Several hundred school children of all ages visit the museum at the Bradford County Historical Society each year. If you are a teacher or a principal in Bradford County and do not currently bring your students to BCHS each year, your students are missing out on a tremendous opportunity.

Do you want your students to be contributing members of their local community? Do you want them to value their hometown? An appreciation for local history at a young age is a vital part of accomplishing these goals.

When your students visit the Bradford County Historical Society, they will learn about local history by seeing, hearing and touching. They will see unusual and interesting items that were used by people just like them as much as 200 years ago. They will hear stories told by their tour guide as well as music demonstrated on an old phonograph. They will touch selected artifacts that museum staff or volunteers have chosen for them. Your students will remember this field trip for the rest of their lives.

At the conclusion of the tour, each student receives a gift to take with them.

Planning Your Field Trip

If you are planning a field trip to BCHS, here are some things that you should know.

• There is no age requirement but we suggest that students should at least be in second grade in order to get the most out of the tour.
• There is no fee for school tours. All participants are admitted for free.
• There is room for buses to unload students at the rear of our facility.
• We can handle only 30 students at a time. Groups of 30 are broken down into smaller groups and typically two tour guides will be available (one for each of the smaller groups). If you have more than 30 students in your class, additional times or additional days can be scheduled to meet your needs.
• We offer a room where students may eat lunch. No food or beverages are permitted outside of this area.
• Handicapped accessible restrooms are available on each floor.
• Items on display are not to be touched. The tour guide will give instructions when an items can be touched.
• There is no leaning against walls, cases and pedestals, climbing or sitting on artifacts, both for the student’s safety and for the protection of the artifacts.
• Food, gum, beverages, backpacks/large bags, pens/markers are not permitted in the museum. Cameras may be used at designated areas.
• The Group Leader and/or Chaperones are responsible for keeping the group together and maintaining proper behavior. The following actions are not appropriate: loud talking (voices should be kept at a respectful level); running; jumping; disrupting the experience of others; touching artifacts; disregarding the directions of Museum staff, group leaders, teachers, and chaperones.
• The Museum staff is not responsible for the behavior management of students/children. That responsibility is in the hands of the Group Leader and/or Chaperones. If a Museum staff member must intervene, the Museum reserves the right to discontinue the tour and dismiss the group from the Museum.
• Please turn off all cell phones while in the museum.

Visiting the museum should be a fun, enjoyable experience for everyone.

Schedule a Tour

Teachers or principals wishing to schedule a tour for their school group should call the office of the Managing Curator, 570-265-7652, to discuss your event.

Prior to the tour date, a signed Museum Manners Policy form should be signed and mailed to the Bradford County Historical Society, 109 Pine Street, Towanda, PA 18848. Download a form below.

For general questions about school tours, contact the museum.

Museum Manners Policy