Trailheads on Hiatus

Fall colors are starting to show in the Rapp House Garden at Old Economy Village (via OEV Facebook page)

Trailheads is on a short break and will return with fresh posts starting Oct. 21.

Please note that most Trails of History sites will be closed for the holiday on October 10.

The list below was accurate as of late September, but as you know, things can change. Please check with sites via website or social media to be sure of details and ticket availability.

Up Next

Friday, October 7

• Apple Dumpling Sales (in-person); Friday & Saturday, times vary; Ephrata Cloister
• Purchase delicious locally made apple dumplings and support the Back to the Cloister Fund. Dumplings are $5 each; in-person sales are Friday from 10 am to 3 pm and Saturday from 9 am until dumplings are sold out. Prepaid orders of 10 or more dumplings can be placed online for pickup at the site, and delivery is available within 10 miles of Ephrata Cloister for orders of 20 or more dumplings (Ephrata website for details).

• StoryTime (in-person); 10:30-11:30 am; The State Museum of PA
• Read Bones, Bones, Dinosaur Bones by Byron Barton and learn how scientists get fossils to a museum, then make an imprint fossil to take home. For kids age 2 to pre-K and included in regular admission. Please sign up at the Ground Floor Info Desk when you arrive (StoryTime info).

Saturday, October 8

• Fall Antique Show & Sawmill Run (in-person); Saturday & Sunday, 9 am-5 pm; PA Lumber Museum
• A selection of historic trade demonstrations, including a run of the museum's birch still, will take place both days. On Saturday only, the museum's recreated 19th-century steam-powered circular sawmill will be operating. Vendors will be on hand with a variety of wares, and food and drink will be available for purchase. Admission is $5 for adults, $3 for youth (Antique Show & Sawmill Run info).

• Harvest Days (in-person); Saturday & Sunday, 11 am-5 pm; Landis Valley Village & Farm Museum
• Demonstrations, exhibits, live music, and activities, as well as horse-drawn wagon rides and a children's discovery tent. Taste heirloom varieties of apples, watch wool go from sheep to shawl, pick and decorate your own pumpkin. Admission charged (Harvest Days info).

• Battle of Huertgen Forest (in-person); 2-3:30 pm; PA Military Museum
• Maj. Gen. John Gronski (retired) will present "The Battle of Huertgen Forest: The Attack on Schmidt" using primary source research and his perspective as a former combat commander. The lecture is free; donations appreciated. Seating is first come, first served (Huertgen Forest lecture info).

• Haunted History Hayride (in-person); 7-10 pm; Bushy Run Battlefield
• Visitors will tour the battlefield on hay wagons, with stops along the way where reenactors portray 18th-century characters. There may be ghosts and goblins lurking, so this tour may be too scary for children under the age of 4. Admission is $10 for age 13 and up, $5 for age 4-12, and includes entry to the Visitor Center and Museum; concessions will be available in the Stone Room. Rain date for this event is Oct. 22; in the event of inclement weather on the 22nd, there will be a Haunted History Tour through the museum (Haunted Hayride tickets).

Sunday, October 9

• Living History Theatre (in-person); noon-4 pm; Pennsbury Manor
• You are invited to witness the marriage of John Sotcher, Pennsbury's steward, and Mary Lofty, the Penns' housekeeper. Observe the late 17th-century Quaker customs, sign the wedding certificate, and chat with wedding guests. Presented at 12:15, 1:45, and 3:15. Included in regular admission (Living History Theatre info).

• Garden Railway Tours (in-person); 1-5 pm; Railroad Museum of PA
• Enjoy a self-guided tour of operating model trains in various outdoor and garden settings at 7 stops around Lancaster County. Masking and social distancing may be required or requested a venues. Tickets are $10 for ages 6 and up, available only via Eventbrite. Location info will be sent after you purchase your ticket (Garden Railway Tour tickets).

Tuesday, October 11

• The Farms of the Gettysburg Battlefield (virtual); 7-8 pm; Cornwall Iron Furnace
• Tom Lehman will explore the stories of civilians in and around Gettysburg and how their lives were changed the Civil War battle on their doorsteps. Site administrator Mike Emery will moderate a brief discussion. The program is free, but you must register to receive the link (Gettysburg lecture registration).

Wednesday, October 12

• Lunch & Learn (in-person); 10 am-2 pm; Graeme Park
• Jim Miller, retired professor of biology at Delaware Valley Univ., will present "Typhoid Mary, Irish Immigrant," exploring the misunderstood history of Mary Mallon and the social policies that resulted from the typhoid outbreak. Cost is $35 per person, which includes continental breakfast, lecture, lunch, and a tour of the Keith House (Lunch & Learn tickets).

• Sensory Friendly Visit (in-person); 10 am-3 pm; PA Military Museum
• Background sound effects in the gallery will be turned off and volume on the orientation video will be reduced (captions always enabled). Standard admission rates apply. Register in advance for a timeslot; you can pay when you arrive (visit PMM website and select Oct. 12 on calendar).

• Life Through Time Gallery Tour (in-person); 1:30-2:30 pm; The State Museum of PA
• Museum educators will be on hand to help visitors learn about life on Earth from the Pre-Cambrian to the present. The program is geared for adults and is included in regular admission. Please check in at the Ground Floor Info Desk to confirm tour start location (Life Through Time tour info).

Thursday, October 13

• Curiosity Kids (in-person); 11:30 am-12:30 pm; The State Museum of PA
• Learn about colors and shapes in Fall leaves, the difference between evergreen and decidious trees, and different types of trees found in PA. For kids in grades K-2 and included in regular admission. Space is limited, so please sign up at the Ground Floor Info Desk when you arrive (Curiosity Kids info).

Friday, October 14

• Learn at Lunchtime (virtual); 12:15-12:45 pm; The State Museum of PA
• Maria Gorgo-Gourovitch, Penn State Extension educator, will talk about the history of mushroom farms in PA, their economic impact, current production data, crop production cycle, sustainability, and nutrition facts. The program is free, but you must register to get the link (Learn at Lunchtime registration).

Saturday, October 15

• Great Pumpkin (in-person); 10 am-1 pm; The State Museum of PA
• Come dressed as your favorite animal, superhero, ghost, or museum icon (if you want to) and play holiday games, make crafts, and more. Included in regular admission. Limited timed tickets will be available at the front desk for Curiosity Connection, and Planetarium tickets will be $3 (Great Pumpkin info).

• Architecture Day (in-person); 10 am-4 pm; Ephrata Cloister
• Special tours highlighting distinctive architectural features, an exhibit on the site's restoration, and limited tours of the unrestored upper floors of the Sisters' House (Saron). Check the website for updates on admission fees and registration (Architecture Day info).

• Patriots Day (in-person); 11 am-3 pm; Brandywine Battlefield Park
• Rev War era military and civilian reenactors will be on site, there will be colonial trades and cooking demonstrations, and tours of the Ring House and Gilpin House will be offered. Tickets are $12 for adults (age 12+), $10 for seniors/AAA/AARP, $8 for youth age 3-11 (Patriots Day info).

• George "Nessmuk" Sears Documentary (in-person); 1-3 pm; PA Lumber Museum
• The museum will screen the documentary Nessmuk: In Defense of Nature in the Pennsylvania Wilds, which explores the life and ideas of outdoorsman and early conservationist George "Nessmuk" Sers. Writer, director, and producer Gale Langley will be on hand to introduce the film and answer questions after the screening (Nessmuk documentary info).

• Mapping Technology Goes to War (in-person); 2-3:30 pm; PA Military Museum
• Dr. Fritz Kessler, PSU Geography Dept., will present a lecture about mapping technology and its use in combat, drawing on examples such as GIS, cartography, remote sensing, GPS, and coordinate systems. The lecture is free; donations appreciated (Mapping lecture info).

• Bonfire Fall Festival (in-person); 6-10 pm; Scranton Iron Furnaces
• Please check the Scranton Iron Furnaces Facebook page for details and updates.

Sunday, October 16

• Sensory Friendly Visit (in-person); 10 am-noon; PA Military Museum
• Background sound effects in the gallery will be turned off and volume on the orientation video will be reduced (captions always enabled). Standard admission rates apply. Register in advance for a timeslot; you can pay when you arrive (visit PMM website and select Oct. 16).

• Open Hearth Cooking Demo (in-person); 1-4 pm; Pennsbury Manor
• The cooks will prepare and present a complete seasonal dinner as it would have been served to William Penn. Included in regular admission (Open Hearth Cooking info).

Tuesday, October 18

• Sensory Hours (in-person); 9-11 am; Railroad Museum of PA
• Reduced noise, light, and attendance plus quiet spaces when you want a break. Staff will be on hand to answer questions about several of the historic trains open for visitors. Advance tickets required (RMP Sensory Hours Oct. 18 tickets).

• Revolutionary Speaker Series (in-person); 7-9 pm; Brandywine Battlefield Park
• Historian, author, and teacher Michael C. Harris will present "Germantown: A Military History of the Battle for Philadelphia," which occurred on October 4, 1777. Tickets are $20 (Rev Speaker Series info and tickets).

Wednesday, October 19

• Explore! (in-person); 11:30 am-12:30 pm; The State Museum of PA
• Learn about artifacts from the archaeological dig at Fort Hunter and what they tell us about hundreds of years of occupation at the site. For kids in grades 3-5 and included in regular admission. Space is limited, so please sign up at the Ground Floor Info Desk (Explore! info).

Thursday, October 20

• Family Gallery Tour: Transportation (in-person); 11:30 am-12:30 pm; The State Museum of PA
• This family-friendly tour looks at transportation changes throughout PA's history. Included in regular admission (Transportation Gallery Tour info).

Friday, October 21

• SOLD OUT Harvest, Death & Renewal (in-person); 6:30-8:30 pm; Landis Valley Village & Farm Museum
• This program explores traditions of the PA Germans, including funeral and burial customs, powwowing, healing, and hexes. Recommended for adults and older teens, the event involves two hours of walking around a cemetery and the Museum grounds. Please wear weather-appropriate clothing and shoes and bring a flashlight. Tickets are $28 per person; reservations are required (Harvest, Death & Renewal info and tickets).

• Haunted Lantern Tours (in-person); 7-10 pm; Graeme Park
• Tour the Keith House by lantern light and learn the ghost stories. Tours last approximately 40 minutes. Tickets are available online at $10, with option for a mini-paranormal investigation for an additional $15. Event also takes place Oct. 28 (Graeme Park Lantern Tours info and tickets).

Advance Tickets or Registrations

• Halloween Lantern Tours (in-person); Saturday, Oct. 22, 6:30-9:30 pm; Hope Lodge
• This immersive tour investigates a claim of witchcraft, which was outlawed in Pennsylvania from 1718 until the 1750s. Tours are outdoors, rain or shine, and are recommended for ages 7 and up. Please be prepared for uneven ground and bring a flashlight. Tours will be limited to 10 guests at a time and will run every half hour from 6:30 to 9:30 (Hope Lodge Lantern Tours info and tickets).

• Quarterly Lecture Series (in-person); Thursday, Oct. 27, 7-9 pm; Landis Valley Village & Farm Museum
• Site administrator David Blackburn will present "Memorializing Martin Luther in his Hometown," exploring a brief history of Wittenberg, Germany, and the way the complex story of Martin Luther and the Protestant Reformation are shared with the public. Tickets are $8 for adults, $5 for seniors (free for members), and are available online (Landis Valley lecture info and tickets).

• Workshops in Archaeology (in-person); Saturday, Oct. 29, 9 am-5 pm; The State Museum of PA
• This year's program centers around archaeology as a tool for discovering a pathway to the past. Sessions include Indigenous pathways, the Underground Railroad, and African American Civilian Conservation Corps camps. There will also be presentations on flintknapping and the Cultural Resources Geographic Information System (CRGIS). Early bird registration by Oct. 24 is $25 with an option to pre-order a bagged lunch; discounts for students and members of PA Heritage Foundation, Soc. for PA Archaeology, and PA Archaeological Council (Workshop info and registration).

• 1940s Swing Dance (in-person); Saturday, Nov. 5, 7-10 pm; Railroad Museum of PA
• The Moonlighters big band will play live among the historic trains. Dress in vintage 1940s attire, military uniform, or modern party clothes. Light refreshments will be served. Advance tickets available online and highly recommended; a limited number of tickets will be sold at the door (Swing Dance tickets).