A Little of This, A Little of That

The September program page provides info through the end of the month. Be sure to check it for events this weekend.

Commemorations

Battle of Lake Erie commemoration, Sept. 10, 2019 (via Facebook)

Earlier this week, sites on the Trails of History held commemorations for battles during the War of 1812 and the American Revolution. On Tuesday evening, staff and volunteers from the Erie Maritime Museum and U.S. Brig Niagara, along with members of the public, gathered to remember the Battle of Lake Erie, fought on Sept. 10, 1813, near Put-in-Bay, Ohio. Members of Ship's Company in period dress provided a color guard for the event (you can read more and see additional photos on the Facebook page).

On Wednesday, Brandywine Battlefield Park commemorated the Battle of Brandywine, Sept. 11, 1777. Throughout the day, the site's Facebook page posted info about what was happening in the battle at that time in 1777. In the evening, a ceremony was held to remember the battle as well as the Sept. 11, 2001 terror attacks.

Rev War military and civilian reenactors (including General Washington with back to camera) gathered Wednesday evening at Brandywine Battlefield Park (photo Charlie Fox)

Activities on the Trails of History

This happy pup was one of 140 (or so) attending the inaugural Paws in the Park event at Bushy Run Battlefield (via Facebook)

Last weekend, Bushy Run Battlefield tried out a new program, "Paws in the Park," designed to appeal to the many dogs and their walkers who visit the site. Roughly 300 people and 140 dogs attended, taking part in a variety of activities, such as making dog treats, dog tags, and dog collar bows; a photo booth; games and a battlefield scavenger hunt; and a caricature artist doing people and pup portraits. The site also put together a small exhibit, "Dogs in Colonial America: History and Art of Dogs in the 18th Century," which museum staffer Michael Tusay describes as a discussion of "evolving societal views of dogs and their primary roles in the 18th century"; the exhibit features the work of artist George Stubbs. For many more adorable pictures of puppers and their people who attended the event, visit Bushy Run's Facebook page.

Pennsbury Manor's Brew House was mentioned in an article on SouthFloridaReport.com timed for National Beer Lover's Day (Sept. 7). Your next chance to see Pennsbury's brewers in action is September 22 from 1 to 4 pm. On a related note, September is Pennsylvania Craft Beer Month.

A Touch of Humor

[Description: an embedded Facebook post from humor site The Onion showing a map of Pennsylvania and titled "Report: Some People Live in Pennsylvania" - link to Onion website is https://bit.ly/2kK7RWX]

Snapshots from the Trails of History

Last week's post has info on events through Thursday, June 13, and the June program page takes you through the end of the month.

Time for a brief roundup of items that have come across my radar recently.

Gideon Gilpin House at Brandywine Battlefield Park with large sycamore tree (photo Elizabeth Bertheaud)

Longwood Gardens (Chester County) recently posted on their blog about a 4-foot tall sycamore tree planted on the grounds in April. The new tree was grown from cuttings taken by Longwood staff of the approximately 290-year-old sycamore that stands beside the Gideon Gilpin House at Brandywine Battlefield Park (see photo above). The cuttings, taken in 2017, were propagated in Longwood's nursery until ready for planting. According to Longwood arborist Scott Wade, "The result is our new tree now planted in Peirce’s Park, two more recently planted near the springhouse at Brandywine Battlefield...Park, and an additional seven to be planted at the Haverford College Arboretum ... all of which are genetic matches to the original Brandywine Battlefield sycamore." You can read more about the project (and some of the legends of the original tree) in the full blog post.

A recent Facebook post from the Friends of Joseph Priestley House congratulated one of their docents and board members on her nomination for Pennsylvania Teacher of the Year 2020. Colleen Epler-Ruths, PhD, teaches physics and computer science at Shikellamy High School in Sunbury. Nominations for Teacher of the Year come from students, parents, peers, and community members who wish to honor an educator for their work in and out of the classroom. Dr. Epler-Ruths is one of just a dozen finalists from around the Commonwealth. The Teacher of the Year 2020 will be announced in December of this year.

The Week Ahead

This is an update to last week's post to add some notes. The weather forecast looks grim as I write this (on Thursday), but you never know. Depending on what's happening in your part of the state, please check to make sure sites are open and events are going on as planned. Most Trails of History sites will be closed on Monday, Jan. 21, for the Martin Luther King Jr. Holiday, but (weather permitting) the Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania will be open that day.

1896 Watercolor of Brook Trout by Sherman Foote Denton (via Wikimedia Commons)
See PA Lumber Museum listing below to learn more

Anthracite Heritage Museum
Jan. 19: Knox Mine Disaster Program—this annual program marks the anniversary of the Knox Mine Disaster (Jan. 22, 1959), when the Susquehanna River broke through the roof of the River Slope Mine, killing 12 miners. Click "interested" on the Facebook event page to get updates on the event. 2-5 pm. (Info on this and other Anthracite Heritage Month activities.)

Brandywine Battlefield Park
Jan. 22: Revolutionary Dining Series—artist Adrian Martinez will present "The Facts Remain the Same, Only the Meaning Changes: Picturing the Battle of Brandywine for the 21st Century" and discuss his latest series of oil paintings, oil sketches, and drawings which serve as the groundwork for his current project depicting the largest land engagement of the American Revolution, the Battle of Brandywine, and its immediate aftermath (details on Facebook event page). Program is held at The Gables at Chadds Ford. Cost is $50 per person (cash bar available); tickets are available online via Brandywine's website. 6-9 pm.

Erie Maritime Museum and U.S. Brig Niagara
Jan. 24: Storytime at the Maritime—guest reader Emmanual White from U.S. Coast Guard Station Erie will read A Lighthouse Saves the Day, which highlights the importance of lighthouses and the work of the Coast Guard. Program is free for members of the museum's Little Mates Kids Club. Nonmembers pay $5, or you can join for $12 to enjoy all the other programs coming up. 10-11 am.

Fort Pitt Museum
Through Feb. 1: Museum closed—Fort Pitt Museum will be closed during the month of January for exhibit upgrades and maintenance. It will reopen on Feb. 2.

Old Economy Village
OOPS, MY MISTAKE: this program happened last weekend and I goofed. OEV is hoping to get the program up on YouTube and I'll share a link when it's available. Jan. 19: Lecture—Univ. of Pittsburgh professor Dr. Bryan Hanks has been using various forms of Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR) to investigate the Harmonist Cemetery in Ambridge. He will discuss the cemetery, his research, what he has learned about Harmony Society burial practices (more details). Lecture is free. 2-3:30 pm.

Pennsylvania Lumber Museum
Jan. 19: Film Screening—the museum, in cooperation with Trout Unlimited (TU), the Tioga County Conservation District, and Mansfield University, will host a screening of the documentary film Stories from the Fountain: A TU Native Brook Trout Odyssey. The film explores the connection between Pennsylvania's forests and the health and well-being of our trout streams. Admission to the film is free. 1 pm.
Jan. 20: Eclipse Viewing Party—BREAKING 1/18: due to impending weather and PennDOT's request that folks stay off the roads Sunday, this event is cancelled. Stay safe, everyone! there will be a lunar eclipse tonight and you can view it from the museum grounds. Pre-eclipse events will begin at 9 pm and eclipse viewing will start at 11 pm (details of program schedule on Facebook event page). The skies in this part of PA are especially dark and folks are very knowledgeable about nighttime photography, so this is one not to miss. UPDATE: if you're planning to attend, please call the museum (814/435-2652) to register; that way they have your contact info if the weather decides not to cooperate.

Pennsylvania Military Museum
Jan. 19: Discussion—museum educator Joe Horvath will lead a discussion on the topic, "A Brief History of War and Consequences - 20th Century," exploring the evolution of military and political conflicts. Program is free. 10 am.

Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania
Jan. 21: Museum open—the museum will be open today for the Martin Luther King, Jr. Holiday (the museum is closed the other Mondays in January). 9 am-5 pm.

The State Museum of Pennsylvania
January Planetarium Shows—full list of programs and times is on the website.
Jan. 18: Learn at Lunchtime—special showing of the museum's new planetarium show, Faster than Light! The Dream of Interstellar Flight. Appropriate for grade 6 and up. Regular fees apply. 12:15 pm (doors close promptly).

Washington Crossing Historic Park
Please visit the Washington Crossing website for info on this month's programs and schedule.

Quite a week

The September program page has info on events coming up this weekend through the end of the month. There have been some updates to the page since it was initially posted, and I've highlighted some events below.

Frank Gillespie demonstrated railroad-related blacksmithing at Railroad Heritage Days last weekend (photo from Railroad Museum of PA's Facebook page)

Last Friday in Austin, TX, two Trails of History sites were honored with Leadership in History Awards from the American Association for State and Local History (AASLH). AASLH honored The State Museum of PA for its exhibit on the history of the Pennsylvania Turnpike and the Somerset Historical Center for its recent publication, Shade Furnace: An Early 19th-Century Iron Making Community in Somerset County, Pennsylvania. Congratulations!

A reenactment of the Battle of Brandywine is on tap for this weekend at Sandy Hollow, Birmingham Township (more details on the web). The folks at Brandywine Battlefield Park have been involved with a host of other organizations to plan this event in honor of the 240th anniversary of the battle that took place on September 11, 1777. On the actual anniversary, a cast of historical characters tweeted throughout the day to provide multiple perspectives in real time (well, real time 240 years later). I wasn't able to follow the whole day, but checked in from time to time. I thought it was pretty compelling and very interesting. It garnered some good attention from other Twitter accounts as well, which expanded the reach of the project. Search #BoB1777 on Twitter to see the tweets.

Last week, Philadelphia's CBS affiliate, CBS3, had an exclusive report revealing the names of Pennsbury Manor's recently adopted lambs. Reporter Vittoria Woodill met Lavender and Sage and spoke with staff and volunteers about the site and the animal program. You can watch the report below or find it at CBS Philly's website.



This weekend on the Trails of History...

Brandywine Battlefield
Sept. 16-17: On Hallowed Ground—to commemorate the 240th anniversary of the Battle of Brandywine, Birmingham Township is presenting a two-day reenactment event. Please note that the event takes place at Sandy Hollow, not at our Trails of History site (loads of details are available on the event website).

Conrad Weiser Homestead
Sept. 16-17: Change in weekend schedule—the site will be closed on Sat., Sept. 16, but open on Sun., Sept. 17, noon-4 pm.

Drake Well Museum and Park
Sept. 16: Fall Gas Up—the museum hosts the Pioneer Steam and Gas Engine Society's display of antique gas engines, oil field and farm equipment, and more. 9 am-3 pm.

Graeme Park
Sept. 15: An Evening with the Graemes—enjoy an evening of 18th-century entertainment, including dancing, card games, skits, and refreshments. Children age 13 and older are welcome to attend. Tickets are $12 and may be purchased on Eventbrite. Period attire is welcome but not required. 7-9 pm.
Sept. 17: Living History Sunday—today's event explores slavery in colonial Pennsylvania and at Graeme Park. The Keith and Graeme families were slave holders, as were many of their contemporaries. Noon-3 pm.

Hope Lodge
Sept. 17: Site open—enjoy the grounds and take a guided tour of the mansion. Admission charged. 1-4 pm (tours at 1:00 and 2:30 pm).

Landis Valley Village and Farm Museum
Sept. 16: Wool Frolic—celebrate the fiber arts and the people, plants, and animals that make them possible. Enjoy activities for the kids and shop for deals on yarn, patterns, and paraphernalia. Admission charged. 10 am-4 pm.

Old Economy Village
Sept. 16: Saturday programming—this week's offering is Decorative Arts. Included in regular admission, so please start at the Visitor Center. 11 am-4 pm.

Pennsbury Manor
Sept. 17: Sunday programming—this week, Open Hearth Cooking features the bake oven. Included in regular admission. 1-4 pm.

Pennsylvania Lumber Museum
Sept. 17: 3rd Sunday Program—this month's program is "The CCC in World War II." Mike Schultz, author of From the Forest to the Battlefield: Forty Civilian Conservation Corps Members Awarded the Medal of Honor during World War II, will discuss ways service in the CCC prepared enrollees for wartime military service. He will be joined by John Eastlake, retired DCNR forester and fellow CCC historian. 1-3 pm.

State Museum of Pennsylvania
Sept. 15 and 17: Fort Hunter Excavations—this month's 3rd in the Burg will take place at Fort Hunter Sept. 15 from 4 to 6 pm, and archaeologists will be on hand Sept. 17 for Fort Hunter Day.

The Gift of Learning

Santa greeted visitors in the Shay locomotive at the PA Lumber Museum earlier this month (photo courtesy PLM)

If you're headed out onto the Trails of History this weekend or next week, please be sure to check ahead for schedule changes. Some sites will close early tomorrow (12/24) and all (except Washington Crossing) will be closed on Sunday (12/25). The Railroad Museum of PA will be open on Monday, Dec. 26 (per Facebook), although they are otherwise closed on Mondays this time of year. You can get to any of the sites through the Trails of History page on PHMC's website.

Speaking of the Railroad Museum, they are one of the sites included on the Radnor (Delaware County) Memorial Library's new Museum Pass program. The museum (along with Ephrata Cloister and Landis Valley Village and Farm Museum) is already part of the Library System of Lancaster County Family Museum Pass program. Erie Maritime Museum and U.S. Brig Niagara are included in the Erie County Public Library Free Museum Pass program.

On Sunday, Dec. 25, Washington Crossing Historic Park will hold the annual Christmas Day reenactment of the Christmas night 1776 crossing of the Delaware River by Gen. George Washington and his troops. The commemoration begins at noon with the boats set to launch at 1 pm (river conditions permitting). If you aren't able to go in person, this year you can catch a livestream of the event on YouTube, starting at noon.

Ephrata Cloister's annual Lantern Tours program takes place Dec. 27-30, with tours leaving the visitor center every 30 minutes from 6:30 to 8 pm. Tickets are $10 (adults), $9 (seniors), $7 (students), and $5 (children). Reservations are required; call 717/733-6600. If an evening of Ephrata history isn't enough, you might consider signing up for the Winter History Class, which meets on Thursday mornings from Feb. 2 through March 30, with a field trip on April 6. A complete schedule is available on the website, along with a registration form.

Dec. 27-30, Brandywine Battlefield will host Holiday History Week, with special programming included in regular admission (so on top of the orientation film, visitor center exhibit, and tour of the Ring House). They've posted a list of the topics (different each day) on their Facebook page. Presentations will be offered at 11:30 am and 1:30 pm.

If you were planning to sign your kids up for the Winter History Camp at Landis Valley Village and Farm Museum Dec. 29-30, I'm afraid it's too late if you haven't already done it. Their website says the camp is full for this year.

The State Museum of PA's Noon Year's Eve program is scheduled for Friday, Dec. 30, from 10 am to 2 pm, with family-friendly activities and a balloon drop at noon (more details about schedule and activities).

Whatever the coming week means to you, I hope it is filled with light, peace, and moments of joy. And I wish you a healthy and productive 2017, with lots of opportunities to cultivate your love of history and learning. Thanks for reading.

5 Things to Help You Shake Off the Post-Turkey Blues

All Trails of History sites will be closed tomorrow, Nov. 26. All of us here at Trailheads HQ wish you and yours a happy, safe, and tension-free Thanksgiving. Try for at least two out of three!

Snow at the PA Lumber Museum for Thanksgiving (via Facebook)

 Last Friday's post included some suggestions for things you can talk about around the dinner table (see what The Onion has to offer on this topic) or do to keep everyone occupied during the food coma recovery period. Today, in a special mid-week post, a few more ideas for the days ahead, in the event you actually want to leave the house.

About half a dozen sites (see the list here) will be open on Friday, Nov. 27--a museum or historic site visit gets everyone out of the house and out of the mall. If you must succumb to the cultural pressures of shopping til you drop the day after Thanksgiving, why not include a museum store in your itinerary?

Sites will be back to their regular schedules on Saturday, Nov. 28, which also happens to be Small Business Saturday. You can shop small AND shop local at our museum stores.

Ephrata Cloister Museum Store's Shop Small event runs Nov. 28-Dec. 17
Shoppers can enter to win this gift basket

Several sites have special events scheduled for Saturday:

• Brandywine Battlefield Park: Patriot's Day, 10 am-4 pm.
• Ephrata Cloister: Candlelight Open House, 5-8 pm.
• Graeme Park: A Soldier's Christmas, 11 am-4 pm.
• Pennsbury Manor: Wreaths & Greens Workshop, reservation required.
• Pennsylvania Military Museum: Final weekend of the season (closed Nov. 30-Mar. 12). Guided tours at 1 pm Saturday and Sunday.

And if you're just too tired from all the holiday hub-bub (hubbub?), why not relax with a nice hot cup of tea or an adult beverage and consult the December program listings? Even with winter coming on, there's still plenty to do on the Trails of History. We're looking forward to seeing you.

Oh, and one more thing. Tuesday, Dec. 1, is #GivingTuesday, an online initiative to encourage generosity and make it easy to support causes near and dear to your heart. Pennsbury Manor is participating, as is the Pennsylvania Heritage Foundation. I'll update this post if I learn of other Trails of History sites taking part this year.