Strasburg Steam Pottery-Depot-Museum

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Around 1890 the building that now houses the Strasburg Museum was constructed by the Strasburg Stone and Earthenware Manufacturing Company. Organization by Strasburg resident Dr. Granville Brown, this company operated a large steam pottery plant on the site. This was one of the numerous pottery operations Strasburg was known for in the 19th century.

The building was constructed by David Milton Crabill of Toms Brook. It would operate as a steam pottery during the 1890s and first part of the 20th century. These decades were part of a boom period in Strasburg’s history during which the railroad and other commercial establishments grew exponentially. However the boom did not last and around 1909 the pottery closed.

Four years later the Southern Railway Company obtained the building and opened a passenger and freight depot inside. From then until the early 1960s it was the center of the railroad’s expansive presence in Strasburg.

In 1970 the Strasburg Museum obtained a lease from the railroad to convert the then abandoned structure into a museum. That same year the building became a National Historic Landmark. Later the organization acquired the structure.

Today the former pottery/depot still houses the town’s museum which contains thousands of authentic items from the area’s history, railroad items including a caboose, a working model railroad depicting the area, local artwork, and many other attractions.

The museum is open seven days a week, May 1-October 31. The site is staffed by volunteer docents. Admission is $3.00 for adults, $1.00 for teens, and 50 cents for children.