Washington County, MD, Historical Society

Washington County, MD, Historical Society The WCHS is an organization devoted to the preservation and promotion of Washington County’s history.

The Washington County Historical Society, founded in 1911, is an organization devoted to the preservation and promotion of the history and culture of Washington County, Maryland. The Washington County Historical Society operates the Miller House Museum, an 1825 townhouse located in downtown Hagerstown. The museum gives visitors a look at life for one of Hagerstown's elite families during the 19th

century. It also maintains exhibits that highlight important events in Washington County history. The Miller House is also home to the kinship Family Heritage Research Center, a library and archives devoted to regional genealogical research. kinship's collections include books, documents, photographs, audio and film, as well as a number of online databases. In addition, kinship offers consultations with our staff genealogist every Wednesday afternoon.

✨ Meet Alyssa Kline, WCHS Summer Intern ✨"Hello, my name is Alyssa Kline, and this is my second year interning at the Wa...
06/01/2026

✨ Meet Alyssa Kline, WCHS Summer Intern ✨

"Hello, my name is Alyssa Kline, and this is my second year interning at the Washington County Historical Society. I am an upcoming senior at Shippensburg University, majoring in Public History and minoring in Anthropology. I am excited to be back for the summer and plan to help with research projects in the archives. I have already been lucky enough to participate in an archaeological dig that our director, Andy, is overseeing at the Springfield Farm. I hope to gain more experience in the inner workings of a historical society, including how to run a museum, as well as in social media."

Looking for information on upcoming Washington County Historical Society events? Check out these places! 💙Visit our webs...
06/01/2026

Looking for information on upcoming Washington County Historical Society events? Check out these places!

💙Visit our website events page at https://washcohistory.org/events/

💙 Purchase tickets online and view our events through Eventbrite at https://www.eventbrite.com/o/the-washington-county-historical-society-43548811623?aff=ebdsshcopyurl

💙Join our Miller House Matters email list (call or email to join our weekly email chain!)

💙Call us at (301) 797-8782 to talk with WCHS staff

💙Email [email protected] for upcoming events

💙Stop in at the Miller House and WCHS Offices during business hours

💙Check your quarterly member newsletter The Legacy

We hope to see you at our upcoming events! We'll be sharing more of them with you in the upcoming weeks.

Thank you to all who attended last night's society social with the board and staff of Washington County Historical Socie...
05/29/2026

Thank you to all who attended last night's society social with the board and staff of Washington County Historical Society! It was great to see our members come together to enjoy each other's company!

Huge thank you to both Laura Lane-Unsworth and Jeff Unsworth for kindly providing us with refreshments and the beautiful, tasty charcuterie boards from Ruth’s Market in Williamsport!

We appreciate everyone who attended and those who helped make this evening a success!

Happy Friday from the WCHS! We wish you all a wonderful and sunny weekend. Take a look at this cheerful photo from the W...
05/29/2026

Happy Friday from the WCHS! We wish you all a wonderful and sunny weekend. Take a look at this cheerful photo from the WCHS Collection, showing a late 19th century Chewsville scene photographed by Washington County photographer, B.W.T. Phreaner (1845-1932).

This photograph has a handwritten description, "Spessard Barn built by Jacob Rohrer, 1786, near Chewsville, Hagerstown-Smithsburg Turnpike. This property is owned in 1976 by Paul Shilling."

Photograph PH1491 in the WCHS Collection

This past week, the WCHS completed the Springfield Farm Phase I Archeological Survey. Executive Director Andy Stout, MD ...
05/28/2026

This past week, the WCHS completed the Springfield Farm Phase I Archeological Survey. Executive Director Andy Stout, MD 250th fellow Matthew Line, and wonderful volunteers supported the efforts, despite the rainy end to last week.

With Phase I being completed, the WCHS will offer an Open House at Springfield Farm later this spring or early summer to make up for the canceled Open House this past Saturday. On July 10, Andy Stout will offer a Culture & Cocktails program, "The Archeology of Springfield Farm," to share about the Phase I findings. And we hope in the future to continue onto Phase II of the project! Thank you for your support, and we hope you can join us at one of our upcoming events to learn more about the Phase I findings!

To sign up for our upcoming events, visit our Eventbrite page at https://www.eventbrite.com/o/the-washington-county-historical-society-43548811623?aff=ebdsshcopyurl or call the WCHS Offices at (301) 797-8782.

🌸"I love my love in the Spring time!" is written on the back of this tintype, taken on June 25, 1895. 🌸 The group in thi...
05/26/2026

🌸"I love my love in the Spring time!" is written on the back of this tintype, taken on June 25, 1895. 🌸 The group in this tintype, identified only by their initials written on the back of the tintype's protective sleeve, were possibly faculty at Saint James School or visiting the St. James area. The women are wearing classic mid-1890s fashion, including huge puffy sleeves and stylish hats.

We love this unique tintype in the WCHS Collection! Thank you to Stephen Bockmiller for donating it to us. What do you notice in the tintype?

The WCHS is closed to the public today, May 25, 2026, in observance of Memorial Day. Today we remember and honor the US ...
05/25/2026

The WCHS is closed to the public today, May 25, 2026, in observance of Memorial Day. Today we remember and honor the US military personnel who have lost their lives while serving in the US armed forces. We also remember the many Washington County, MD, servicemen who have lost their lives while serving.

Our normal hours resume on Tuesday, May 26. You can contact the WCHS Offices by email at [email protected] or by calling (301) 797-8782.

The Springfield Farm archeology open house has been canceled today due to the weather. The open house will be reschedule...
05/23/2026

The Springfield Farm archeology open house has been canceled today due to the weather. The open house will be rescheduled. Thanks to the Town of Williamsport, MHT and everyone who volunteered to make this project a huge success!

The WCHS and Miller House Museum will be closed Friday, May 22, through Monday, May 25, in observance of Memorial Day. M...
05/22/2026

The WCHS and Miller House Museum will be closed Friday, May 22, through Monday, May 25, in observance of Memorial Day.

Memorial Day weekend also coincides with our ongoing Springfield Farm Archeological Dig. Staff will be away from the Miller House on May 22 and 23 to support operations at Springfield Farm. Our normal business hours will resume on Tuesday, May 26, from 9:00 AM to 4:30 PM.

We hope you have a lovely Memorial Day Weekend! If you're looking for a weekend activity, stop by Springfield Farm in Williamsport on Saturday, May 23, from 1:00-4:00 PM, for our Archeology Open House.

Please email [email protected] for more information or to reach WCHS staff during this time.

This Saturday, May 23, from 1:00-4:00 PM, is our Public Archeology Open House at Springfield Farm! Join us to visit an a...
05/21/2026

This Saturday, May 23, from 1:00-4:00 PM, is our Public Archeology Open House at Springfield Farm! Join us to visit an active archeology dig site in Washington County and see how the work has progressed on the Springfield Farm Phase I Archeology Survey.

WCHS Executive Director Andrew Stout and MD 250th Fellow Matthew Line will be on site to greet visitors and show them the work that they and other volunteers have completed.

Springfield Farm is located at 10 Springfield Lane, Williamsport, MD, 21795. To reach the dig site, drive past the Historic Springfield Barn down the lane to Springfield Manor House. Parking for the dig site is available around the Manor, and the dig site is located at the back of the Manor. (Please note: No parking is available at the Historic Springfield Barn that day.)

For questions or more details, call (301) 797-8782 or email [email protected]. We hope to see you there!

Address

135 W Washington Street
Hagerstown, MD
21740

Opening Hours

Monday 9am - 4:30pm
Tuesday 9am - 4:30pm
Wednesday 9am - 4:30pm
Thursday 9am - 4:30pm
Friday 9am - 4:30pm

Telephone

(301) 797-8782

Website

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