Gettysburg, Pennsylvania
History, Historic House, Historical Society
An Adams County Historical Society was organized in 1888 and continued in operation for almost one year. A second society was organized in 1934 and ceased to function when its president died two years later. The third and present society began meeting in 1939. A charter of incorporation was secured the following year. The county commissioners offered some space in the basement of the courthouse, which the officers used to create a library, archives, and museum. In 1959 the society entered into a 39-year lease of the oldest building on the Lutheran Theological Seminary in Gettysburg. Completed in 1832, this building was last used as a dormitory during the 1953-1954 year. The historical society occupied this building in 1961.