McKean County Historical Society

05/20/2026

We just finished decorating the museum for Memorial Day. Thanks to Don Vandermark for his assistance. Great job. Looks fantastic.

04/20/2026

Crystal Woodard and Rob Dickinson are in charge of vender relations this year. Anyone interested in being a vendor for the 2026 Arts on the Island weekend should email : [email protected]

04/16/2026

03/30/2026

A very dear friend and former McKean County Historical Society director, Ruth Covert, passed away on Saturday, March 28, 2026 at the age of 86.
Ruth was a very involved and dedicated community member with her church, the McKean County Fair, and the McKean County Historical Society to name a few.
She played an integral part in the move of the museum from the basement of the courthouse to the old jail located directly behind it. She was also a much-valued volunteer who spent hours doing genealogy research, gave tours, wrote articles for The Bucktail News – the MCHS newsletter – and participated in and helped to set up many of the programs offered by the museum. In addition, everyone counted themselves lucky to be at the museum whenever Ruth stopped by; especially if she was sharing her baked goods, in particular her Peanut Butter Blossom cookies.
Ruth was a passionate historian on the topic of the Civil War. She took on a role and helped contribute family stories toward a well-received program dubbed "The Tuesday Club" regarding a group of women who gathered once a week on a Tuesday to work on sewing projects during the war. She also helped Chris Mackowski, a professor at St. Bonaventure, with his research on Ulysis S. Grant. One of her last projects was working with John Simpson on his book "All for the Union" that featured information utilizing letters written by one of the Bucktails. The author was so impressed by Ruth’s assistance and input that he later donated these letters to the MCHS when he came to do a program for the museum that; once again, she helped to set up.
She was a close friend to all of us at the museum and will be very much missed.

02/18/2026

Our new Secretary at the museum, Kellie Hopkins took on this project a couple of months ago and is doing a fine job displaying artifacts from the museum. We are so lucky to have her on the team.

01/13/2026

Pictured here is Scott Gearhart with Making Time Clock Services installing the original official regulator clock from Smethport’s 3rd Courthouse.

Once hung in the Courthouse, this regulator clock set the standard time for train schedules and court proceedings throughout the community.
The family of Hollis Keech retrieved the clock after the 1940 courthouse fire and later donated it to the McKean County Historical Society.

A heartfelt thank you to Scott for his dedication and hard work in repairing and preserving this important piece of Smethport’s history.

01/07/2026

Thank you to Worth W. Smith Co. in Eldred for displaying our “Beyond the Walls” display featuring glass bottles from around the county. We appreciate your support, stop in and check it out! 😃

12/23/2025

The S.W. Smith Memorial Library in Port Allegany kindly received one of our displays from our Beyond the Walls project. This display features Victorian Era women’s clothing and accessories- be sure to check it out if you’re in the area!

12/11/2025

Another Beyond the Walls display delivered- this time to the Friends’ Memorial Library in Kane- thank you for your support. Stop by and check it out!

12/07/2025

The Smethport Side by Side Parade in front of the McKean County Historical Society's museum in the Old County Jail.