LancasterHistory has announced that the Thaddeus Stevens & Lydia Hamilton Smith Center for History and Democracy was accepted into the National Park Service's Reconstruction Era National Historic Network on June 4. The national network connects organizations and sites throughout the United States that provide education, interpretation, and research related to the Reconstruction Era (1861-1900) in American history.The Reconstruction Era was a period of significant transformation in American history that impacted social, political, and economic systems within the country as the United States grappled with the aftermath of the Civil War, especially the legacy of slavery. The Reconstruction Era National Historic Network was signed into law on March 12, 2019, and has added more than 100 sites and programs to its network.

The Stevens & Smith Center is managed by LancasterHistory and is tentatively set to open in spring 2026. The center is already a part of the National Park Service's Underground Railroad Network to Freedom.To learn more about the Reconstruction Era National Historic Network, visit https://www.nps.gov/subjects/reconstruction/network.htm.