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.