Steppingstone Museum

Steppingstone Museum is a rural heritage museum located on an 18th-century farm property within Susquehanna State Park that features multiple historic buildings including barns and craftsmen workshops. The collections contain over 7,000 tools and artifacts that illustrate the daily work and domestic life of earlier generations.

The museum grew from a private collection assembled by J. Edmund Bull and relocated in 1979 to the Gilman Paul property, broadening its focus on rural American trades and crafts. This move allowed the collection to be displayed and preserved within an authentic farm setting that reflected its subject matter.

The museum displays traditional crafts such as blacksmithing, stone cutting, and broom making that represent the skills passed down through rural Maryland communities. Visitors can observe these practices demonstrated in workshops throughout the property.

The museum is situated on Quaker Bottom Road in Havre de Grace and offers guided tours, educational programs, and hands-on activities during regular operating hours. The grounds are accessible and visitors should be prepared to explore outdoor spaces and multiple buildings spread across the property.

The museum preserves a remarkably extensive collection of everyday objects that reveal how people lived and worked in earlier times. These personal artifacts allow visitors to form a direct connection to the past that goes beyond typical historical exhibitions.