Pennsylvania Heritage Foundation Newsletter

Posted by on Nov 3, 2019 in | Comments Off on Pennsylvania Heritage Foundation Newsletter Topics in the Spring 2018 Newsletter: Thousands Search Ancestry.com PHF Members-Only Preview of New State Museum Exhibit New Giving Circle Members Join the Pennsylvania Heritage Foundation  ...
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The Anthracite Iron Furnaces of Alburtis

Posted by on Nov 30, 2013 in | Comments Off on The Anthracite Iron Furnaces of Alburtis As it stands today, the ruin of Lock Ridge Furnace at Alburtis, in Lehigh County, looks more akin to a misplaced Norman fortress than a nine­teenth century anthracite iron furnace. The partially re­stored walls, reinforced by heavy metal bolts, give the venerable Pennsylvania structure a false touch of the medieval. The productive history of the anthracite iron furnaces began in December 1866...
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The Call of the Clarion

Posted by on Nov 29, 2013 in | Comments Off on The Call of the Clarion To the eighteenth century French explorers, the river the Indians called Tobeco was Riviere au Fiel – the “River of Hate.” Pioneers know it as Toby or Stump Creek. In 1817 it was christened Clarion by road surveyors Daniel Stanard and David Lawson as they camped along its shores because the river’s clear, shrill sound reminded them of the medieval trumpet. The name of the...
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Lehigh County: The Land and Its People

Posted by on Nov 29, 2013 in | Comments Off on Lehigh County: The Land and Its People Lehigh County encompasses the western half of the Lehigh Valley in eastern Pennsylvania. Bounded on the east by the Lehigh River, the main geographical feature of the larger valley, and on the north by the Blue Mountain range, the land is a mosaic of lime­stone plain, sinks and rolling hills. While the southern region of the county lies astride the so-called South Moun­tain and the hills of the...
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Pennsylvania Places through the Bird’s-Eye Views of T.M. Fowler

Posted by on Nov 26, 2013 in | Comments Off on Pennsylvania Places through the Bird’s-Eye Views of T.M. Fowler During the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, America indulged in a love affair with panoramic drawings of urban areas, known – aptly but simply­ – as town views. Some were drawn at ground level, or from a modest elevation (such as a hill or tall building) and often depicted a skyline. Others, made from an aerial perspective, were known as bal­loon views, aero views and,...
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Letters to the Editor

Posted by on Nov 26, 2013 in | Comments Off on Letters to the Editor Bird’s-Eye Views I very much enjoyed Linda A. Ries’ article, “Pennsylvania Places Through the Bird’s-eye Views of T. M. Fowler,” in the winter 1995 edition of Pennsylvania Heritage. We have some bird’s-eye views in our collection, and I have always enjoyed looking at them. Now, thanks to this research on Fowler, I can appreciate them even more. Barbara D. Hall...
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Letters to the Editor

Posted by on Nov 26, 2013 in | Comments Off on Letters to the Editor It’s a Small World I am a maker of miniature furniture and tremendously enjoyed “Finding the Fabulous Furniture of the Mahantongo Valley” by Henry M. Reed in the fall 1995 edition. Needless to write, this particular issue is a real inspiration. My interest in pieces made in the Mahantongo Valley of Pennsylvania stems from my love for painted furniture and for historical...
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Executive Director’s Message

Posted by on Nov 25, 2013 in | Comments Off on Executive Director’s Message On March 10, 2003, the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission (PHMC) was privileged to dedicate a state historical marker commemorating the one hundredth anniversary of the creation of the Pennsylvania State Archives. Congratulations are due to all those individuals -­ both past and present – responsible for establishing and maintaining this outstanding institution. The Pennsylvania...
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Wood on Glass: The Lumber Industry Photographs of William T. Clarke

Posted by on Nov 20, 2013 in | Comments Off on Wood on Glass: The Lumber Industry Photographs of William T. Clarke William Townsend Clarke (1859–1930) photographed the forests of northcentral Pennsylvania during the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, producing stunning images that tell the story of the logging industry in the vast stands of old-growth white pine and hemlock trees which Henry W. Shoemaker (1880–1958) called the “Black Forest” of Pennsylvania. Shoemaker was a prolific writer,...
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