Meeting and Events

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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
Use Zoom to watch the meetings live or watch later on the  SCPGS playlist of the YCHC You Tube channel.
Note: Facebook livestreaming of these meetings in no longer available. 
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​Our upcoming meetings are scheduled as follows ...

June 14, 2026
​Henry James Young Awards
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July 2026
​No Meeting
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August 30, 2026
​Tour the York County History Center’s new Revolutionary York Exhibit 
Led by Nicole Smith

The first temporary exhibit since the York County History Center’s new museum opened in 2024, this installation explores life in York County during the American Revolution, the achievements of the Continental Congress in York, and what independence means to our community today. It features such treasures as an original 1777 printing of the Articles of Confederation, a 1775 Committee of Safety letter, a York Blues militia book, and imprints from the Hall and Sellers press. Admission to the exhibit is free to those attending this SCPGS meeting. 

Nicole Smith is Vice President of Interpretation and oversees exhibits and collections. She served as Director of Library & Archives at the York County History Center from 2019 - 2024.
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October 4, 2026
​York County Barns
Presented by Greg Huber

Ever since the first settlers arrived in York County, barns have served to store crops, protect animals, and house farming implements. Presented by a leading expert on Pennsylvania barns, this program will provide a look at various types of barns and representative examples in York County.

Greg Huber of Eastern Barn Consultants, Macungie, PA, has been studying and documenting barns for more than 50 years, with an emphasis on those in Pennsylvania and the Mid-Atlantic region. In those five decades, he has recorded to varying degrees more than 5,000 barns. He is the author of The Historic Barns of Southeastern Pennsylvania: Architecture & Preservation, Built 1750-1900 (Schiffer, 2017). 
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November 1, 2026
The Old Order River Brethren – Still on the Quest for Piety and Obedience!
Presented by John S. Dietz

Once nicknamed “Yorkers” owing to their mid-nineteenth-century origin and early concentration in York County, the Old Order River Brethren began as a conservative movement among the River Brethren (now Brethren in Christ). Usually counted among the Plain People of Pennsylvania, the Old Order River Brethren continue the historic practices of plain dress, baptism by immersion, congregational signing without instruments, and worship in homes and barns. A member of this group, John Dietz will discuss their history, beliefs and practices. 

John S. Dietz is a member of the Old Order River Brethren, Lancaster District South, and he works to preserve the history of his church. With a background in education, he currently teaches parttime at Sonlight River Brethren School in Lancaster County.  On the side, he engaged in organic farming, and his family has a farm stand just off the Lincoln Highway between Hallam and Wrightsville at 141 Stricklers Lane.

January 3, 2027
Give Me Liberty or Give Me Lunch!: A Culinary Exploration of the Revolutionary War Period
Presented by Lydia Stayer

The culinary scene during the Revolutionary War was a time of blending European traditions, native agricultural staples, and improvisation due to supply shortages. "Give Me Liberty or Give Me Lunch!" will provide attendees with the opportunity to explore the ingredients, cooking preparations, as well as dishes and beverages that were common during this period in history. Following the presentation, savory dishes and sweet treats will be available for sampling. 

Lydia Stayer is a special education teacher in York County and holds teaching certifications in Elementary Education, Special Education, and Family and Consumer Science Education. When she is not fulfilling her teaching duties, she enjoys expanding her culinary knowledge through reading cookbooks and trying her hand at new recipes.

February 7, 2027
“We Find No Freedom … in Anything by Which Men’s Lives are Destroyed or Hurt”: Pennsylvania Mennonites and the American Revolution
Presented by Steve Nolt

The American Revolution brought ideas and question about liberty to the fore, and many people made sacrifices for what they believed to be the cause of freedom. But not everyone understood liberty and freedom in the same way. Mennonites were among those who appreciated the freedom they had found in Pennsylvania but were unwilling to sacrifice what they believed was Christ’s call to live peaceably with all. Their convictions placed them in a difficult and unpopular position during the Revolution. They sought to explain their beliefs in letters and petitions, but ended up losing many of their political rights when they would neither fight nor swear loyalty to the new state government after 1776. Their experience is an example of the tension between majority rule and minority rights, and of competing notions of loyalty, liberty, and religious conviction. This presentation will focus on Mennonites, but the experience of other Pennsylvania peace churches, from Quakers and Moravians to Brethren and Schwenkfelders, will necessarily surface, as well.

Steve Nolt is the Director of the Young Center for Anabaptist and Pietist Studies at Elizabethtown College. He is the author of numerous books and articles on Mennonite, Amish, and broader Pennsylvania German history and contemporary life. Local and national media frequently call upon him to provide expert insight into the history, life and practices of the Amish.

March 7, 2027
Revolutionary Roots – our annual show-and-tell meeting

This meeting will be our annual opportunity to share information about ancestors, research or sources and to ask questions for the group to consider. In keeping with the 250th anniversary of our country’s founding, we would like you to focus on the American Revolution.  Who is your favorite Revolutionary War ancestor? What unique source of information about that period have you found? Where did your family live in the late eighteenth century and why? While the focus of this meeting will be the Revolutionary period, other topics for consideration are welcome.

April 4, 2027
Tour of the Hanover Area Historical Society’s Hormel History and Research Center

In the fall of 2024, the Hanover Area Historical Society opened the Hormel History and Research Center at the Guthrie Library in Hanover, PA. The Center includes the Society’s Yelland Research Library and Archives and the collections of Guthrie’s Pennsylvania Reading Room. It holds a wealth of historical and genealogical information on families, places and events in Hanover and the surrounding areas in York and Adams Counties. You will hear from Terri Altland, Executive Director of the Historical Society, as well as from a knowledgeable volunteer will provide a survey of the available resources. An optional tour of the Historical Society’s Warehime-Myers Mansion and museum may be offered.

​We will meet at the Guthrie Library at 2:30 p.m. for this program. More details to come. 

May 2, 2027
Tour of Historic Guinston Presbyterian Church
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Founded in 1754, Guinston Presbyterian Church near Arville, PA is among the oldest religious congregations in York County. Its historic stone meeting house—whose construction was completed in 1774--still stands, surrounded by its cemetery. Join one of the church’s historians in an exploration of the old church building and the grounds.

The meeting time is subject to change; more details to come. 
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June 13, 2027
The Women and Children of Camp Security
Presented by Benjamin Werkley

The Revolutionary War era prisoner of war camp in York County known as Camp Security, its prisoners, and its guards have long been a point of fascination for the residents of York County. The nearly 400 women and children held there are often mentioned in presentations and literature on the site, but they are rarely the focus of that programing. This presentation seeks to further illuminate their history by bringing them to the forefront of the story, arguing that they formed an essential part of Camp Security shaping it in numerous ways. This presentation will explore the history of both the large number of women and children that accompanied the prisoners as well as the few women present among the guards, providing an interesting and thought-provoking new perspective not only on Camp Security itself but also on prisoners of war during the American Revolution as a whole.

​Benjamin Werkley is a graduate student at James Madison University where he is pursuing his Master of Arts in History with a concentration in public history. Werkley holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Public History from York College of Pennsylvania. Much of his recent work has focused on how women and children interacted with the prisoner of war system during the American Revolution and eighteenth century militaries more broadly. He currently serves as a historical researcher on the board of the Friends of Camp Security.
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​PAST PROGRAMS ARCHIVE
May 2026 - PA Rev War militia records
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April 2026 -  Revolutionary War Veterans of Prospect Hill Cemetery

March 2026 - Using Estate Records
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February 2026 - Mt Pisgah Cemetery
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January 2026 - Show & Tell & Ask
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November 2025 - A Tour of the Quaker Meeting House

August 2025 - Carnival of Grief:  Lincoln Funeral Train

June 2025 - When Peach Bottom Welsh quarried slate to make roofs that seem to last forever
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April 2025 - Farview State Hospital: Pennsylvania's Institution for the "Criminally Insane"

March 2025 - History and Genealogy of New Sweden

February 2025 - Veiled Chapters of The Hampton Plantation
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January 2025 - Show & Tell & Ask
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November 2024 - Not Your Typical Cemetery - Local Native American Burials
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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
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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
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August 2023 - Pennsylvania German Language Heritage

June 2023 - Unearthing Camp Security
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​May 2023 - Tour of Saint Luke's Union Church Cemetery
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April 2023 - Researching PA Civil War Draft Records

March 2023 - Pennsylvania Prison Records
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February 2023 - African American Genealogy

January 2023  - Show & Tell & Ask
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​November 2022  - Revisiting Online Research of German Ancestors

October 2022 - Indian Languages Influence in the Susquehanna Region
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August 2022 - Using Online Deeds in Family History Research
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June 2022 - Henry James Young Awards
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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
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Feb 2022 - PA’s Celtic Language Heritage

​Jan 2022 - The Architecture of the Dempwolfs
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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
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Mar 2021 - PA State Archives Moves Into the Future

Feb 2021 - York County Coroner's Office
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Aug 2020 - Using Online Newspaper Collections in Research

Oct 2020 - Genealogical Adventures During the Pandemic

Nov 2020 - Using Oral History in Genealogical Research