The Giving Spree and Our Society
This year, for the first time, Biglerville Historical and Preservation Society (BHPS) will be participating in the Giving Spree!
The Giving Spree is an annual program that gives Adams County’s non-profit organizations the opportunity to raise funds for their charitable efforts that help county residents. Through the Giving Spree, anyone can give donations that will help maintain our vibrant community. For more information: https://www.adamscountycf.org/grants-scholarships/giving-spree-registration/
Here at BHPS, we have been diligently searching for a means of raising funds to aid in our historic preservation outreach. Having learned of the Giving Spree, arranged through the Adams County Community Foundation, we as a group decided to apply for recognition as one of the non-profits that offers valuable assets to our community. Thankfully, we were accepted and have embraced the goals of the foundation in hopes of aiding our own.
BHPS maintains the National Apple Museum located in Biglerville, Pennsylvania. It is an all-volunteer 501 (c) 3 that is funded in its entirety by donations. The museum and its artifacts are housed in an 1857 bank barn that is in need of serious repairs and demands constant vigilance of its maintenance.
From native Indian artifacts gleaned from the land in Adams County to the vintage machinery used in fruit production that has shaped the culture of this little town, visitors can browse on their own or take a guided tour. The goals of the Biglerville Historical and Preservation Society is to protect these unique artifacts and the historic bank barn for generations to come.
In conjunction with the museum, the barn also houses the Biglerville Historical and Preservation Society which, through the work of volunteers, is presenting not only the fascinating fruit industry of Adams County, but also sharing the rich histories of the communities of Northern Adams County.
It should also be noted that while our primary goal is to preserve and maintain the barn and its artifacts, we have other long-term goals that we hope to achieve in the next five to ten years. Among these goals are expanding our educational outreach to include not only our free tours, but also to offer a PowerPoint program that can be accessed by our community and schools. We hope to upgrade our software so that more precious family pictures and other memorabilia can be saved and shared. We are also looking to remodel part of the barn so that these items can be archived and stored.
Know that all donations to the Biglerville Historical and Preservation Society and the National Apple Museum are used strictly for the building and artifacts. Volunteers give graciously of their time so that this building will stand as a legacy of our past and a bridge to our future.
If you would like to help BHPS and The National Apple Museum serve local, national, and even international visitors learn about our history, please consider supporting us (#25 at the Giving Spree) either on November 5th at the Gettysburg Wyndham or before that by contacting The Adams County Community Foundation: https://www.adamscountycf.org/grants-scholarships/giving-spree-registration/
