Shorts

“The Classic Illustrations of N.C. Wyeth” is on exhibit at the Brandywine River Mu­seum in Chadds Ford through May 19 [1985]. The exhibition offers a fascinating look at the roman­tic characters the artist cre­ated for eighteen classic novels of adventure published be­tween 1911 and 1928. Wyeth’s ability to wed text and pic­tures is revealed in sixty-five paintings from popular child­hood literature, including Treasure Island, Robin Hood, The Last of the Mohicans, Robinson Crusoe and Drums. For more information, write: Brandywine River Museum, P.O. Box 141, Chadds Ford, PA 19317; or telephone (215) 388-7601 or 459-1900. There is an admission fee. The mu­seum is open daily, from 9:30 A.M. to 4:30 P.M.

Visitors who missed the landmark exhibition at The State Museum of Pennsylvania, “The U.S.S. Pennsylvania and Her Silver,” still have an opportunity to see selected pieces currently on display [in 1985] at the Pennsylvania Military Museum in Boalsburg. On view are several major cere­monial pieces, as well as place settings, designed and manu­factured by the J.E. Caldwell Company of Philadelphia in 1904 for the battleship. The museum is open Tuesday through Saturday, 9 A.M. to 5 P.M.; Sunday, noon to 5 P.M.; the facility is located four miles east of State Col­lege, Centre County, on route 322. For more information, write: Pennsylvania Military Museum, P.O. Box 148, Boalsburg, PA 16827; or tele­phone (814) 466-6263. Ad­mission is $1.50 for adults; $1 for senior citizens; and $.50 for children.

The role of Blacks in mili­tary history will be the major thrust of the eighth annual Conference on Black History in Pennsylvania which will be held Thursday and Friday, May 2-3 [1985], at the Carlisle Barracks of the U.S. Army Military History Institute. Ses­sions will include how to conduct Black military history research, Blacks and the military during the Civil War and Reconstruction, Black women in military history and showings of films illustrat­ing the roles of Blacks in World Wars I and II. Tours of the institute’s facilities will also be offered. The conference is sponsored by the Pennsyl­vania Historical and Mu­seum Commission and the U.S. Army Military History In­stitute, in cooperation with the Pennsylvania Department of Education. To obtain additional registration information, write: Matthew S. Magda, Bureau of Archives and His­tory, Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission, P.O. Box 1026, Harrisburg, PA 17108-1026; or telephone (717) 787-1902 or 787-3034.

Winners of regional junior and senior high school His­tory Day contests from twelve districts in the Common­wealth will participate in the annual Pennsylvania History Day competition on Wednes­day and Thursday, May 15-16 [1985], at the Keller Conference Center of the Pennsylvania State University, University Park. State award recipients will compete to represent Pennsylvania at the National History Day competition at the University of Maryland, College Park, in June. Spon­sors of the event are the Penn­sylvania Historical and Mu­seum Commission, the Histori­cal Foundation of Pennsyl­vania, the Pennsylvania His­torical Association, the Pennsylvania Federation of His­torical Societies and the Pennsylvania Council for the Social Studies. More infor­mation concerning Pennsyl­vania History Day is avail­able by writing: Donna Munger, Bureau of Archives and His­tory, Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission, P.O. Box 1026, Harrisburg, PA 17108-1026; or by telephon­ing (717) 783-3265.

The annual meeting of the Pennsylvania Folklore Society will be held Saturday, March 16 [1985], at the Interna­tional House., Philadelphia. Speakers will discuss the im­pact of technology on tradi­tional forms of folklore and folk­life. Additional information regarding topics and registra­tion is available by writing: 1985 PFS Meeting, International House of Philadelphia, 3701 Chestnut St., Philadelphia, PA 19104.

More than eighty artisans will demonstrate their skills during the Saturday, June 1 [1985], “Kunstfest,” an annual nineteenth century crafts festival at Old Economy Vil­lage in Ambridge, Beaver County. Crafts demonstrations include: basket weaving, blacksmithing, broom making, china painting, decoy carv­ing, pewter casting, calligraphy, leather tanning, wheat weaving, wood carving, tat­ting, quilting, rug braiding and theorem painting. Folk music and free mule wagon rides will complement the day’s festivities. “Kunstfest” hours are 11 A.M. to 5 P.M. Admission is charged. The event is sponsored by the Har­monie Associates in co­operation with the Pennsyl­vania Historical and Mu­seum Commission. Old Econ­omy Village is located in Ambridge, eighteen miles northwest of Pittsburgh on state route 65. For more details, write: Harmonie Associates, Old Economy Vil­lage, Fourteenth and Church Sts., Ambridge, PA 15003; or telephone (412) 266-1803.

A “hands on” open hearth cooking workshop, “Dinner for the Squire,” will be taught by colonial cooking expert Betty Ann Sabol at Pennsbury Manor on Saturday, March 30 [1985], from 9 A.M. to 5 P.M. In the Bake and Brew House of the founder’s re-created country house in Bucks County, work­shop participants will pre­pare,an entire meal using seven­teenth and eighteenth century recipes and techniques. The menu will feature soup, a roast, seasonal vegetables and dessert. “Dinner for the Squire” is open to beginners, as well as experienced open hearth cooks, but registration is limited. Participants will partake of the dinner, which is covered by the registration fee. For more information, write: Pennsbury Manor, 400 Pennsbury Memorial Rd., Mor­risville, PA 19067; or tele­phone (215) 946-0400.

Works by Grif Teller, the noted Pennsylvania Rail­road calendar artist, are on view through April 14 [1985] at the Railroad Museum of Penn­sylvania, Strasburg. The exhibi­tion features more than sixty pieces, including origi­nal calendar art, landscapes and newly-commissioned works. Many of the paintings are on loan from private collections and have never be­fore been publicly displayed. Museum visiting hours are Tuesday through Saturday, 9 A.M. to 5 P.M.; Sunday, noon to 5 P.M. Admission is charged. For more details, write: The Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania, Box 15, Stras­burg, PA 17579; or telephone (717) 687-8628. The facility is located on route 741, one mile east of Strasburg.

A major cooperative confer­ence will be mounted by the Commonwealth’s major his­torical institutions and organizations in Bethlehem, from Thursday through Saturday, April 11-13 [1985]. The event combines the annual meeting of the Pennsylvania Federa­tion of Historical Societies, the PHMCs eighth annual Con­ference on Historic Preser­vation, the Pennsylvania His­torical Association’s spring conference and the conference of the Pennsylvania Divi­sion of the Middle Atlantic Re­gional Archives. Conference headquarters will be the Hotel Bethlehem, a landmark of the city’s extensively restored Main Street. Regis­tration information may be ob­tained by writing: Coopera­tive Conference, Bureau for Historic Preservation, Pennsyl­vania Historical and Mu­seum Commission, P.O. Box 1026, Harrisburg, PA 17108-1026; or by telephoning (717) 783-8946 or 787-4363.

A multi-media presentation showing trends in children’s play from a century ago to thirty years into the future will open April 1 [1985] at the Please Touch Museum for Children, Philadelphia. “Children’s Play: Past, Present and Future” features four environments, including a rural scene, an urban setting, a suburban house and a futuristic community. Visitors will be given the opportunity to experience play and toys of different eras. The museum is the first facility in the country designed specifically for children seven years of age and younger. For more information, write: Please Touch Museum for Children, 210 North Twenty­First St., Philadelphia, PA 19103; or telephone (215) 963-0667. Admission is charged.

As part of Dauphin County’s two hundredth anniversary celebration, the Middletown Area Historical Society will host its tenth annual juried Colonial Arts and Crafts Fair on Saturday and Sunday, June 8-9 [1985]. The activities will be held in Hoffer Park on the banks of the Swatara Creek in the county’s oldest established town. Additional information may be obtained by writing: Middletown Area Historical Society, P.O. Box 249, Middle­town, PA 17057; or by tele­phoning (717) 944-1426 or 944-3246.

Among the most gifted of twentieth century American naive painters, but still rela­tively unknown, is Penn­sylvania artist Justin McCarthy (1891-1977). Fifty-one works in oil, watercolor and pastel by the painter will be exhibited at the Allentown Art Mu­seum beginning March 10 and continuing through April 28 [1985]. The show presents a selection of expressionistic works with subject matter drawn from mass media, including television, the popular press, even the ice capades. Although self-taught, the Weatherly, Luzerne County, resident considered painting his primary profession; his only other source of income was from odd jobs such as huck­stering fruit, often door to door. His paintings are now highly prized by museums and serious collectors. The Allentown Art Museum is located at Fifth and Court Streets, one-half block north of Hamilton Mall. Visiting hours are Tuesday through Saturday, 10 A.M. to 5 P.M.; Sunday, 1 to 5 P.M. Ad­mission is free, but voluntary contributions are welcome. Additional information is avail­able by telephoning (215) 432-4333.

The Folklore Society of Northeastern Pennsylvania will present a program of unu­sual music featuring Irish and English folk songs, and mining and labor songs, as well as con­temporary selections, at the Wednesday, March 20 [1985], meet­ing of the Lackawanna His­torical Society in Scranton. The program begins promptly at 8 P.M. The historical society is headquartered in the George Catlin House adjacent to the campus of the University of Scranton. For more informa­tion, write: The Lackawanna Historical Society, 232 Monroe Ave., Scranton, PA 18510; or telephone (717) 344-3841.

A monumental tribute to Jewish-American folk art, “The Jewish Heritage in American Folk Art” celebrates the creative interplay be­tween the aesthetics of two multi-faceted cultures in a major exploration of more than two centuries of Jewish contributions to the nation’s diverse folk arts. The exhi­bition opens April 21 [1985] at the National Museum of Ameri­can Jewish History in Phila­delphia. Continuing through August 31 [1985], the show features one hundred and twenty objects-many never before publicly exhibited-such as ex­amples of woodcarving, papercutting, manuscript illu­mination, painting, embroidery, quilting, samplers and even a piece of scrim­shaw. Organized by the Jew­ish Museum, New York, in cooperation with the Museum of American Folk Art, the exhibition is the first systematic examination of an important element of America’s naive creativity. Performances, demonstrations and lectures are planned to complement the show. Additional informa­tion may be obtained by writing: National Museum of American Jewish History, Independence Mall East, 55 North Fifth St., Philadelphia, PA 19106; or by telephoning (215) 923-3811.

The Society of Architec­tural Historians will hold its annual meeting at the William Penn Hotel, Pittsburgh, Wed­nesday through Sunday, April 17-21 [1985]. The conference fea­tures results of current research, a variety of carefully planned architectural tours of the city and relevant exhibitions. For additional information, write: The Society of Architec­tural Historians, 1700 Walnut St., Philadelphia, PA 19103-6085.

On loan from the Library of Congress, the rare first draft of Pres. Abraham Lincoln’s im­mortal Gettysburg Address will be exhibited at the Gettys­burg National Military Park from April 3 [1985] to September 4 [1985]. The manuscript is the earli­est existing version of the fam­ous speech. The first page, written in ink on Executive Mansion stationery, was finished in Washington, D.C., shortly before November 18, 1863. The second page, written in pencil, is believed to be additional material actually drafted in Gettysburg prior to the dedication of the Sol­diers’ National Cemetery on November 19 of that year. The manuscript will be on dis­play at the park’s Cyclorama Center, one and one-half miles south of the town of Gettys­burg on U.S. Route 15. Visiting hours are Monday through Sunday, 10 A.M. to 4 P.M. Admission is free. To obtain further information, tele­phone (717) 334-1124.

A combined one-day work­shop and tour, entitled “Res­torations in Progress,” will provide a firsthand glimpse at restoring and preserving his­toric and older buildings and structures. The program, which will be offered March 30 [1985], from 1 to 5 P.M., features tours of four privately owned Victorian era residences in the University City neighbor­hood of Philadelphia. Own­ers of the houses will be avail­able to answer questions regarding preservation tech­niques and appropriate build­ing materials. Discussions will provide information concerning how to begin res­toration work, where to find tools and reproductions, and how to undertake restora­tion work that is appropriate to the period of the struc­ture. The workshop and tour are sponsored by the Uni­versity City Historical Soci­ety. Additional information is available by writing: Joan Coward, 4726 Springfield Ave., Philadelphia, PA 19143; or by telephoning (215) 727-2405.

The grand Boal Mansion in Boalsburg, Centre County, will host a program featuring a pianist and classical gui­tarist, “Music at the Mansion,” on Saturday, May 11 [1985], at 4 and 8 P.M. On Sunday, June 16 [1985], a lawn party – replete with crafts demonstrations, entertainment, games and refreshments – will celebrate Father’s Day. For additional information, write: Boal Man­sion, Route 322, Boalsburg, PA 16827; or telephone (814) 466-6210.