Executive Director’s Letter

Written by in the From the Executive Director category and the Summer 2006 issue Topics in this article: American Civil War, Art of the State, Bark Peelers Convention, baseball, Bill Mazeroski, Homestead Grays, Landis Valley Village and Farm Museum, Old Economy Village, Pennsylvania Lumber Museum, Pittsburgh Panthers, Pittsburgh Pirates, Pittsburgh Steelers, State Museum of Pennsylvania
From the Executive Director features news and reflections on the work of PHMC by its chief administrator.

Pennsylvania is particularly beautiful in the summer months with its wooded hills and lush fields. PHMC historic sites and museums are great starting points to explore the state this summer. The new Pennsylvania Trail of History brochure is available free by calling 1-800-VISITPA. Admission to the twenty-six historic sites and museums is free to members of the Pennsylva­nia Heritage Society and there is a lot to do and see. Old Economy Village in Ambridge opened a new introductory exhibition, “Preparing for Eternity: The Life of the Harmony Society” this spring. In July, you can travel back in time to a Civil War Village of 1863 at Landis Valley Museum or join the Bark Peelers’ Convention at the Pennsylvania Lumber Museum. The Living History Weekend at Eckley Miners’ Village in August brings back nineteenth-century life in a coal patch town. The thirty-ninth annual exhibition, “Art of the State” at The State Museum of Pennsylvania in Harrisburg provides a rich array of contemporary Pennsylvania arts in a variety of media.

PHMC sites and museums also ofter distinctive places to gather for family reunions or other events. The Trail of History section of the PHMC Web site includes a new “venue menu” with in­formation about what is available for groups of any size or for any occasion at our various locations.

Summer is the season of baseball and state historical markers. This sum­mer a new marker will be dedicated honoring Forbes field in Allegheny County, home to the Pittsburgh Pirates, Homestead Grays, Pittsburgh Steelers, and Pitt Panthers. It was the site of legendary sports events, including Bill Mazeroski’s World Series -winning home run in 1960 and Babe Ruth’s last three home runs.

I invite you to take advantage of all that Pennsylvania has to offer this summer. If you travel out of state, your Pennsylvania Heritage Society membership travels with you and provides you with Time Traveler privileges of free or reduced admission to more than one hundred museums nationwide. Wherever your travels take you this summer, I hope that you will be inspired to get more involved with your own local history and continue to support the work of preserving Pennsylvania’s rich heritage through your membership in the Pennsylvania Heritage Society. Visit www.paheritage.org or telephone toll free (866) 823-6539 for more information.

Barbara Franco,
Executive Director, PHMC