A Tradition of Service

The February program page has info about upcoming events on the PA Trails of History.

My thanks to Linda Bolla at the Erie Maritime Museum for text and photos related to our top story this week.

Echoing Erie’s long relationship with significant events and ships of the U.S. Navy, at least once a year the Erie Maritime Museum is privileged to honor a request from service personnel to hold their reenlistment ceremony at the Museum or onboard Niagara. Last month, the Museum hosted an unprecedented four reenlistments in a two-week period.

Captain James Bier, U.S. Marine Corps Reserves, administered the service oath for Staff Sergeant Kristina Perieff and Sergeant Steven Aceves on Jan. 13. Museum docent Lieutenant Colonel Bill Koehle, U. S. Marine Corps Reserves (Ret’d), facilitated arrangements and gave a tour to the Marines directly following the reenlistment ceremony. Marines served in both Oliver Hazard Perry’s squadron at the Battle of Lake Erie and in USS Michigan throughout her long career on the Great Lakes, home port Erie [both stories are told in the Museum's exhibit galleries].

Sgt. Aceves (3rd from left) takes the oath of service as SSgt Perieff (far right) and other Marines look on (photo Linda Bolla)

After the oath of service is given, another important award is always made for the families of active duty personnel. At BU2(SCW) Matthew Pfadt’s reenlistment ceremony on Jan. 19, his parents and fiancee were honored for their support and sacrifices. Matt's reenlistment ceremony and his wedding to Ashley were moved up on short notice as he is soon to be deployed to the Middle East. We wish Matt and his family the very best.

LCDR Baughier (left) honors Matthew Pfadt's (right) family - fiancee Ashley, mom Pam, and dad Jerry (photo Linda Bolla)

On Jan. 26, Petty Officer Jeremy Mong reenlisted and was promoted to “NC1” – Navy Counselor, First Class. Along with some of Petty Officer Mong’s colleagues, Lieutenant Commander Peter Hoegel drove to Erie from Pittsburgh to accept his reenlistment and commend him on his excellent work in recruitment.

LCDR Hoegel (left) congratulates Petty Officer Jeremy Mong on his promotion (photo Linda Bolla)

On a related note, we mentioned last week (or week before) that the Pennsylvania Military Museum (which also serves as a venue for military commissioning ceremonies) was hosting a town hall organized by the Department of Veterans Affairs. Site Administrator Tyler Gum recently received a thank you letter from the acting director of the VA's James E. Van Zandt Medical Center in Altoona, Charles Becker. Becker commended the museum staff and volunteers for their exemplary support of the event and their role in making it a success. "Your facility displays respect and reverence to our Nation's Heroes, and it was our honor to be associated with the Museum."

Thank you all--active duty personnel, reservists, veterans, and families--for your service. And thank you to the staff and volunteers of the Erie Maritime Museum and the Pennsylvania Military Museum for your efforts in honoring our service personnel.

In other news...

The Railroad Museum of PA has reached a significant milestone in their $250,000 "Ready for the Roundhouse" campaign, which will support media blasting, painting, and repair of 5 PRR steam locomotives destined for exhibit in the new Roundhouse. The PA Railroad Technical and Historical Society challenged the Friends of the museum, saying they would match the first $50,000 raised when the campaign was announced in November. They set a deadline of April 15 for the Friends to raise their share. As of Jan. 31, $60,000 has been raised, triggering the match. Combined that puts the museum at not quite halfway to the ultimate fundraising goal. Congratulations to all concerned and thank you to PRRT&HS for their continued support. (Read more here from Lancaster Online.) If you'd like to help them get the rest of the way, you can donate online via the Museum website.

On Wednesday, Feb. 1, State Sen. Art Haywood, State Rep. Jordan Harris, DGS Secretary Curt Topper, and PHMC officials marked the beginning of Black History Month by unveiling "Trailblazers: Notable African Americans in Pennsylvania History" at the PA State Capitol. The panel exhibit originated at the State Museum of PA.

The State Historic Preservation Office has reported out some of the results of a public survey that will help inform the next statewide historic preservation plan (covering the period 2018-2022). You can read a summary of the results on the PA Historic Preservation blog; they'll be posting about more detailed analyses periodically in coming months.

A couple of deadlines...

• Undergraduate and graduate students wishing to be considered for this summer's Keystone Internship Program have until next Friday, Feb. 10, to submit their applications.
• The State Museum is accepting entries for the 50th Art of the State exhibit through Feb. 28. Submitting artists must be Pennsylvania residents. All entrants will be notified of the jurors' decisions no later than April 7. The exhibit runs from June 11 to Sept. 10.

Pennsylvania State Archives Completes National Historical Publications and Records Commission Documenting Democracy Grant

Thanks to Josh Stahlman from the Pennsylvania State Archives for providing this recap of an important project completed by the Archives staff this spring. Funding for the project came from the National Historical Publications and Records Commission, a federal agency "affiliated with the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) that supports a wide range of activities to preserve, publish, and encourage the use of documentary sources, created in every medium ranging from quill pen to computer, relating to the history of the United States."

In October 2014, the Pennsylvania Heritage Foundation® (PHF), a fiduciary of the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission, received a $60,456 grant from the National Historical Publications and Records Commission (NHPRC) “Documenting Democracy: Access to Historical Records” program. The grant enabled the Pennsylvania State Archives to expand public accessibility, ensure long-term preservation, and further increase intellectual control over records of the Office of the Governor, specifically those related to the administrations of late-20th-century Governors Milton Shapp, Richard Thornburgh, and Robert P. Casey. Collectively these records, many pertaining to the Civil Rights era, provide valuable insight into the workings of Pennsylvania’s Chief Executive and how critical decisions affecting the Commonwealth and the nation were made.

Records prior to arrangement and rehousing (photo PA State Archives)

The project, completed on March 31, 2016, involved the detailed processing of 251.5 cubic feet of documents and the digital conversion of 406 videotapes (the latter was part of the required cost sharing by PHMC). The records were reappraised, arranged and re-housed in acid-free folders and containers for long-term preservation.

Records of the PA Commission for Women, after processing (photo PA State Archives)

Folder-level finding aids were produced and are available on the Archives website (or click on series names): four series from the Pennsylvania Commission for Women, 1962-2012 (77 cubic feet); two series from the Bureau of Affirmative Action, 1970-1994; the Governor’s Review of Government Management Committee Records, 1971-1974 (43 cubic feet); and the Records of the Chief Clerk’s Office, 1874-1979.

The State Archives and the PHF again wish to thank the NHPRC for providing the funding to enable detailed processing and digital conversion of these records from the Office of the Governor, which allow for the critical study of how the Commonwealth has responded to seminal events in United States history and its relationship with the federal government. These important records truly document democracy in action.

Whooosh!

Summer is speeding by, and I probably always say that right about this time. But this year, I mean it! The August program page will provide you with lots of ideas for making the most of the last full month of summer. If you're still looking for something to do this evening (8/5), call Cornwall Iron Furnace to see if tickets are available for their Blast! event, featuring beer, wine, and a pig roast next to the iron furnace building.

On Thursday, July 28, Pennsbury Manor provided a beautiful setting for 47 people from 21 countries to become naturalized American citizens. As the Democratic National Convention was in its final day in nearby Philadelphia, some reporters covering the event asked many of the new citizens about their new right to vote. (You can see more from the Bucks County Courier Times or ABC6 news.) This was not the first time that Pennsbury has hosted a naturalization ceremony; the most recent was in July 2014.

The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette has an ongoing series devoted to National Park Service sites in Pennsylvania in honor of NPS's Centennial this year. The most recent entry in the series looks at the Oil Region National Heritage Area, located in northwestern PA. One of the stars of the piece is, of course, PHMC's own Drake Well Museum, which tells the story of the birth of the oil and gas industries and features a replica of Edwin Drake's oil well. The author notes that the best souvenirs in the region are PA crude oil or pieces of the Marcellus Shale sold in Drake Well's museum store. There is also video of oil field machinery (be sure the speakers on your computer or device are on).

The Pennsylvania Military Museum held its annual "Vietnam Revisited" program this past weekend. Exploring the combat and non-combat experiences of serving in Vietnam, the event featured a bivouac and simulated jungle patrols. Among other features was a map of Vietnam that veterans could sign to show where they were during the war (see photo below and check out PMM's Facebook page for more).

Vietnam Remembered (via PA Military Museum Facebook page)

If you're reading this Friday morning (Aug. 5) you might still have time to get to the State Museum for a lunchtime talk on the newly renovated Carboniferous Forest exhibit on the museum's 3rd floor (even if you miss the talk, you can see the reopened gallery). Get details on the museum's website; museum is open 9 am to 5 pm, the gallery talk is 12:15-12:45 pm (or come at come at 11:30 am to learn about new plans for Mammal Hall). Programs are included in general admission.

Somerset Historical Center has announced the upcoming publication of a book on the Shade Furnace, a 19th-century iron furnace and community located in the northern part of Somerset County. Pre-publication orders are now being accepted (see form for more details).

The PA Lumber Museum reminds us that the first in a series of local Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) reunions is scheduled for Saturday, Aug. 13, at Leonard Harrison State Park. As you may know, the Lumber Museum's core exhibit includes a history of CCC activity in PA and the outdoor exhibits include a CCC-built chestnut cabin and statue honoring CCC workers. (On a side note, the Lumber Museum has a couple of on-site programs coming up this month that I initially left off the August program page but have now remedied, so please check that out, too. Thx.)