Our History:
The Bridgeville Area Historical Society was started in 1999 by a local group of Bridgeville residents interested in preserving the history of the town of Bridgeville and some of the surrounding areas. It was started by John Oyler, John Joyce, and a group of dedicated volunteers. Today, the organization is still volunteer run by 18 or 20 great people who take care of all the tasks of running the society in its new location in the former Penn Central Railroad Station/Bridgeville Public Library building—and we're always looking for more volunteers!
Our doors are open to the public four days a week, Tuesday through Friday, from 10:00 AM to 2:00 PM. (We'd love to be open a fifth day, and add more hours—provided we can…hint, hint…find more volunteers!) Our resources include vertical and horizontal filing cabinets packed with local history on businesses, families, events and other topics. We have custom built-in storage stocked full of larger memorabilia items, including local business merchandise, historical household objects, everyday items and scores of framed photographs and documents. In addition, we host various displays throughout the year featuring our collections, as well as items brought in from the community.
At the present time, our Board of Directors includes:
- Mary Weise, BAHS President / Board President
- Joe Colosimo
- Lou Delach
- Dick Gaetano
- Rosemary Kasper
- Carol Kurchena
- Kayla Lawrence
- Dorothy Paul
- Ed Pelino, Jr.
- Ed Wolf, MLIS, consulting archivist
Our Purpose:
The main idea of the organization is to acquire and preserve historical items, maps, pictures, family and business histories and any items of relevant historical value. This includes all kinds of items and memorabilia pertaining to Bridgeville and its surrounding communities. During the year we host 8-10 excellent presentations on a variety of topics, offered to the public free of charge, at our regularly monthly programs which are held at the Bridgeville Volunteers Fire Hall.
Our acquisition of so many items, and our move to the old Penn Central Railroad Station/Bridgeville Public Library building, has given us the opportunity to host displays and exhibitions covering such topics as:
- Bridgeville Area Schools
- Local Business Memorabilia
- Local Sports
- The National History of the Boy Scouts
- Local Military Veterans and Their Equipment
- Ken Schwartz’s Hand-Crafted, 1760s-Era, Historic Figurines
- And Much More