indian steps museum

During a recent weekend getaway in Southcentral Pennsylvania, my wife and I stopped at this Arts and Crafts-era museum in a gorgeous setting on the western bank of the Susquehanna. The museum takes its name from steps carved by First Nations peoples in nearby river rocks to facilitate their shad fishing. The building itself takes you back to the first decades of the 20th century, when America was just beginning to reassess its past, present and future. I almost expected to see Teddy Roosevelt come rushing through one of its beautiful, oak & wrought-iron doors and hear him declare its painted and stained glass idealizations of tribal life to be "Bully!" The museum contains an amazing collection of thousands of Native American paleoliths - most of which, in keeping with the aesthetic (and anglo-centric) viewpoint of that era, are embedded in the building walls as mosaics. Please don't let this deter you, because the fact that this place exists at all is due to a labor of love by its original builder and owner, York Attorney John E. Vandersloot. Mr. Vandersloot managed to create a humbly-beautiful time capsule that says as much about America on the cusp of greatness as it does about Native American culture. I rate this a must-see for any thoughtful student of US history. The museum curator, Ms. Howell, is a very pleasant, conscientious and highly knowledgeable ecologist who worked with the local power utilities on a program to re-establish shad runs in the Susquehanna. She is a qualified BSA merit badge counselor for Indian Lore, and also provides a great, hands-on program for younger children on the lifecycle of the shad. This is hidden gem, great for groups and for individual families. Don't miss it. There is a small suggested entry fee that was recently instituted to help defray operating costs, as the original museum trust fund has become insufficient to meet current-day operating expenses. Please stop by. You will be glad you did.

Staff is knowledgeable. Great picnic areas. Great photo spot. I have great childhood memories here and it was neat to return to visit. I look forward to bringing our children here one day!

Maybe I was looking too much forward to the trip.It was enjoyable, pretty scenery, nice drive to get there.We went to the Indian festival weekend. That was pleasant. It would have been more fun if we'd had kids to enjoy the daytime activities.No regrets, lovely photos (important to me), interesting tidbits. It was a pleasant afternoon outing.

When you pull in the driveway/parking lot a sense of peace washed over me. I cannot say what it was in particular but all my problems dissolved that morning. With my 4 year old holding my hand we walked around the grounds, we saw a group making dream catchers....we were too late to sign up for the craft but it was okay with us.....we entered the museum greeted by a friendly man who instantly explained to us what to do in the museum. We walked through amazed at the wonders of the building...the uniqueness and the quiet charm. We learned a lot that day about the Susquehanna Indians that lived before us in the beautiful area. My son was amazed and surprisingly content and peaceful through the tour. I really have to say it was one of the best experiences of the summer. Please go here and see and learn, because the ancient people welcome you with open loving arms and bless your visit.

Nestled along the Susquehanna River, you will find this small, unique museum. Just to see the outside, is a wonder! It has thousand of arrowheads stuck into the mortar on the building. Inside, is even more to behold. Preserving the heritage of this great country is so important. We must not loose the history of our native ancestors who once walked the sure of the Susquehanna. The museum hosts special events throughout the year, such as pow wows. See the Native Americans in their regalia, sample traditional Native American foods, shops for jewelry and various other items, offed by vendors at these events.

This is a small museum that is an adventurejust to get to. Once there, you are greeted with the hills and natural beauty that originally made York attorney John E. Vandersloot become smitten with this tract of land. His interest inspired him to purchase this property, its cabin and two smaller cottages nearby—the original Indian Steps “cabin.” While gardening at Indian Steps, Vandersloot unearthed arrowheads, stone tools, pottery, and many other native artifacts of the “long winding river.” He also gathered artifacts his neighbors shared with him, amassing a mighty collection. During the construction of Vandersloot’s “cabin,” more than 10,000 of these artifacts were embedded in the masonry walls to form Indian patterns, birds, animals and reptiles and tell the story of Indian inhabitants. Mr. Vandersloot had an idea….what better way of preserving his collection of artifacts than to construct a building that would “contain” it-in the fullest sense-by imbedding it in the walls?The exhibits include over 10,000 Indian relics embedded in the outside walls, walkways and indoor floors and other parts of this great building, The Kiva Room (a reproduction of a chamber generally used by the Hopi Indians for secret religious assemblies and lounging), a central gallery dedicated to tracing the evolution of early Indians who lived by or passed along the nearby Susquehanna River, exhibits that show how the first human beings came to North America and how they eventually spread to the area we now call the Susquehanna Valley, hunting tools used by early people to hunt for food for their families are explained in detail, shards or parts of ancient pottery are also on display, clothing worn by Native Americans, numerous displays of artifacts found locally, along the shore and the fields which border the Susquehanna River, baskets and other forms of Indian handiwork, WPA Models and Dioramas, Holtwood Dam and Hydroelectric Facility, Susquehanna and Tidewater Canals, a room specially dedicated to John Edward Vandersloot and much more. And be sure to walk the grounds. The tranquility of the Indian Steps Museum property is nestled in a quiet hollow along the Susquehanna River.

Lovely area and an interesting history of a man who was fascinated by Indian artifacts before it was fashionable.We had an amazing docent who led us on a short 'wildflower walk' and was really informative. We walked up to the waterfall which was quite nice. I especially enjoyed the exhibits upstairs, esp the petroglyphs...Amazing!

This is a joy. A very small place to visit, the museum is quaint, but it offers such big rewards. As soon as you arrive you know you have arrived on sacred grounds. The views of the Susquehanna River are spectacular!

This museum is situated along the Susquehanna River with great views of the river. Great place for children and history buffs alike. Very nice displays. Only open during warm months. Gift shop contains handcrafted locally made items. To learn more www.indiansteps.org

This museum is located in Airville, which is in the mountains of Pennsylvania and pretty far from stores like Wal-mart and other things we may be used to seeing on a daily basis. Here you will find some houses, a camp ground, lots of forest and the wonderful Indian Steps Museum.The surrounding area is beautiful and peaceful. It is a wonderful place to go if you want a day away from all the noise and busyness of cities/towns.The museum itself is in a house that was owned by John E. Vandersloot. He collected many Native American artifacts. More than 10,000 of the artifacts were embedded in the walls of the museum. Vandersloot thought this was the best way to preserve these items. Besides seeing the walls and the patterns that were made, the museum itself has very many items. It was a lot bigger and had more to see than I thought it would.The museum also ha a nice little gift shop and friendly employees.I love the museum and plan on going back for the Native American festival. I recommend this museum to anyone interested in learning more about the Native American culture.