Event Type:  Discover Your Own Backyard

Date:  Saturday, July 30, 2022

Event: Guided Tour of the York Colonial Complex, Lunch at Central Market and a visit to the Agricultural Museum

Time:  11 am - 3 pm

Location:  York, PA

Cost:  $20 - Carpool option available for those living near East Norriton, PA

The Colonial Complex - Political intrigue, tavern life and a family home - all available in a single visit to this site on the corner of West Market Street and North Pershing Avenue in downtown York. These three buildings reflect both private and public lives in early York. The Golden Plough Tavern, built in 1741, presents the significant role a tavern played in a community as hotel, restaurant and source for news. The General Gates House (c.1751) reflects the year 1778 when General Horatio Gates occupied the house while the Continental Congress met in York. You can visit a reconstruction of the Colonial Court House just across the street from the Golden Plough Tavern. The Barnett Bobb Log House, built with squared timbers, shows family life in the 1830s.

Central Market - Central Market York, is a historic public market located in Downtown York, Pennsylvania, York County, Pennsylvania.  Standing at North Beaver and Philadelphia Streets for over 125 years, Central Market is a reminder of York’s storied history and the anchor of the revitalization of Downtown York. More than just a beautiful historic building, Central Market is both a grassroots commercial operation and a community gathering place. It is the economic and social heart of the city.

The Romanesque Revival style building was designed by noted architect John A. Dempwolf and built in 1888. 

Agricultural and Industrial Museum - Learn about York County’s vast contributions to the progress of agriculture and industry. Housed in a former factory complex, the York, PA museum features two floors with over 20 exhibits highlighting 300 years of transportation, agriculture and the development of manufacturing and industry. Many of the exhibits feature hands-on experiences for visitors of all ages.

Step into a 1916 trolley car or sit in the seat of a 1940 train switcher engine in the Transportation Gallery. Explore the Local Industry Galleries to try your hand at using rotary phones operated by a 1930s switchboard. Discover what it’s like to milk a dairy cow in the Agricultural Gallery and check out the working 3-story grist mill during your visit. You will also be able to enjoy exhibits on pottery making, casket manufacturing, wallpaper creation, pianos and organs, as well as the York Plan, which was York’s industrial contribution to World War II. Before leaving, do not miss the Hall of Giants Gallery to see a 72-ton A-frame ammonia compressor used for producing ice in the early 1900s.