Shorts
Written by PA Heritage Staff in the Shorts category and the Summer 1999 issue Topics in this article: Adams County, Altoona, Barns-Brinton House, Beatrice Fenton, Carlisle, Chadds Ford, Chadds Ford Historical Society, Constance Cochrane, Cumberland County, Daniel Garber, Doylestown, Dwight D. Eisenhower, Edith Lucile Howard, Edward Willis Redfield, Fern Coppedge, fraktur, Gettysburg, Goshenhoppen Historians Museum, Harmony, Harriet Whitney Frishmuth, Heritage Center of Lancaster County, Horseshoe Curve, Isabel Branson Cartwright, James A. Michener Art Museum, John Fulton Folinsbee, Ligonier, Lloyd Mifflin, M. Elizabeth Price, Mary-Russell Ferrell Colton, Mennonites, Montgomery County, National Historic Landmark, National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places, Native Americans, Philadelphia, Phipps Conservatory, Reading, Reading Public Museum, U.S. Military Academy (West Point), Walter Emerson Baum, World War I“Pennsylvania Regionalism: The Turn of the Century,” on view at the Cumberland County Historical Society, Carlisle, through Saturday, October 30 [1999], presents a survey of impressionism and realism spanning the period from 1870 to the 1930s. The exhibit features landscapes, still lifes, and portraits by twenty-four Pennsylvania artists, among them Edward W. Redfield, Daniel Garber, Walter Emerson Baum, John Fulton Folinsbee, Lloyd Mifflin, and Esther Groome. For more information, write: Cumberland County Historical Society, 21 North Pitt St., Carlisle, PA 17013; or telephone (717) 249-6931 or 249-7610. Free.
On Saturday, August 7 [1999], the Hans Herr House and Museum in Willow Street will host Heritage Day, offering a look at farm life and rural activities of the late eighteenth, nineteenth, and early twentieth centuries. Nearly forty demonstrations and workshops – among them haying, threshing, gardening, quilting, and hearth cooking – will be given throughout the day. For more information, write: Hans Herr House and Museum, 1849 Hans Herr Dr., Willow Street, PA 17584; or telephone (717) 464-4438. Admission.
Interpreters and skilled artisans will bring history to life at the Compass Inn Museum, Laughlintown, during the weekend of August 21-22 [1999]. Tours and demonstrations will complement the tour of the Compass Inn, a restored 1799 stagecoach stop that has been named to the National Register of Historic Places. Costumed guides recount the history and stories of everyday life on the frontier in the early nineteenth century. Additional information may be obtained by writing: Compass Inn Museum, Ligonier Valley Historical Society, P.O. Box 167, Laughlin town, PA 15655; or telephone (412) 238-4983. Admission.
Opening Saturday, July 10 [1999], at the James A. Michener Art Museum in Doylestown is “The Philadelphia Ten: A Women’s Artist Group, 1917-1945,” showcasing the work of thirty Philadelphia-based painters and sculptors who banded together with the sole purpose of “showing just the work they wished to present, in the most dignified and harmonious manner.” The group provided much-needed support and exhibition opportunities for professional women artists at a time when the art world was dominated by men. “The Philadelphia Ten” will feature works by, among others, Fern Coppedge, M. Elizabeth Price, Isabel Branson Cartwright, Constance Cochrane, Mary Russell Ferrell Colton and Edith Lucile Howard, Harriett Whitney Frishmuth, and Beatrice Fenton. The show continues through Sunday, October 3 [1999]. For more information, write: James A. Michener Art Museum, 138 South Pine St., Doylestown, PA 18901; telephone (215) 340-9800; or visit the James A. Michener Art Museum website. Admission.
The sixth annual Native American festival will be hosted by the Reading Public Museum during the weekend of July 10-11 [1999]. The event will feature authentic Native American crafts, demonstrations, drumming, dances, and lectures and family activities. More details may be obtained by writing: Reading Public Museum, 500 Museum Rd., Reading, PA 19611; or by telephoning (610) 371-5850. Admission.
The Goschenhoppen Historians’ thirty-third annual Folk Festival will be held Friday and Saturday, August 13-14 [1999], at the Goschenhoppen Park in East Greenville, Montgomery County. The event celebrates Pennsylvania German crafts, skills, music, and food. For information, write: Goschenhoppen Historians, Box 476, Green Lane, PA 18054-0476; or telephone (215) 234- 8953. Admission.
Subtly recalling the excitement of the art world centered in Paris at the dose of the nineteenth century, “Fin de Siecle” examines developments during the past one hundred years, as the twentieth century fades into the twenty-first. The exhibit, sponsored by the Pittsburgh Society of Artists at the Pittsburgh Center for the Arts, will be on view from Saturday, July 31, through Sunday, August 29 [1999]. To obtain more information, write: Pittsburgh Center for the Arts, 6300 Fifth Ave., Pittsburgh, PA 15232; or telephone (412) 361-0873. Free.
A program featuring costumed artisans demonstrating crafts of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, Dankfest will be hosted by Historic Harmony during the weekend of August 28-29 [1999]. Costumed artisans will demonstrate crafts of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. Dankfest will also include tours of the village, designated a National Historic Landmark, period entertainment, and special interpretive activities. For more information, write: Historic Harmony, P.O. Box 524, Harmony, PA 16037-0524; or telephone (724) 452-7341 or toll-free (888) 821-4822. Admission.
“Lancaster County Mennonites: Their Traditional Arts,” on view at the Heritage Center Museum of Lancaster County, features more than seventy objects that document the Anabaptist sect’s artistic heritage of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. The exhibit, focusing on the history of this community, includes textiles, furniture, fraktur, and wrought iron. Pieces created by the Mennonites have ranked among the most elaborate of Pennsylvania German handiwork. “Lancaster County Mennonites” continues through Thursday, December 30 [1999]. For more information, write: Hermitage Center Museum of Lancaster County, 13 West King St., Lancaster, PA 17603-3813; or telephone (717) 299-6440. Free.
On Saturday and Sunday, August 28-29 [1999], the Chadds Ford Historical Society will host a demonstration of colonial era cheesemaking at the Barns-Brinton House. For information, write: Barns-Brinton House, Chadds Ford Historical Society, Box 27, Chadds Ford, PA 19317; telephone (610) 388-7376. Admission.
Altoona Railfest ’99, drawing railfans and enthusiasts from throughout the world, will be held during the weekend of October 2-3 [1999] by the Altoona Railroaders Memorial Museum. This year’s event will feature a look at railroading equipment, ephemera, and memorabilia, and tours of historic locomotives, rolling stock, and car shops. Visitors can also talk with railroaders. Excursions to the famous Horseshoe Curve will also be offered. For information, write: Altoona Railroaders Memorial Museum, 1300 Ninth Ave., Altoona, PA 16602; or telephone (814) 946-0834 or 941-7960. Admission.
An exploration of President Dwight D. Eisenhower’s life in Gettysburg, “Hike With Ike,” will be conducted Thursday evenings through Thursday, August 12 [1999], by the Eisenhower National Historic Site. A National Park Service ranger will lead a tour of Gettysburg’s streets while discussing the president’s years in the Adams County community. Participants will learn of his first encounter, as a West Point cadet, with the community, see the fraternity house he occupied while he served as a World War I post commander, and visit the post office from which he ran the country in 1955. For more information, write: Eisenhower National Historic Site, National Park Service, 97 Taneytown Rd., Gettysburg, PA 17325; or telephone (717) 338-9114. Free.
From Saturday, August 7, through Sunday, October 10, Pittsburgh’s Phipps Conservatory and Botanical Gardens will stage an exhibition of fountains and water gardens. For more than a century, Phipps Conservatory – a thirteen-room, Victorian era “crystal palace” – has attracted visitors with its botanical gardens of lush tropical plants, ferns, orchids, palms, and bonsai. To obtain additional details, write: Phipps Conservatory and Botanical Gardens, One Schenley Park, Pittsburgh, PA 15213-3830; or telephone (412) 622-6914. Admission.
