By PROF. FREDERIC S. KLEIN
_Member of the Department of History at Franklin and Marshall College_
The Lancaster community has inherited a rich tradition of cultural
activity and interest since colonial days, and offers a wide variety of
opportunity for enjoyment, appreciation and participation in the fields
of music, the arts, the theatre, and educational facilities.
Music has a prominent part in the life of Lancaster. The Lancaster
Symphony Orchestra, composed of professional and non-professional
musicians in the community, presents a series of concerts throughout the
season, including classical, popular and youth concerts, and presenting
guest artists of high calibre. Its fine musical standards have given it
recognition as one of the outstanding community orchestras in the State,
and it provides opportunities for young musicians and music students in
the area to develop their musical talents. Another musical group, the
Vivaldi Chamber Orchestra, is composed entirely of girls, and presents
regular concerts sponsored by the Y.W.C.A., with special emphasis on
classical music and the use of rare musical instruments. Many church and
choral groups present formal concerts throughout the year, and a regular
series of concert programs is sponsored by a local committee of the
Community Concert Association, which brings artists and musical groups
to the city.
One of the most recent additions to the musical life of Lancaster is the
unique Amphitheatre in Long Park, about one mile west of the city on the
old Harrisburg Pike. Located in a beautiful natural setting for open-air
concerts, ceremonies or community gatherings, the attractive structure
provides stage accommodations for full-size orchestras and seating
capacity on the lawn for approximately 10,000 persons. It was
constructed through community contributions and civic club interest.
Several theatre groups are active in Lancaster. Foremost among them is
the Green Room Theatre of Franklin and Marshall College, which presents
a regular series of plays of professional quality. Dramatic productions
are also presented regularly by community organizations such as the
Lancaster Theatre Arts Association, the Musicomedy Guild, and the Opera
Workshop. All of these groups offer opportunities to persons interested
in theatrical production, for participation or for training and
experience on the stage. A number of summer theatre programs are
presented in the Lancaster area, such as the Gretna Playhouse and the
Ephrata Legion Star Playhouse.
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.
[Illustration: Photo courtesy of Lancaster Newspapers, Inc.
AMPHITHEATRE AT LONG PARK]
[Illustration: 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.
Lancaster is unusually fortunate in the fact that as it has grown from a
small community into a modern and prosperous Pennsylvania city, its
cultural assets and facilities have kept pace with its rapid economic
and industrial growth, and its citizens have provided the music, the
arts and the educational facilities which have made it a wholesome and
progressive community.
[Illustration: Lancaster—Center for Day Trips to Historic Shrines]
Beautiful Lancaster county offers superior accommodations for visitors
in its many first class hotels, motels, campgrounds, tourist and farm
homes. Here one may discover the ideal type of lodging for every
individual taste.
Enjoy this gracious country atmosphere while planning day trips to
surrounding points of historic and cultural interests.
Lancaster
Dutch Area
HARRISBURG
_1 hour U.S. 230_
State Capitol
CARLISLE
_1½ hours Turnpike_
Home of Molly Pitcher
Pine Grove Furnace State Park
Carlisle Barracks
GETTYSBURG
_1½ hours U.S. 30_
Civil War Battlefield
Museums
Abraham Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address
YORK
_¾ hour U.S. 30_
First Capitol of The United States
BALTIMORE
WASHINGTON, D. C.
_2¼ hours_
HERSHEY
_¾ hour State Route 72_
Amusement Park
Gardens, Zoo
Sports Arena
Cornwall Iron Works
FRENCH CREEK
_1 hour State Route 23_
Hopewell Village
State Park
WASHINGTON CROSSING
_2¼ hours Turnpike_
State Park
VALLEY FORGE
_1¼ hours Turnpike_
State Park
Washington’s Headquarters
PHILADELPHIA
_1½ hours Turnpike_
Liberty Bell
Independence Hall
KENNETT SQUARE
_1 hour U.S. 41_
Longwood Gardens
WILMINGTON
_1¼ hours U.S. 41_
Hagley Museum
Old Powder Mills
Winterthur Museum