In 1939, a group of historically minded people met to consider the preservation of the Montgomery House and local history. The House was built by William Montgomery for his family. William, the founder of Danville, name the town after his son, Daniel. These individuals established the Montour County Historical Society.
The Montgomery House was purchased by the Danville Elks and deeded to Montour County to be used as a museum. It was turned over to the Society in December 1940. By then there were 90 charter members. After much work by the membership, the museum opened to the public in October 1941. The Montgomery House contains a wealth of Montour County memorabilia displayed throughout the House.
The Society has continued to grow both in artifacts and attendance. Added to the MCHS museum was Mooresburg’s One Room Schoolhouse which was purchased from the Danville School District in 1964 and opened as a museum in 1966. The schoolhouse museum houses artifacts which include many pertaining to early education of Christopher Sholes, inventor of the typewriter.
In 2010 the Society purchased the building adjacent to the Montgomery House, which was built by Daniel Montgomery Boyd, grandson of Daniel Montgomery, to enlarge their collection space. The Danville Elks purchased the Boyd Home in 1923 which housed their organization until 1999 when they built a new building outside of Danville. The MCHS opened the completed ‘Military Room and Victorian Parlor’ to the public in September 2017.
The Montgomery House has new and updated displays and the new room ‘The Hackenburg Family Military Room’ is now open for you to enjoy. The ‘Business & Industry Room’ showcases Montour County’s mining, iron and farming, business and manufacturing history. Non-members $10 – members and students under 18 free. (memberships available)
The Montgomery House Museum and The Boyd House Museum will close for the season on Sunday Oct 27 at 4pm and open again in May. The Museums can be opened by appointment anytime during the year by calling 570-271-0830 or 570-275-8528 (please ask about fees for groups). Leave a message, name and phone number so your call can be returned.
The Genealogy Room, in the Boyd House Museum and will close Oct 23 for the season and open again in May. The Genealogy Room is filled with Montour County resources for researching your family tree. (the Museum is not open for tours during the time the genealogy room is open).