Charter Day Celebrations Continue

Please check the PHMC Events Calendar if you're looking for virtual programs. I've highlighted events below, but there's more to see in the weeks ahead. The Trailheads Rec Room to the right of your screen has all kinds of online offerings--available 24/7.

Pennsbury Manor celebrates Charter Day (photo via Pennsbury Facebook page)

Before we take another look at Charter Day (last week's post started things off), I have to acknowledge the one-year anniversary of Covid-19, officially declared a pandemic on March 11, 2020. Each of us has had our own Covid journey. Things seem to be looking more hopeful now, with vaccines more widely distributed. But that doesn't change any of the losses that have been part of the past year for many. I have no eloquence to offer here, I just want to acknowledge this milestone that comes with so many mixed emotions.

PHMC's Virtual Charter Day celebration continues with online programs and resources. Visit the Charter Day 2021 landing page to find videos, puzzles, and links to all kinds of info on Pennsylvania's 1681 Charter.

Usually when we talk about the charter, we use an image of the first page. One of the videos featured on the landing page is a look at pages 2 and 3 with Joshua Stahlman, archivist with the Pennsylvania State Archives.



This Sunday, March 14, at 4 pm, Pennsbury Manor and the Historical Society of Pennsylvania will "Dive into the PA Charter" with a look at various drafts of the document. The event is free, but you'll need to register in advance to get the Zoom link (Pennsbury Manor's Facebook page has details).

During the past week, the folks at Conrad Weiser Homestead have posted birthday greetings from members of reenactment groups and volunteers who make the site's programming possible. I'm sharing one below and you can find more on the Conrad Weiser Homestead Facebook page.



At Ephrata Cloister, March doesn't just bring Charter Day, it's also the birthday of founder Conrad Beissel (March 1, 1691). The site posted a 10-minute video in honor of both. You can find it on Ephrata's YouTube channel.

On Tuesday evening, we presented a special edition of the PHMC Virtual Collections Showcase in honor of Charter Day. The theme (we always have a theme) was birthdays and other celebrations. One of the contenders was the Pennsylvania Military Museum, highlighting people in military service celebrating birthdays away from home. The post below shows 1st Lieutenant Peggy Finn Reno, US Army, whose family sent her a birthday cake in Vietnam to help her celebrate.

1st Lieutenant Peggy Finn Reno, US Army, Vietnam War "Peggy (Finn) Reno (1945-2019) was born and raised in Harrisburg,...

Posted by Pennsylvania Military Museum on Tuesday, March 9, 2021

Upcoming Virtual Events

Today, March 12

• Learn at Lunchtime, The State Museum of PA, learn about Pennsylvania songbirds, 12:15 pm (State Museum Facebook to register)

Saturday, March 13

• Virtual Armor Tour, PA Military Museum, see inside military vehicles, 2 pm (PMM Facebook page to register)

Sunday, March 14

• Tonight's Sky: Live Chat with the Planetarium Director, The State Museum, 2 pm (SMP Facebook page for link)
• Dive into the PA Charter, Pennsbury Manor, 4 pm (Facebook event for link)

Thursday, March 18

• Winter History Class Week 7, Ephrata Cloister, 9 am (Ephrata website for details)
• Workin' on the Railroad, Railroad Museum of PA, program for grades K-6, 4 pm (Eventbrite for tickets)
• History of the U.S. Life-Saving Service and Early U.S. Coast Guard, Erie Maritime Museum, 7 pm (EMM Facebook for details)

Marking Time

Please check the PHMC Events Calendar if you're looking for virtual programs for the long weekend and beyond. The Trailheads Rec Room to the right of your screen has all kinds of online offerings--great for when you're trying to stay warm.

Please join us on Tuesday, Feb. 16, at 7 pm for the next edition of "What's in a theme? PHMC Virtual Collections Showcase." Staff from the Erie Maritime Museum, Hope Lodge, Landis Valley Village & Farm Museum, Old Economy Village, Pennsbury Manor, and the PA Lumber Museum will have five minutes to present and discuss objects from their collections that all relate to this month's theme, "Love and Relationships." Once all presentations are made and the Q&A is complete, the audience will get to vote on their favorite object (or the one they think best fits the theme). This will be the third installment of our new series (previous episodes live on PHMC's YouTube channel). You won't want to miss it.

In honor of Black History Month, the Pennsylvania Anthracite Heritage Museum shared a post about artist C. Edgar Patience, whose work is in the museum's collection and has a prominent place in the main exhibit hall.

African American artist C. Edgar Patience sculpted the two pieces highlighted today, each from a single piece of...

Posted by Pennsylvania Anthracite Heritage Museum on Sunday, February 7, 2021

Pennsylvania's First Lady, Frances Wolf, has launched "One Lens: Sharing Our Common Views," a project to document Pennsylvanians' COVID-19 experiences through a statewide virtual photography exhibit. PHMC is a partner in the project. Submissions will be accepted through March 8 (more info on submitting an entry).

For the International Day of Women and Girls in Science, Drake Well Museum and Park shared videos by geologist Kristin Carter, who serves as an advisor to Drake Well, and biologist Wendy Kedzierski, who volunteers at the site.

On this International Day of Women and Girls in Science 2021, we are observing the 6th year of this event. This day was...

Posted by Drake Well Museum and Park on Thursday, February 11, 2021

And the Pennsylvania Lumber Museum shared a DCNR post about botanist Chris F., who works for the Bureau of Forestry and is a friend to the Lumber Museum.

In addition to being a WomanInScience, she's also a friend of the museum... Thanks for helping to care for Pennsylvania's forests, Chris!

Posted by Pennsylvania Lumber Museum on Wednesday, February 10, 2021

For Inventors Day, The State Museum of Pennsylvania highlighted (among others) our own Dr. Joseph Priestley and his work with identifying and isolating gases such as oxygen, carbon monoxide, and carbon dioxide.

#DYK February 11 is #InventorsDay? Did you know that #Pennsylvania has some famous #inventors? What does Pennsylvania...

Posted by The State Museum of Pennsylvania on Monday, February 8, 2021

Thank You for Your Support

Please be sure to visit the September program page for info on virtual programs (I've highlighted some below as well). The Trailheads Rec Room, to the right on your screen, has examples of online offerings that are available all the time.

Revolutionary War reenactors at Brandywine Battlefield (photo via Facebook)

Today marks the 19th anniversary of the terror attacks of September 11, 2001. To commemorate those events and the 243rd anniversary of the Battle of Brandywine, Brandywine Battlefield is presenting their annual Remembrance Day program tonight at 6 pm. This year, it will be via Zoom and includes first-hand accounts of the Sept. 11, 1777 battle read by period interpreters. The Facebook event has details and a link to join the program online.

Next Wednesday, September 16, is Ask a Curator Day, a social media initiative engaging museum professionals all over the world. Curators at Drake Well Museum and Park and the Pennsylvania Lumber Museum are planning a Zoom/Facebook Live collaborative event at 4 pm (check the Facebook event for details). As I hear about other plans on the Trails of History, I'll add them here as well.

Facebook event graphic for Drake Well Museum and PA Lumber Museum Ask A Curator Day event, Sept. 16 at 4 pm EDT (via FB)

Other events in the coming week include:

• Sept. 12, 10 am-4pm, Railroad Museum of PA: "Railroad Heritage Day" features presentations and virtual tours focused on the history of railroad stations (check the Facebook event for details and registration link)
• Sept. 13, 2 pm, The State Museum of Pennsylvania: "53rd Annual Art of the State Exhibit" will be launched in its online form and the award winners chosen from among participating artists will be announced (check the Art of the State landing page for details)
• Sept. 14-18, noon-1:30 pm, Pennsylvania State Archives: "Community History Dialog," a series of lunchtime discussions (via Zoom) to help community-based organizations learn how to collect and preserve their history (session details and registration)
• Sept. 15, 7 pm, Cornwall Iron Furnace: "Cornwall's Pre-History," presented by Mike Weber via Zoom (link for registration)

You can help...

With the COVID-19 closures continuing on the Trails of History, the nonprofit support groups at our sites are facing very tough times. All of our sites are working hard to continue to meet their missions of preserving and sharing Pennsylvania's rich heritage with the public. Over the past six months (geez, it's been six months already), they have shown a great deal of creativity in moving programs and content online. That creativity will only increase in the months to come, and you'll be seeing more programs that involve multiple sites working together. But the loss of major summer events and fundraisers (not to mention peak summer visitation) is being felt everywhere. If you have a favorite site and can afford to do so, please consider a donation (most can accept these via their websites) or an online museum store purchase. Or check out one of these fundraisers:

• Bushy Run Battlefield: you have until 11:59 pm tonight (sorry) to purchase a raffle ticket to win one of 30 prize baskets (link to purchase tickets). Winners will be announced tomorrow at 1 pm.
• Ephrata Cloister: this year's Apple Dumpling Sale is mostly virtual, but the dumplings are still very real. Proceeds support the site's educational programs. Pre-orders only for pickup Oct. 9 or 10 (see Facebook event for details).
• Landis Valley Village and Farm Museum: the annual benefit auction was canceled in April, but now it's happening online. Proceeds support the Farm Program and Heirloom Seed Project. Auction items available for preview Sept. 20-27, with online bidding taking place Sept. 28-Oct. 5. Visit their Facebook page for details.
• Old Economy Village: the "Fill the Vault" campaign was inspired by museum educator David Miller's post about the Harmonists' money vaults (read more here). The site is making progress toward their goal of $70,000, but you could help them get there quicker (Facebook post with campaign info)
• Pennsbury Manor: donate to support Pennsbury's educational programs by Oct. 31 and your donation will be matched, up to a total of $17,500 (Facebook post has the details)
• Somerset Historical Center: Mountain Craft Days, a signature event in southwestern PA, had to be canceled, but you may still get a taste of some of the wonderful foods, if you can pick them up on Sept. 26. The Everything Apple Grab-n-Go package includes apple and pear butter, dried apples and dried corn, a variety of apples, and maple popped kettle corn. And you'll be helping replace some of the lost revenue from the event. Pre-order on SHC's website (ticket link here) to ensure you get your package; a very limited supply of unreserved packages will be available on the 26th for drive-through pickup.

So Many Milestones

The August page has a growing list of online events, including a couple of updates since last week's post. For online activities available 24/7, check out the Trailheads Rec Room (to the right of your screen).

A splash of color (photo by AKF)

This month - this week - included some important milestones and one that's not-so-historic but worth noting, I think (I'm sure you'll be able to tell which it is). Let's get started.

The Pennsylvania Humanities Council (PHC) announced this week that 140 cultural nonprofits across the state had received $780,500 in PHC CARES emergency relief grants to help mitigate the impact of COVID-19 on their programs and operations. Six Trails of History sites were among the awardees, for a total of $29,500 (grants ranging from $4,000 to $7,000). Congratulations to Ephrata Cloister, Graeme Park, Landis Valley Village & Farm Museum, Old Economy Village, Pennsbury Manor, and Somerset Historical Center!

PHMC's public portal for museum collections, ARGUS, now includes more than 10,000 entries. Curators on the Trails of History have used their time very productively, turning institutional catalog records into descriptions that convey the essential history of the objects. You can browse to your heart's content by visiting the PHMC website and clicking on Museum Collection (or use this link). And speaking of curators, Susan Hanna, who retired earlier this year after a storied career with PHMC, recently received a Special Achievement Award from PA Museums, our statewide museum association. UPDATE: my sincere apologies for neglecting to mention that Pennsbury Manor received an Institutional Achievement Award for their Gathering of Governors program.

100 Years - Ratification of the 19th Amendment

75 Years - Atomic Bombs Dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki

55 Years - The Voting Rights Act

50 Years - Pennsylvania Lumber Museum

11 Years - Trailheads Blog

August 1 marked the 11 year anniversary of the first Trailheads blog post. As far as I can tell, I failed to note the 10th anniversary last year. Since we'll be coming up on the 600 post milestone in the next month or so (and because the new Blogger format afforded me some additional stats), I've included the top 5 most-viewed posts. Only one of them was actually written by me, but that's fine. Really. Juuuuuust fine. But seriously, it's been a pleasure to work with staff and guest bloggers to help showcase the work of all the people who make the Pennsylvania Trails of History what it is. Thanks for reading. See you next week.

• #1 - The Last Days of William Penn, July 30, 2018, an article by Linda Ries that originally appeared in the Summer 2018 issue of Pennsylvania Heritage
• #2 - Historic Hunting: Helen Sites Miller excelled at male-dominated pastime, Dec. 8, 2016, a guest post by Bureau of Historic Sites and Museums curator Rachel Yerger
• #3 - Invention of the Jeep, Sept. 21, 2018, a piece that originally appeared in the Summer 2003 issue of Pennsylvania Heritage
• #4 - That Reminds Me of a Story, March 26, 2018
• #5 - Philadelphia and the 1918 Influenza Pandemic, Sept. 14, 2018, a guest post by Christina Stetler, then on staff at the PA Heritage Foundation

Ongoing Responsibilities for Our History

The June program page has information on the status of Trails of History sites and lists some virtual programs. It also contains a full list of links to Trails of History Facebook pages so that you can continue to enjoy our digital offerings. You'll also find some of those offerings in the Trailheads Rec Room (see links in the sidebar to the right of your screen); new material is added weekly so that you can see the most recent examples.

Last week's post, "Time to Listen and Think," contains a far-from-exhaustive list of resources for those wanting to learn more about anti-racism, history, and museums. I'll add another that became available this week: the American Alliance of Museums has shared the recording of a conversation that took place during their virtual conference last week. Dr. Johnnetta B. Cole (National Council of Negro Women Inc. and Baltimore Museum of Art), Lonnie G. Bunch III (14th Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution and founding director of the National Museum of African American History and Culture), and Lori Fogarty (Oakland Museum of California) spoke together about "Racism, Unrest, and the Role of the Museum Field." On a related note, this week the Smithsonian announced the receipt of a $25 million grant in support of their new "Race, Community, and Our Shared Future" initiative (press release from SI website).

PHMC's Trails of History sites are responsible for preserving tangible remains of Pennsylvania history and the stories and people connected to them. Here are a few examples that came up in my news feed this week:

The Museum Week That Was

PHMC's Trails of History sites remain closed to the public until the Green Phase, in accordance with Governor Wolf’s Process to Reopen Pennsylvania plan. During the Yellow Phase, the grounds can be accessed for passive and dispersed recreation. Visitors are to follow the governor’s guidelines regarding masking and social distancing, and gatherings are prohibited.

The May program page lists a couple of virtual programs at this point, and it contains a full list of links to Trails of History Facebook pages so that you can continue to enjoy our digital offerings. You'll also find some of those offerings in the Trailheads Rec Room (see links in the sidebar to the right of your screen); new material is added to each page weekly so that you can see the most recent examples. This week there's a new page for Zoom Backgrounds.

Speaking of digital content, back issues of Pennsylvania Heritage magazine are now available online. Shameless plug alert: you'll find some of the Trailheads columns to enjoy as well.

So, this was a big week for hashtags, mostly because it was Museum Week on social media (not to be confused with International Museum Day, which is coming up on Monday - yeah, I know). But first, museums celebrated mothers and mother-figures.

#HappyMothersDay

Museum Week Monday - #HeroesMW

Museum Week Tuesday - #CultureInQuarantine

Museum Week Wednesday - #TogetherMW

Museum Week Thursday - #MuseumMomentsMW

Museum Week Friday - #ClimateMW

Museum Week Saturday - #TechnologyMW

Museum Week Sunday - #DreamsMW

Curating from Home

PHMC's Trails of History sites remain closed to the public until the Green Phase in accordance with Governor Wolf’s Process to Reopen Pennsylvania plan. During the Yellow Phase, the grounds can be accessed for passive and dispersed recreation. Visitors are to follow the governor’s guidelines regarding masking and social distancing, and gatherings are prohibited.

The May program page lists a couple of virtual programs at this point, and it contains a full list of links to Trails of History Facebook pages so that you can continue to enjoy our online offerings. You'll also find some of those offerings in the Trailheads Rec Room (see links in the sidebar to the right of your screen); new material gets added so that you can see the most recent examples. This week there's a new page for Videos, Virtual Tours, and Playlists.

Today's post is the third in a series from Bureau of Historic Sites and Museums curator Rachel Yerger. Rachel has been sharing insights and behind-the-scenes peeks at PHMC collections and the work that goes into caring for and learning about them ("A Glimpse Into Our Collections" on March 27 and "Focus on Collections - Mining PPE" on April 10).

Rachel Yerger, left, working with David Dunn to inventory collections at Landis Valley Village & Farm Museum in 2018 (I think)

How has the coronavirus changed the way a PHMC curator works? One big change is that many of us don’t have regular physical access to artifacts (total bummer). Don't worry, we are working with our site colleagues to make sure that the collections areas are secure and the environment is stable. But, since we don't have easy access to artifacts, our daily functions have pivoted slightly. Some curators have taken this time to work on research projects, write blogs, and update collection records. While many of these things aren’t quite as much fun as working with artifacts, this time at home has given us the opportunity to move forward with a major PHMC initiative, creating a publicly available online artifact database (which you can find by clicking the "Museum Collection" icon on PHMC's homepage).

Landing page for the Museum Collection portal (link to landing page)

A few years ago, the PHMC shifted to a new web-based collections management system. One major benefit of this system is that it allows us to publish artifact records online. Many curators are using this time at home to publish records for your viewing pleasure! Since our sites themselves aren’t currently accessible, we hope that these online collections will be a way for us to stay connected with the public, provide some comfort, and most importantly, allow us to share the story of Pennsylvania with a broader audience.

This is what a typical record looks like, with a thumbnail image and information about the object

Generally, when creating a record, we try to make sure to include a photograph of the artifact, a physical description, dimensions, date, and manufacturer/artist. When possible, we add some background information on the object, such as who owned it, how it was used, or why we think it is significant. This isn't always possible for each artifact, but we try to include as much information as we can before the record is published. We hope that the information provided in these records will help both researchers and history enthusiasts alike. The most exciting part of our online catalog is that many of these artifacts might not ordinarily be seen on exhibit, so it provides a behind-the-scenes look at PHMC's collections.

This is the search page - you'll find featured objects and instructions on how to begin your search

There are over 4,500 records currently available, and that number is continuing to grow. You can use the search bar to search for specific types of objects, or you can peruse by site or featured object groupings. The site is a work in progress, and we welcome feedback and suggestions about what we have published, or what you might want to see published. So, take a look and let us know what you think!

It's Not All Fun and Games

There is a lot still to be determined about what the next months will look like on the Trails of History. Governor Wolf's phased plan to ease the stay-at-home orders officially kicks in next Friday, although some recreational and construction activities start to open up today. We'll do our best to keep you posted on site schedules. The May program page lists no programs at this point, but it does contain a full list of links to Trails of History Facebook pages so that you can continue to enjoy our online offerings and get the latest info on reopening plans.

Some Trails of History sites are participating in an event called "Giving Tuesday Now" on May 5, which is an adjunct to the annual Giving Tuesday event the Tuesday after Thanksgiving. If you're able, this might be a great time to help your favorite Trails of History site with a donation.

So you're telling me it's May already? Wild. March went on forever, but April whizzed past me. I hope everyone out there is doing okay. As we've been noting over the past weeks, sites and museums on the Trails of History have stepped up on social media to provide entertainment and behind-the-scenes experiences during this very difficult time. I've shared samples of some of those social media offerings (see last week's post, for example).

To help myself keep track and to help show how much is going on, I've created "Trailheads Rec Room," which lives on the sidebar to the right of your screen in the "About Us" section. In the Rec Room you'll find a link for "Coloring Pages and Games," one for "Crafts and Activities" (be sure to check out the Morse Code posts between Erie Maritime Museum, PA Military Museum, and Railroad Museum of PA), and a third for "Jigsaw Puzzles and BINGO." The BINGO page includes three Trails of History bingo cards that you might want to take a look at, in addition to Bushy Run Battlefield's Bingo card. In coming weeks, my plan is to add a page for "Videos and Virtual Tours."

In addition to all this, many sites have also shared posts that delved into relevant historical themes and connected to our current concerns and situations. Here are some of my favorites.

Pennsylvania Lumber Museum provided a little something for those of us who miss baseball

Joseph Priestley House helped focus attention on scientists with a series of #SundayScientist posts

Graeme Park shared info about epidemics and quarantines in colonial Philadelphia

Pennsylvania Military Museum's blog has posted lots of military history topics, including an exploration of Metallica lyrics

Pennsbury Manor provided historical insights on Passover, Easter, and Ramadan traditions

And Drake Well Museum & Park started a conversation about oil prices

National Volunteer Week 2020, #MuseumSunshine, and Earth Day

PHMC's offices and Trails of History sites are currently closed to the public through May 8. Governor Wolf has announced a phased reopening plan; as we learn more about how the Trails of History sites fit that plan, we will keep you posted. The best way to stay up-to-date on site activities and plans is via social media. The April program page has a list of Facebook links for each site; you can find their other social media platforms that way. For up-to-date information on Pennsylvania's response to COVID-19, please visit the Pennsylvania Dept. of Health website.

It has been a busy week on social media for Pennsylvania Trails of History sites. I'm trying my best to keep up with all the activity, but it's impossible. I'm providing a few examples below, but to really get the full picture you'll be best served by following Pennsylvania Trails of History and/or your favorite sites on Facebook (try 'em all - their Facebook links are on the April program page).

National Volunteer Week 2020

Part of the graphic design of PHMC's Volunteer of the Year awards ceremony booklet (design by Lauren Bennett)

In last week's post, we gave you info on this year's PHMC Outstanding Service Award recipients and the Volunteer of the Year honorees for the Bureau of Historic Sites and Museums, The State Museum of Pennsylvania, and the Pennsylvania State Archives. We had planned to celebrate with our honorees in person, but well, you know. We still hope to reschedule that event. As is true for much of what we're doing on the Trails of History right now, we managed lots of online "thank you" posts. As National Volunteer Week draws to a close, here are a few examples (you can find many more on the Facebook pages of our Trails of History sites - links are on the April program page).



PHMC's executive director, Andrea Lowery, (above) provided a heartfelt #ThankYouFromHome to all of our honorees, which PHMC's digital director posted to the Pennsylvania Trails of History Facebook page. Video "thank yous" were also recorded by Brenda Reigle, director of the Bureau of Historic Sites and Museums (her video); Beth Hager, director of The State Museum of Pennsylvania (her video); and David Carmicheal, director of the Pennsylvania State Archives (his video).

Other sites posting "thank you" videos included Erie Maritime Museum and U.S. Brig Niagara (for Outstanding Service Award winners Jack (in memoriam) and Maxine Gold, and the museum's co-honorees for Volunteer of the Year), Drake Well Museum and Park, and the Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania.

#MuseumSunshine

On Tuesday, April 21, museum social media accounts were bright and shiny, sharing artwork, objects, and images evoking sunlight. As you can see above, Bushy Run Battlefield took part with an array of images from the site. Daniel Boone Homestead posted a sunny shot of budding spring greenery, and Ephrata Cloister highlighted images of the sun in two fraktur letters in the Christian ABC book in their collection.

Earth Day

Wednesday, April 22, was the 50th anniversary of the first Earth Day. Although the need for distancing certainly torpedoed lots of plans for events to mark the day, social media proved to be up to the challenge of keeping it on people's minds. Pennsbury Manor (above) shared a beautiful photo of a blossoming apple tree in their garden (noting that their tree is a descendant of Sir Isaac Newton's apple tree - you think you know a site). The Pennsylvania Lumber Museum's Facebook cover photo proclaimed that "Every Day is Earth Day," and the Pennsylvania Anthracite Heritage Museum posted photos and info noting that the museum was built as part of a mine reclamation project - the before and after photos are striking.

Volunteers of the Year for Service in 2019

PHMC's offices and Trails of History sites are currently closed to the public through April 30 May 8 (per Gov. Wolf on 4/20/20). The best way to stay up-to-date on site activities and plans is via social media. The April program page has a list of Facebook links for each site; you can find their other social media platforms that way. For up-to-date information on Pennsylvania's response to COVID-19, please visit the Pennsylvania Dept. of Health website.

Well, it's National Volunteer Month, but nothing about this is normal. We had planned to hold our annual Volunteer of the Year recognition event tomorrow, April 18. Instead we have postponed it and hope to reschedule some time this summer. We're doing our part to slow the spread of COVID-19, which regular Trailheads readers know from following our posts in recent weeks. Nevertheless, I'm sad that we aren't able to gather in person, yet, to thank this year's honorees (keep your eye on PHMC's social media channels tomorrow, however). Our volunteers provide so much talent to support what we do on the Trails of History, we can never fully thank them. But we can try.

The 2019 honorees, including the recipients of the Outstanding Service Award, are pictured below, and there is a link for each so that you can read more about their volunteer activities (thank you to all the sites for providing this information). Please join me in congratulating them and thanking them for their support of PHMC's Bureau of Historic Sites and Museums, The State Museum of Pennsylvania, and the Pennsylvania State Archives.

Outstanding Service Award

Jack (in memoriam) and Maxine Gold, Erie Maritime Museum & U.S. Brig Niagara (citation)

Volunteers of the Year for Service in 2019

James Shemanski, Anthracite Heritage Museum & Scranton Iron Furnaces (citation)

Stephanie (Stevie) Demott, Brandywine Battlefield Park (citation)

Jean Saunders, Bushy Run Battlefield (citation)

Garry Zerbe, Conrad Weiser Homestead (citation)

Bruce Chadbourne, Cornwall Iron Furnace (citation)

Bruce Peterson, Drake Well Museum & Park (citation)

Georgia Nause, Eckley Miners' Village (citation)

David Heffley, Ephrata Cloister (citation)

Larry Kisielewski (left) and Brian Bailey, Erie Maritime Museum & U.S. Brig Niagara (citation)

Bob Bradley, Hope Lodge (citation)

George Godlewski, Joseph Priestley House (citation)

Sam Wise (left) and Connell O'Brien, Landis Valley Village & Farm Museum (citation)

Coralee Syrko (in front), Old Economy Village (citation)

Peggy Lehnen, Pennsbury Manor (citation)

Dan Davis, Pennsylvania Lumber Museum (citation)

Michael Poorman, Pennsylvania Military Museum (citation)

George Swartz, Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania (citation)

Chris Zanoni, Somerset Historical Center (citation)

Patricia Sabold, The State Museum of Pennsylvania (citation)

Myretta Anderson, Pennsylvania State Archives (citation)

Focus on Collections - Mining PPE

So we are on Week 4 of Trails of History sites closed to the public. All onsite public activities and all onsite events are canceled through April 30. Staff are either on site performing maintenance and security duties--thank you to these essential workers--or teleworking on projects to keep services and communications going and plan for our eventual reopening. To see what your favorite sites are sharing on social media, check the April program page for links to Facebook. To see some recent highlights, check out last week's post. And if you're looking for videos to watch, PHMC's YouTube channel has all kinds of options.

For up-to-date information on Pennsylvania's response to COVID-19, please visit the Pennsylvania Dept. of Health website. Also, you may want to read info about increasing concerns about scams related to economic stimulus payments.

This week's post comes to us from Bureau of Historic Sites and Museums curator Rachel Yerger (see her March 27 post on Hope Lodge collections), with a focus on mining personal protective equipment (PPE) in the collection at Cornwall Iron Furnace. Cornwall site administrator Mike Emery provided additional images for the post. To see other mining-related collections, visit PHMC's new Museum Collections online portal and select Anthracite Heritage Museum, Cornwall Iron Furnace, or Eckley Miners' Village on the PHMC Museums tab.

UPDATE 4/20/2020: Rich Hall, a docent at Erie Maritime Museum and a retired design engineer for General Electric, shared some info on Personal Protective Equipment [sorry, we're having trouble with that link] and a Mine Monument in western PA that he presented at a meeting of the Western Mining Electrical Association. Rich also made a presentation on the Erie Maritime Museum, which is housed in a former Penelec electrical generating plant (some of Rich's EMM projects have been reported on in Trailheads posts in 2014 and 2015).

What is PPE? I’m sure by now many have heard the acronym and know that it stands for Personal Protective Equipment. But PPE means something different for a miner than it does for a medical professional. Against the harsh underground conditions faced by miners, thin nitrile or latex gloves just won’t cut it. This week I thought I would highlight some PPE used in the Cornwall Iron Mines during the mid-late 20th Century.

Cornwall is home to one of the most important iron-ore mines in Pennsylvania history. Ore mining was the backbone of the Cornwall Iron Furnace, which produced iron from 1742 until 1883. Even when the furnace ceased production, the mines continued to operate under the helm of Bethlehem Steel until 1973 when the mines were closed due to extensive flooding from Hurricane Agnes.

November 1963 National Safety Council Poster, posted by Cornwall Mine #4, Cornwall, PA. (Photo from the Charlie Neal research collection, Cornwall Iron Furnace. )

Mine safety became an industry priority in the United States around the turn of the 20th Century. As with many other industry safety regulations, it took a wave of mining disasters to reform industry safety standards. The U.S. Bureau of Mines was formed in 1910 and while their mission has evolved over the years, their main goal has been safety. Around the same time Mine Safety Appliances Inc. (MSA Inc.), a Pittsburgh-based company, was founded by John T. Ryan Sr. and George H. Deike.

CF2018.2.2 Miner’s Safety Helmet. This miner’s helmet, made by Mine Safety Appliances Inc., was used by Francis Boughter while working at Cornwall Ore Mine, Lebanon, PA. Mr. Boughter worked in Cornwall mines until it was shut down in 1973. (Learn more about this object in PHMC's Museum Collections portal.)

One of the first products MSA Inc. made was an electric cap lamp. Prior to electric cap lamps, miners used flame-based light sources, like carbides or oil lamps, which created considerable safety hazards in mines. Not only were electric cap lamps a massive safety enhancement, but they also improved visibility, which increased productivity. 

CF2018.1.10 Edison Model S Electric Cap Lamp.  This cap lamp was used by William J. Fritz while working as a Concreter and Timberman in the #3 and #4 underground mines at Cornwall, Lebanon, PA.  (View in Collections portal)

Men working in Cornwall Mine, 1946.  (Photo from the Charlie Neal research collection, Cornwall Iron Furnace.) 

Over the years MSA Inc.’s product offerings grew to include all types of personal safety items, such as pocket-sized first aid kits.

CF2108.1.6A-G MSA First Aid Packet. In addition to PPE MSA also produced this first aid kit which includes Merthiolate tincture, mercury-containing antiseptic, now banned in over-the-counter products by the FDA. (View in Collections portal)

Effective check-in and check-out systems are also cornerstones of mine safety. At Cornwall Mine, as with other mines, each miner was assigned two brass tags with an individual identification number. The miner would leave their tag on the tagboard before entering the mine, and then remove it once they returned to the surface. This was an important way to ensure that every worker was accounted for.

CF2018.1.21A-B Brass Check Tag 3942, William Fritz. These tags were used by William Fritz. According to another Cornwall Mineworker, the brass tags could also be used to sign out equipment and collect paychecks.

Personal safety and the use of personal protective equipment while on the job is a priority, regardless of the industry. Current shortages in PPE for medical professionals are a real problem in many states. Sadly, none of the PPE in the Cornwall Iron Furnace collection qualify as PPE for medical professionals under CDC guidelines, but we are pulling together some of our curatorial PPE, which does qualify, to donate to state agencies that are currently in need.

What can you do to help?