A Slow Walk on the Wild Side

Please be sure to check the PHMC Events Calendar for information on upcoming programs (still mostly virtual). The Trailheads Rec Room pages to the right of your screen have other online offerings that you may find interesting.

Box turtle on the grounds of Cornwall Iron Furnace (photo via CIF Facebook)

Close-up of different (I think) box turtle at Pennsbury Manor (photo via PM Facebook)

 





































Today's post is inspired by the box turtle posts I saw from two different Trails of History sites and by the continuing string of lovely photos that other sites have shared. I haven't visited any of our sites in person in more than a year, so the virtual beauty is very important. I hope you'll enjoy it too. Of course, you can also visit in person this weekend (and I'm planning to do so soon). Please be sure to check site schedules on websites or social media to be sure that they'll be open when you plan to visit (always my advice, even pre-Covid).

Old Economy Village's gardens are bursting with color, with flowers and herbs spread throughout the site.


Drake Well Museum and Park's #WildlifeWednesday post this week featured a Swallowtail butterfly that stopped by for a visit. (Learn more about butterflies today with The State Museum of PA - see listing below.)


For #ThrowbackThursday, Cornwall Iron Furnace shared a lovely ca. 1900 view of agricultural workers harvesting grain on one of the surrounding farms.

Upcoming Events

Today, June 11

• Learn at Lunchtime (online), Betsy Leppo will talk about native PA butterflies and moths, The State Museum of PA, 12:15-12:45 pm (SMP Zoom link to register)

Wednesday, June 16

• What's in a Theme? PHMC Virtual Collections Showcase (online), this month's theme is Infamous People and Events, 7-8 pm (Facebook link to register)
• History Speaks series (online), "The Paxton Boys and Conestoga Massacre," Bushy Run Battlefield, tickets are $7.50, 7-8 pm (Eventbrite link to register)

Friday, June 18

• Learn at Lunchtime, learn about Harrisburg's November 1865 Grand Review honoring African American Civil War veterans, The State Museum of PA, 12:15-12:45 (registration link)
• Father's Day Weekend (onsite), free admission for dads 6/18-20, Bushy Run Battlefield (see BRB Facebook for details)

Goodbye August, Hello September

The September program page has the info you need to plan your weekend. If you'll be on the Trails of History on Monday, please check the list of sites scheduled to be open for Labor Day.

We're not quite to fall yet, but we'll be there soon (Fall 2016 tree at Bushy Run Battlefield)

There's been lots of activity at Pennsbury Manor recently, judging from their Facebook page. They adopted two lambs and are currently accepting votes via Facebook on names for the pair (either "Sage and Lavender" or "Admiral and Lady"). They are also raising funds online to help pay for veterinary care for the lambs and other animals at Pennsbury (you can help by visiting their Crowdrise page). I also saw on Facebook that Pennsbury, in conjunction with its brewing program, offered a workshop last Sunday on making your own bitters (see photo below). The workshop sold out, but more are planned. Pennsbury's volunteer newsletter noted that the site has partnered with Waste Management to create a garden outside the gate to support several species of pollinators. Citizen scientists from the Pennsbury staff and volunteer corps are participating in an effort to monitor the monarch butterflies, bees, and other species over the summer; the efforts will continue through late October.

"Bitters, Blubs, and Brews" workshop at Pennsbury Manor Aug. 27 (via Facebook)

In other programming highlights, Eckley Miners' Village drew a crowd of 480 people on a Friday for a free day earlier this month. Thanks to funding from the Buncher Foundation they were able to offer transportation to the site from Hazleton in addition to waiving ticket fees that day. You can read more about it in an article from the Standard Speaker.

Drake Well Museum added a geology and paleontology component to their annual Drake Day celebration, marking the anniversary of Col. Drake's successful oil well. They shared photos on Facebook (including the one below).

Is that a dinosaur at Drake Well? (via Facebook)

Ephrata Cloister is looking for singers interested in adding their voices to the Ephrata Cloister Chorus, now in its 58th year. Founded in 1959, the chorus has performed selections from the 1,000 hymns and chorales composed by Conrad Beissel and others in the Ephrata community during the 1700s. In concerts across the eastern U.S. and in Europe, the group has also presented a variety of other classical and contemporary songs, including music from other early American religious communities and traditions. New singers of all vocal parts are invited to attend rehearsal on Sept. 5 or Sept. 12 to meet the director, Martin Hinkley, and get a sampling of this season's musical selections. If you'd like to take part, please call Ephrata Cloister at 717/733-6600 for additional information.

A few other items of interest...

• a recent article in The Telegraph describes a changing exhibit, "Priestley and Patronage," at Bowood House, the site of Dr. Joseph Priestley's "discovery" of oxygen (the article also provides a look at the history of the estate and its current development)
• the Pennsylvania German Cultural Heritage Center's upcoming genealogy conference will feature current and former PHMC staff as speakers: museum educators Michael Showalter (Ephrata Cloister) and Michael Emery (Landis Valley Village & Farm Museum) and former SHPO staff member Jerry Clouse
• if you're looking for opportunities to explore archival collections and help make them more accessible to others, the National Archives has an entire page of "Citizen Archivist" missions
• on a related note, due (at least in part) to the popularity of Hamilton: An American Musical, the Library of Congress has digitized its collection of Alexander Hamilton's papers so that more people can have access

Last Eclipse Post Until 2024

The August program page has info on events this weekend and next week (highlights below). The September page is available if you want to plan ahead (there's also a list of sites scheduled to open on Labor Day).

An intrepid photographer at Landis Valley managed to get this shot of the eclipse thru cloud cover (via Facebook)

So, eclipse fever is fading, but I think most of us will agree that it lived up to the hype. That's saying something in our full-of-hype lives. I was intrigued by the posts I saw on Facebook and Twitter with historical accounts of eclipses past and fascinated by the photos from friends and strangers along the path of totality or the path of partiality. It was fun to build my own pinhole projector out of a cereal box (thanks NASA and State Museum Planetarium for the instructions). It worked fairly well, too, with a little trial and error. It was even more fun to look through the eclipse glasses that the boss bought to share with staff. We passed them around among our office staff and then other agency staff and even just other folks out on the Keystone Building and Museum plaza. A shared experience and then back to work.

If you still have eclipse glasses and won't be using them again in the near future, Gizmodo reports that you can donate them to Astronomers Without Borders for reuse by kids in developing countries to view eclipses in 2019. Or you can donate money for them to buy new glasses, but they're using this opportunity to create a stockpile (read more about it).

Here are a couple more eclipse-related photos you may not have seen (or scroll down to see Trails of History events coming up this weekend).

Partial eclipse casts crescent shadows in Erie (photo by Linda Bolla)
Fun fact: Erie will be in the path of totality for the next solar eclipse visible in the US, in April 2024!

The floor of the Commonwealth Keystone Building atrium at max coverage (photo by AKF)

This weekend...
Drake Well Museum
Aug. 26: Something More Saturday—Today's event is "Drake Day - Let's Rock," commemorating the birth of the modern oil industry. Learn about fossils and rocks from paleontologists and geologists; you can even try the climbing wall. Admission charged. Noon-4 pm. (PLEASE NOTE: Historic Pithole will be closed on Saturday so that volunteers can be at Drake Well for Drake Day; Pithole will be open on Sunday.)

Old Economy Village
Aug. 26: Spotlight Saturday—glimpse life and work in the 19th century through demonstrations and tours - this week is woodworking and children's games. Included in regular admission, so please start at the Visitor Center. 11 am-4 pm (site open 10 am-5 pm).

Pennsbury Manor
Aug. 27: Meet Our Lambs—Pennsbury adopted two lambs earlier this month and they are now ready for their debut. You can admire their adorableness and vote on names for them (more info on Facebook). Plus lots of other stuff to see and do, as always. Included in regular admission. 12:30-5 pm.
Aug. 27: Bitters, Blubs & Brewing—visit with the gardeners and stop by the brew house to see what's up. Visitors age 21 and older who pre-register and pay the $20 fee can learn to make their own bitters Call 215/946-0400 to register. 2-4 pm.

State Museum of Pennsylvania
Aug. 25: Free Summer Friday and Learn at Lunchtime—general admission is free, 9 am to 5 pm (regular fees apply for the Planetarium). Curiosity Connection will have free timed tickets available. Today's Learn at Lunchtime is a special tour of the "Pennsylvania at War" exhibit, 12:15-12:45 pm.

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)