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For a century, lumbering in Pennsylvania was a significant industry, playing a part not only in the Commonwealth’s econ­omy, but in the establishment of communities and counties as well. The immense tracts of wilderness lured eager capitalists, speculators and laborers to the remotest sections of Pennsylvania and for many years fueled a boom that appeared to be bound­less. For research and study, booklets and pamphlets on logging in Pennsylvania by Walter Casler, Benjamin Kline, and Thomas Taber are sought by: Carl E. Ericson, 2421 Glenwood Ave., Min­neapolis, MN 55405-1014.

Samuel Keplinger (1770-1849) was a silversmith and maker of tall-case clocks who worked in the area of Gettysburg, Adams County, from 1800 to 1809, and in the Baltimore, Maryland, re­gion from after 1811 to at least the 1820s. Information is being compiled for a definitive biography of Keplinger, and individuals and institutions able to share details of his life and career, as well as examples of his work, are encouraged to write: Howard Rhoads, P. O. Box 7009, Fairfax Station, VA 22039.

The Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission will conduct its fifteenth annual Conference on Black History in Pennsylvania at Lincoln University, Oxford, on Friday and Satur­day, May 8-9, 1992. The theme of this year’s two day event is “Empowerment: Perspectives on African-Americans in Pennsyl­vania.” Conference coordinators are seeking proposals for papers dealing with the broad issue of self-determination and its comparison to society in general. Specific topics of interest include (but are not limited to): politics, educational systems, and experi­ences in the workplace. Proposals, limited to two pages and accompanied by brief biographical information, should be sent by December 1 to: Robert M. Weible, Chief, Division of History, Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission, P. O. Box 1026, Harrisburg, PA 17108-1026. Additional details may be ob­tained by telephoning (717) 787-3034.

J. W. (“Jess”) Gitt (1884-1973) was publisher of The Gazette and Daily, a newspaper in York, from 1915 to 1970. He was also Penn­sylvania state chairman of the Progressive Party during the 1948 presidential campaign of Henry A. Wallace, and a founding member of the national board of directors of the party’s forerun­ner, the Progressive Citizens of America. Reminiscences, memo­rabilia, photographs, and details concerning Gitt and his various activities are needed for a full-length biography. Please direct correspondence to: Mary A. Hamilton, Associate Professor, Department of Mass Communications, Saint Bonaventure Uni­versity, Saint Bonaventure, N. Y. 14778; or telephone (716) 375-2520.

Furniture made in Dauphin and Cumberland counties be­tween 1790 and 1850 – particularly signed or attributed examples – is currently the subject of research. Especially sought is information regarding the following craftsmen (and, especially, the whereabouts of extant pieces): Adam Boyd, Peter Boyd, John Boyd, Gilbert Burnett, Henry Demler, Ezekial Bullock, C. E. R. Davis, and Robert Shields. Information may be sent to: Peter S. Seibert, Executive Director, Historical Society of Dauphin County, John Harris-Simon Cameron Mansion, 219 South Front St., Harrisburg, PA 17104; or telephone (717) 233-3462.

Walter Stuempfig (1914-1970), an active member of the Penn­sylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, Philadelphia, from 1949 until his death, was a well-known landscape and figure painter. He exhibited regularly during his lifetime, frequently in New York during the 1940s and 1950s. The artist is currently the subject of study, and information about his life and career, including per­sonal recollections, would be appreciated by: Evie T. Joselow, 60 Fifth Ave., New York, N. Y. 10011.