Home PA Museums Exploring the York County Agricultural and Industrial Museum

Exploring the York County Agricultural and Industrial Museum

Exploring the York County Agricultural and Industrial Museum in York Pennsylvania.

The York County Agricultural and Industrial Museum is a wonderful destination for history lovers of all ages!

The Transportation Gallery at the York County Agricultural and Industrial Museum in York Pennsylvania.
The Transportation Gallery at the museum.

Housed in a former factory complex in downtown York, the museum features thousands of artifacts and exhibits highlighting York County’s contributions to the areas of agriculture, transportation, and manufacturing.

The Agricultural Gallery at the York County Agricultural and Industrial Museum in York Pennsylvania.
The Agricultural Gallery at the museum.

What You’ll See at the York County Agricultural and Industrial Museum

The museum is organized into galleries, each one highlighting a particular facet of York County history.

The York Safe and Lock Company exhibit at the York County Agricultural and Industrial Museum in York Pennsylvania.
The York Safe and Lock Company exhibit at the museum.

This exhibit hall highlights the many ways people and products have moved about York County over the years.

The Transportation Gallery at the York County Agricultural and Industrial Museum.
The Transportation Gallery at the museum.

There’s a 1916 trolley car that you can board.

A 1916 trolley car on display in the Transportation Gallery at the York County Agricultural and Industrial Museum in York Pennsylvania.
A 1916 trolley car on display in the Transportation Gallery at the museum.

A 1940 train engine that you can sit at the controls of.

A 1940 train switcher engine in the Transportation Gallery at the York County Agricultural and Industrial Museum in York Pennsylvania.
A 1940 train switcher engine in the Transportation Gallery at the museum.

And several rare Pullman automobiles on display, built in York County between 1905-1917.

The Pullman automobiles exhibit at the York County Agricultural and Industrial Museum in York Pennsylvania.
The Pullman automobiles exhibit at the museum.

The agrarian history of York County is on display in the Agricultural Gallery.

Tractors in the Agricultural Gallery at the York County Agricultural and Industrial Museum in York Pennsylvania.
Tractors in the Agricultural Gallery at the the York County Agricultural and Industrial Museum.

One of the highlights is this working 3-story grist mill.

A grist mill at the York County Agricultural and Industrial Museum in York Pennsylvania.
A grist mill at the museum.

York-based Rutter’s sponsored an exhibit detailing how milk is produced, from farm to table.

Milk production exhibit in the Agricultural Gallery at the York County Agricultural and Industrial Museum in York Pennsylvania.
Milk production exhibit sponsored by York-based Rutter’s.

This gallery highlights the many and varied manufacturers that call (or have called) York County home.

The Local Industry gallery at the York County Agricultural and Industrial Museum in York Pennsylvania.
The Local Industry gallery at the York County Agricultural and Industrial Museum.

Some of the companies are synonymous with York, like York Barbells.

The York Barbell Company exhibit at the York County Agricultural and Industrial Museum in York Pennsylvania.
The York Barbell Company exhibit.

York Caskets is another company you may have heard of (or seen their tractor-trailers on a highway somewhere).

The York Casket exhibit at the York County Agricultural and Industrial Museum in York Pennsylvania.
The York Casket exhibit.

Other names you may have heard of, but never realized they originated in York County.

The Pfaltzgraff Pottery Company exhibit at the York County Agricultural and Industrial Museum in York Pennsylvania.
The Pfaltzgraff Pottery Company exhibit at the museum.

I, for one, didn’t realize Stauffer’s Animal Crackers originated in York County, despite having eaten a boatload of them over the years.

The Stauffer crackers exhibit at the York County Agricultural and Industrial Museum in York Pennsylvania.
The Stauffer’s crackers exhibit at the museum.

Directions | Hours | Admission Fees

The museum is located at 217 West Princess Street, York, PA 17401.


The York County Agricultural and Industrial Museum is open Friday-Saturday from 10 am-4pm.

The York County Agricultural and Industrial Museum in York Pennsylvania is housed in a former factory complex.
The museum is housed in a former factory complex.

Admission fees as of 2024 are: Adults: $20 | Students 6-18: $8 | Children 5 & Under: FREE

Street parking in front of the York County Agricultural and Industrial Museum in York Pennsylvania.
Street parking on West Princess Street in front of the York County Agricultural and Industrial Museum.

Nearby Attractions

Visiting the York County History Center is an immersive way to explore how local stories connect to the larger American experience.

Collage of four photos from the York County History Center showing a covered wagon migration exhibit, locally made pottery and ceramics, a wall of logos from York County companies, and the modern exterior entrance of the museum.

Set inside a thoughtfully renovated former Met-Ed Steam Heat Generating Plant, the museum pairs historic artifacts with the building’s striking industrial character.

Overhead view of the first-floor gallery at the York County History Center showing a covered wagon, interactive exhibits, interpretive panels, and the towering History Makers display that explores York County’s people, industry, and cultural development.

The Colonial Complex in York commemorates the time period when this city served as the Capital of the Nation, for nine months during the Revolutionary War!

Exploring the Colonial Complex in York PA.
The Colonial Complex in York.

Spread across a compact one-block radius in downtown York, Royal Square Mural Park features more than 30 larger-than-life murals painted on buildings, walls, and urban structures.

Collage of murals at Royal Square Mural Park in downtown York, Pennsylvania, featuring a vibrant black bear surrounded by flowers, a futuristic mechanical figure reaching toward butterflies, a red-toned mural of a couple kissing, and the colorful York script mural painted across a long brick wall.

The Haines Shoe House is one of PA’s most recognizable roadside attractions, and now it’s a vacation rental home.

Spending the night at the Haines Shoe House vacation rental near York Pennsylvania.
Scenes from the Haines Shoe House.

York, PA and the First National Thanksgiving dives into the fascinating backstory of this Revolutionary War-era event, which had nothing to do with Pilgrims and turkeys!

York PA and the first National Thanksgiving Day.
York, Pennsylvania was the site of “The First National Thanksgiving”.

Schull’s Rock Overlook in York County is a fantastic rock outcropping and vista on the west bank of the Susquehanna River, located at Susquehanna Riverlands State Park.

Exploring Schull's Rock Overlook at Susquehanna Riverlands State Park in York County Pennsylvania.
Scenes from Schull’s Rock Overlook in York County.

Find even more great spots to explore in York County and all across Pennsylvania with the interactive PA Bucket List Travel Map!


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Rusty Glessner
Rusty Glessner is a professional photographer, lifelong Pennsylvanian, and a frequently-cited authority on PA's best travel destinations.