NYCHAPS has been actively renovating the century-old Maple Shade Barn into our headquarters since we were gifted the barn in 1992 by John and Mary Rearick.

Renovations began shortly after to allow the Maple Shade Barn to house our meeting and organization facilities, as well as our collection of area artifacts and documents. 

In 1998 work was completed on the ground floor which serves as our meeting-place and accommodates kitchen and restroom facilities, as well as our Gift Shop. The ground floor is used extensively by the society and other groups for meetings, and is rented by community members for a variety of social functions.

After the completion of the ground floor, the committee turned their attention to the second floor.  In 1999, we finished renovations of the second floor vestibule as well as our Archives and Collections room in two bays on the upper level. 

Having outgrown the smaller archives & accessions room, this area was developed to give us more space for our collections and the smaller accessions room has been converted into a museum room.  This area provides a suitable, climate-controlled atmosphere for our growing collections.  In the spring of 2011 we began our newest phase of work. This expansion follows our master plan and provides a space for a climate-controlled Research Room, which will house our library and genealogical materials, as well as giving shelter to our large items.

The final phase of the Maple Shade Barn will be a new 2,000 square-foot museum where we can tell the complete story of Northern York County. Included in this area will be space for permanent exhibits, rotating exhibits, and two alcoves that can easily be converted into period rooms. Once this phase is finished, NYCHAPS will have completed its master plan for the Maple Shade Barn. We are presently seeking funds for this final phase of work, and we thank our dedicated Barn Committee and volunteer members who have made this renovation possible.

To book an event at the Maple Shade Barn, contact us.