Meeting and Events
*** Note new meeting location!*** Monthly meetings are held in the Meeting Room of the new York County History Center facility at 121 N. Pershing Avenue, York, Pennsylvania, unless otherwise noted. Free parking available behind the building. Meetings are free and open to the public, unless otherwise noted. The business portion of the meeting begins at 2:30 PM, followed by the program. To register for in-person attendance or Zoom registration, visit https://www.yorkhistorycenter.org/event/south-central-pennsylvania-genealogical-society To attend via Facebook: Note: Facebook livestreaming of these meetings in no longer available. Use Zoom to watch the meetings live or watch later on the SCPGS playlist of the YCHC You Tube channel. Our upcoming meetings are scheduled as follows ... February 2, 2025, 2:30 p.m.
Veiled Chapters of The Hampton Plantation by Neicy DeShields-Moulton "Veiled Chapters of The Hampton Plantation" is more than just a presentation it is a history lesson; it is a journey of discovery, empathy, and reconciliation. By confronting the obscured narratives right in our backyards, Neicy seeks to deepen our understanding of the complexities of our shared heritage. She hopes to cultivate interest in genealogy among young people and communities, ensuring that these hidden chapters of history are finally brought to light. About Neicy: Neicy DeShields-Moulton is a retired Computer Hardware Engineer with over 27 years of experience in genealogy. As a dedicated member of the African American Historical Society of Lancaster, PA, she also serves as a valued board member at The York County History Center and Museum in York, PA. Beyond her professional achievements, Neicy is deeply passionate about genealogy and family history. She has delivered engaging presentations at various organizations and educational institutions across South Central Pennsylvania and Maryland. Neicy actively contributes to significant projects such as the "Emancipation Across Generations" initiative, where she is part of the heritage guide team. She has also collaborated with Hampton Plantation on the "Tracing Lives Through Slavery: Engaging Hallowed Ground" project and currently serves as a consultant on other related projects. March 2, 2025, 2:30 p.m.
History and Genealogy of New Sweden by Richard K. Konkel, Attorney Pennsylvania has often been called the most non-English of the original 13 Colonies. The first European settlers in what is now Pennsylvania, Delaware, and parts of New Jersey and Maryland were not English, but Swedes and Finns who established the Swedish Colony of New Sweden which existed from 1638 until 1655 when it was taken over by the Dutch, and then eventually the English. This small settlement of Swedish pioneers remained and flourished in the lower Delaware River valley, leaving a large number of descendants in the mid-Atlantic region and beyond. About the speaker: SCPGS Vice President Richard Konkel counts himself as a descendant of some of the original settlers of New Sweden. Richard Konkel is a native of York and has been an attorney here for nearly thirty years. He has been a member of the SCPGS for 40 years. He does much research on ancestors in Germany and America. He practices law at the CGA Law Firm and plays cello in the York Symphony Orchestra. April 6, 2025, 2:30 p.m.
Fairview State Hospital: Pennsylvania's Institution for the "Criminally Insane" by Tyler Stump, Archivist at the Pennsylvania State Archives Join archivist Tyler Stump in learning about this infamous institution and the records at the Pennsylvania State Archives that document the history of people who were incarcerated there. Fairview State Hospital was built in 1912 as an institution for Pennsylvania’s “criminally insane” residents. For nearly a century, the Wayne County facility was home to people from all over PA who were transferred there from other state prisons or hospitals or had been declared insane by the court system. Many people from South Central PA passed through its doors. May 4, 2025, 2:00 p.m. Off-Site program
A visit to the Adams County Historical Society Gettysburg Beyond the Battle Museum 625 Biglerville Road, Gettysburg, PA 17325. Please note that the museum charges a $15 admission per person for this program. If you would like to attend but cannot afford this amount, please come anyway and the SCPGS will cover your fee. We would ask that you notify us in advance that you will require financial assistance so that we have an estimate of how much money we will need. Send your request to [email protected] or [email protected]. The Beyond the Battle Museum features more than 1,000 rare artifacts and the latest technology, exploring more than three centuries of remarkable stories. The premier exhibit—Caught in the Crossfire—invites visitors to step inside a meticulously recreated Civil War-era home and experience the ordeal of Gettysburg’s civilians through sights, sounds, and special effects. While the Museum tour is self-guided, there will be a guided tour offered exclusively to SCPGS of the Charlie Glatfelter Research Room and Archives. June 8, 2025
Hometown History: When Peach Bottom Welsh quarried slate to make roofs that seem to last forever By Jamie Noerpel and Jim McClure In the 1840s, the Welsh came to the Delta-Peach Bottom area to quarry slate, as they had in Wales for generations. The quarries boomed for 75 years and then declined from the World War I era to World War II, but the Welsh influence remains today. When high school students from Wales visited Delta in 2023, some felt that they were in their native country. Some found their hometowns inscribed on tombstones in Slateville Presbyterian Cemetery. “The Welsh cracked the stone in one direction,” the region’s primary history book states, “and split it in the other to make roofs that seem to last forever." About the speakers Jamie Noerpel - After earning a B.A. from York College, Pennsylvania Jamie Noerpel taught high school history for ten years at Milton Hershey School. She now directs the York County Safety Collab, a coalition of law enforcement and the community geared toward youth crime prevention. She earned her M.A. and Ph.D. in American studies from PSU with a focus on history, environmental studies, and literature as well as a certification in folklore and ethnography. She co-founded a website called Witnessing York, writes a local history blog for YDR called Wandering in York County, operates a local history podcast called Hometown History, and launched Project Penny Heaven - an initiative to install a permanent monument in York’s potter’s field. As a born and raised York Countian and an academically trained historian and folklorist, she's here to speak about Welsh from Peach Bottom. James McClure is the retired editor of the York Daily Record/York Sunday News, after serving in leadership positions at the news organization for more than 30 years. In that time, he also served as USA Today Network’s state editor for Pennsylvania, Delaware and Maryland, overseeing six daily newsrooms. He previously served as East Region editor for Digital First Media with oversight of 24 daily newsrooms. He is the author or co-author of 10 books on York County history, including “Never to be Forgotten” in 2024, an expanded and updated general history of York County. In 2025, he was inducted into the Pennsylvania NewsMedia Association Hall of Fame. He is a partner with Jamie Noerpel and Dominish Marie Miller in the streaming/YouTube series “Hometown History.” SCPGS 50th Anniversary Celebration!
Saturday, September 20, 2025, 12 noon to 4 p.m. York County History Center, 121 N. Pershing Ave., York Pennsylvania This year the South Central Pennsylvania Genealogical Society is celebrating the 50th anniversary of the founding of the society. More information will be forthcoming here and in the SCPGS newsletters during the year. PLEASE PLAN TO ATTEND NOW BY SAVING THE DATE! |
PAST PROGRAMS ARCHIVE January 2025 - Show & Tell & Ask November 2024 - Not Your Typical Cemetery - Local Native American Burials October 2024 - Tour of the new PA State Archives August 2024 - A Visit to YCHC’s New Reading & Research Room May 2024 - A Visit to Conewago Chapel, the Basilica of the Sacred Heart of Jesus April 2024 - Research at the New Pennsylvania State Archives Building March 2024 - How to Find a Needle in a Haystack Without Even Looking February 2024 - Tracking the Migration of Black Families January 2024 - Show & Tell November 2023 - Catharine Ziegler and Her Defense after Being Accused of Witchcraft in 1829 in York County October 2023 - The 1863 Pennsylvania Campaign August 2023 - Pennsylvania German Language Heritage June 2023 - Unearthing Camp Security May 2023 - Tour of Saint Luke's Union Church Cemetery April 2023 - Researching PA Civil War Draft Records March 2023 - Pennsylvania Prison Records February 2023 - African American Genealogy January 2023 - Show & Tell & Ask November 2022 - Revisiting Online Research of German Ancestors October 2022 - Indian Languages Influence in the Susquehanna Region August 2022 - Using Online Deeds in Family History Research June 2022 - Henry James Young Awards May 2022 - Researching the History of Institutionalized People in Pennsylvania Apr 2022 - The Challenges Facing the Continental Congress in York Mar 2022 - 18th Century Gunsmithing in Eastern PA Feb 2022 - PA’s Celtic Language Heritage Jan 2022 - The Architecture of the Dempwolfs Nov 2021 - The Churches and Chaplains of York County During the Civil War Oct 2021 - Genealogical Resources of the York County History Center’s Library and Archives Aug 2021 - Pennsylvania State Archives’ Online Resources Jun 2021 -History of the Henry James Young Award May 2021 - MA & PA Railroad Heritage Village visit Apr 2021 - Cumberland County Records Mar 2021 - PA State Archives Moves Into the Future Feb 2021 - York County Coroner's Office Aug 2020 - Using Online Newspaper Collections in Research Oct 2020 - Genealogical Adventures During the Pandemic Nov 2020 - Using Oral History in Genealogical Research |
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Contact Information
South Central Pennsylvania Genealogical Society PO Box 1824 York, PA 17405 email: [email protected] |
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