The Jefferson Township Historical Society Heritage Hall
    Picture (above) was taken in the Museum of the one room school houses painted by the late Joyce Takah. The sign is from the local Eldersville Post Office that is no longer in existence. |
The Jefferson Township Historical Society was formed in 1990 with a purpose of preserving the history of the area for future generations. Its first project was to purchase Heritage Hall, a building built in 1876. This building housed the Eldersville Normal School from 1881 through its closure in 1915. The building was owned by the Odd Fellows Lodge (I.O.O.F.) when it sold the building to the Society for $1.00 in 1990. See to the left are two photos of the Heritage Hall as looked in the early 1900's when it was an I.O.O. F. Hall. The Society restored the building so that it could be used as a meeting hall and a Museum. The Museum is housed in the entire second floor of the building, and all of its donated artifacts have been logged into the permanent records of the Museum. The Museum is open to the public the three days of the annual Christmas in the Village Craft Festival and at other times by appointment. (See photos from the Museum below.) The Society is well known in the area for the delicious foods it serves during the annual Christmas in the Village Craft Festival in Eldersville, PA. In 2012 the Washington County History and Landmarks Foundation awarded Historic Landmark Designations for the Society’s two buildings: Heritage Hall and The White Church. Heritage Hall is located at 493 Eldersville Road, Burgettstown, PA 15021.
Museum Photos  You see (photo right) the soldier dressed mannequin. A few years ago someone broke into our Museum. They went up the fire escape and smashed in the door. When they closed the door, the intruder was apparently frightened by this mannequin thinking it was a man. They smashed the mannequin beyond repair and stole his uniform. The intruder was never caught. The casket on the floor contains a skeleton – this is a conversation piece when school kids get a tour of the Museum. |
