Celebrate the history of Mount Joy by attending programs offered by the Mount Joy Area Historical Society. The society's program series will kick off on Monday, March 15, with a presentation by John Brown on "Abraham Lincoln and the North Central Railroad." Monthly programs will be held at 7 p.m. on the third Monday of each month through November. The programs in March, April and May will be held via Zoom, while the society hopes to resume in-person meetings starting in June, said Sue Hostetter, president.

"Our mission is to preserve and collect documents and artifacts from the Mount Joy area," Hostetter explained of the society that formed in 1973. "We also have a mission to share these things and to educate the community about the history of Mount Joy."

The society is located at 120 Fairview St., Mount Joy. Pre-COVID, it was open to the public on Sunday afternoons, but currently, it is open by appointment only.

Along with its monthly programs, the society houses a vast collection of Mount Joy memorabilia. "We have showcases on local businesses, nonprofits and organizations," Hostetter said. "We have obituaries going back to the 1800s." Additionally, the society has notebooks full of articles on local businesses organized by type of business as well as booklets available for purchase on a variety of topics.

The speaker series has been a way for the society to encourage interest in preserving Mount Joy history, Hostetter noted. Additional topics for the program series include an April 19 presentation by Ken Miller on "Our Lime Kiln Heritage," a May 17 presentation by Ben Webber and Don Kautz on "The Conestoga Navigation Company" and a June 21 talk by Bonnie Watkins on "Huguenots in Southeastern Pennsylvania." For a complete list of topics and presenters, readers may visit http://www.mountjoyhistory.com/events.

"Our programs have been very popular over the years," Hostetter stated. "We have a core group that comes to many of our programs, and we might have 40 to 50 people at some. Zoom is an experiment for us, but we think it's going to work very well."

Last year's program series was canceled due to COVID-19, so Hostetter and other society members reached out to presenters to ask if they'd be willing to offer a virtual program for the first few months of this year's series. She noted that the society will offer assistance to both presenters and participants who need help getting comfortable using Zoom.

Hostetter explained that the society relies on memberships and donations to continue its work. "We hope people will support us, even if they can't come to a program," she remarked. "If you believe in the idea that history is important, please consider supporting us."

For more information on the society or to register for a program, readers may email mjahs17552@gmail.com or call 717-653-4718 and leave a message.