Cultural Assets of Lancaster
By PROF. FREDERIC S. KLEIN
Member of the Department of History at Franklin and Marshall College
The Lancaster community has inherited a rich tradition of cultural activity and interest since colonial days, and offers a wide variety of opportunity for enjoyment, appreciation and participation in the fields of music, the arts, the theatre, and educational facilities.
Music has a prominent part in the life of Lancaster. The Lancaster Symphony Orchestra, composed of professional and non-professional musicians in the community, presents a series of concerts throughout the season, including classical, popular and youth concerts, and presenting guest artists of high calibre. Its fine musical standards have given it recognition as one of the outstanding community orchestras in the State, and it provides opportunities for young musicians and music students in the area to develop their musical talents. Another musical group, the Vivaldi Chamber Orchestra, is composed entirely of girls, and presents regular concerts sponsored by the Y.W.C.A., with special emphasis on classical music and the use of rare musical instruments. Many church and choral groups present formal concerts throughout the year, and a regular series of concert programs is sponsored by a local committee of the Community Concert Association, which brings artists and musical groups to the city.
One of the most recent additions to the musical life of Lancaster is the unique Amphitheatre in Long Park, about one mile west of the city on the old Harrisburg Pike. Located in a beautiful natural setting for open-air concerts, ceremonies or community gatherings, the attractive structure provides stage accommodations for full-size orchestras and seating capacity on the lawn for approximately 10,000 persons. It was constructed through community contributions and civic club interest.
Several theatre groups are active in Lancaster. Foremost among them is the Green Room Theatre of Franklin and Marshall College, which presents a regular series of plays of professional quality. Dramatic productions are also presented regularly by community organizations such as the Lancaster Theatre Arts Association, the Musicomedy Guild, and the Opera Workshop. All of these groups offer opportunities to persons interested in theatrical production, for participation or for training and experience on the stage. A number of summer theatre programs are presented in the Lancaster area, such as the Gretna Playhouse and the Ephrata Legion Star Playhouse.
The restoration and preservation of the Fulton Opera House on North Prince Street has provided the community with a beautiful and historic theatre in central Lancaster, completely equipped for the presentation of plays, concerts and special attractions. One of the oldest original theatres in the country, the Fulton stage has presented almost all of the great personalities of the theatrical and concert world since it was built in 1852, and today, its red, white and gold décor and its excellent acoustics have made it an attractive center of cultural activities.
Artists have found Lancaster County to be an inspiring atmosphere for expression through paint and canvas. A number of art clubs and associations provide opportunities for study under professional art teachers, for sketching and painting groups and for exhibitions. Two such groups are Lancaster County Art Association and Echo Valley Art Association. The picturesque qualities of the Lancaster countryside, with its covered bridges, quaint barns and rural scenery provide unusual subject matter.
The library facilities of the Lancaster community are excellent. The new building of the Lancaster Free Public Library contains almost 100,000 volumes, and the library provides many services for the community. The Fackenthal Library of Franklin and Marshall College is available for public use, with a collection of 172,000 volumes, modern facilities for periodicals, reference works, a browsing room and many special collections of Lincoln and Napoleon.
The Fackenthal Library is also the headquarters of the Pennsylvania-German Society, which is concerned with preserving material pertaining to the history and culture of the Pennsylvania-Germans. It has published more than sixty volumes and has deposited the Bassler Collection in the Fackenthal Library for research purposes.
Photo courtesy of Lancaster Newspapers, Inc.
AMPHITHEATRE AT LONG PARK
FACKENTHAL LIBRARY OF FRANKLIN AND MARSHALL COLLEGE
The Lancaster County Historical Society, located adjacent to Wheatland, home of President Buchanan on Marietta Avenue, also possesses a fine library which is widely used for historical and genealogical reference work in connection with Lancaster County history. The Willson Memorial Building, one of the finest historical society buildings in the state, contains an auditorium, reference-reading rooms, and an excellent museum where exhibits of unusual documents and articles associated with Lancaster County history are on display. The facilities of the Society are open to the public without charge, and the publications of the Society, containing special articles on many phases of local history, are available for purchase.
Much of the cultural life of Lancaster has been influenced by its educational institutions. Franklin and Marshall College, established in 1787, is one of the outstanding liberal arts colleges in the East, and provides many educational opportunities to the community in addition to its regular program of studies. Lectures, musical programs, and the facilities of the North Museum and Planetarium are available for the public. Other colleges in the area include Millersville State College, one of the state’s finest teacher training institutions; Elizabethtown College; and the Linden Hall Junior College for Girls.
Lancaster is unusually fortunate in the fact that as it has grown from a small community into a modern and prosperous Pennsylvania city, its cultural assets and facilities have kept pace with its rapid economic and industrial growth, and its citizens have provided the music, the arts and the educational facilities which have made it a wholesome and progressive community.
Lancaster—Center for Day Trips to Historic Shrines
Beautiful Lancaster county offers superior accommodations for visitors in its many first class hotels, motels, campgrounds, tourist and farm homes. Here one may discover the ideal type of lodging for every individual taste.
Enjoy this gracious country atmosphere while planning day trips to surrounding points of historic and cultural interests.
Lancaster
Dutch Area
HARRISBURG
1 hour U.S. 230
State Capitol
CARLISLE
1½ hours Turnpike
Home of Molly Pitcher
Pine Grove Furnace State Park
Carlisle Barracks
GETTYSBURG
1½ hours U.S. 30
Civil War Battlefield
Museums
Abraham Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address
YORK
¾ hour U.S. 30
First Capitol of The United States
BALTIMORE
WASHINGTON, D. C.
2¼ hours
HERSHEY
¾ hour State Route 72
Amusement Park
Gardens, Zoo
Sports Arena
Cornwall Iron Works
FRENCH CREEK
1 hour State Route 23
Hopewell Village
State Park
WASHINGTON CROSSING
2¼ hours Turnpike
State Park
VALLEY FORGE
1¼ hours Turnpike
State Park
Washington’s Headquarters
PHILADELPHIA
1½ hours Turnpike
Liberty Bell
Independence Hall
KENNETT SQUARE
1 hour U.S. 41
Longwood Gardens
WILMINGTON
1¼ hours U.S. 41
Hagley Museum
Old Powder Mills
Winterthur Museum