Pennsylvania Heritage Foundation Membership Offer

Last week’s post covers Trails of History events through November 14, including schedules for Veterans Day on Nov. 11. The November program page takes you to the end of the month.

This week’s post comes from Mary Hull, manager of the Pennsylvania Heritage Foundation.

The Pennsylvania Heritage Foundation and The State Museum of Pennsylvania are excited to offer a Buy One Get One Free membership offer starting November 1, 2019 and going through Monday, December 31, 2019! This is your opportunity to visit all the great Pennsylvania Trails of History sites you read about in “Trailheads.” Renew, rejoin, or join and gift a free membership (of equal or lesser value) to a friend, family member, or co-worker. Memberships included in this offer are Heritage, Individual, and Family. Please note, free membership valid only for individuals or families who have never held a membership with PHF or The State Museum previously.

Membership grants you the following benefits:

A Heritage-level membership ($35) brings the Pennsylvania Heritage magazine to your door four (4) times a year! This popularly styled, liberally illustrated, award-winning magazine covers Pennsylvania history, while also highlighting the collections of the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission written by curators and archivists of PHMC. (There’s also a monthly Trailheads column.)

An Individual-level membership ($55) includes the following benefits:

• General admission to all 24 Trails of History sites and museums for a full year, so you can take advantage of the exciting activities in all seasons
• A full-year subscription to the award-winning Pennsylvania Heritage magazine (4 issues)
• Membership in Time Travelers, a reciprocal membership program of over 300 nationally participating museums with a variety of benefits, including free or discounted museum admission and gift shop discounts
• State Museum Affiliate members (only) also receive reciprocal membership benefits from the Association of Science and Technology Centers (ASTC)
• A personalized membership card
• Special member events throughout the year.

A Family-level membership ($75) includes the same benefits as an Individual-level membership, but it applies to two (2) adults and all children and grandchildren under the age of 18.

You can take advantage of this limited-time offer

• Online – click the link www.paheritage.org
• By phone – call 866/823-6539 (toll free)
• In person – visit The State Museum Store (300 North Street, Harrisburg).

More information is available on the Pennsylvania Heritage Foundation website or by calling the office at 866/823-6539. Join over 2,500 members who know how exciting history is on the Pennsylvania Trails of History!

Engaging the Public

Last week's post covers events this weekend through next Thursday, and the April program page is now available. Hard to believe that March is almost over.

UPDATED 3/29 1 pm to include a little fan-girling...

Our preservation and stewardship work on the Trails of History is vitally important, but so is the work of sharing our historic sites and their stories with the public. I had a handful of interesting examples in my news feed this week. Is it a coincidence that most of them involved food? You be the judge.


Today, March 29, marks the 200th birthday of Col. Edwin Drake, who drilled the first successful oil well in northwestern PA. Last week, as part of the Petroleum Program Series, staff and volunteers at Drake Well Museum and Park presented an educational talk about Col. Drake, his wife Laura, and the birth of the petroleum and gas industry (see article from the Titusville Herald for an indepth look). Tomorrow, March 30, visit Drake Well for a meet and greet with the Colonel at 12:30 pm - there will be cake.

From left: Drake Well Curator Susan Beates, Volunteer Bob Archer as Col. Drake, and Museum Educator Sarah Goodman as Laura Dowd Drake (via Facebook)

Landis Valley Village and Farm Museum introduced a new program earlier this month called "Lunch with the Landis Brothers," which included behind-the-scenes tours of the museum collection initiated by George and Henry Landis and the museum they founded on their family's property. On May 4, you can take tea with George and Henry's younger sister, Nettie May, and learn about her life and times (more info on the website).

From left: Museum Educator Timothy Essig as Henry Landis and Landis Valley Associates Board Member Rick Brouse as his brother George (via Facebook)

Earlier this week, members of the Friends of Old Economy Village were treated to "Coffee with the Curator" and enjoyed a close-up look at some of the original Harmonist artifacts in the collection. Membership in the various Associate groups on the Trails of History supports the programs and projects at their respective sites. Benefits generally include general admission and museum store discounts, but also access to members-only programs and behind-the-scenes tours.

The historic Granary building at Old Economy Village was the setting for curator Sarah Buffington's presentation (via Facebook)

BREAKING NEWS: 1 PM 3/29/19
And this just in...

Five Reasons (at Least) to Join the Pennsylvania Heritage Foundation

Be sure to check the November program page for details on events coming up this weekend. And don't forget to turn your clocks back an hour by 2 am on Sunday, Nov. 5, as we say goodbye to Daylight Saving Time for another year.

This week's post comes to us from the staff of the Pennsylvania Heritage Foundation (PHF), which supports the work of PHMC.

The Pennsylvania Heritage Foundation and The State Museum of Pennsylvania are excited to offer a Buy One Get One Free membership offer! This is your opportunity to visit all the great Pennsylvania Trails of History sites you read about on Trailheads. Renew, rejoin, or join for the first time and gift a free membership (of equal or lesser value) to a friend, family member, or co-worker. You can also donate a subscription to a local middle or high school, public library, VA hospital, or nursing home. This is a limited time offer - good only until December 31, 2017!

Locations of  PHMC's Trails of History sites (key to map)

Membership grants you the following benefits:

• General admission to all 23 Trails of History sites and museums for a full year, so you can take advantage of the exciting activities in all seasons (please note: many special events require an additional fee). This includes The State Museum of Pennsylvania, with access to the Planetarium and, for Family-level members, Curiosity Connection!
• A full-year subscription to the award-winning Pennsylvania Heritage magazine (4 issues).
• Membership in Time Travelers, a reciprocal membership program of over 300 nationally participating museums with a variety of benefits, including free or discounted museum admission, gift shop discounts, and many others.
• A personalized membership card.
• Special member events throughout the year.

To take advantage of this special offer by December 31, 2017:

• Visit www.paheritage.org and join online.
OR

• Call (717) 787-2407 and join over the telephone with friendly PHF staff.
OR

• Visit The State Museum of Pennsylvania in person and join through the Museum Store.

More information is available on the Pennsylvania Heritage Foundation website at paheritage.org or by calling the office at (717) 787-2407. Join over 2,500 members who know how exciting history is on the Pennsylvania Trails of History!