Stuff to "Like"

Yesterday was Picture a Museum Day—go here to see photos from museums around the world.

I have found that the Facebook pages of sites on the Pennsylvania Trails of History can be great sources of information on stuff I’d otherwise not know about. Of course, they post updates on programs and exhibits, but it’s the other news that makes these pages a treasure trove.

The Anthracite Heritage Museum started a routine of “museum fact Mondays” where they post items of interest in regional history or coal mining history in general. Currently they also have a Women’s History Month post going and they used Facebook for behind-the-scenes updates on their HVAC project. And, they’re helping to promote the Coal Miner’s Stamp Initiative, which has also been endorsed by the Pennsylvania legislature.

Brandywine Battlefield shares updates on events and fundraising and provides a place for folks with a general interest in the American Revolution to post information.

Ephrata Cloister posts a “word of the week” related to the site’s history and architecture and used Facebook to announce that they had received the 2011 Nonprofit Innovation Award for Management Operations from the Central Penn Business Journal.

PHMC/Graeme Park

Graeme Park mostly posts updates on upcoming events but they’ve also shared news about digitization projects at institutions that hold manuscript collections related to the site (such as Elizabeth Graeme Fergusson’s commonplace book at Dickinson College).

Landis Valley Village and Farm Museum announces programs and lectures and posts tantalizing images of the site in its winter, spring, summer, and fall beauty. They also share some of the news coverage they receive, such as when their upcoming apple tree grafting workshop (March 26) was mentioned in the New York Times.

Old Economy Village built interest in their reopening for the season (the site closes to the public during January and February each year), their upcoming Garden Workshop and the fact that Rep. Jason Altmire (D-McCandless) had nominated Old Economy for a National Medal for Museum and Library Service (five libraries and five museums are recognized each year by the Institute of Museum and Library Services—recipients will be announced this fall).

Pennsbury Manor enticed fans to come on down for Charter Day by sharing frequent posts and they are currently promoting their summer history camp. Previously, they asked friends to post their memories of visits to Pennsbury and gathered some lovely stories, which of course were shared with the rest of us.

PHMC/Pennsylvania Lumber Museum

Pennsylvania Lumber Museum posts contemporary and historical photos and has been including coverage of their impending museum expansion project. In a great show of good humor (in my opinion) they posted a request in early February to have their friends push them over the 100 “likes” mark that weekend; Monday’s post said “well, that didn’t work LOL” (they’re almost there, so let’s see if Trailheads can make the difference).

The Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania shares posts that provide fans (are we supposed to call them likers now?) with railroad history highlights related to current events or historical anniversaries and the like (currently women in railroading history are the focus). Museum staff also use Facebook to show the progress of various rolling stock restoration projects, such as the Lindbergh engine (more formally known as the 460), or the new geothermal HVAC system installation that is ongoing.

Somerset Historical Center posts event updates and follow-ups, such as for their annual Mountain Craft Days festival in September. I’ve noticed that some folks also post genealogy queries on the wall or use the Facebook page as a way to offer their services for craft demonstrations.

The State Museum of Pennsylvania used Facebook postings to keep visitors updated on the work to renovate the museum’s Paleontology Galleries and install the Marshalls Creek Mastodon skeleton in its new home (the exhibit reopened at the end of February).

Don’t forget that there are Facebook pages for the Pennsylvania Trails of History, Pennsylvania Civil War 150, and the Pennsylvania Heritage Society. If I’ve missed any Trails of History (or related) sites that are on Facebook, please excuse the oversight and leave a comment so I can update my list.