Life in Pictures

We had a special extra post this week, a piece written by BHSM's Collections Advancement Project curator, Rachel Yerger, about hunter Helen Sites Miller and her hunting-related items in the exhibit at the Pennsylvania Lumber Museum. If you missed it, please be sure to take a look. As always, the December program page has info on Trails of History events this weekend and beyond.

So, recapping some recent events and looking ahead to some upcoming stuff:

This week marked the 75th anniversary of the attack on the U.S. Pacific Fleet Hawaii by aircraft from the Japanese Imperial Navy. The State Museum of PA opened a new exhibit, Pennsylvania at War: The Saga of the USS Pennsylvania, exploring the history of PA's eponymous battleship during World War I and World War II. And the Pennsylvania Military Museum hosted its annual Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day tribute beneath two 14-inch guns that were on the USS Pennsylvania at Pearl Harbor on Dec. 7, 1941. Local news covered the event (Centre Daily Times article and footage from WTAJ-TV), which included US Navy CPT Jim Bloom (Ret), a Marine Corps League color guard, a 21-Gun salute by the Nittany Navy League, and "Taps" played by a US Navy bugler.

Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day tribute, PA Military Museum 2016 (photo courtesy PMM)

On Veterans Day, staff and volunteers from the Erie Maritime Museum and US Brig Niagara were on hand at Presque Isle State Park provide interpretation on Erie's military history. During the remainder of November, the Museum was a collection point for personal care items for members of the armed forces (included in earlier Trailheads post). As a follow-up, the museum's Linda Bolla reported: "Thanks to the generosity of many in November, the Presque Isle Partnership, Tom Ridge Environmental Center (TREC), and the Erie Maritime Museum partnered to collect enough comfort items for active duty service men and women to fill 32 boxes! Every box contained letters of thanks, written by students at Harborcreek Youth Services, Maplewood Jr. & Sr. High School, or visitors to TREC. A cash donation by the City of Erie helped purchase additional items not donated during the drive, and Erie V.F.W. Post 470 paid to ship the boxes, most destined for overseas military personnel from Northwestern Pennsylvania." Thank you all for your role in this effort.

Photos by Linda Bolla

Holly Nights 2016 via Pennsbury Manor Facebook page

Members of the Pittsburgh Opera Company performed at Old Economy Village's annual fundraising dinner this week. (Visit Old Economy's Facebook page to hear more.)

Landis Valley Village and Farm Museum shared Jennifer MacNeill Photography's album of images from last weekend's Country Christmas Village event. If you've enjoyed Jen's photos of Landis Valley (and other sites) in the past, you'll want to take a look. And if you haven't enjoyed them in the past, you'll want to start now. In my opinion.

There are lots of programs this weekend on the Trails of History (check the December page for details). I'll leave you with this snowy photo from Erie, taken yesterday (12/8) - perfect weather for the 2016 Christmas Tree Ship program.

Niagara under winter cover, Dec. 8, 2016, awaiting the arrival of Santa (from Facebook)