So Many Ways to Learn

Please check the June program listings for events coming up.

Third graders from Otto Eldred Elementary wrote colorful thank you notes after their visit to the Pennsylvania Lumber Museum in May (courtesy PLM)

Thousands of elementary school students visit the Pennsylvania Trails of History every spring and fall, and many more visit with their families and friends throughout the year. The thank you notes pictured above, received by staff at the Pennsylvania Lumber Museum, are just a few of the hundreds sent to our staff and volunteers. Many teachers find it a great way to find out what their students remember about their visit, and we find them helpful, too. While younger students are most common for organized visits, we certainly see our share of older students and adults, eager to learn in a variety of ways.

This year to commemorate the 300th anniversary of William Penn's death, Pennsbury Manor is asking school visitors to describe Penn's legacy. They'll be sharing those insights every Wednesday. This week, they posted about Penn's role as founder of Pennsylvania, certainly a significant legacy for us all. Follow Pennsbury's Educator page on Facebook to see more on Penn's Legacy Year.

The University of Maryland's Eckley Archaeology Project has begun for this summer, with students documenting the Rubin House. Local high school students interested in archaeology may want to apply for the high school field program, which starts on June 18. More information on applying, as well as photos of numerous activities, can be found on the Eckley Archaeology Project Facebook page. Otherwise, be sure to take a look at the excavations while at Eckley Miners' Village for this summer's Molly Maguires semicentennial.

Last weekend, to help kick off the summer season, The Allegheny Ironsides vintage baseball club were on site at Historic Pithole for Wildcatter Day. They helped the Drake Well team learn how to play 1860s baseball as it would have been played during Pithole's heyday. They posted a summary and lots of photos on their Facebook page.

Ephrata Cloister staff members Michael Showalter and Nick Siegert contributed a section for the upcoming museum studies text, Interpreting Religion at Museums and Historic Sites, edited by Gretchen Buggeln and former PHMC executive director Barbara Franco. The book is part of the American Association for State and Local History's Interpreting History Series, published by Rowman & Littlefield. It is due out in September.

WBRE's Lauren Hensley recently visited Joseph Priestley House and posted about it on her Facebook page. Tomorrow, June 9, the site hosts its first World Doll Day event, dedicated to longtime volunteer Ruth Eleanor McCorkill and devoted to teaching about the Priestley family in the 18th and 19th centuries. Kids are encouraged to bring their own dolls along. The event is free, but there is a fee for the doll tea party and reservations are required.

Ruth Eleanor McCorkill (1920-2017) with Merry Mary doll she created for Joseph Priestley House (photo JPH)