Welcome! The Historical Society of Harford County, Inc. is a not-for-profit membership organization whose mission is to collect, preserve, present, promote, and interpret the rich and diverse history of the County area, in its regional context, from its prehistoric origins to the present. The Society currently preserves over 250,000 documents and some 500 artifacts. The Society uses its facilities, library, archives, digital data bases, artifacts, systematic historical research, and creative educational opportunities to ensure that the County’s past are accessible to the public, local and worldwide, today and in the future. The Society was incorporated in 1885 and welcomes all interested persons to enjoy its many activities, services, and facilities. The Society motto is: "Preserving Our Past for Your Future." We proudly report that the Society recently received the “Award for Excellence.” Thus, it joins a small group of outstanding non-profit organizations in Maryland that have qualified for the award

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Headquarters, Photographed in April 2010 by El Penski

HEADQUARTERS
    For many years the Society moved among a series of temporary sites. In 1990, the Society Headquarters and Archives were located at 33 West Courtland Street, Bel Air, the Archives were to be found at Southampton Middle School, and the Court Records were situated in the "Old Aberdeen High School." Finally, in 1992, the they were moved into the "Old Bel Air Post Office." This lovely, neo-colonial facility is located at 143 North Main Street (at the corner of Main and Gordon Streets). It is the focal point for Society services and activities. Maps & Directions

ACTIVITIES; (Open to public) Summary of 2012 Schedule, PDF
     The Society holds regular dinner meetings, lectures, tours, open houses, classes, and other programs on the heritage of Harford County. Please call for reservations, 410-838-7691.

• Gift Shop at Headquarters, it is open during regular hours of the Society.
• The Hays House Museum is open March through mid-December, Sundays from 1 to 4 pm and to groups by appointment. Special events are made possible in part by a grant from the Maryland Council for the Arts through the Harford County Cultural Arts Board and Harford County Government. All events take place at Hays House unless otherwise indicated. Call 410-838-7691. $3.00 for adults, $2.00 for students and seniors. Children under 4 years old & Historical Society of Harford County members are free. Special event admission is $5.00 for adults, $3.00 for students and seniors. Maps & Directions For more information regarding any event please contact the Historical Society of Harford County, Inc. at 410-838-7691, 410-838-1213, or concert@hayshouse.org
• Archives and Research Library Open, 10 AM - 2 PM, Fourth Saturday of every month January through October, for other times see below, Headquarters. $4.00 fee for nonmembers.
• BUS TRIP, May 14, 2012, This years trip will be to Antietam National Battlefield in Sharpsburg, MD. The tour will include an on-bus tour guide, visit to the Museum. $75 per person. 54 seats available. Trip includes, travel to and from the Battlefield, entrance fees, on bus professional guide, lunch and snacks. Send check with lunch choice to Historical Society of Harford County, 143 N. Main Street, Bel Air, MD 21014. Starbucks and Wegmans have generously agreed to provide coffee and snacks for the trip from Bel Air. We will have water and drinks available on the bus plus a light snack during the tour. Our tour guide, Mr. John Schildt, is one of the most experienced guides from the Battlefield Park. He will conduct the tour on the bus and at stops around the park. Lunch will be a sit down lunch with three choices for entre. We will be eating lunch at the Applause Banquet Room. Choices: Sliced Roast Beef, Marinated Grilled Chicken Breast or Baked Ziti. Please indicate your lunch choice when you send in your reservation and check. Applause Caterers opened their doors in the new Academy Theater Banquet and Conference Center at 58 E. Washington Street, Hagerstown, MD on November 1, 2008. Once an abandoned warehouse, the Tusing Building has been transformed into a beautiful theater, banquet and conference facility. For more information visit Antietam National Battlefield
• ART EXHIBIT AND WINE & CHEESE EVENING, June 7, 2012, 6:30 pm – 10 pm. Historical Society Headquarters. Exhibit featuring the Society’s recently received gift of the collected artwork of the late Mary Woodward. Evening reception. Admission TBA. 410-838-7691
• YARD SALE, June 16, 2012, Headquarters, 9 AM - 3 PM.
• Independence Day Open House, July 4, 2012, Hays House Museum, 9 AM -12 PM, Special activities! Period music by the Catherine Street Consort. Admission: Free
• SUMMER HISTORICAL LECTURE & TEA, August 5, 2012, Historical Society Headquarters, 2 pm. Second in a series of four local history lectures. Speaker TBA. Talk only – No Charge. Tea & talk - $10.00, 410-838-7691
• Celebrate Grandparents Day! Take a Walk on the Wild Side, September 9, 2012, Hays House Museum, 1 - 4 PM, Enjoy a visit with wildlife rehabilitator Kathy Woods and her feathered and scaled critters. Get answers to your wildlife rescue questions. Learn about honeybees from Dennis Hertzog of the Susquehanna Beekeepers Association. Admission: $5 adults, $3 Students and Seniors
• BOOK SALE, October 13 & 14, 2012 Hundreds of pre-owned vintage and contemporary books in a variety of subject areas. Sat. 9 am- 4 pm, Sun. 11 am - 4 pm.
• ANNUAL DINNER & LECTURE, September 20, 2012, The Clarion, Aberdeen, MD, 6:30 pm – 10 pm. Dinner and speaker TBA. Sponsored by The Historical Society of Harford County. Reservations required, 410-838-7691
• Parlor Concert featuring Planxty Plaid, October 28, 2012, Hays House Museum, 6 PM, Listen to a concert of Celtic and traditional music in the Hays House parlor by Planxty Plaid—fiddle player JoAnn Appel and guitar player Jim Selway. Light Refreshments will be served. Seating is limited. Reservations Required, Call 410-592-8693 or 410-838-7691. Admission: $8.00
• The Art of Hearth Cooking, November 11, 2012, Hays House Museum, 1 - 4 PM, Preserving Our Past Series, Be an 18th century locavore! Experience the sounds and aromas of seasonal foods prepared at the hearth by Mercy Ingraham, a renowned 18th century culinary expert, history interpreter, and food writer for Early American Life. Admission: $5 adults, $3 Students and Seniors
• Model Train Show, Working model trains from the Harford Modular Model Railroad Group, November 17, 2012 to Mid December, Headquarters, Adults $4; Children $2; 4 years & under free. 410-838-7691
• Holiday Open House, December 2, 2012, Hays House Museum, 1 - 4 PM, Visit while the Hays House is richly arrayed in natural decorations for the holidays. Music by the Catherine Street Consort. Admission: Donations appreciated
• GREENS SALE & OPEN HOUSE, December 8, 2012, 9 am - 3 pm, Headquarters, Live greens, both loose and specially created holiday arrangements. Gift shop. Refreshments. Free Admission. 410-838-7691
• Colonial Candlelight Christmas Concert and Tea, Emmanuel Church in Bel Air, December 9 2012, 4 PM, Enjoy an exquisite holiday concert by Musica Antiqua performing on period instruments. Tea in the British tradition follows the concert. Reservations Required, Admission: $8.00, Call 410-592-8693 or 410-838-7691.

THE ARCHIVES;  (Open Wednesdays from 9 AM to 3 PM and the 4th Saturday of Month from 10 AM to 2 PM except around holidays)
     A unique aspect of research materials is the more than 250,000 of original source items dating back to the 1600s. These include plats, deeds, letters, diaries, scrapbooks, ledgers, documents, maps, postcards, Booth playbills, newspapers, and legal and business correspondence. Over 7000 photographic images complement the collection. If you need information on your historic home, a home of your ancestors, or a historic house you might buy, come to the Archives for help. All items are preserved in a professional manner and are carefully cataloged and cross-indexed. Skilled attendants are eager to assist researchers. Click for an Overview of Archives Collection. For sample documents click on  Old Licenses or Havre de Grace Harbor, 1837. $4.00 fee for non-members.

COURT RECORDS;  (Open Tuesdays between 9 AM & 3 PM, except around holidays).
     The Society holds many of the early records of Harford County courts. Records begin about 1774 when Harford County came into existence. Cataloging has proceeded up to about the mid 19th century. The materials are being cataloged and indexed by volunteers for use by researchers. Volunteers hope to eventually have all of the records computerized to assist researchers in finding material for future projects. The records provide background on everything from criminal charges to land transactions, bastardy cases, indentures and emancipation of slaves and servants and more. $4.00 fee for non-members.

EXHIBITS; (Open anytime the Library, Archives, Family History, or Court Records are open)
     The headquarters building contains a series of exhibits reflective of both county history and the Society's varied collections. Most exhibits change on a regular basis. Native American rock carvings are one of the permanent exhibits.

FAMILY HISTORY (GENEALOGY);  (Same hours as the Library below)
     The Society is an excellent resource center for family history in Harford County, Maryland and adjacent areas that provides tours of the facility and assistance in locating family records. For details click here: Indices, Files, Family Histories, and Reference Books. If you are a researcher unable to visit our library click on History, Genealogical, & Cemetery Research Services . $4.00 fee for non-members.

THE HAYS HOUSE MUSEUM;  (Sundays 1 to 4 PM except winter break from the December holidays until early March)
     The Hays House Museum is located at 324 Kenmore Avenue, near the Bel Air High School, in Bel Air, Maryland. The Hays House was built in 1788 and is the oldest house in Bel Air. The Historical Society of Harford County, Inc., operates the historic house as a museum whose mission is to be a history-in-action museum and a valuable educational resource that illustrates and re-creates to the extent possible the social, cultural, economic, and practical aspects of the daily life of rural gentry primarily during the historical period 1788-1820. Hays House is open every Sunday, 1 to 4 pm, except for winter break (see above), and others days by appointment. Admission is $3.00 for adults, $2.00 for students and seniors. Children under 4 years old and Historical Society of Harford County members are free. Special event admission is $5.00 for adults, $3.00 for students and seniors. Maps & Directions   For more information regarding any event please contact the Historical Society of Harford County, Inc. at 410-838-7691, 410-838-1213, or concert@hayshouse.org Click here to go to Hays House Web Site
All Hays House Museum Special Events are sponsored by the Historical Society of Harford County, Inc., and are made possible in part by a grant from the Maryland Council for the Arts through the Harford County Cultural Arts Board and Harford County Government.

RESEARCH LIBRARY;  (Open Thursdays from 9 AM to 3 PM and the 4th Saturday of Month from 10 AM to 2 PM except around holidays)
     The Society possesses an extensive collection of print material on Harford County and Maryland history. All materials are cataloged, many are indexed, and attendants are happy to help researchers. Maps, microfilm, newspapers, vertical file materials, and African-American history files are also part of the collection. A team of volunteers is creating PastPerfect digital data bases. A list of some of the more valuable books available can seen at "Book List". If you are interested in research, but unable to visit our library, click on History, Genealogical, & Cemetery Research Services. $4.00 fee for non-members.

MEMBERSHIP
     The Historical Society of Harford County welcomes individuals, families, and organizations of all backgrounds, ages, and degrees of interest and involvement. The only requisite for membership is a genuine commitment to the county and its people, and the payment of annual dues (a portion of which is tax deductible). The Society encourages all members to become as active as they can. The Society is run mostly by volunteers. Members get the occasional Bulletin, meeting notices, use of the all Society research collections, admission to the Hays House Museum, Headquarters museum, advanced invitations to Society dinners, programs, and activities, and the Newsletter free. See below.
For Membership Enrollment Form.

PUBLICATIONS

• The Harford Historical Bulletin, the Society's illustrated journal, is published a few times a year and mailed free to all members. Back issues of Bulletins are sold through the mail and at the Society Headquarters. Buy Bulletins by mail!      Index to All Bulletins
• The Newsletter is mailed free to members six times a year, and it contains committee reports, future activities, items of interest and pictures. A new Archives of Newsletters is being established.
• Special publications, Bulletin's, and books are sold at the Society Headquarters or by mail:  Books for Sale.
• The 2010 Annual Report is available here on the web, and the back issues of Annual Reports are also available on the About Us page.