Catching Up and Looking Forward

Be sure to check out the June program listings for events this weekend and the rest of the month.

Catching Up...

Lots of goodies to enjoy at Joseph Priestley House's first World Doll Day tea party (via Facebook)

On Saturday, June 9, Joseph Priestley House held their first World Doll Day event, in honor of long-time volunteer Ruth Eleanor McCorkill. Doll collectors and vendors displayed all kinds of dolls. A festive tea party (see photo above) included adults, kids, and dolls. Among the program offerings were some intriguing and well-executed photo op stations, such as the boat (complete with oars) below. You can find more photos in the World Doll Day 2018 album on the Priestley House Facebook page.

One of several photo op stations for visitors to the World Doll Day event at Joseph Priestley House. Dr. Priestley himself (Ron Blatchley, center of photo in white shirt) even took a turn with an oar (via Facebook)

Last week (June 6), as has become an annual tradition, Hope Lodge hosted the Ambler Symphony Orchestra for a concert on the lawn. Folks brought their blankets and lawn chairs to enjoy an evening of music and fresh air.

The Ambler Symphony Orchestra performing at historic Hope Lodge on June 6 (via Facebook)

Did you follow the voyage of the Lettie G. Howard from South Street Seaport Museum in NYC to its new temporary berth at the Erie Maritime Museum? The Lettie has been leased by the Flagship Niagara League and will spend two years providing Erie-based day sails and educational programs in addition to the U.S. Brig Niagara, which also spends time traveling to other Great Lakes ports. The U.S. Brig Niagara Facebook page has lots of photos and video documenting the trip out of New York, the coast of Atlantic Canada, through the St. Lawrence Seaway and the Welland Canal, and finally into Lake Erie and Presque Ile Bay. There's also been plenty of publicity, including an article about Allison Taylor, who will serve as captain of the Lettie during its stay in Erie. Visit the Niagara Facebook page or Erie Maritime Museum website for more info on sailing schedules and other events for the Lettie G. Howard and the U.S. Brig Niagara.

Schooner Lettie G. Howard docked in Erie after its voyage from NYC (via Facebook)

...and Looking Forward

PhillyVoice.com's list of 5 ways to celebrate Father's Day includes Pennsbury Manor's Brews and Bites event coming up tomorrow, June 16. Visit Pennsbury's website for info on ticket options and a list of participating breweries and wineries. The event runs from 4 to 8 pm and you must be at least 21 years old to attend.

The annual Patchtown Days event at Eckley Miners' Village is a tribute to the immigrants who lived and worked in this coal company town. This year's event, scheduled for June 23-24, celebrates the 50th anniversary of Paramount Pictures’ 1968 production of The Molly Maguires, starring Sean Connery, Richard Harris, and Samantha Eggar. The event will feature live entertainment, reenactments, artifact displays, craft and food vendors, kid’s activities, and more! On Saturday evening, the film that started it all will be shown in the visitor center auditorium, with doors opening at 6 pm, a brief lecture at 6:30, and the screening at 7 pm.

Production photo of Samantha Eggar, who played Miss Mary Raines in The Molly Maguires 

At the beginning of April Emily Arcaro, Eckley's Americorps VISTA staffer, sent an email to Samantha Eggar detailing the upcoming events. Eggar replied with some of her thoughts on the production, which Emily shared with volunteers (and other readers):

...Personally it was one of the best career experiences for me. The cast were so involved with the history and emotions of that period. We were all very happy on that film. To work in the actual town lent such credence to each day and I recall shooting in a home where the miner came home each day, exhausted, face stained, sitting silently at his kitchen table in the small space as we worked around him. The silence spoke all we needed....

Thank you again for contacting me. I am proud to have been in your town and seen the true history of anthracite mining in PA.

With blessings to you all,
Samantha

So Many Ways to Learn

Please check the June program listings for events coming up.

Third graders from Otto Eldred Elementary wrote colorful thank you notes after their visit to the Pennsylvania Lumber Museum in May (courtesy PLM)

Thousands of elementary school students visit the Pennsylvania Trails of History every spring and fall, and many more visit with their families and friends throughout the year. The thank you notes pictured above, received by staff at the Pennsylvania Lumber Museum, are just a few of the hundreds sent to our staff and volunteers. Many teachers find it a great way to find out what their students remember about their visit, and we find them helpful, too. While younger students are most common for organized visits, we certainly see our share of older students and adults, eager to learn in a variety of ways.

This year to commemorate the 300th anniversary of William Penn's death, Pennsbury Manor is asking school visitors to describe Penn's legacy. They'll be sharing those insights every Wednesday. This week, they posted about Penn's role as founder of Pennsylvania, certainly a significant legacy for us all. Follow Pennsbury's Educator page on Facebook to see more on Penn's Legacy Year.

The University of Maryland's Eckley Archaeology Project has begun for this summer, with students documenting the Rubin House. Local high school students interested in archaeology may want to apply for the high school field program, which starts on June 18. More information on applying, as well as photos of numerous activities, can be found on the Eckley Archaeology Project Facebook page. Otherwise, be sure to take a look at the excavations while at Eckley Miners' Village for this summer's Molly Maguires semicentennial.

Last weekend, to help kick off the summer season, The Allegheny Ironsides vintage baseball club were on site at Historic Pithole for Wildcatter Day. They helped the Drake Well team learn how to play 1860s baseball as it would have been played during Pithole's heyday. They posted a summary and lots of photos on their Facebook page.

Ephrata Cloister staff members Michael Showalter and Nick Siegert contributed a section for the upcoming museum studies text, Interpreting Religion at Museums and Historic Sites, edited by Gretchen Buggeln and former PHMC executive director Barbara Franco. The book is part of the American Association for State and Local History's Interpreting History Series, published by Rowman & Littlefield. It is due out in September.

WBRE's Lauren Hensley recently visited Joseph Priestley House and posted about it on her Facebook page. Tomorrow, June 9, the site hosts its first World Doll Day event, dedicated to longtime volunteer Ruth Eleanor McCorkill and devoted to teaching about the Priestley family in the 18th and 19th centuries. Kids are encouraged to bring their own dolls along. The event is free, but there is a fee for the doll tea party and reservations are required.

Ruth Eleanor McCorkill (1920-2017) with Merry Mary doll she created for Joseph Priestley House (photo JPH)