Get your Questions Ready: Join us for Ask An Archivist Day

Join us on Wednesday, October 4 for Ask An Archivist 

Archivists, by nature and profession, are some of the most patient people on the planet.  They're accustomed to being peppered with questions from researchers and visitors determined to track down everything from land records to genealogical histories.  

On Wednesday, you will have the undivided attention of four archivists from the Pennsylvania State Archives.  Kurt Bell, Rich Saylor, Aaron McWilliams and Josh Stahlman will take part in Ask An Archivist Day.

Sponsored by the Society of American Archivists, Ask An Archivist offers the public the opportunity to connect directly to archivists in their community — and around the country — through asking questions, gathering information, or just satisfying curiosity.

#AskAnArchivist Day is open to everyone - all you need is a Twitter account. To participate, just tweet a question to @PHMC and include the hashtag #AskAnArchivist in your tweet. Our archivists will see your question instantly. 

Here’s our schedule for Ask An Archivist Day:

Kurt Bell

10 a.m. to 10:45 a.m.: Kurt Bell will start us off with his vast knowledge of the history of railroading in Pennsylvania, specifically the records held by the Pennsylvania State Archives and the Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania.  

Rich Saylor

11 a.m. to 11:45 a.m.: Join Pennsylvania State Archives' Rich Saylor for a World War I-themed Twitter Q&A. Earlier this year, Rich debuted an exhibit at The State Museum of Pennsylvania which spotlights an historic collection of World War I-era posters. Pennsylvania At War: World War I Posters from the Pennsylvania State Archives commemorates the anniversary of the U.S. involvement in World War I . Rich will also take questions relating to Pennsylvania military records from other historical eras preserved by the Archives.  

Aaron McWilliams

1 p.m to 1:45 p.m.: Aaron McWilliams will kick off our afternoon segment of Ask An Archivist. McWilliams will answer your questions regarding genealogy and family histories.  To date, more than 14 million records preserved by the Pennsylvania State Archives have been digitized by Ancestry.com and are available to commonwealth residents, free of charge.  These documents include birth and death certificates and marriage records.  Some of the more unusual documents include a 1909 birth certificate from a Pottstown resident named "Batman."  Ask Aaron about the celebrities, such as Katy Segal and Steve Buscemi, who visited the Archives.

Josh Stahlman

3 p.m. to 3:45 p.m.: Rounding out Ask An Archivist Day will be Josh Stahlman.  Ask Josh for tips and techniques regarding disaster planning and response.  

The Extraordinary Heroism of Ordinary People

Today’s post, based on a collection at the PA Military Museum (PMM), is from guest blogger Rachel Yerger, one of the Collections Advancement Project curators in the PHMC’s Bureau of Historic Sites and Museums. Rachel’s other posts for Trailheads include the story of a collection of WWI letters also held at PMM.

As a curator, one of my responsibilities is to catalog donated objects. This often requires research into the objects, as well as the person to whom they belonged. A few years ago, I was lucky enough to work on an impressive collection of World War I military medals belonging to 2nd Lt. Tali Esen Waters. Since we are in the middle of WWI centennial commemorations, I thought now would be the perfect time to share this man’s story of service and heroism.

Members of 107th Field Artillery who received the Distinguished Service Cross
Tali Esen Waters is in the top right corner (excuse the wonky AKF photo of page 652, Pennsylvania in the World War)

Tali Esen (sometimes written as Taliesen) Waters was born in Nanticoke, Pennsylvania, on March 19, 1894, and was the youngest son of two Welsh immigrants. At the time of his enlistment on August 15, 1916, his occupation is shown as “medical student.” Tali, as he was affectionately known, served as a private in the Hospital Corps of the PA National Guard’s 9th Regiment. He served with the Pennsylvania National Guard on the Mexican Border from September 1916 through March 1917, and when the United States entered World War I, Waters re-enlisted with the 28th Division.

Distinguished Service Cross awarded to Tali Esen Waters (MM2013.13.1A)

As a 2nd Lieutenant deployed with the 107th Field Artillery Unit, Waters earned five battle stars and multiple service awards. He earned the Distinguished Service Cross (photo above) while in action on September 6, 1918, near Baslieux-lès-Fismes, France. The Distinguished Service Cross (DSC) is the second highest award given by the US Army and is awarded for “extraordinary heroism.” According to military records, “Lieutenant Waters voluntarily went to the assistance of a large number of wounded soldiers, who were in an exposed position awaiting aid, and continued for several hours to dress their wounds throughout a severe bombardment of gas and high-explosive shells, while hostile airplanes flew low and swept with machine-gun fire the line of litters bearing the wounded. After administering aid to 36 wounded men, Lieutenant Waters helped carry them to a place of safety.” The DSC is usually awarded for combat service; this is a rare occasion of a DSC awarded for humanitarian actions. (For more information, see "The 107th Field Artillery" in Pennsylvania in the World War: An Illustrated History of the Twenty-eighth Division, Vol. 2, 1921.)

French Croix de Guerre (MM2013.13.2)

Less than a year later, on January 24, 1919, 2nd Lt. Waters would prove himself yet again, this time taking charge of a first aid station 1,000 meters from the German trenches and providing essential medical aid to 46 soldiers, all while under extreme enemy fire. For this act of heroism, Waters was awarded the French Croix de Guerre with a gilt star (photo above).

Inter-Allied Games Badge (MM2013.13.5)

Waters also earned a Silver Star, a United States Victory Medal (service medal), and a New Jersey Medal for Distinguished Service (he moved to New Jersey after the war). He also received a badge (photo above) for his role as a medical assistant at the Inter-Allied Games, an international military athletic event held in 1919 at the newly built Pershing Stadium just outside Paris. Participating athletes were active duty military personnel and those who had served in the armed forces during the First World War. (For more information see Joseph Mills Hanson and George Wythe’s Inter-Allied Games, 1919.)

Purple Heart (MM2013.13.4A)

In 1932, the War Department reinstated the Purple Heart and authorized its presentation to WWI veterans who had received General Pershing’s certificate for meritorious service or those who had been wounded in action. Tali Esen Waters’s Purple Heart is now part of the PMM collection. (For more on the history of the Purple Heart medal, see Fred Borch’s article, "A Heart of Purple: The Story of America's Oldest Military Decoration and Some of its Recipients," in the Winter 2012 issue of Prologue Magazine from the National Archives.)

Without a doubt, the war had taken a toll on Waters’s medical ambitions. He and his wife, Isabelle, moved to West Orange, New Jersey, where they lived a quiet and happy life; Tali managed a carpet factory in New York City. It was in West Orange where Tali and Isabelle would befriend the Heselton family. The Heselton and Waters households became so close that upon Tali’s death in 1959, Isabelle gave the Heseltons his military medals. The Heseltons, honoring Tali Esen Waters’s contributions and sacrifices, donated the medal collection to the Pennsylvania Military Museum in 2013. These medals, along with other World War I artifacts and stories preserved at the museum, provide us a with a glimpse into the sacrifices ordinary Pennsylvanian men and women made during The Great War.

That Reminds Me...

The July program page has everything you need to know (well, maybe not everything) about events on the Trails of History this weekend and in the month to come. We also have a list of sites that will be open on July 4.

This week marks the centennial of the arrival of American troops in Europe following U.S. entry into World War I two months before (read more about it on the Library of Congress website). In honor of the Army's birthday, the U.S. Army Center of Military History shared a rousing rendition of George M. Cohan's 1917 hit, "Over There," by the U.S. Army Chorus. Seems appropriate here.

Which reminds me - In the summer of 2015, Rachel Yerger, PHMC Collections Advancement Project (CAP) curator in the Bureau of Historic Sites and Museums, provided a guest post for Trailheads, "Stories from the Great War." In the post, she describes a collection of WWI letters at the PA Military Museum written by and about Harry Campbell and Reuben "Shorty" Rakestraw, two young men from Somerset County who served in Company C, 110th Infantry Regiment, 28th Division. It provides a bit of reality to balance the patriotic optimism of "Over There."

The Anthracite Heritage Museum posted about their summer intern Amber Kelly, who is a student at Misericordia University in Scranton. The university hosts a blog where students can share their internship experiences, and Amber has already written several times about her experience at Anthracite, learning to give tours and working with curator John Fielding.

Which reminds me - We frequently have guest posts by PHMC interns here on Trailheads (that's a big and not-at-all-subtle hint to this summer's interns). Two years ago, State Archives intern Ryan Zsifkov guest blogged about "The Pennsylvania Main Line Canal" and Corine Lehigh (who is now on staff) wrote "A Walk Through the Past" about a walking tour for the interns led by historic preservation staffer Pamela Reilly.

Summer 2015 PHMC Keystone Interns take a walking tour of Harrisburg (photo by Amy Jukus)

Tuesday morning, NPR ran a story by contributor Susan Stamberg, who went behind the scenes with painting conservators at the National Gallery of Art (read text of the piece (with photos) and/or listen to the audio below).

Which reminds me (you knew that was coming) - We've had a number of posts sharing info on how we take care of PHMC's many and varied collections. Here are several you may want to revisit: "Freezing History," by Lauren Jaeger, who at the time was a CAP curator and is now overseeing PHMC's transition to a new collections management database; "Textile Adventures Part Deux," by Rachel Yerger; and "Brushing Up on Industrial History," by Linda Bolla, Erie Maritime Museum.

How Was Your Solstice?

Summer Garden (photo AKF)

Note: This post has been updated during the day, June 23, to include more links to Trails of History sites participating in #MuseumWeek.

With the summer solstice now behind us (or ahead of us if you take the long view), it's time to really dig in and enjoy the season. For some of you, that means being outdoors a lot. For others, it's about finding cool indoor activities to stay out of the heat. Or maybe you're somewhere in between. Whatever "summer" means to you, I hope that you'll have a chance to explore the Trails of History to find it. The June program page has events coming up this weekend and next week (and I've highlighted some below). The July page is now available, as well as a list (to the best of my knowledge) of Trails of History sites open on July 4.

We are currently in the midst of #MuseumWeek and several sites have been posting throughout the week. If you're not already following them on Twitter, take a look at the Railroad Museum of PA, Landis Valley Village & Farm Museum, Daniel Boone Homestead, Graeme Park, Old Economy Village, Pennsbury Manor, or PHMC's feeds to see the cool stuff they've shared. Wednesday was National Selfie Day, and the Railroad Museum was featured in an article in the Lancaster news about local places to take selfies.

A blog post from the American Association for State and Local History (AASLH) about ways that history organizations are talking about environmental history included the Pennsylvania Lumber Museum's core exhibit, "Challenges and Choices in Pennsylvania's Forests." The exhibit won awards from AASLH and PA Museums in 2016.

Somerset Historical Center shared photos on Facebook of their June living history weekend, which focused on life in the 1700s. Above, volunteer Gary Burkett explains to two young soccer players how flax is turned into linen (see more photos). The next living history weekend, July 8-9, will present local history related to World War I.

Classes at this year's Summer Institute at Landis Valley Village and Farm Museum included tours, lectures, and multi-day hands-on learning opportunities. Participants explored hearth cooking, pottery (photo above), woodworking, and working with draft horses, among other things. Visit Landis Valley's website for info on craft and skills classes held throughout the year.

This weekend on the Trails of History

Drake Well Museum
June 24: Something More Saturday—visit Historic Pithole and get a tour of the grounds (check Facebook for details). Admission charged. 10 am-3 pm.

Eckley Miners’ Village
June 24-25: Patch Town Days Irish Fest—this year's program focuses on the lives of Irish immigrants to a Pennsylvania coal patch town. Music, food, dancers, and a "St. Patrick's Day in June" parade. There will also be vintage baseball games both days. Admission charged. 10 am-5 pm both days.

Fort Pitt Museum
June 24: Lecture and Book-signing—Dr. Patrick Spero will present "When Pittsburgh was Virginia," exploring various 18th-century boundary and territorial disputes in western PA and Ohio. He will sign copies of his latest book, Frontier Country: The Politics of War in Early Pennsylvania. Admission is $10 for adults, $5 for students and Heinz History Center members (please register online). 11 am-12:30 pm.

Hope Lodge
June 24: Ales and Petals—bring your lawn chairs and/or picnic blankets, tour the mansion, and (only if you're age 21+) sample craft beers and ciders. Food will be available from Tonellis of Lafayette Hill and the Mason Porter band will perform from 1 to 3 pm. General admission fees apply; there is an additional $5 per person charge for beer and cider tasting (more info on website) and food is extra. Event runs 1-5 pm.

Old Economy Village
June 24: An American Celebration—enjoy music, storytelling, artisan demos, antique cars, and food as you explore the Village. All included in regular admission. 10 am-5 pm. (Rain date: June 25, 10 am-5 pm.)

Pennsbury Manor
June 25: Bitters, Blubs, and Brewing—visit the gardens and brew house to see what's on offer. Included in regular admission. 1-4 pm.
June 25: Make Your Own Bitters Workshop—Pennsbury has partnered with Boardroom Spirits Distillery for this hands-on workshop. Bitters were thought to be good for one's health and were taken almost daily in the 17th and 18th centuries. Learn how these elixirs are made. Must be 21 or older. Cost is $20 (free for members); pre-register by calling 215/946-0400. 2-3 pm.

Pennsylvania Military Museum
June 24: Boot Camp Prep Class—designed as an adjunct to Boot Camp for Kids (August), this program will provide group instruction in close order drill, military etiquette, and the history of the 28th Division Shrine. Cost is $25 and includes lunch. Registration is required (info and form); contact Friends of the Military Museum for details. 10 am-3 pm.

State Museum and Archives Complex
June 24-25: Closed to the public—as part of the State Museum's ongoing electrical upgrades project, the Museum and Archives will be closed to the public this weekend. The Complex will also be closed July 15-16.

U.S. World War I Centennial Continues and Other News

The May program page has info on upcoming events on the PHMC's Trails of History.

Updates on World War I Centennial on the Trails of History

Among the events happening this weekend is a military history timeline at Conrad Weiser Homestead, with reenactors representing PA German units who fought in US conflicts from the French and Indian War up through WWI. A highlight of the event will be the "American doughboy" statue honoring men of the Tulpehocken Valley who served during WWI. Over the years, the statue had become dirty, and the surface was invaded by algae. Professional conservators from the firm of B.R. Howard and Associates (under contract to PHMC) cleaned the statue and treated it with a biocide to kill the algae. Now it looks much better, more like its original appearance, and just in time for the centennial of U.S. entry into World War I.

(Top) Doughboy statue during cleaning
(Bottom) Statue after cleaning and treatment with biocide (photos B.R. Howard & Associates)

I remember one of my grandmothers, who was born in 1907, talking about knitting socks for the soldiers in WWI. Knitting for the soldiers has been an important part of home front activities in many American wars. It strikes me as a highly personal connection between the knitters and the recipients, who may know each other well or who may never ever meet in person. Kudos to Somerset Historical Center for a hands-on lesson about the home front.

Community Connections

It is a truth universally acknowledged that a historic site with beautiful grounds must be in want of throngs of prom-goers lining up to take photos (sorry, Jane). This spring, Ephrata Cloister embraced that truth and decided to reach out more systematically to local high schools. They've scheduled the photo opportunities, staffed information tables to promote programs and membership, and provided complimentary snacks and refreshments. The first weekend drew about 375 people (including prom-goers and families). The primary purpose of this effort was to be a good neighbor, but there have been benefits as well in the form of museum store sales and greater community awareness and appreciation of the site, its beauty, and its history.

On May 2, members of the Pennsylvania Cultural Response Team (PCRT) were at the Pennsylvania State Archives for a hands-on disaster recovery exercise. Along with Archives staff, the team of emergency management and cultural professionals simulated a flood response involving archival and library materials. The PCRT members have been trained in recovery and preservation techniques so that they can assist anywhere in the state when cultural and heritage collections are affected by flooding, fire, or other disasters. They shared some video of Tuesday's drill on Facebook (see below). Staff from the State Archives will also be assisting communities in June with their popular "Archives Without Tears" workshop designed for anyone who is responsible for archival and/or historical records (program brochure and registration info.)



The Pennsylvania Lumber Museum recently posted a thank you to several Galeton businesses who sponsored a visit to the museum by the Gale-Pride after school program.

Drake Well Museum and Park has received funding from the Oil Regional Alliance Educational Mini-Grants Program and the Bridge Builders Community Foundation to fund their new "Transportation Scholarship" program. The funding will subsidize transportation costs for some 800 6th graders in 10 public schools within the Oil Regional National Heritage Area so that they can participate in the Museum's School Tour program.

Last week, in the midst of getting the ship ready for the sailing season, the crew of U.S. Brig Niagara helped with waterfront cleanup in the area around the Erie Maritime Museum and shared some photos on Facebook.

Niagara crew with their clean-up haul (via Facebook)

An April Roundup

There are plenty of Trails of History activities still to come this month; the April program page has the details.

The Trailheads post on April 6 highlighted the 100th anniversary of U.S. entry into World War I. I missed noting that, in addition to a full calendar of programming, the PA Military Museum has put together a temporary exhibit on the Boal Troop, which was organized and trained on the grounds now occupied by the museum. The Boal Troop saw service during the Mexican Border campaign in 1916 and in France during WWI. If you aren't able to get to the temporary exhibit, you'll find info on the Boal Troop on PMM's website; the troop will also be highlighted in the museum's new core exhibit currently under design.

Temporary exhibit on the Boal Troop (photo PA Military Museum)

You might also like to catch up with WITF's "Smart Talk" program on April 6 that featured State Museum director Beth Hager and Richard Saylor of the PA State Archives talking about the WWI poster exhibit now on display at the State Museum.

Thank you to our contributors...

Last week, Rob Coates of PHMC's Preservation Construction Field Services section shared with me a before-and-after photo of a project he and his crew recently completed. The Landis House privy (at Landis Valley Village and Farm Museum) was in bad shape. Rob and crew "removed the structure and transported it back to Daniel Boone Homestead, completed a total restoration of the structure, then returned it to the site and placed it on a new foundation." The Field Services crew works on projects all over the Trails of History; their workshop at Daniel Boone Homestead allows them to keep projects moving forward during the winter, when the weather isn't cooperative.

Landis House privy before (L) and after (R) restoration (photo Rob Coates)

Drake Well Museum curator Sue Beates sent me some info on the latest appearance of images from the museum's collection in a major oil industry publication. The most recent issue of Connections (published by Oiltanking, an oil storage company founded in Hamburg, German) includes images from Tarr Farm and Tidioute. Sue reported that the oil droplets on the cover are heat-activated; they turned black after cooling down from the scanner/copier.

(Top) Historic images of oil industry from Drake Well collection (photo Sue Beates)
(Bottom) Cover of April issue of Connections magazine

Frequent Trailheads contributor Linda Bolla sent the following info from Erie last week: There’s a real energy on the [Erie Maritime Museum] Plaza as U.S. Brig Niagara’s crew works to prepare for up rig next week (subscribe to the ship's YouTube channel to watch the action). Also, Erie Harbor welcomed a semi-annual visit from a special U.S. Coast Guard vessel, which means sailing season is coming soon. USCGC Hollyhock tied up overnight at Dobbins Landing last Tuesday, April 11th, visiting Erie to tend to maintenance on floating buoys and other aids-to-navigation along our stretch of Lake Erie. This 225-foot Seagoing Buoy Tender’s primary missions are maintaining nearly 150 aids-to-navigation on the lower Great Lakes, search and rescue, environmental protection, and domestic ice-breaking. Little ice-breaking was done during this unusually mild winter on Lake Erie, and kayakers are already out on Misery Bay at Presque Isle, braving windy conditions to get a first look at nesting birds and wildlife emerging from winter naps.

USCGC Hollyhock docked at Dobbins Landing, Erie (photo Linda Bolla)

And I couldn't resist sharing this post of Niagara's crew training for the upcoming sailing season. It made me smile. Enjoy your weekend!

U.S. World War I Centennial

The April program page has info on events of all kinds coming up this weekend and the rest of the month.

"The Great War Remembered" program at PA Military Museum 2016 (via Facebook)

Trailheads is a day early this week to mark the centennial of U.S. entry into World War I on April 6, 1917. This important anniversary is being commemorated in numerous places along the Pennsylvania Trails of History, not to mention the rest of the state, country, and world.

Throughout this month the Pennsylvania Military Museum will offer lectures and interpretive programming focused on World War I (see brochure). If you aren't able to be there in person, you have some options. The museum's (newly redesigned) website provides background information on the history of the site (home to the Boal Machine Gun Troop) and the 28th Division Shrine, which honors Pennsylvanians who died in World War I and later conflicts. (There is also a photo gallery of previous programs.)

In addition, site administrator Tyler Gum will take part in the National Museum of American History's World War I Social Media Day on Tuesday, April 11. From 1 to 2 pm that day, he will be "Facebook Live" representing the PHMC and talking about the role of the citizen soldier in WWI and Pennsylvania's legacy of military service.

PMM educator Joe Horvath shows a visitor how a trench periscope works at "The Great War Remembered" in 2016. This year's event is slated for April 22-23 at the PA Military Museum (photo via Facebook)

Last weekend, The State Museum of PA opened an exhibit of World War I posters from the collections of the Pennsylvania State Archives. PHMC's Twitter account has a recap of the opening reception, which featured a tour by archivist Rich Saylor. The exhibit is open to the public during regular operating hours and is included in museum admission; it will remain on view through Nov. 12.

An article from the Erie Times-News earlier this week explored the World War I centennial. The Erie Maritime Museum's Linda Bolla spoke with reporter Ron Leonardi about the crew of USS Wolverine and their service in World War I. Wolverine had been decommissioned by the U.S. Navy in 1912 and turned over to the Pennsylvania Naval Militia, based in Erie. When word of U.S. entry into World War I reached Erie on the night of April 6, the crew of Wolverine were put on alert. On April 11, most of them marched from Erie's Public Dock to Union Station to board troop trains bound for Philadelphia. From there they were deployed for wartime. The ship itself, and some of the crew, remained on the Great Lakes during the war, recruiting sailors for the U.S. Navy and serving as a training vessel. Bolla, a regular contributor to Trailheads, has been researching Wolverine's crew, their service, and their post-war histories.

Crew of USS Wolverine, 1913 (photo Erie Maritime Museum)

Other items of interest...

We'll try to keep you apprised of other WWI-related activities on the Trails of History as the centennial commemorations continue through the end of 2018. In the meantime:

• PBS's American Experience will air The Great War on April 10, 11, and 12 at 9 pm
• You can follow the United States World War One Centennial Commission on Facebook or on Twitter @WW1CC UPDATE: You can watch video of the official centennial kickoff on 4/16/17 on YouTube.
• On Twitter, #WW1 or #WWI (or any number of variations) will get you to commemorative activities, documentary projects, and archival collections all over the world