyoming Borough. None of these options proved to be suitable or financially viable.

Michelle Knight, Society Executive Director, made note of several high points to the building purchase. "We are not only thrilled to expand our capacity for collections, archives, and exhibits, but to reach folks in Luzerne County that want to learn and engage with our collective past so that we can build on and grow together as a community.”

She noted that “LCHS is the oldest county historical society in the Commonwealth and we are excited to grow and become a community gathering place to connect and learn about all corners of the county. This new space will serve as an educational hub to teach future generations about our storied past and whether your family arrived before the Revolution or you are brand new in town, there is always something to appreciate and learn about! We have some exciting plans coming together with a major focus being our desire to bring the community together as we make this vision a reality.”