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The Historical Society
of Harford County, Inc.
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
This site is updated very frequently, sometimes daily.
Please adjust the internet settings of your software to get
the latest version.
Headquarters,
Photographed in February 1994
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)
The Society holds regular dinner meetings, lectures, tours, open houses, classes,
and other programs on the heritage of Harford County. Please call for reservations,
410-734-6894.
- Gift Shop at Headquarters, it is open during regular hours of the Society.
Call Lena Caron to help at 410-838-7691.
- Hays House is open every Sunday,
1 - 4 PM,
except from the holidays in December until it reopens March 1, 2009 after
winter break,
and others days by appointment. 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.
- Independence Day Open House, Free, Special activities, July 4, 2009,
Hays House Museum, 9 AM - noon, Music by the Catherine Street Consort.
- Ice Cream Social, August 16, 2009, Hays House Museum,
1 - 4 PM, $5 adults, $3 Students & Seniors,
Annual ice cream party at the Hays House Museum with an 18th century
hands-on history theme.
- Kitchen Garden Herbs, September 20, 2009, Hays House Museum,
1 -4 PM, $5 adults, $3 Students & Seniors,
Harvest and use herbs as our ancestors did in early America. Learn culinary,
household, and medicinal uses of herbs then and now.
- Annual Meeting, Maryland Golf and Country Club,
September 24, 2009, 6:45 PM.
- Native American Exhibit, November 8, 2009, Hays House Museum,
1 - 4 PM, $5 adults, $3 Students & Seniors,
Display of Native American clothing, culture, and beadwork
Exhibit by the Archaeology Society of the Northern Chesapeake.
- Holiday Open House, December 6, 2009, Hays House Museum,
1 - 4 PM, Donations appreciated,
The museum is richly arrayed in natural decorations for the holidays.
- Colonial Candlelight Christmas Concert and Tea
December 13, 2009, 4 PM, Emmanuel Church
in Bel Air, $20, Reservations Required Exquisite annual holiday
concert by Musica Antiqua performing on period instruments.
Tea in the British tradition follows the concert. Reservations!
Call 410-592-8693 or 410-838-7691. $20
For more information regarding any event please
contact the Historical Society of Harford County, Inc. at 410-838-7691
or concert@hayshouse.org.
Past Activities
of the Historical Society of Harford County since October 2003
THE ARCHIVES;
(Open Wednesdays 8 AM - 2 PM
and 4th Saturday of Month
from 10 AM - 2 PM
except around holidays)
A unique aspect of research materials is the tens of thousands of original
source items dating back to the 1668. These include plats, letters,
diaries, scrapbooks, ledgers,
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 10 - 12 AM & 1 - 2:30
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.
$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)
The Society is an excellent resource center for family history in Harford
County, Maryland and adjacent areas. 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 9 AM - 3
PM and 4th Saturday of Month from
10 AM - 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 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
Bulletin, meeting notices, use of the all Society research collections,
admission to the Hays House Museum, Headquarters museum, discounts at Society shops,
advanced invitations
to all Society dinners, programs, and activities,
and the Newsletter free.
Membership Application
PUBLICATIONS
The Harford Historical Bulletin, the Society's illustrated journal,
is published a few times a year and mailed free to all members. The Newsletter
is mailed free to members six times a year, and it containes committee reports, future
activities, items of interest and pictures. Special publications, Bulletin's, and books
are sold at the Society Headquarters or by mail:
Books for Sale.
Back issues of Bulletins are sold throught the mail and at the
Society Headquarters.
Buy Bulletins by mail!
Index to All Bulletins
The Board of Directors, Great Volunteers,
February 5, 2007
From left to right:
Back Row: Phillip Raub, Patrick Spicer, Walter Potter, Arthur Coates,
Robert Preston, Richard
Sherrill, Joe Swisher (President), Jeffrey Sawyer (1st Vice-President), Millicent Jordan
(2nd Vice-President)
Front Row: Robert Mercado, Mary Cardwell, Glenda Unzelmann,
Patricia Hathaway, James
Chrismer, Richard Fox, Claire Blackmer, Rebecca Fitzgerald
Absent: George Borneman (Treasurer),
Stephanie Borneman, Stephen Fender, Lena Caron,
Susan Smith (Recording Sec.), Robert Magee,
Richard Herbig (Past President), Dorothy Stambaugh (Corresponding Sec.)
Your thoughts, corrections, and suggestions
are welcomed at the e-mail address:
HARCHIS@MSN.COM.
This web site was updated on July 3, 2009. All images and text are copyright from
1996 to the present by The Historical Society of Harford County, Inc., 143 N. Main St.,
Bel Air, MD 21014; TELEPHONE: (410) 838-7691;
E-MAIL: HARCHIS@MSN.COM.
All rights reserved and no use without consent. Designed to be an easily accessible,
readily updated and restructured
web site by Elwin C. Penski. Contributors acknowledged on appropriate page or
on the Webmaster's Page.
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