Shorts

A one day conference de­voted to local and transporta­tion history, “Nineteenth Century River Transportation,” will be hosted by the history department of California University of Pennsylvania on Saturday, April 21 [1990]. One ses­sion will commemorate the one hundred and seventy-fifth anniversary of Capt. Henry Shreve’s successful roundtrip aboard the steamship Enter­prise from Brownsville, Fayette County, to New Orleans in 1814-1815. For registration information, write: Depart­ment of History and Urban Studies, California University of Pennsylvania, California, PA 15419; or telephone (412) 938- 4053 or 938-7856.

A talk entitled “Picture This! Female Painters of Penn­sylvania” will be given by Irwin Richman, author of Pennsylvania’s Painters, on Mon­day, April 16 [1990], at the Historical Society of Dauphin County. The presentation will begin at 8 P.M. at the society’s head­quarters, the John Harris and Simon Cameron Mansion which overlooks the Susque­hanna River. To obtain addi­tional details, write: Historical Society of Dauphin County, 219 South Front St., Harris­burg, PA 17104; or telephone (717) 233-3462.

On Saturday, April 21 [1990], the Bucks County Genealogical Society will conduct an all-day genealogical conference for individuals interested in the collection and compilation of family history and related data. For more information, write: Bucks County Genea­logical Society, P.O. Box 1092, Doylestown, PA 18901; or telephone (215) 345-0210.

“Our Second Quilt Show,” featuring pieces made by the County Line Quilt Guild and examples borrowed from pri­vate collections, will be held the weekend of May 5-6 [1990] by the Highlands Historical Society. Built by Anthony Morris at the close of the eighteenth cen­tury, The Highlands served as a grand country house for lavish entertaining. To obtain more information, write: The Highlands, 7001 Sheaff Ln., Fort Washington, PA 19034; or telephone (215) 641-2687.

“Little Hands, Skillful Stitches: Eighteenth and Nine­teenth Century Children’s Samplers,” showcasing the golden age of needlework, will remain on view through Sun­day, April 29 [1990], at the Hershey Museum of American Life. More than forty samplers, many the creations of Ameri­can and European children, are featured. More information may be obtained by writing: Hershey Museum of American Life, 170 West HersheyPark Dr., Hershey, PA 17033; or by telephoning (717) 534-3439.

May Day, a spring celebra­tion marking the opening of the historic house-museum, will be held by the Fort Hunter Mansion on Sunday, May 6 [1990]. The event includes period music, entertainment and special displays. For more details, write: Fort Hunter Mansion, 5300 North Front St., Harrisburg, PA 17110; or telephone (717) 599-5751.

More than 150 regional artists will be represented at the seventeenth annual Yellow Springs Art Show, mounted by Historic Yellow Springs. The show will be open to the public from Saturday, April 28 [1990], through Sunday, May 6 [1990]. Infor­mation is available by writing: Historic Yellow Springs, Art School Rd., P.O. Box 627, Chester Springs, PA 19425; or by telephoning (215) 827-7414.

On Sunday, June 10 [1990], the Warrior Run-Fort Freeland Heritage Society will host its annual Strawberry Festival from 11 A.M. to 5 P.M. The event will feature guided tours of the historic Warrior Run Church. To obtain additional details, write: Warrior Run­-Fort Freeland Heritage Society, R. D. 1, Turbotville, PA 17772; or telephone (717) 649-5363.

The Wednesday, April 11 [1990], meeting of the Lackawanna Historical Society will feature guest speaker Richard Stanis­laus, who will present a talk entitled “John Willard Raught and Anthracite Era Art.” Raught created a number of oil paintings and charcoal draw­ings depicting coal breakers and landscapes of Scranton and northeastern Pennsylva­nia. On Wednesday, May 9 [1990], Francis C.M. Bosak will give a lecture entitled “The Bosak Family: History of an Immi­grant Success,” recalling the Slovak immigrant’s entrepre­neurial successes in the early twentieth century. The histori­cal society’s headquarters are located in the George H. Cat­lin House. For more informa­tion, write: Lackawanna Historical Society, 232 Monroe Ave., Scranton, PA 18510; or telephone (717) 344-3841.

During the weekend of June 9-10 [1990], the Middletown Area Historical Society will host its fifteenth annual juried event, the Colonial Arts and Crafts Fair. More than 120 exhibitors will show hand­crafted items reminiscent of lifestyles of America’s colonial period. For more details, write: Middletown Area Historical Society, P.O. Box 248, Middle­town, PA 17057; or telephone (717) 948-3069.

“The Golden Age of the Tourist: Monroe Resorts Before 1920,” an exhibition on view at the Monroe County Historical Society from Sunday, April 15 [1990], through Saturday, June 30 [1990], examines the Pocono Moun­tains’ role as a vacation spot. Opening Tuesday, May 15 [1990], and continuing through Wednes­day, August 1 [1990], is a smaller exhibit entitled “They Went Abroad: Souvenirs From the Collections,” showcasing ob­jects and artifacts acquired by world travelers. For additional information, write: Monroe County Historical Society, 900 Main St., Stroudsburg, PA 18360; or telephone (717) 421-7703.

Opening Saturday, May 26 [1990], “Superfine Hard Metal: Pewter in the Delaware Valley” will remain on exhibit through Sunday, September 16 [1990], at the Packwood House Museum in Lewisburg. The exhibition also includes pewter pieces from the Susquehanna Valley drawn from the historic house muse­um’s collection. To obtain more information, write: Packwood House Museum, 15 North Water St., Lewisburg, PA 17837; or telephone (717) 524-0323.

Al Hirschfeld’s imaginative drawings of theatrical person­alities, reflecting his broad range of famous subjects over many decades, will be on exhibit at the Brandywine River Museum from Saturday, March 17 [1990], through Monday, May 21 [1990]. The museum will add dozens of original pen and ink drawings by Hirschfeld, some from its own collection, to the retrospective exhibition of more than sixty lithographs and etchings. For additional details, write: Brandywine River Museum, P.O. Box 141, Chadds Ford, PA 19317; or telephone (215) 388-7601 or 459-1900.

“Photography in Medicine” is an exhibition continuing through June [1990] at the Mutter Museum of the College of Physicians of Philadelphia. For more information, write: Mut­ter Museum, College of Physi­cians of Philadelphia, 19 South Twenty-Second St., Philadel­phia, PA 19103; or telephone (215) 563-3737.

Opening Saturday, April 28 [1990], at the Erie Art Museum is the annual juried exhibit of works by regional artists. Sixty pieces in various media by artists living within a two hundred mile radius will be on view through Sunday, June 17. Additional information is available by writing: Erie Art Museum, 411 State St., Erie, PA 16501; or by telephoning (814) 459-5477.

A pioneer fair, with period entertainment and games, will be held on Saturday and Sun­day, May 19-20 [1990], at Old Bed­ford Village. During the weekend of June 9-10 [1990], the complex will host Militia Days, featuring military reenactments, parades, drills and demonstrations. For more information, write: Old Bed­ford Village, P.O. Box 1976, Bedford, PA 15522; or tele­phone (814) 623-1156.

The Westmoreland County Historical Society will offer its popular Lamb-To-Loom pro­gram with demonstrations and displays of sheep shearing, the carding and spinning of wool, yam dyeing and weaving at Hanna’s Town on Sunday, May 20 [1990]. Hanna’s Town is lo­cated three miles north of Greensburg. For more infor­mation, write: Westmoreland County Historical Society, 951 Old Salem Rd., Greensburg, PA 15601; or telephone (412) 836-1800.

Five outstanding landscape architects from across the country will participate in a symposium on residential landscape design on Thursday, April 19 [1990], at Haverford College. Topics include “Revolutions and Revelations in Landscape Design,” “The American Style, 1899-1939,” and “The New American Garden Style.” The event is cosponsored by the Barnes Foundation, Merion. Advance registration is re­quired. For more information, write: The Arboretum, Haver­ford College, Haverford, PA 19041; or telephone (215) 896-1101.

“Music at the Boal Man­sion” will be hosted by the Centre County historic house museum (see “The Boals of Boalsburg: Two Hundred Years of a Pennsylvania Heritage” by Christopher Lee in the fall 1989 edition) on Saturday, May 5 [1990]. The event, featuring nationally renowned musicians, benefits the ongoing preservation of the Boal Mansion Museum’s extensive collections. For reser­vation information, write: Boal Mansion Museum, Boalsburg, PA 16827; or telephone (814) 466-6210.

Fourteen rural crafts of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, including tins­mithing, thatching, basket­making, needlework and iron casting, will be the subjects of the thirty-fourth annual Insti­tute of Pennsylvania Rural Life and Culture at the Landis Valley Museum from Tuesday through Friday, June 26-29 [1990]. More details may be obtained by writing: Landis Valley Mu­seum, 2451 Kissel Hill Rd ., Lancaster, PA V601; or by telephoning (717) 569-0401.

Demonstrations of Revolu­tionary War camp life, includ­ing training and drilling, will be offered at Washington Crossing Historic Park during the weekend of April 20-21 [1990]. On Saturday and Sunday, May 5-6 [1990], the park’s annual sheepshearing days will fea­ture demonstrations of herd­ing, shearing, spinning and weaving. For more information regarding these events, write: Washington Crossing Historic Park, Washington Crossing, PA 18977; or telephone (215) 493-4076.

“B.T.: An Exhibit Featuring Leisure Time Activities Before Television” will open Friday, June 1 [1990], at the Jefferson County Historical and Genealogical Society in Brookville. The exhibition offers a look at the ways families spent leisure time before the arrival of tele­vision in the 1950s. “B.T.” will continue through Tuesday, October 30 [1990]. For more informa­tion, write: Jefferson County Historical and Genealogical Society, Jefferson St., Brookville, PA 15825; or tele­phone (814) 849-7833.

Tours, lectures and hands­-on demonstrations will be part of Conservation Day to be presented by the Philadelphia Zoo on Sunday, June 3 [1990]. For more information, write: Phil­adelphia Zoo, Thirty-Fourth St. and Girard Ave., Philadel­phia, PA 19104; or telephone (215) 243-1100.

A three day national quilt symposium will be held at Franklin and Marshall Col­lege, from Friday through Sunday, June 15-17 [1990]. Topics will include “Lancaster County Dowry Quilts,” “The Evolution of Pennsylvania-German Pil­lowcases” and “An Examina­tion of Historic Needlework Tools.” Co-sponsored by the Union County Historical Soci­ety’s Oral Traditions Project, the event is open to the public through advance registration. Information may be obtained by writing: 1990 Quilt Sympo­sium, Franklin and Marshall College, Box 3003, Lancaster, PA 17604-3003.

More than one hundred craftspersons will demonstrate skills representative of the eighteenth and nineteenth cen­turies during the annual Mer­cer Museum Folk Fest sponsored by the Bucks County Historical Society on Saturday and Sunday, May 12-13 [1990]. For more details, write: Mercer Museum, Bucks County Historical Society, Pine St., Doylestown, PA 18901; or telephone (215) 345-0210.

The Commonwealth’s an­nual Conference on Historic Preservation will be held in Scranton from Thursday through Saturday, April 26-28 [1990]. Four themes will be addressed by experienced preservation authorities: the image of his­toric preservation; cultural tourism; institutional owner­ship of historic property; and changing demographics and their impact on the cultural landscape. For registration information and schedule of events, write: The Preservation Fund of Pennsylvania, 2470 Kissel Hill Rd., Lancaster, PA 17601; or telephone (717) 569-2243.

The Pennsylvania State Archives will sponsor “ArcFest ’90,” a week-long celebration of the Commonwealth’s docu­mentary heritage from Sunday through Saturday, May 20-26 [1990]. Events will include a vintage film festival, lunchtime lec­tures on genealogical research and extended research hours. On Saturday, May 26 [1990], visitors are invited to bring family documentary treasures for conservation advice and appraisal. For additional informa­tion, write: “ArcFest ’90,” Pennsylvania State Archives, P.O. Box 1026, Harrisburg, PA 17108-1026; or telephone (717) 783-3281.

“Nineteenth Century American Art,” an exhibition of fifty paintings and sculp­tures drawn from the collec­tions of the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, will remain on view through Sun­day, April 22 [1990]. The show, which complements the Academy’s landmark exhibition entitled “Paris 1889: American Artists at the Universal Exposition” (see “Currents” in the winter 1990 issue), includes works by William Picknell, Martin John­son Heade, Frank Duveneck, William Merritt Chase, Thomas Hovenden, John Fre­derick Peto, Thomas Eakins, John Singer Sargent, Cecilia Beaux and Bessie Potter Von­noh. To obtain additional in­formation, write: Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, Broad and Cherry Sts., Phila­delphia, PA 19102; or tele­phone (215) 972-7642.

Period clothing, mourning accoutrements, antique games and related ephemera will be on view in at exhibit at the Washington County Historical Society scheduled to open on Wednesday, May 2 [1990]. “The Vic­torians At Home” will con­tinue through Friday, August 31 [1990], at the society’s LeMoyne House. For more information, write: Washington County Historical Society, 49 East Maiden St., Washington, PA 15301; or telephone (412) 225-6740.

Selections from the West­moreland Museum of Art’s permanent collection – includ­ing American paintings, draw­ings, sculpture, prints, as well as decorative arts of the eight­eenth through the twentieth centuries – will be on exhibit from Sunday, May 6 [1990], through Sunday, August 26 [1990]. The ex­hibit will also be accompanied by examples of southwestern Pennsylvania art, a special interest of the museum. For additional information, write: Westmoreland Museum of Art, 221 North Main St., Greens­burg, PA 15601; or telephone (412) 837-1500.