Columbia County Historical and Genealogical Society

05/27/2026

Many Pennsylvanians know the story of Centralia. On May 27, 1962, a fire was ignited to clear a local dump. Researchers believe those flames sparked an underground coal seam fire. Most of the residents have long since moved away and many of the town's buildings have been razed. This image, preserved by the State , depicts Centralia's town center in 1986. Multiple buildings in the photo are shown to be boarded up.

05/22/2026

Ready for the Holiday Weekend!

05/21/2026

Our next America250 program is coming up soon! Please join us on May 21st at 6pm and learn about a historical property in Columbia County.

05/06/2026

In addition to the great programs we have coming up, our current displays also reflect topics of interest from the early years of the county to share in the celebration of America 250. Shown below are Michael Bratton, Curtis Bratton and Sierra Greising who were instrumental in putting together the displays along with several others of our group of dedicated volunteers. Our displays change about every six months. So if you haven't been in recently, be sure to stop in and check them out. They include: New Accessions, Textile/Women's Fashion, Pottery, the McHenry Distillery, Technology, Photography, Music, Medical, Transportation, Early Columbia County, the Canal, Native American artifacts, and the Molly Maguires (shown in the photo).

05/06/2026

The Society is also celebrating America's 250th birthday with a variety of programs through the summer. Please join us!

04/25/2026

Visit us at Renaissance today.

04/22/2026

If you're looking for a place to take a break and get out of the rain on Saturday during the Renaissance, stop by the society at 2:00. Vinniedee Hippensteal will be speaking about Benton's McHenry Distillery. Free and open to the public!

A little background info at the link below:

Internal Revenue recorded warehouse transactions for The McHenry Distillery as follows:explain: origin of these records, letter codes1898: Rohr, McHenry & Sons -- D, T, W1901: Rohr, McHenry & Son -- D, T, W1901: Rohr, McHenry & Son, N. F. -- T, V1903: Rohr, McHenry & Son, (new firm) -- D, T, W1903:....

04/16/2026

Tonight and streaming at the link below

https://us04web.zoom.us/j/73409871057?pwd=yhOUF41QnaGYGVSnKpCKJ3S9ffuNZ0.1

04/14/2026

Want to learn more about your German ancestors?

Janet Rupert will be speaking about Palatine German immigration and ancestry this week as part of the America250 celebration.

Come hear her talk about the migration of this group of people to our area, and get some tips on how to research your own Palatine ancestry.

Thursday, April 16, 5:15 at the Society
(50 W. Main Street, Bloomsburg)