Something Scary

Please visit the PHMC Events Calendar for info on upcoming programs on the Trails of History (mostly virtual). Check out the Trailheads Rec Room pages to the right of your screen for online offerings available whenever you need them.

If you have questions about voting in Pennsylvania, the Pennsylvania Dept. of State website has answers. If you or someone you know needs assistance with voting due to disability, Disability Rights PA is available via email or its hotline.

Gothic window at Cornwall Iron Furnace (photo via Facebook)

Despite all that's going on in the world, many Trails of History sites have found a way to share some Halloween fun, candy, and scary stories with their communities. Socially distanced Trick-or-Treating has primarily meant "drive-thru Halloween," but there are also some online offerings.

Drive-thru Trick-or-Treating at the PA Lumber Museum (photo via Facebook)

Last weekend the Pennsylvania Lumber Museum hosted a drive-thru event in their parking lot that drew more than two dozen carloads of local residents. Area businesses donated candy, which museum staff and volunteers pre-packaged in goody bags along with the text of a story that would normally be shared at the museum's Halloween lantern tours. You can see more pictures from the event in a Facebook album.

Silhouette of the Manor House at Pennsbury (via Facebook)

If you haven't yet carved your Halloween pumpkin, Pennsbury Manor has some site-related silhouettes you can use as patterns (see above). You'll find more, including Bill the Ox, on their Facebook post.

The Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania shared a ghost story, "Foul Play with the Lamp," that first appeared in print in 1874. The story is narrated by a train engineer and includes numerous details of railroad communication and operations - but it takes an eerie turn. The Facebook post is below or you can find it using this link.

During this Halloween season, Daniel Sohn shares a railroad ghost story from the October issue of “Milepost,” the...

Posted by Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania on Wednesday, October 28, 2020

More ghost stories are available at Graeme Park. See their Facebook below or at this link for a recorded story (including details to help you decide if it's too scary) and info about virtual programs available.

Happy Halloween from Graeme Park! Join Graeme Park Volunteer, Erin, for a traditional Halloween Legend for all ages...

Posted by Graeme Park on Monday, October 26, 2020

Definitely too scary for me, but maybe not for everyone - The State Museum of Pennsylvania has been featuring spiders on Facebook this week. Learn everything you need to know, and get thoroughly creeped out in the process (see below or visit Facebook link).

Pennsylvania is home to many species of spiders, and thankfully most of them prefer to live outdoors. Some, like the...

Posted by The State Museum of Pennsylvania on Thursday, October 29, 2020

And finally, I'll leave you with this. It's not actually Halloween-related, although it does involve people dressing up. Last week, Drake Well Museum & Park hosted an online event, "Pithole Person of the Year," in which staff presented short vignettes about people who were part of the history of Pithole, an oil boomtown that came and went quickly. The audience voted to declare who would be Person of the Year. This week, Drake Well posted a short video in which the winner was presented with her award. Enjoy! (And I'll see you on the other side.)

Working from Home to Transcribe History

Be sure to check out the PHMC Events Calendar for online events at Trails of History sites. The Trailheads Rec Room pages to the right of your screen have wide array of puzzles, activities, videos, and collections highlights - all available 24/7.

Today we have a guest post from Faith Denny, who recently took on a remote transcription project as a volunteer. Faith lives outside of Philadelphia with her husband Joshua and their cat, Colby. She works in journalism and is studying to earn a master's in library and information science, with a concentration in archives management. Faith worked with Bureau of Historic Sites and Museums curator Rachel Yerger, who has written several posts about curatorial work for Trailheads (most recently in April and May).

This year, we have certainly had to overcome new challenges by not being able to safely meet or congregate in person as much as we would like. However, it has also provided us with some new opportunities to connect virtually. Thanks to the internet, I was able to be connected with the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission (PHMC) and Rachel Yerger, a curator with the Bureau of Historic Sites and Museums in Harrisburg, for a virtual volunteer opportunity, though I live about two hours away outside Philadelphia.

Gilpin Land Indenture (BB85.1.35, view 1)

My work consisted of transcribing a land indenture from 1730 associated with Brandywine Battlefield Park. I was very new to transcription, especially for a document from this long ago. Rachel sent me two photographs of the indenture, of its front and back. A land indenture is similar to a deed, and this one in particular had to do with the Gilpin family. My technique was to have the photo open on one side of my computer screen, with a Word document open on the other side and I would write down whatever I saw as I saw it. The definition on the photographs was incredible, allowing me to zoom in to my heart’s content.

This project was very interesting and kept me on my toes. I had to remind myself not to change the spelling (and to watch out for autocorrect), even if the word looked incorrect or odd to my eyes. For example, the author of the indenture spelled the state’s name Pensilvania. Hickory was spelled like Hickery. There were also different terms used, such as perches, which is a form of measurement.

Detail of document (BB85.1.35, view 2)

Though ideally you would want to see documents like this in person with a nice magnifying glass, it is truly amazing that something like this can be done virtually. I was able to work on it at any time, from the comfort of my own home. I look forward to doing more and to learning more about the Gilpin family and that time period in American history.

Rear view of Gideon Gilpin House at Brandywine Battlefield Park (via Facebook)

[Editor's note: the document Faith Denny transcribed (transcript) involved a transfer of property from Joseph (Sr) and Hannah Gilpin to their son Joseph Gilpin Jr. In 1745, Joseph Jr constructed the stone portion of the house shown above (the kitchen section to the left in the photo was added in 1782). Joseph Jr's son Gideon took custody of the home in 1764 (learn more about Gideon Gilpin's experiences during the Battle of Brandywine and its aftermath).

Living Our Lives Online

The latest in our fall foliage series - this one from Cornwall Iron Furnace (via Facebook)

So fall is here, the weather is cooling, and COVID-19 cases are rising. The sites on PHMC's Trails of History are continuing to create new programs and events that you can access from home. If you are looking for things to do, please be sure to check out the calendar of events on the PHMC website. A new feature, it includes information from all of our Trails of History sites, conveniently in one place. The Trailheads Rec Room pages (to the right of your screen) show samples of online offerings available whenever you want them.

Learn more about this telegraph key during STEAM on the Rails (photo via Facebook)

On Tuesday, I got to check out two of the sessions for the Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania's STEAM on the Rails program (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Mathematics). One was a demonstration of steam power by the museum's Chris O'Brien, the other was an introduction to abstract art with a hands-on activity. It was fascinating to see how different students engaged with the two sessions. If you know a student in grades K through 6 who might be interested, there are still two more Tuesdays (meaning eight more individual sessions) left in the program. On Oct. 20, museum staff will demonstrate railroad telegraphy. There will be another art activity, demonstration of a coal-fired pizza oven by Eckley Miners' Village (tentative), and a visit with blacksmith Frank Gillespie. On Oct. 27, staff from Drake Well Museum and Cornwall Iron Furnace will connect oil and iron history with railroading and steam power. Sessions are by donation, but you must register to get the Zoom link. Visit Eventbrite for more details.

Holmden Street in Pithole, PA, ca. 1865-77 (photo via Facebook)

On October 21 (7-8 pm), staff from Drake Well Museum and Park will present an online event to determine the "Pithole Person of the Year." They'll introduce a range of characters from the oil boomtown and then ask the audience to vote on their person of the year. The event is free (donations are welcome) and attendance is limited (tickets via Network for Good). Registrants will receive a Zoom invitation. I look forward to seeing some of you there.

The Sisters' House (Saron) at Ephrata Cloister (photo via Facebook)

The folks at Ephrata Cloister have launched another virtual exhibit, this one focused on the roots of Ephrata's distinctive building styles. Singular, and of Ancient Style: The Architecture of Historic Ephrata Cloister takes its title from a description by William Bromwell in 1854: "The buildings are singular, and of ancient style of architecture, all the outside wall being covered with shingles." Earlier this year, staff created an online exhibit titled Hidden Knowledge at Ephrata, exploring the complex religious traditions and theological elements that informed Ephrata's worldview.