Looking for something to do this winter? Visit the Luzerne County Historical Society Museum, which has a collection of historical artifacts, photographs and documents on view, telling fascinating local stories. The Museum is open four days per week, year-round, at 69 Rear South Franklin Street in Wilkes-Barre, PA. A downtown Wilkes-Barre landmark since its construction in 1893, the LCHS Museum rotates its exhibits twice a year to better share our nearly 300 years of settled history in Luzerne County, as well as the long Native history before it.
Exhibitions currently on view at the Museum:
- “Let’s Go Shopping! Stores of Yesteryear”reminisces about the shops and stores in Wilkes-Barre and Luzerne County during the 1800s and 1900s. The exhibition draws from the LCHS collection of photos, documents and objects, offering a walk down memory lane past famous favorites like Woolworth’s (which got its start in Wilkes-Barre), and local favorites including Blum Brothers and Isaac Long’s. The last day to see “Let’s Go Shopping” will be Saturday, March 2, 2019.
- “The Battle of Wyoming at 240: Revolution on the Homefront”remembers one of the bloodiest American defeats of the Revolutionary War. The exhibition draws from the LCHS collection with paintings, drawings letters and objects related to the battle. It also includes the words of survivors from their accounts. The battle and its aftermath shaped Valley history for decades. “The Battle of Wyoming” will be up until early summer.
- “Native Americans in the Wyoming Valley”offers context about native life in Luzerne County from the prehistoric era through the mid-1800s. Explore some of the tools that area Indians used to catch and make food, defend themselves, decorate their living space and construct their homes. Learn about Luzerne County people whose lives were changed when European and native populations intersected here. “Native Americans in the Wyoming Valley” is ongoing.
The Luzerne County Museum is located at 69 Rear South Franklin Street in Wilkes-Barre, PA (behind the Osterhout Library). The museum is open Wednesday through Friday from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m. and on Saturday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Admission is free for members; $5 for non-members and $3 for children.