We're Always Open for 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.

Although most of our sites' interactions with the public are online at the moment, they're still finding plenty of ways to share traditional activities and connect history to our current moment. Here are some of my favorites from the past week or so.

5 sheep graze with a stately home in the background. The sheep have been shorn for the summer and are all facing toward the left of the frame.
Pennsbury Manor's sheep got their summer haircuts this week (photo via Facebook)

Remember haircuts? At least the sheep on the Trails of History are ready with their summer looks, even if the rest of us mostly are not. Pennsbury Manor (above) and Landis Valley Village and Farm Museum (below) documented their activities.


Graeme Park shared some exciting new historical discoveries about what happened to Henry Hugh Fergussson after he left Elizabeth Graeme Fergusson on her own to deal with accusations of loyalty to the British during the American Revolution. I've shared one of the posts below, but there's more on their Facebook page.


In light of the History Channel's new documentary, Grant, the Pennsylvania Military Museum blog reflected on events happening 160 years ago.


Periods of high unemployment have happened before in the U.S. Ephrata Cloister shared an artifact from the Museum Extension Program that was part of the Works Progress Administration (WPA) during the Great Depression.


The launch got pushed off until tomorrow (May 30) due to weather concerns, but Drake Well Museum & Park's connection is just as relevant as it was on Wednesday.


Staff at Old Economy Village have used their time working from home to delve further into the history of the site. Recent posts (like the one below) have shed light on individual members of the community and on the Harmonists' interactions with other communal societies.


State Archivist David Carmicheal shared one of his favorite images from the collections and gave some tips on close-looking at details. That's a great way to spend a rainy weekend.

Memorial Day 2020

The May 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.

Lower left corner is stone pillar with a metal cross on top. A red, white, and blue wreath has been placed next to the pillar. Behind there are stone steps and a stone wall with plaques honoring 28th Division members who died in World War 1 and World War 2
A single wreath placed at the 28th Division Shrine to honor those who gave their lives in service (photo: Pennsylvania Military Museum)
The annual 28th Division Celebration of Service (scheduled for May 17 at the Pennsylvania Military Museum) and most Memorial Day events have been canceled or seriously curtailed due to COVID-19. But that doesn't mean we can't honor those who gave their lives in military service. The staff of the Pennsylvania Military Museum have provided the material for this week's post, and I thank them for their help.

In an article published earlier this week, site administrator Tyler Gum suggested several alternatives for marking Memorial Day this year (excerpts are below - you can find the full text on the museum's blog):
  • "Perhaps the simplest way to mark this day is to take five minutes and silently reflect on the meaning of the day and to consider the profound sacrifice and responsibility of an all-volunteer military force....Our military members voluntarily join and serve their communities and nation. Consider the many layers of such reality, as a society and as citizens."
  • "...Visit your local library digitally or find an online book or journal...that recounts the harrowing details of brave men and women going into harm's way to preserve our way of life here on the homefront. The greatest way to honor those now gone is to never forget them - what better way than to learn their story?"
  • "Annual events at town centers, parks, shrines, and cemeteries may be canceled. However, visiting a local cemetery or shrine on your own time, or visiting the grave of a loved one that served (perhaps not even on Memorial Day itself) and taking a stroll through its grounds is a great option."
  • "For veterans quickly aging, like those from World War II and the Korean War, their battle-buddies may no longer be alive or well enough to lend a hand....Step in for their friends by calling them, writing them a card or letter or arranging for groceries or meals to be delivered. With precautions and safety in mind, if you're at a store, offer to reach something on the shelf or to load their car."

The museum blog is a great source of stories about military service. Museum curator Jennifer Gleim has added a number of posts exploring the museum's collections and sharing the personal stories they convey. The blog is indexed to make it easier to browse. You won't be sorry.

Tomorrow (May 23) at 2 pm, the museum will host an online lecture by historian Jared Frederick, on the topic "Operation Overlord (D-Day)." Tyler Gum will moderate a brief Q & A session after the lecture. The presentation is free (donations are welcome). It will be offered via Zoom, so you must register to get the link (visit the museum's calendar page for more info).

(A past Trailheads post (way back in 2013) introduced us to several Medal of Honor recipients from Erie; this seems like a good time to revisit that post. Or to take a look at last year's Memorial Day weekend post, from the before times.)

I will leave you with a Facebook post from the 28th Division. I hope that your Memorial Day is meaningful, in whatever ways you need it to be. Be good to each other.

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).


Seated woman to left is entering info in a laptop computer as man standing to right describes a ceramic pitcher
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).

Screenshot of the landing page for PHMC's online collections portal - headline text reads Explore PHMC's museum collection
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.

Screenshot of an online collections record for an iron stove plate - there is a small image in the upper left corner, to the right is information about the object
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.

Screenshot of the search bar for the online portal - there are small images for featured items and instructions for how to search
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