Trailheads: A Round of Applause

A Round of Applause

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. Enjoy!

The hood of an Army jeep, painted olive green with a white star. A small yellow rubber duck is on the hood, wearing military style uniform and cap.

You never know who will greet you when you visit the PA Military Museum (photo via Facebook)

By all accounts (that I've heard, anyway) our reopening weekend went smoothly. Shout out to all Trails of History staff and volunteers who spent the past year maintaining our sites physically, keeping sites and PA History in front of the public virtually, and supporting each other through it all. Throughout the day on Friday, emails went back and forth among staff to report on how things were going, and I had the privilege of being a fly on the wall, so to speak. The team spirit was heart-warming.

Child's drawing of a steam locomotive on tracks. Text reads "Thank you for reopening the train museum"

Image via Railroad Museum of PA Facebook page

Thanks are also due to the visitors who made this weekend a success by showing up and by helping staff and volunteers follow the safety protocols. If you're planning a visit this weekend, or in the near future, please be sure to check ahead on site schedules (I've rounded up some of the info a "reopening page", but it's still best to check with specific sites). You can find the details on safety protocols on PHMC's Welcome Back! page.

More Things to Celebrate

Melissa Mann, site administrator at Drake Well Museum & Park, was recently nominated as a Venango County Community Hero for her leadership at the site. Congratulations to Melissa and everyone at Drake Well.

Congratulations to our Site Administrator Melissa Mann for being nominated as a Venango County Community Hero! To see...
Posted by Drake Well Museum and Park on Saturday, May 1, 2021

Trib Live's Neighbor Spotlight for May features Bonnie Ramus, president of the Bushy Run Battlefield Heritage Society (BRBHS). BRBHS is the "friends" group at Bushy Run, responsible for most of the day-to-day management and programming at Bushy Run, while PHMC maintenance staff oversee the physical needs of the site. When Covid-19 closed the Trails of History sites, BRBHS adapted some of their in-person programs to virtual to keep history on the front burner. Congratulations to Bonnie for this recognition.

The State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO) is looking for community success stories during National Historic Preservation Month. Stories can be submitted through SHPO's PA-SHARE site, but you don't need a PA-SHARE account to submit. The official press release has the details or check out the Pennsylvania Historic Preservation blog.

Finally, with tongue firmly planted in cheek, Erie Maritime Museum and U.S. Brig Niagara celebrated Star Wars Day (May the Fourth Be With You) with a little twist on Oliver Hazard Perry's famous report, "We have met the enemy, and they are ours. Two ships, two brigs, one schooner and one sloop."

"We have met the enemy, two Imperial-II Star Destroyers, two Vindicator-Class Heavy Cruisers, one TIE Bomber, and one...
Posted by Erie Maritime Museum on Tuesday, May 4, 2021

Event graphic with photos of three museum objects. Text reads "What's in a theme? PHMC Virtual Collections Showcase"

Upcoming Virtual Events

Today, May 7

Learn at Lunchtime, Heather Hendry, senior paper conservator at Conservation Center for Art and Historic Artifacts, will talk with the museum's fine arts curator, Amy Hammond, about the preservation of Violet Oakley's drawings, The State Museum of PA, 12:15-12:45 pm (Zoom link to register)

Saturday, May 8

Spring Nature Walk, Bushy Run Battlefield, 10 am-noon, $5 for non-members (BRB Facebook event to register)
The "Daring" Lieutenant: William B. Cushing, part of the Civil War Navies series, Erie Maritime Museum and PA Military Museum, 2-3 pm (EMM Facebook event to register)

Sunday, May 9

Tonight's Sky, a live chat with The State Museum of PA's planetarium director, 2-3 pm (SMP Facebook event to register)

Monday, May 10

Origin of the Apple & Its Early History in North American, presented by Susan Dolan, apple expert and Cultural Landscapes Program Manager for the National Park Service, Landis Valley Village & Farm Museum, 7-8 pm (LVM Zoom link to register)

Tuesday, May 11

A Brief Intro to Wooden Shipbuilding (Part 2 of 4), Erie Maritime Museum and U.S. Brig Niagara, 6-7 pm (EMM Facebook event Part 2 to register)
Gold in Them Hills, geologist Mike Weber will talk about gold mined in the hills around Cornwall, PA, Cornwall Iron Furnace, 7-8 pm (CIF Facebook event to register)
What's in a Theme? PHMC Virtual Collections Showcase, tonight's theme is Souvenirs & Swag, 7-8 pm (Facebook event to register)

Wednesday, May 12

Story Reading, visitor services associate Chris O'Brien will read Mr. Owliver's Magic at the Museum, by Carolyn Bracken, Railroad Museum of PA, 10-10:30 am (watch on RMP's YouTube channel)
Historical and Archival Records Care Grant program webinar, an overview of eligibility, guidelines, tips for a competitive proposal and Q&A, Pennsylvania State Archives, 10 am (Archives Zoom link to register, webinar will be repeated on June 29 at 10 am)
Remake Learning Days Across America, learn about maple sugaring in southwestern PA, Somerset Historical Center, 6-7:30 pm (SHC Facebook event to register)

Thursday, May 13

Agriculture and Horticulture in PA German Spiritual Communities, staff from Ephrata Cloister and Old Economy Village will discuss unique facets of their historical communities, hosted by Landis Valley Village & Farm Museum, 7-8 pm (LVM Facebook event to register)
Thrown, Fired, and Glazed: The Redware Tradition from Pennsylvania and Beyond, curator Jennifer Royer will provide a virtual tour of Landis Valley's award-winning exhibit, hosted by Ephrata Cloister, 7-8 pm (EC Facebook event to register)