Our Top Story This Morning

Exhibit element at Drake Well, photo by Susan Beates

The much-anticipated opening of Drake Well Museum’s new exhibit is finally at hand. This Sunday, August 26, from noon to 5 p.m., you can be among the first to experience the sights and sounds of “There’s a Drop of Oil and Gas in Your Life Every Day.” Thanks to photos by Brenda Reigle in our Harrisburg bureau office and Susan Beates on the scene at Drake Well, we’ve been able to track the exhibit installation on PHMC’s Flickr photostream (click). Sunday’s festivities will include historical characters, music, food vendors, a stock car racer, and more; go to Drake Well’s Facebook page for details.



Section of "Wood on Glass" exhibit, photo by Brenda Reigle

Speaking of exhibits, the Pennsylvania Lumber Museum is currently hosting “Wood on Glass: The Lumber Industry Photographs of William T. Clarke.” The original version of this exhibit was produced in-house at The State Museum in 2010, co-curated by Linda Ries, State Archives, with photo historians Ronald E. Ostman and Harry Littell. Ostman and Littell were PHMC Scholars-in-Residence in 2005 and wrote an article for Smithsonian magazine about Clarke’s work in the lumber region during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. (For more info on the exhibit in its 2010-2011 run, go here.)



“First Step in the Felling of a Tree, Nine Mile, Potter County, Pennsylvania.” Undated.

From: Original 5x7 Glass Negative, Pennsylvania State Archives,

Dept. of Forests and Waters Photographs WTC 3820

In Other News…
You may or may not have heard that the Pennsylvania Heritage Society is changing its name to Pennsylvania Heritage Foundation to better reflect its role in supporting the PHMC and its programs. You can go here to see the new logo or here to read more about the change.

The Pennsylvania Military Museum has posted photos and video of their "Boot Camp for Kids" and "Vietnam Revisited" programs on Facebook. Boot Camp also got a nice write-up in the Centre Daily Times.

Washington Crossing Historic Park has posted photos on Facebook of the August 4 visit from members of the American Travelling Morrice doing traditional English dances. Looks like a fun day!

If you’ve ever wanted to explore Bushy Run Battlefield by mountain bike, MAnderson 545 has posted useful information on the Trimble Outdoors site.

Eckley Miners’ Village was the Photo of the Day for August 20 on photographer George Sheldon’s blog. Further exploration reveals that Conrad Weiser Homestead was featured on July 16.

(Those last two items came to me via Google Alerts, my new BFF.)

Coming Up Next…
Aug. 24:
*Survivor (think “Eye of the Tiger”) in concert at Old Economy Village tonight. Tickets are still available; call 724/266-4500 for information.
*The PA Civil War 150 Road Show continues its appearance at the Perry County Fair through tomorrow, then moves on to the Great Allentown Fair, Aug. 28 through Labor Day.

Aug. 25:
*Oil Valley Blacksmiths will present their monthly demonstration at Drake Well from 10 a.m.-2 p.m.
*The Weathervane Museum Store at Landis Valley Village & Farm Museum will hold their annual art show, with nearly 50 artists and vendors displaying their wares (some will also demonstrate). The art show is free, 9 a.m.-4 p.m.; regular admission fees apply if you wish to tour the museum and buildings.
*If you visit the Pennsylvania Military Museum this weekend wearing an Armed Services themed t-shirt, you’ll get a 1 p.m. guided tour for $4.

Aug. 26 (in addition to the Drake Well exhibit opening):
*Volunteers will demonstrate colonial-era food prep, using a tripod and a cooking fire at Daniel Boone Homestead, noon to 4 p.m. as the last installment of Boone’s summer Interpretive Sundays series.
*The 1793 Yellow Fever Outbreak in Philadelphia will be the subject of a Living History Theater program at Graeme Park from noon to 4 p.m. (Click for a news article with more info.)
*The kitchen garden at Pennsbury Manor will be the focus of this month’s Garden Highlights program, 1-4 p.m., where staff will share their knowledge of Penn’s gardeners and their work. A lovely way to spend an afternoon.

Happy Trails!