Another Roundup

In an earlier post, we noted that the groundbreaking for the new visitor center at the Pennsylvania Lumber Museum was slated for April 22. You can see photos on the museum’s Facebook page here. We’ll try to keep you updated as the building project takes shape.

The Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania’s Roundhouse project passed a milestone recently when approval of the design was received from the Strasburg Township Planning Commission. The new building will house historic locomotives from the Pennsylvania Railroad, providing for better preservation. You can find details on the museum’s website here. The museum also recently debuted a new photography exhibit, based on a contest open to the public. “From Your Lens: Images of Contemporary Railroading” will continue through December. And this just in, this weekend (May 11-12), in honor of National Train Day, you can purchase a ticket good for admission to the Railroad Museum of PA, the Choo Choo Barn, and the National Toy Train Museum, plus a coach train ride on the Strasburg Rail Road. Go here for details.

As part of “Perry 200,” the bicentennial of the Battle of Lake Erie, GoErie.com has a cool interactive where you can learn all kinds of things about the US Brig Niagara and the battle. You’ll find virtual tours of the ship, including below decks, with commentary by Capt. Wesley Heerssen plus lots of photos and Niagara’s sailing schedule and links to the ship and Erie Maritime Museum website. Go here to check it out.

Landis Valley Village and Farm Museum’s Herb and Garden Faire runs today and tomorrow (go here for an old post about it or here for the event details). The authors of Living Crafts Historic Tools will be on hand to sign copies of this new book that looks at the history of hand crafts and how they became “collectible,” featuring artifacts in the museum’s collection. Also note that you have only about a month left to see “The Golden Age of an American Art Form: The Lancaster Long Rifle,” the museum’s award-winning exhibit closing June 10.

The National History Day in Pennsylvania contest was held last week and some of us from PHMC participated as judges over the two-day event. (The Pennsylvania House of Representatives passed a resolution designating May 4 National History Day in Pennsylvania.) It’s always heartening, to me, to see the interest and enthusiasm of so many students who have really dug into a topic and made it their own. They are our future visitors, supporters, and colleagues. The list of winning entries is here; first and second place awardees will advance to the national contest in June. Good luck to them and congratulations to all the students (and teachers and parents and resource people) who participated.

Saving the best of the best for last, we recently honored PHMC’s Volunteers of the Year at a ceremony at the State Museum in Harrisburg. It’s a really nice event and one that many of us look forward to as a chance to get together and celebrate the work that goes on every day on the Trails of History. You can find a group photo and a list of honorees here.