Executive Director’s Message

Posted by on Nov 26, 2013 in | Comments Off on Executive Director’s Message “The State Museum of Pennsylvania is one of the nation’s preeminent institutions of its kind.” So concluded a report prepared as part of the national museum accreditation program conducted by the American Association of Museums (AAM). The State Museum of Pennsylvania first received accreditation in 1987, and the recent study confirmed that “in virtually every area the...
read more

A Centennial, A Celebration, A Cache of Treasures

Posted by on Nov 25, 2013 in | Comments Off on A Centennial, A Celebration, A Cache of Treasures While Philadelphians in 1905 observed the centennial of the nation’s first art museum and school, the venerable Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, Pittsburghers flocked to Harry Davis’s Nickelodeon, the first motion picture theater opened in the United States. In Harrisburg that year, on Tuesday, March 28, Governor Samuel W. Penny­packer (1843-1916) signed legislation creating...
read more

PHMC Highlights

Posted by on Nov 20, 2013 in | Comments Off on PHMC Highlights Following a rigorous peer evaluation, Ephrata Cloister, Lancaster County, has been reaccredited by the American Association of Museums (AAM), Washington, D.C. AAM accreditation bestows national recognition on a museum or historic site “for its commitment to excellence, accountability, high professional standards, and continued institutional improvement.” Ephrata Cloister is one of only...
read more

Executive Director’s Letter

Posted by on Nov 20, 2013 in | Comments Off on Executive Director’s Letter The Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission (PHMC) is pleased to announce Governor Tom Corbett’s appointment of Andrew E. Masich as Commission chair. He is well-known in the museum field and is president and CEO of the Senator John Heinz History Center in Pittsburgh. Since 1998, he has provided leadership for the 275,000-square foot History Center and its staff of 125, as well as the...
read more

Meet Jim Vaughan, PHMC’s New Executive Director

Posted by on Nov 20, 2013 in | Comments Off on Meet Jim Vaughan, PHMC’s New Executive Director James M. Vaughan was appointed executive director of the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission (PHMC) in November 2011. Prior to this appointment Vaughan served as Vice President, Stewardship of Historic Sites for the National Trust for Historic Preservation in Washington, D.C. In his career Vaughan has led several historic organizations including The Hermitage, Home of President Andrew...
read more