It's What We Do

Please check out the September program page for online events (I've highlighted a few below). Online offerings ranging from coloring pages to jigsaw puzzles to videos are available 24/7 in the Trailheads Rec Room (to the right on your screen).

Drake Well Museum and Park and the Pennsylvania Lumber Museum co-hosted a live event for Ask A Curator Day on Wednesday (screenshot from Facebook video)

This has been a busy week. I've spent a lot of time talking with colleagues about the work we do, which is what inspired the title and brief content for this week's post. Much of the discussion has been around the work we are doing (with much more to be done) to foster and support inclusive work environments and to make sure that we are truly welcoming and inclusive places to visit (both in person and online). At a meeting of PHMC's Equity and Inclusion Team, we explored how issues of diversity, equity, access, and inclusion (DEAI) should inform the agency's latest strategic plan.

I met with colleagues from the Bureau of Historic Sites and Museums and the PA State Archives to discuss an upcoming conversation about inclusive collecting (part of a new monthly series of staff conversations on topics related to museum work in the 21st century). And I attended a DEAI training led by Cecile Shellman, who has an extensive background working at a range of museums and now consults on equity and inclusion for museums around the country. I also spent time with my colleague at Pennsbury Manor, Mary Ellyn Kunz, recording a short session on virtual programs for teachers and students that we'll be presenting for a meeting of Trails of History site administrators and educators next week. To say that my brain is full is an understatement. But I'm also feeling optimistic about the energy of so many PHMC staff and volunteers to do the hard work of making our sites, programs, and collections a true reflection of Pennsylvania's diversity and complex history.

My colleagues were also (in addition to attending these meetings) showing the public what they do and what it means to preserve and interpret Pennsylvania's history:

• For Ask a Curator Day (Sept. 16), staff from Drake Well Museum and Park and the Pennsylvania Lumber Museum took part in a conversation about museum collecting via Zoom and Facebook Live (that's what the photo at the top of the post is from). If you'd like to catch a replay, you'll find the video on Facebook.
• For Welcoming Week (Sept. 12-20), an annual series of events where neighbors, immigrants, and long-term residents come together in a spirit of unity, staff at Ephrata Cloister have been sharing stories and letters of immigrants who helped start the town of Ephrata - highlighting the history of immigrants and Ephrata's collections (you can check the first post of the week on Facebook and then find the rest).
• In tribute to Civil War historian Ed Bearss, who passed away earlier this week, PA Military Museum site administrator Tyler Gum wrote a blog post reflecting on "What Makes a Professional."
• After having to cancel their signature Mountain Craft Days event this year, Somerset Historical Center filled the weekend with posts about the history of the event and scenes from the past (Facebook photo album)
• This year's Art of the State exhibit at The State Museum of Pennsylvania is online. You can find a 360 degree view and take a virtual tour by visiting the museum's exhibit page.

P&R Shopmen Baseball team 1922 (via Railroad Museum Facebook page)

The Week Ahead

• Sept. 20-27, Landis Valley Village & Farm Museum Online Auction Preview--this fundraiser supports the Farm Program and Heirloom Seed Project (animals and gardens need ongoing care even if the site is closed to the public). Online bidding will take place Sept. 28-Oct. 5. Visit the Facebook event for details.
  
• Sept. 23, Virtual Happy Hour: Sports--join staff from the Railroad Museum, Anthracite Heritage Museum, Eckley Miners' Village, and the Pennsylvania Military Museum for a live chat about sports-related objects in their collections. Offered via Zoom. Tickets for this event are by donation (drink recipe included with ticket). Visit Facebook event page for details and ticket link. 7-8 pm.

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!

On the Trails of History, April 19-May 2

This post will take you through the end of the month. Look for the complete May program page to be posted by April 30 (fingers crossed). Site closings for Easter on April 21 are listed below; the info is accurate to the best of my knowledge.

Anthracite Heritage Museum
April 21: Museum closed for Easter
May 1: Deadline to RSVP for Spring Tea—this year's spring tea, set for May 4 at 1 pm, is "An Immigration Celebration," exploring the role of immigrants in the Scranton area's past, present, and future. The event is geared for visitors age 12 and older. Suggested donation of $20 per person (more details). This event sold out lasst year, so don't wait!

Brandywine Battlefield Park
April 21: Museum closed for Easter
April 23: Revolutionary Dining Series—author Christian Di Spigna will present "Founding Martyr: The Life and Death of Dr. Joseph Warren, the American Revolution's Last Hero" at The Gables at Chadds Ford. Cost is $50 per person and includes dinner, dessert, and the program (cash bar available). More info and online ticketing is available on the website. 6 pm.

Bushy Run Battlefield
April 21: Site closed for Easter

Conrad Weiser Homestead
April 21: Site closed for Easter
April 28: Making Sense of History—check out the Facebook Event page for more details on this multi-sensory program. Noon-4 pm.

Cornwall Iron Furnace
April 21: Site closed for Easter

Daniel Boone Homestead
April 21: Site closed for Easter
April 27: Sheep and Fiber Day—the Homestead sheep will be sheared and artisans will demonstrate various steps of the textile production process (more info on Facebook event page). Vendors will be on hand with items made from alpaca and sheep's wool. Food will be available for purchase throughout the day. Cost is $7 for ages 13 and up, free for Friends members and kids age 12 and under. 10 am-4 pm.

Drake Well Museum and Park
April 21: Site closed for Easter
April 27: Something More Saturday—it's Engine Start Up Day, as the Olin engine that runs the Central Powers exhibit gets restarted for the 2018 visitation season. Blacksmith demonstrations will also be on the schedule. Included in regular admission. 10 am-3 pm.

Eckley Miners' Village
April 21: Site closed for Easter

Ephrata Cloister
April 21: Site closed for Easter

Erie Maritime Museum and U.S. Brig Niagara
April 19: Easter Egg-stravaganza—this Little Mates Kids Club event will include a visit with the Easter Bunny. Cost is $5 per person, free for members of the Little Mates Kids Club. 10 am-noon.
April 21: Museum closed for Easter

Fort Pitt Museum
Please visit the website for information on hours and programs.

Graeme Park
April 21: Site closed for Easter
April 24: Lunch and Learn—"Hannah Penn" is the topic, and the speaker is Doug Miller, site administrator at Pennsbury Manor. Pre-registration is required (Details on program and link to registration form). 10:30 am-1:30 pm.

Hope Lodge
April 21: Site closed for Easter
April 28: Site open—guided tours are at 1:00 and 2:30 pm. Admission charged. 1-4 pm.

Joseph Priestley House
April 21: Site closed for Easter

Landis Valley Village and Farm Museum
Multiple Dates: Craft and Trade Classes for Adults—visit the Landis Valley website for the full list; times and fees vary.
April 21: Site closed for Easter

Old Economy Village
April 21: Site closed for Easter
April 27: Saturday Spotlight Programs—a variety of lectures, demonstrations, and hands-on learning will be presented. Costs and details vary, so check the website for more information.

Pennsbury Manor
April 20: Paths Less Traveled—enjoy a behind the scenes tour of the Manor House, visiting areas not generally open to the public. This is a Members-Only Event, but it's never too late to join. Reservations are required; call 215/946-0400. 10 am-4 pm.
April 21: Site closed for Easter
April 28: Sunday Programming—this week's focus is Beer Brewing and Garden Highlights. Included in regular admission. Programming runs 1-4 pm, site open noon-5 pm.

Pennsylvania Lumber Museum
April 21: Site closed for Easter
May 2: Potter County Envirothon—local high school students test their knowledge of ecology, conservation, and the care and management of our natural world during this annual event presented in cooperation with the Potter County Conservation District. 9 am.

Pennsylvania Military Museum
April 21: Museum closed for Easter
April 27-28: The Great War Remembered—this weekend remembers World War I with lectures, film, and a living history encampment that demonstrates life on the Western Front. Saturday lectures at 10:30, 1:30, and 3:30. Sunday film at 1:30 (check the website for details and updates). 10 am-4 pm each day.

Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania
April 21: Museum closed for Easter
April 25: Wine & Paint Night—we'll supply the art materials, light snacks, and the subject (a world-class locomotive). You supply your beverage of choice and the desire to learn to paint. Artist Michelle Verdegem will lead the class, which will take place among the trains (more info on Facebook event). Class is limited to 20 adults (purchase tickets online through Eventbrite). 6:30-8 pm.

Somerset Historical Center
April 21: Museum closed for Easter
April 26-28: Cottage Craft Coopering—learn the traditional skills of the cooper, using hand-tools to make your own maple sugar keeler (bucket). Workshop teachers include people who have been coopering for many years and learned from the best. More info and registration details on the website.

State Museum of Pennsylvania
Planetarium Schedule—visit the website for a complete schedule of planetarium shows.
April 21: Museum closed for Easter

Washington Crossing Historic Park
Please visit the website for information on hours and programs.

How Was Your Charter Day?

Last week's post features Trails of History events through March 21, and the March program page gets you the rest of the way.

Philly Pretzel Factory in Langhorne made this pretzel version of the Manor House for Pennsbury's Charter Day celebration (via Facebook)

On Sunday, March 10, we celebrated the 338th anniversary of King Charles II of England granting William Penn the land that became Pennsylvania. As is the tradition, the original Charter went on display at The State Museum of Pennsylvania (still there through noon today, March 15). This year it was accompanied by documents related to passage of the 19th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, in honor of the centennial of women's suffrage. The Charter will now return to the vault of the Pennsylvania State Archives and the other documents to their appropriate housing. The State Museum displays a photographic reproduction of the Charter throughout the year.

Most sites on the Pennsylvania Trails of History were open free of charge in honor of Charter Day. Pennsbury Manor honored founder William Penn and his family with living history demonstrations and a unique pretzel from Philly Pretzel Factory in Langhorne (see photo above). Conrad Weiser Homestead is closed to the public during the winter, and hosts its largest living history event of the year on Charter Day to mark the start of their season (see news coverage of their day). Eckley Miners' Village featured local artists reading poetry and displaying paintings as part of their Charter Day event (more info).

Ephrata Cloister chose Charter Day to debut their new iPads, which allow guides to share historic photographs of the site with visitors and show upper floors of the 18th-century buildings not generally open to the public and not accessible at all to people with mobility issues. They also allow for closer examination of Ephrata's well-known fraktur alphabet, as in the photo below. You can read more in this article from The Ephrata Review.

Ephrata Cloister now has iPads for use on tours and in programs to provide visitors with additional visual info (via Facebook)

Charter Day was also the official opening of Landis Valley Village & Farm Museum's new visitor center exhibit, "Thrown, Fired, and Glazed: The Redware Tradition from Pennsylvania and Beyond." This exhibit will run through December of 2020, with a change of objects happening over the winter 2019-20. Hundreds of objects will be on display over the course of the exhibit's run, many that come from private collections and have not been exhibited in public. The exhibit also includes information on individual potters and various techniques of forming and decorating redware and other ceramics. I had a chance to attend the exhibit preview and can highly recommend a visit. I'll need to go back to spend some time really soaking it in. Kathy Daminger from LancasterOnline visited, and you can read her article to learn more.

The exhibit opening featured gingerbread cookies decorated to look like redware, and they were delicious! (photo AKF)

PA Farm Show!!!

Please check the January program page for info on events. I'll be updating the page as 2018 calendars come online.

It's PA Farm Show time (Jan. 6-13)! And you know what that means. Arguments about whether "Farm Show weather" is a thing (given this week's weather - it's a thing). Decisions about which flavor of milkshake to buy. Crises of conscience (crisis of consciences?) about how many potato donuts is too many. And yes, I know, it's not just about the food. There's animals and farm equipment and cooking demos and feats of strength and lots of other good stuff (Farm Show Visitor's Guide).

And best of all, there's Pennsylvania history. (Well, not better than the potato donuts, but just as good.)

Landis Valley Village and Farm Museum is at the Farm Show again this year (photo LVM)

Staff from Landis Valley Village and Farm Museum will be on hand this year with an exhibit titled "Power Technology - Yesterday and Today." The machinery included illustrates the many different power technologies available to individuals in the past and how many of these older technologies are making a comeback. Landis Valley curator Bruce Bomberger told me that the exhibit makes "the comparison with 100 years ago when, like now, there were a number of competing power and energy technologies also jockeying for consumer position. And we talk briefly about the many factors that affect the selection of one power technology over another."

The display includes 2 large early 20th-century gasoline engines, a horse sweep, a large model traction steam engine, and a Delco light plant (generator). A wooden tread power is belted to a butter churn; this could have been run by a child or small animal. Other types of machines that were belted to power sources include a corn sheller, fodder chopper, and feed mill.

You'll find the Landis Valley exhibit on the west side of the Main Hall (Maclay Street side of the Farm Show Complex) in Booth 607, near the Culinary Connection Stage.

Human-powered machines are just part of the display (photo LVM)

On the east end of the Main Hall, look for Booths 691 and 692 (near the carousel) to find other PHMC exhibits. The State Museum of PA Section of Archaeology will focus on "Foragers to Farmers: The development of agriculture in Pennsylvania." Their display includes the ever-popular dugout canoe, a corn grinding activity for children, and recipes for cooking wild foods.

Staff from the State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO) and Pennsylvania State Archives will help you "Find Your Story" with free Ancestry.com searches and the Cultural Resources Geographic Information System (CRGIS). The popular Historical Marker Scavenger Hunt will also be in place this year. Read more on the SHPO blog. Please note that the State Archives Search Room will be closed Jan. 6-13 so that all hands can be on deck at the Farm Show. Regular Search Room hours will resume on Jan. 17.

To keep up to date with happenings at the Farm Show, you can visit their website, follow them on Facebook, or search the Twitter hashtag (#PAFS18).

That leaves just one sacred Farm Show topic we haven't addressed. "But you mentioned the donuts already." Okay, so there's more than one. The butter sculpture - love it or hate it, it wouldn't be the Farm Show without it. Penn Live put together a video of past sculptures (view it on YouTube if the video below doesn't play). If you can't make it in person, you can see this year's sculpture, unveiled on Jan. 4, on the Farm Show Facebook page.

Cool stuff at which to look

Psst!! Over here. You look like someone who appreciates the finer things in life. Check out this list of programs on the PHMC's Trails of History.

LancasterOnline put together a nice visual to go along with their article on the weathervane exhibit at Landis Valley Village and Farm Museum. I had a chance to see the exhibit a couple of weeks ago and highly recommend it.

Learn all about #weathervanes at @LandisValley's new exhibit.@LNPFood_Living #folkart #art https://t.co/bDsMBP9rdO pic.twitter.com/duDrSuS08X

— Erin_Negley (@Erin_Negley) June 2, 2016

In a recent article in Somerset's Daily American, Mark Ware shares his memories of maple sugaring and talks about current programs keeping the public informed about the county's maple industry. Ware is director of the Historical and Genealogical Society of Somerset County, PHMC's partner organization in the management and operation of the Somerset Historical Center. The article features photos of the recreated maple sugar camp at the center.

"You know you're getting old when a locomotive that has hauled passenger trains on which you've ridden as an adult winds up in a museum." So states William C. Vantuono, editor-in-chief of Railway Age, in a May 27 post about the Amtrak AEM-7 locomotive now in the collection of and on exhibit at the Railroad Museum of PA. I hear you, dude. As a commuter between Lancaster County and Harrisburg the past 6 years, I have ridden behind "toasters" before they were replaced with the sleek new "Cities Sprinter." You can see the AEM-7 and many other locomotives and railroad cars at the museum, along with this year's special exhibit, "Safety First: The Evolution of Railroading Safety Practices."

Eckley Miners' Village shared some charming student artwork on their Facebook page recently, the result of school group visits to the site. They also shared some aerial footage of the site, taken by Dave Edwards in accordance with PHMC's unmanned aerial vehicle policy.




And one final item. What does Winnie the Pooh, that silly old bear, have to do with World War I? Find out at a lecture and film showing at the PA Military Museum this Saturday, June 11, at 1:30 pm.

Winnipeg the bear with unnamed Canadian soldier, 1915 (via Wikimedia Commons)

6 Relatively Safe Things to Talk about at Thanksgiving (I Think)

Looking for something to do this weekend? Be sure to check out the November program listings.

Ready or not, next week is Thanksgiving. This week, as a public service, we present some ideas for things you can talk about around the dinner table on Thursday or during the following couple of days to avoid fighting talking about religion, politics, and whether or not Mom's gravy is as good as Grandma used to make. You're welcome.

Sometimes it's fun to sit with the family and look at photos, so why not some related to the Trails of History? No need to comment on Uncle Bob's bad combover or that awful dress cousin Sue wore to the senior prom in 1979. Luzerne County Visitors Bureau (anthracite region) just announced the top 10 photos in their fall photo contest. The winning entry, by Cheryl Miller, features a streetscape at Eckley Miners' Village. Congratulations, Cheryl! (Also worth noting is that Eckley will begin accepting entries for its Winter Wonderland photo contest on Dec. 1.)

Cheryl Miller - WINNING PHOTO! Congratulations! Eckley Miners Village

Posted by Luzerne County Visitors Bureau on Friday, November 13, 2015

Okay, so this next one could turn sticky pretty quickly, but I still think it's worth sharing. StoryCorps, a project that has recorded and archived thousands of personal stories of everyday life and significant events, has launched "the Great Thanksgiving Listen." A pilot project aimed primarily at high school teachers and students, this initiative encourages students age 13 and older to take advantage of family get-togethers over the holiday to gather and save the wisdom of our elders. You don't have to be a high school student or teacher to participate, but you must be at least 13 years old (and have parental permission if you're under 18). For more information and instructions on how to get involved, visit the project website.

Even if you're not up for recording family stories, you might want to gather family history info while you have people in a weakened condition due to overuse of mashed potatoes. The PHMC has been partnering with Ancestry.com to digitize and make available family history records held by the PA State Archives. If your family is from Pennsylvania, you may be able to find birth, marriage, and death records; military service records; and census and property info. A Pennsylvania zip code is all you need to create a free account (if you already have an Ancestry.com account you can use that).

Or you might want to check out the Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania's new and enhanced online catalog of its library and archives. If you have railroad history fans in your household (and who of us doesn't?) you (or they) might enjoy searching for particular pieces of history or browsing through the records of this amazing collection. There's even an intro video to help you navigate.

Or you can do some brainstorming about things that have and haven't changed. Linton Weeks, national correspondent for NPR Digital News, is crowdsourcing a story on things that people still do the way people did them 100 years ago (and yes, he's aware of the potential pitfalls there). In a post on the NPR History Dept. blog, he goes into more detail on what he's looking for and provides the example of Carillon Historical Park in Dayton, OH, that is a museum and a production brewery, complete with period-costumed brewster (which is apparently what female brewers were called in the 1850s). Anyway, I'm thinking some of you out there might have info and ideas to share based on your own experience or places you've visited. The article has more info about how to get in touch with Mr. Weeks.

And, okay, this one's about pictures too, but I said 6 things, so you're getting 6 things. For more pictures to look at, Washington Crossing Historic Park announced the finalists in the fall photo contest, all of which are on display in the Visitor Center. The People's Choice award went to Justin DeRosa.

And the People's Choice winner is....Justin DeRosa, for this stunning photo of a cannon and the Mahlon Taylor House in...

Posted by Washington Crossing Historic Park on Sunday, November 15, 2015

And a little bonus, shared by the folks at Washington Crossing. A recent article in People magazine featured photographer John Olson, who has put together a team of technicians and engineers to create 3-D versions of paintings that allow people who are blind to experience paintings through touch. Guess which famous painting is among those shone in the article?

Pulitzer Prize Winner to Speak at Anthracite Heritage Museum

Please check out the November program listings to see what else is happening on the Trails of History this weekend.

Tomorrow afternoon, Nov. 14, from 3:15 to 4:45, composer Julia Wolfe will talk about her Pulitzer Prize-winning oratorio, Anthracite Fields, at the Anthracite Heritage Museum (AHM) in Scranton. As noted in an article in the Wilkes-Barre Times Leader, Wolfe conducted some of her research at the museum, including interviewing AHM docent Barbara Powell about her experiences growing up in the hard coal region. Wolfe told Times Leader reporter Mary Therese Biebel that her conversations with Powell provided the inspiration for the "Flowers" portion of the oratorio, shedding light on ways that mining families added beauty to their daily lives.

Anthracite Fields, which won the 2015 Pulitzer Prize for Music, was commissioned by the Mendelssohn Club of Philadelphia through Meet the Composer’s Commissioning Music/USA program, made possible by generous support from the Mary Flagler Cary Charitable Trust, New York City Department of Cultural Affairs, the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation, and the Helen F. Whitaker Fund. Additional support was made possible through the Mendelssohn Club of Philadelphia Alan Harler New Ventures Fund, The Presser Foundation, The Pew Center for Arts and Heritage, the National Endowment for the Arts, The Musical Fund Society of Philadelphia, and the Aaron Copland Fund for Music.

Bang on a Can All Stars (photo provided by Wyoming Seminary)

Bang on a Can All Stars and the Choir of Trinity Wall Street, conducted by Julian Wachner, will perform Anthracite Fields tomorrow night, 7:30 pm, at Wyoming Seminary's Kirby Center for the Creative Arts, Kingston (Wolfe will give a pre-concert talk at 6:30). Tickets are $10 online or at the door, and a portion of the proceeds will benefit the Anthracite Heritage Museum.

To learn more about Anthracite Fields and composer Julia Wolfe, check out this interview on NPR's "All Things Considered," visit Bang on a Can's website, or watch this brief clip:



In Other News...

On a related note, the State Museum's "Pennsylvania Icons" exhibit has opened. Among the objects are items carried by Marilyn McCusker, a roof bolter helper who became the first woman killed in a deep-mine accident when the roof of the Rushton Mine (Centre County) collapsed on Oct. 2, 1979. McCusker was a bituminous (soft coal) miner, but her story is similar in many ways to those told in the anthracite region about the dangers of mining.

Although leaf peeping season is pretty much over, there are still plenty of reasons to visit PA's northern tier. A new driving tour designed by the Greater Renovo Area Heritage Park Association features locations and public art related to the history of the Civilian Conservation Corps in the Lumber Heritage Region (the map was supported by LHR and other entities). Of course, one of the stops is the Pennsylvania Lumber Museum, whose new exhibit (that I might have mentioned once or twice here in Trailheads) includes a section on the CCC and its legacy in northern PA. What I haven't mentioned (I don't think) is that the Visitor Center at the Lumber Museum will now be open year-round, so if you're in the area, be sure to stop in.

If you're more of an armchair tourist, you might want to see what's happening in Bucks County with new Google Street View Trekker tours that include Washington Crossing Historic Park. It took me a little while to figure out the navigation, but it was interesting once I did. Not a replacement, in my opinion, for being there in person, but a useful tool for anyone wanting to preview a visit.

#MuseumWeek : Searching for historic engagement

Today's guest blogger is Sean Adkins, PHMC's Information Specialist.

Next week, follow @PHMC on Twitter as we highlight our collections and offer a behind-the-scenes look at exhibits during #MuseumWeek.

A week-long program set to kick off Monday, March 23, #MuseumWeek is a global social media effort that partners thousands of museums with Twitter, encouraging institutions to tweet about their collections while urging the public to share their memories and experiences.

Each day of the week carries a different theme designed to introduce visitors to what goes on behind the scenes at museums, large and small.  Those who log on will not only unearth long-held secrets, but will also learn the stories behind the architecture of each institution.  Visitors are encouraged to share photos and videos of what they like best about their museum.

The themes are broken into seven hashtags including #secretsMW, #souvenirsMW, architectureMW, #inspirationMW, #familyMW, #favMW and #poseMW.

Start the week by going to @PHMC on Twitter.  Look for tweets leading to behind-the-scenes videos that explain how exhibits go from ideas to fleshed-out displays. Watch as volunteers learn how to educate visitors with the help of a recently fabricated period cart.  Catch a clip of renovation experts  revamping the dioramas inside The State Museum's Mammal Hall.

Behind-the-scenes volunteer training, State Museum of PA

On Wednesday, tour The State Museum with PHMC's architectural supervisor and discover the secrets of Midcentury Modern design.  Finish off the week with our five CAP curators as they pose with William Penn.

And don't forget to look for #MuseumWeek tweets from or share your memories of other sites along the Pennsylvania Trails of History. Pennsbury Manor (@PennsburyManor) and Landis Valley (@LandisValley) have signed up, but many others are on Twitter. UPDATE: Washington Crossing Historic Park (@FriendsofWCP) has now registered.

Exhibit installation currently underway, PA Lumber Museum

We have a lot planned for #MuseumWeek, but what we want most is to hear from you.  What secrets of the museum would you like us to reveal?  Share your favorite museum memories and allow us to retweet your experiences.

Leave a comment on the PA Trails of History Facebook page telling us what you'd like to discover about Pennsylvania's history.

Brushing Up on Industrial History

This week’s post is from guest blogger Linda Bolla at the Erie Maritime Museum (title is mine, so don't blame her). Linda has written a number of posts for Trailheads and her photos of the US Brig Niagara and the museum have appeared frequently. Thank you, Linda! (If you’re looking for Trails of History activities this weekend and the rest of the month, you’ll find them in the February program listings.)

Many Pennsylvania Trails of History sites carry the responsibility of preserving historic structures. The Erie Maritime Museum lives in an important Erie harborfront building, the former Pennsylvania Electric Company (Penelec) Front Street Generating Station (in operation from 1917 until 1991). The task of maintaining the building’s original machinery poses unique challenges, especially when we rely on those machines to be fully safe and operational.

The Museum exhibits a General Electric steam turbine generator that only last year received an important update, the installation of carbon brushes [Linda wrote about the project in a previous guest post]. Similar carbon brushes are important to running the Museum’s 50-ton Cleveland Crane, which is used to lift cannon and other heavy artifacts. The crane is operated by direct current motors powered by a General Electric motor generator (MG) set located in the building’s basement. The early 20th-century MG set consists of a 50-horsepower alternating current induction motor driving a 35-kilowatt direct current generator. Current is conducted from the rotating parts of the generator and is transferred through a sliding electrical contact involving carbon brushes.

Cleveland Crane at Erie Maritime Museum

Docent Rich Hall, a retired GE design engineer, recognized that these brushes will eventually wear down. He alerted Site Administrator Walter Rybka to the need to obtain replacement brushes now, while there are still people who have the expertise to make and install them. Patents on the motor parts range from 1893 to 1911, and specifications for the brushes were not readily available. If the brushes were allowed to wear out, the crane would stop working and the equipment could be damaged, requiring expensive repair.

Patent information on the induction motor

Rich’s colleagues Gary Lozowski (Morgan Advanced Materials application engineer, Greenville, SC) and Steve Dewitt (lab technician) were happy to have an opportunity to inspect the vintage machine and make the necessary measurements to manufacture the correct brushes. Morgan manufactured the parts and donated them to the Museum, as they had done for the earlier GE steam turbine project.

Old brushes being removed (back), new brushes installed (front)

On October 14, 2014, local GE motor engineer Walter Konstanty and Rich Hall installed the new, correct carbon brushes. As they removed the decades-old, worn brushes, they realized that some of them were not quite of the correct design. The new brushes needed to be sanded here and there to fit and to make smooth contact. The brushes’ pressure against the commutator was also checked.

New brushes are sanded to ensure smooth contact

Studying the vintage motor generator set and replacing all brushes now has helped ensure the Erie Maritime Museum’s crane motor will run for years to come, keeping this vital piece of equipment operational.

And here we go...

Generating History at the Erie Maritime Museum

Information on April events is in last week's post. Many, many thanks to guest blogger Linda Bolla for the text and photos today (the pun in the title is mine, so you can assign credit or blame as you see fit). The Erie Maritime Museum is located in the former Pennsylvania Electric Company (Penelec) Front Street Generating Station, which closed in 1991. Part of the legacy left to the museum when it opened in 1998 is the #3 steam turbine generator, one of the five formerly in operation at Penelec.

Carbon brushes newly installed on steam turbine generator

Power from the generator is collected on a rotating part of the machine called the “commutator.” Carbon brushes ride on the commutator as it spins, providing a sliding electrical contact. Volunteer Museum Guide (and retired General Electric Design Engineer) Rich Hall noticed that the carbon brushes, which should be visible in the exhibit, were missing. While the average visitor would not know this, the Erie Maritime Museum audience includes local workers and retirees from both Penelec and GE who are likely to notice this omission.

Rich networked with friends and colleagues at General Electric to identify the correct brushes this commutator used. Morgan Advanced Materials of Greenville, South Carolina, manufactured brushes to the GE design and donated them to the Museum.

On March 19, Rich Hall (left), with some help from
fellow Guide Ed Bolla, installed the brushes, completing the exhibit



Rich checks the carbon brushes

The very next day, Rich and Ed were on hand to talk
 with visitors about the improvement to the exhibit

Thank you to Rich Hall, William Bird of GE Turbine Generators (Schenectady, NY), and Walt Konstanty of GE Motors (Erie) for their help in identifying and providing specs for the brushes, and to Roland Roberge of Morgan Advanced Materials (Greenville, SC) for manufacturing and donating the carbon brushes.

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.

Who Do You Think You Are?

Assuming that many of you who are interested in the PHMC and the Trails of History are also interested in your own history, I thought I’d use this space to make you aware of a recent development in genealogy research. Act 110 (which amends the Vital Statistics Law of 1953) has set in motion a partnership between the Pennsylvania State Archives and the Pennsylvania Department of Health, expanding access to birth and death records in the Commonwealth.

Birth records from 1906 and death records from 1906 to 1961 have been indexed and are searchable by name of individual and year of event. Under the new law, birth records will be made public 105 years after they were created, while death records will be open after 50 years, so new records will become available every year. (Prior to 1906, birth and death records were held by counties—more on that in a moment.) To request a record, you must first consult the relevant index to find the state file number. Access to the indices is free.

Sample of death index (state file number circled in red)

With the state file number, you have several options.

You can visit the State Archives Search Room, during regular business hours, and request to see the original records (the Archives will have the online indices available so you can do your initial search there if you haven’t before arriving). The Archives also has copies or microfilm of some pre-1906 records submitted by counties (you can find out more about that here.)

PHMC/PA State Archives

Or you can submit a research-by-mail request to the State Archives (check the website for info on fees for research and copies).

Or you can request a non-certified copy of the record from the Dept. of Health’s Division of Vital Records (application forms and mailing/payment instructions are here.)

The Division of Vital Records is currently working on a project to fully digitize and index the certificates to make them available online and searchable by more variables. Stay tuned!

Apprenticeships in the Preservation & Traditional Building Trades

Continuing our look at educational opportunities, this week's guest blogger is Joe Lauver of the PHMC's Division of Architecture and Preservation. The hiring period for these apprenticeships ends April 30, so don't wait.

Apprentices are instructed in traditional joinery techniques at the apprentice training workshop hosted at Daniel Boone Homestead

Become part of a large and growing sector of the construction industry preserving Pennsylvania’s treasured historic buildings.

PHMC is sponsoring its 7th annual summer apprenticeship program to introduce students and recent graduates of post-secondary trade schools, technical colleges and other training programs, and others with building trades experience to the preservation and traditional building trades needed to preserve Pennsylvania’s historic places. PHMC and several partner organizations and companies will be offering paid apprentice positions for 12 weeks in the summer of 2012 at locations throughout Pennsylvania. The apprenticeships will include a free training program with an introductory one-day seminar in historic preservation and two days of hands-on training by master craftsmen in various preservation and traditional trade skills. More information on the program, including a list of apprenticeship locations, can be found here.

Training Opportunities through Save Pennsylvania’s Past

This week’s guest blogger is Lee Price, Director of Development at the Conservation Center for Art and Historic Artifacts (CCAHA) in Philadelphia. CCAHA, in partnership with PHMC, the PA Federation of Museums and Historical Organizations, and LYRASIS, is leading a statewide effort to preserve the millions of objects and historic artifacts that shape the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania’s history and define our nation.



Save Pennsylvania’s Past, a two-year initiative to improve collections care throughout the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, celebrates the state’s great historic collections. Save Pennsylvania’s Past calls upon the state’s leaders, both public and private, to support the work of preservation. It will streamline information regarding available resources. And, most importantly, Save Pennsylvania’s Past will offer training for staff and volunteers, with registration starting now.

Three traveling educational programs are being offered in 2011-2012. For each of these programs, full-day sessions will be offered at locations in Erie, Pittsburgh, Johnstown, Boalsburg/State College (at the Pennsylvania Military Museum), Allentown, Scranton, Philadelphia, and York.

Jessica Silverman, Paper Conservator and

Preservation Consultant at the CCAHA, leads an educational

program at the College of Physicians of Philadelphia

Preservation Best Practices for Optimal Collections Care
Archivists, collections managers, librarians, curators, and other staff members involved in collections care must manage a variety of tasks, including implementation of collections management plans and policies, management of environmental controls and storage conditions, and provision for safe use and exhibition of collections. This program will provide participants with an overview of the preservation standards for the many aspects of collections care. Speaker: Laura Hortz Stanton, Director of Preservation Services, Conservation Center for Art and Historic Artifacts. Workshops are scheduled between Oct. 6, 2011, and Jan. 13, 2012; the details are here.

Digitization Basics
Every institution struggles with pressure to be visible on the web and to make its collections accessible to wider audiences, and many face daunting hurdles to implementing digitization programs. This program will cover basic issues in digital preservation, including an introduction to digitization, and will provide information on handling guidelines for digitization, selection of materials, conducting pilot projects, creating access to digitized materials, funding sources, and the benefits of collaborating with other institutions. Speaker: Thomas F.R. Clareson, Senior Consultant, Digital & Preservation Services, LYRASIS. Workshops are scheduled between Feb. 21 and Apr. 25, 2012; the details are here.

Jessica Keister, Mellon Fellow at the CCAHA, with program

participants at the College of Physicians of Philadelphia

Understanding Archives: An Introduction to Archival Basics
Proper archival procedures enable safe and effective management of collections. Participants will learn about the fundamentals of archival appraisal, acquisition, and access; proper storage materials; and the most common preservation problems associated with paper-based archival collections. This program will touch briefly on processing, arrangement, and description. Volunteers, historians, and those with archival responsibilities in addition to other duties may find themselves in the position of "archivist" without formal training in the profession; this program offers an introduction to best practices in the field. Speakers: Beth Bensman, Certified Archivist, and Dyani Feige, Preservation Specialist, Conservation Center for Art and Historic Artifacts. Workshops are scheduled between May 9 and July 16, 2012; details are here.

Additional information and registration materials for all three workshops are available at CCAHA’s website.