Amy B. Yerkes Hatboro History Museum
Our museum of Hatboro history is named in honor of Amy B. Yerkes, a local educator who made her mark as a dedicated teacher and then principal at historic Loller Academy. She also served as the first female trustee for the Hatboro Baptist Church.
Ms. Yerkes was born in March 1883 and died in July 1962 after which she was buried in Hatboro Cemetery. The Yerkes family in Hatboro dates back to the early 1800s, and prior to that in Philadelphia. The Yerkes' were retail merchants, preachers, politicians, lawyers, hotel owners, medical doctors, farmers, and teachers. The family also was influential in creating the Union Library of Hatboro, one of the earliest libraries in Pennsylvania.
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The Millbrook Society is proud to operate the new Amy B. Yerkes Museum at Pennypack Community Center (former Pennypack Elementary School site). As we prepare to fully open the museum, the collection is available for viewing most Wednesday evenings from 7:30 pm to 9:30 pm and by appointment (please contact us), as is the Millbrook Research & Archives Center at Hatboro Baptist Church. We welcome local groups interested in visiting us on dates and times outside our usual hours.
Moving The Museum To Pennypack
The Millbrook Society is currently in the process of moving the Amy B. Yerkes Museum of Hatboro history into a newer, bigger, and more community-oriented location at the Pennypack Community Center (the former Pennypack Elementary School at 130 Spring Avenue behind Amy's Family Pizzeria), tripling the available space. Please note that while the museum is moving to Pennypack, The Millbrook Research & Archives Center (our offices, education, and services) will all still remain based at Hatboro Baptist Church.
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This long-awaited move will allow the Society to display more artifacts, tell more stories, and accommodate more visitors than ever before, and we cannot wait to show it off to you later this spring. It’s the best way we can imagine to celebrate our 40th anniversary with you. If you have questions or are interested in volunteering as a docent, please contact us at millbrooksociety@gmail.com or 215-957-1877.
The Millbrook Society's collection comprises historical artifacts, archives, photo archives, and a research library that reflect and support the Society's Mission and its three primary, interrelated activities:
PRESERVATION… by collecting and maintaining artifacts, documents, manuscripts, and maps.
WHAT ARE…
Historical artifacts?
Three-dimensional objects with historical or aesthetic significance.
Archives?
Historical records and documents.
Photo archives?
Images such as photographs, negatives, film, postcards, etc., and their electronic images.
Research libraries?
A collection of books and other printed and electronic resources used to support research.
The general collection has grown to represent the growth of Hatboro and the surrounding areas.
It represents the life of our community over time! You can learn about the life of our community through community, commercial, religious, educational, military, civic, and governmental artifacts.
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Many of the items in our collection are donated by local residents or families. We take great pride in being able to preserve and share with the community these beloved pieces which they have entrusted to us.
New items are always being added to our collections, so keep an eye out here or on our Facebook page for updates. If you have items representing our local history you would like us to consider preserving as part of our collection, we are happy to speak with you.
Part of the annual membership dues to The Millbrook Society goes to maintaining our collection.
If you are not a member of The Millbrook Society, we invite you to join us and our mission of preserving, protecting, and educating about our local history. Please contact us at The Millbrook Society at 215-957-1877 or millbrooksociety@gmail.com.
We gratefully appreciate financial donations earmarked for maintaining our museum and the collection.
The Society participated in the Historical Society of Pennsylvania's Hidden Collections Initiative for Pennsylvania Small Archival Repositories in 2012. To see the result of this review and a detailed list of the collections, click here.
