What a Weekend!

Demonstrations of Daniel Boone Homestead's water-powered vertical sawmill are just part of the activities at this Sunday's Heritage Day Fall Festival (photo via DBH Facebook)

Things are as busy as ever on the Trails of History in the week ahead. Numerous Halloween-themed and Harvest events; Living History events from the French & Indian War era and the Civil War; art programs; and the latest installment of our PHMC Virtual Collections Showcase series. Check the list below for details and be sure to keep going to see events that need advance reservations or tickets. Don't miss out!

Up Next

Friday, October 21

• 3rd in the Burg (in-person); 5:30-7:30 pm; The State Museum of PA
• Admission is free this evening, so come enjoy this year's Art of the State exhibit. Artist and PHMC Commissioner Ophelia Chambliss will lead a tour of the exhibit starting at 6 pm (3rd in the Burg info).

• 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. Tickets for tonight mostly sold out as of mid-week; event also takes place Oct. 28 (Graeme Park Lantern Tours info and tickets).

Saturday, October 22

• Trains & Treats and Artists in Residence (in-person); 10 am-4 pm; Railroad Museum of PA
• Enjoy some Halloween fun among the trains on Saturday. Artists Gil Bennett and Ken Muramoto will be at the museum Saturday and Sunday to display their work and create new pieces (Trains and Treats info).

• Civil War Living History: Detachment, US Engineers; Sat., 10 am-4 pm, Sun., Noon-4 pm; Cornwall Iron Furnace
• This living history encampment focuses on the role of US Army engineers during the Civil War. The event takes place outdoors and will be open free to the public 10 am-4 pm on Saturday, Noon-4 pm on Sunday. Regular admission fee applies to tour the furnace (Civil War Living History info).

• StoryTime (in-person); 10:30-11:30 am; The State Museum of PA
• Read Bones, Bones, Dinosaur Bones by Byron Barton, learn how scientists get fossils to a museum, then make an imprint fossil to take home. For ages 2 to pre-K and included in regular admission (StoryTime info).

• Historical Halloween (in-person); 5-8 pm; Somerset Historical Center
• Trick-or-treat along lantern-lit paths, visit historic structures and talk to costumed interpreters, take a tractor-drawn wagon ride through the woods. Treats will be given out along the way and at the end you can warm up under the pavilion with hot chocolate, maple kettle corn, and fresh-pressed cider. Costumes are encouraged but not required. Tickets are $3 per child; adult chaperones are FREE (Historical Halloween info, including accessibility and food allergen info).

• Spooky Lantern Tours (in-person); 6:30-8:30 pm; PA Lumber Museum
• Walk the grounds, listen to not-too-scary ghost stories, and do some trick-or-treating along the way. The museum's program room will have craft activities and refreshments. Tickets are $3 for adults, $1 for youth; members get in free (Spooky Lantern Tours info).

Sunday, October 23

• Sunday Sewing Circle (in-person); Noon-3 pm; Bushy Run Battlefield
• Bring your needlecraft projects and enjoy some company while you work. The event is free and open to the public (Sewing Circle info).

• Living History Sunday and Fall Park Walk (in-person); Noon-4 pm; Conrad Weiser Homestead
• Open hearth cooking will be going on as well as a display about a soldier from Gen. Peter Muhlenberg's troops, the German Regiment. At 2 pm, David Sonnen will lead a walk through the park. The event is free and open to the public (Living History Sunday info).

• Heritage Day Fall Festival (in-person); Noon-4 pm; Daniel Boone Homestead
• Demos include blacksmithing, gunbuilding, leatherworking, hearth cooking and more. The water-powered sawmill will be operated at 1 and 3, and there will be a craft and specialty food vendors, as well as children's activities. Admission charged; free for members (Heritage Day info).

• Tricks & Treats (in-person); 1-4 pm; Pennsbury Manor
• Lots of family-friendly activities including cider pressing, fall crafts, and trick-or-treating around the site, and more. There will be a recreation of the 1683 witch trial of Margaret Mattson. Children are encouraged (but not required) to come dressed in their favorite costumes. This is a free event; regular admission applies to tour the Manor House. Advance registration is recommended (Tricks & Treats info and registration).

• Cemetery Tour (in-person); 2-3 pm; Ephrata Cloister
• Learn about some of the Ephrata members resting in God's Acre Cemetery through stories designed to captivate but not frighten. To attend a cemetery tour, you'll need a general admission ticket (good throughout the afternoon) PLUS a timed cemetery tour ticket, both of which can be obtained online (Oct. 23 Cemetery Tour info and tickets). This event will also be offered on October 30 (Oct. 30 Cemetery Tour info and tickets).

Wednesday, October 26

• Family Gallery Tour: Mammal Hall Restoration (in-person); 11:30 am-12:30 pm; The State Museum of PA
• Explore the exhibit on the history of Mammal Hall and behind-the-scenes info on the 3-year restoration project that was completed in 2018. Included in regular admission (Family Gallery Tour info).

• PHMC Virtual Collections Showcase (virtual); 7-8 pm
• This month's theme is "Photographs." Panelists from various Trails of History sites will have 5 minutes to present something from their collections, then the audience votes on their favorite. The program is free, but you must register to receive the link (Collections Showcase registration).

Thursday, October 27

• Curiosity Kids (in-person); 11:30 am-12:30 pm; The State Museum of PA
• Learn about where colors come from. Test your color mixing skills using different types of pigments. For 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).

• Quarterly Lecture Series (in-person); 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. The program is free, but reservations are required (Landis Valley lecture info and tickets).

Advance Tickets or Registrations

• Haunted Lantern Tours (in-person); Friday, Oct. 28, 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. Limited ticket availability as of Oct. 19 (Graeme Park Lantern Tours 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).

• After Dark (in-person); Saturday, Oct. 29, 7-9 pm; Old Economy Village
• This event offers a chance to tour some of the historic buildings after hours with your own hand-held ghost hunting equipment (no costumed figures or scares). Advance tickets only, no large cameras or paranormal equipment, no metal detectors (Old Economy After Dark ticket options).

• A Halloween Haunting (in-person); Sunday, Oct. 30, Noon-3 pm; Old Economy Village
• Old Economy's annual trick or treating event for children age 10 and under. Costumed interpreters and guides will greet visitors as they make their way around the site. This event is rain or shine, free, and open to the public; advance registration is requested (OEV Halloween registration).

• The Harmonist Connection: Town Planning (virtual); Tuesday, Nov. 1, 7-8 pm; Old Economy Village
• Michael J. Lewis, professor of art at Williams College and architecture critic for the Wall Street Journal, will present a program based on his longstanding interest in the architecture of the Harmony Society and his work on the history of utopian town planning. The program is free, but you must register to receive the link (Harmonist Connection 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).