Chester County History Center

Chester County History Center CCHC is a non-profit educational organization that connects our community with its history.
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As a result of last night's storms, the Chester County History Center currently has no electricity. We will be CLOSED to...
09/02/2026

As a result of last night's storms, the Chester County History Center currently has no electricity. We will be CLOSED to the public today (except for tonight's scheduled walking tour.) Thank you!

Congratulations to Jeremy and the Electrical Plus team in West Chester on 20 years! Bethany and Olivia from the CCHC st...
09/01/2026

Congratulations to Jeremy and the Electrical Plus team in West Chester on 20 years! Bethany and Olivia from the CCHC staff had a wonderful time at their birthday celebration. We are proud to call them a partner and even more excited about what we are building together. More information to come soon!

Yesterday, August 26, was Women’s Equality Day. It commemorates the passage of the 19th Amendment in 1920 that granted w...
08/27/2026

Yesterday, August 26, was Women’s Equality Day. It commemorates the passage of the 19th Amendment in 1920 that granted women in the U.S. the right to vote. It took more than 130 years after the signing of the Declaration of Independence for focused grassroots efforts to make change. In the early 1900s the New York-based Woman Suffrage Party, founded by Carrie Chapman Catt, was among them. After passage of the 19th Amendment, the WSP evolved into the League of Women Voters, still active today.


It's a beautiful day for a stroll around West Chester! We just had tickets open up for tonight's 6:00pmArchitectural His...
08/26/2026

It's a beautiful day for a stroll around West Chester! We just had tickets open up for tonight's 6:00pmArchitectural History walking tour -- our last one before we switch over to our Plagues & Pestilence walking tour in September. Want to join us? You can find our calendar of events by clicking the link in our bio, or use our online box office: https://buytickets.at/chestercountyhistorycenter/2297892

In August 1918, a deadly epidemic crept through Chester County – not the infamous Spanish Flu that struck Philadelphia j...
08/25/2026

In August 1918, a deadly epidemic crept through Chester County – not the infamous Spanish Flu that struck Philadelphia just a month later, but a much more familiar threat to early 20th century Pennsylvanians. This was typhoid – spread through contaminated food or drink. Of the ninety people who fell ill, most were in Downingtown, but there were also victims from Thorndale, Coatesville, and West Chester, so officials determined that it couldn’t be the local water source. As stricken patients on makeshift cots filled the hallways of the Chester County Hospital, Board of Health officials finally identified the cause. It turned out that an ice cream maker with a case of asymptomatic typhoid had inadvertently spread the disease through the sweet treat. At least four people died during the 1918 typhoid epidemic.

If all of this sounds familiar, you might be thinking of Mary Mallon, a.k.a. “Typhoid Mary,” who from 1897 to 1915 spread typhoid to up to 57 victims through her signature peach ice cream (and a distinct lack of handwashing after using the bathroom.)

If you want to hear more about typhoid, and the host of other diseases that wreaked havoc on West Chester’s residents in past years and how we've fought them, join our Plagues & Pestilence walking tours on Wednesdays and Saturdays in September.* Tours start on September 2nd! https://app.tickettailor.com/event/es_2332403

*Ice cream not included.

Image 1: Daily Local News, August 24, 1918. Image 2: Article from the June 20, 1909, of the New York American, showing Mallon adding skulls to a frying pan. Image 3: Advertisement for Plagues & Pestilence walking tour.

Last weekend we held our annual Stuffed Animal Sleepover (see the top image for our 2026 participants.) But the next day...
08/21/2026

Last weekend we held our annual Stuffed Animal Sleepover (see the top image for our 2026 participants.) But the next day, we found this little guy (not one of our participants) outside of our building on Saturday, August 15th, around 12:30pm. You can see the lost stuffy in the second image. While we are honored that he was trying to join the sleepover fun, we never want a stuffy to be without their loved ones!

If this is your child’s missing stuffy, please stop by the History Center- your little friend will be waiting. And if you are interested in learning more about Stuffed Animal Sleepover and our other fun family programs, check out our website at https://mycchc.org/calendar-events/.

The Chester County History Center (CCHC), in partnership with the County of Chester, seeks a dynamic, customer service-o...
08/21/2026

The Chester County History Center (CCHC), in partnership with the County of Chester, seeks a dynamic, customer service-oriented Assistant Archivist to support the daily operations of the Chester County Archives and Records Services Department.

This entry-level position supports the daily operations of the Archives, including providing research assistance and reference services, collections processing, supporting digitization and indexing projects, and assisting with public programs and outreach.

For the full job description, qualifications, and application instructions, please visit the Chester County Archives and Records Services' website at https://www.chesco.org/5421/Job-Postings

When you start thinking that life was calmer in West Chester in the olden days...From the Daily Local News, Tuesday, Mar...
08/19/2026

When you start thinking that life was calmer in West Chester in the olden days...

From the Daily Local News, Tuesday, Mar 22, 1892.

Once in a while, our Education Department receives these amazing letters from students who come in for a program, sharin...
08/18/2026

Once in a while, our Education Department receives these amazing letters from students who come in for a program, sharing their experiences. They never fail to put a smile on all of our faces!

Educators: as you prepare to return to school, check out the programs we offer here at the Chester County History Center! From Traveling Trunks to Walking Tours and Outreaches, our Education Department is here to help you bring history to life for your students. If you have any questions about school programming, email us at [email protected].

See all of our school-age programming here: https://mycchc.org/learn/school-and-youth-programs/

Image text: "Dear Chester County History Center, Thank you for teaching us about the past on our field trip. We learned a lot and had fun! Writing with feathers was tricky. (We like to write with pens.) We liked doing math on the little chalkboards. Thank you for letting us see the things from long ago. You have some neat stuff! The toys were our favorite things. We played with tops, the woodcutters and birds, the hoop and the stick, and the throwing hoop. We hope we can visit again soon!"

We had a wonderful, enthusiastic crowd for last night's True Crime on Trial at Victory Brewing in Downingtown! We'll hav...
08/12/2026

We had a wonderful, enthusiastic crowd for last night's True Crime on Trial at Victory Brewing in Downingtown! We'll have a few more events featuring this case for the remainder of the year, before we retire this historical trial and move on to a brand new one early next year!

True Crime on Trial takes a deep dive into one of Chester County's most controversial cases, utilizing trial transcripts, newspaper reports, and evidence from the crime scene. Historians from CCHC will present the evidence and give you, the audience, a chance to reach a verdict. At the end, we'll tell you how the case actually turned out.

Our next True Crime on Trial will be at Victory again on Tuesday, September 29th! For tickets: https://buytickets.at/chestercountyhistorycenter/2247000

Do you know a restaurant that would like to host a future True Crime on Trial? Email [email protected].

Address

225 N High Street
West Chester, PA
19380

Opening Hours

Wednesday 10am - 4pm
Thursday 10am - 4pm
Friday 10am - 4pm
Saturday 10am - 4pm

Telephone

+16106924800

Website

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