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Welcome!

Located in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, the Adams County Historical Society preserves and protects over one million historic items that tell the story of one of America's most remarkable communities. Join us and travel back through over 300 years of history.

 

HOLIDAY CLOSING: The Adams County Historical Society will be closed for the Thanksgiving holiday from Thursday, Nov. 28 - Saturday, Nov. 30. We will reopen on Wednesday, December 4. 

 

Did your ancestors live in Adams County? Do you own a historic property in the area? Want to learn more about how average people dealt with their community becoming the site of the largest battle ever fought in the western hemisphere? If your answer to any of these questions is yes, the Adams County Historical Society (ACHS) is the place for you!

Founded in 1940 but with origins dating to the 1880s, ACHS holds Adams County’s most precious documents, including vital records, church records, wills and estate papers, tax ledgers, deed books, family collections, 100,000+ photographs, business and organization records, and so much more. Our headquarters is also home to the Battle of Gettysburg Research Center, a library and archive assembled by and for students of the Civil War with an emphasis on the role played by local civilians before, during, and after the Battle of Gettysburg.

 

 

Our Impact

  • Visitors this Year

    728

  • Volunteer Hours This Year

    4,108

  • Historic Collections Saved

    10,734

  • Historic Items Cataloged

    58,338

Recent Posts and Articles

November 19, 2019
byAndrew I. Dalton

How did children and teenagers remember the Gettysburg Address? Read a selection of chilling accounts by eyewitnesses to Lincoln's speech 156 years ago today.

November 14, 2019
byBob Scappini

Learn about innovators from Adams County.

  • The Adams County Historical Society preserves thousands of priceless photographs, and has done so diligently since its founding in 1940. The society’s work is vitally important to protecting Adams County’s rich historical past, and I have been a proud member and supporter of ACHS since 1982.

  • Larry C. Bolin
    Larry C. Bolin
© 2019 Adams County Historical Society
Privacy Policy

Privacy Policy

  1. What Information Do We Collect? When you visit our website you may provide us with two types of information: personal information you knowingly choose to disclose that is collected on an individual basis and website use information collected on an aggregate basis as you and others browse our website.
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  7. Notice of New Services and Changes Occasionally, we may use the information we collect to notify you about important changes to our website, new services and special offers we think you will find valuable. As a user of our website, you will be given the opportunity to notify us of your desire not to receive these offers by clicking on a response box when you receive such an offer or by sending us an email request.
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  9. How Do We Protect Your Information? Information Security -- We utilize encryption/security software to safeguard the confidentiality of personal information we collect from unauthorized access or disclosure and accidental loss, alteration or destruction. Evaluation of Information Protection Practices -- Periodically, our operations and business practices are reviewed for compliance with organization policies and procedures governing the security, confidentiality and quality of our information. Employee Access, Training and Expectations -- Our organization values, ethical standards, policies and practices are committed to the protection of user information. In general, our business practices limit employee access to confidential information, and limit the use and disclosure of such information to authorized persons, processes and transactions.
  10. How Can You Access and Correct Your Information? You may request access to all your personally identifiable information that we collect online and maintain in our database by emailing us using the contact form provided to you within the site structure of our website.
  11. Do We Disclose Information to Outside Parties? We may provide aggregate information about our customers, sales, website traffic patterns and related website information to our affiliates or reputable third parties, but this information will not include personally identifying data, except as otherwise provided in this privacy policy.
  12. What About Legally Compelled Disclosure of Information? We may disclose information when legally compelled to do so, in other words, when we, in good faith, believe that the law requires it or for the protection of our legal rights.
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Terms & Conditions

Terms & Conditions

Donation Refund Policy

We are grateful for your donation and support of our organization. If you have made an error in making your donation or change your mind about contributing to our organization please contact us. Refunds are returned using the original method of payment. If you made your donation by credit card, your refund will be credited to that same credit card.

Automated Recurring Donation Cancellation

Ongoing support is important to enabling projects to continue their work, so we encourage donors to continue to contribute to projects over time. But if you must cancel your recurring donation, please notify us.