Trailheads

When we rang in 2021, Pennsylvania’s Trails of History sites had been closed to the public for nine months because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Maintenance and security staff had continued to report to sites to perform their duties, while others of us had adapted to telework. The new year dawned with hope of spring reopenings, and on April 30 sites implemented new public schedules designed to ease everyone back into the routine. Visitors were happy to be back and so were the staff and volunteers who had missed them. Some special events took place in the summer; harvest and Halloween events filled the fall calendar. Virtual programs, such as the PHMC Virtual Collections Showcase, with multiple sites presenting objects around a common theme, and PA History: Read It, See It, a collaboration between PHMC and the State Library of Pennsylvania, as well as numerous virtual lectures, continued to connect sites to a broader online audience and to each other.

For this year’s Trailheads retrospective, we’re focusing on collections — objects that were exhibited this year or were entered into PHMC’s public collections portal.

54th Art of the State Exhibition

The State Museum of Pennsylvania’s 2021 annual juried exhibition, Art of the State, received 2,217 entries. Jurors Julia Dolan (Portland Museum of Art, Oregon), Joyce Owens (Chicago State University) and Matthew Hinçman (Massachusetts College of Art and Design) selected 104 works from artists in 31 Pennsylvania counties for inclusion in the exhibition, which opened on September 26 and continues through January 2, 2022. Artists received awards in five categories: painting, photography, craft, sculpture and work on paper. Winners were selected by Art Miner (Georgetown University).

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Due to continuing concerns about indoor gatherings, there was no opening reception, and the awards were announced on social media. COVID-19’s impact is also seen in the content of many of the works included in the exhibition. Visitors to the Art of the State landing page will find an exhibition catalogue, artist resumes and statements, links to past exhibitions, and information on exhibit-related programs.

Exploring Collections Online

PHMC’s online presence expanded significantly with curators teleworking and able to focus on adding objects into the collections management system and creating entries for the public portal that makes images and information readily available. The objects below, with information drawn from the curators’ entries, help to illustrate the breadth and depth of PHMC’s collections.

Pennsylvania Military Museum, MM2020.6.1

Nylon and Kevlar body armor vest, Pennsylvania Military Museum. Lewistown native Shane Orndorf wore this flak vest during his U.S. Army service in Afghanistan. Interceptor Multi-Threat Body Armor System (IBA) is a bullet-resistant vest that consists of the outer vest with optional additional protective pieces including a throat protector, groin protection, and biceps/deltoid protector. The vest has interior pockets into which plates of body armor are inserted. Normally soldiers are required to turn in the body armor plates upon completion of their service or pay for lost or damaged plates. When Orndorf was preparing to leave Afghanistan, he opted to pay for the plates, so they were with the vest when he donated it to the museum.

Landis Valley Village & Farm Museum, FM2021.10.1A-D

Three-piece handmade wedding ensemble, Landis Valley Village & Farm Museum. Mary Emma Eshelman (1870–1954) wore this dress when she married Melo Henry Weaver (1857–1942) on January 10, 1894, in Lancaster. The ensemble consists of a hat, a bodice and a skirt and is accessorized with a brown parasol that appears to match the lining of the dress. The bodice and dress are made of a creamy pinkish silk or cotton fabric with ribbed gray trim. The bodice has puffed “leg-of-mutton” sleeves, portrait collar and tightly fitted waist. The hat is made of grayish ribbed fabric with three fabric flowers, a fabric bow and beige ostrich feathers. It has four silver hat pins and is lined in cream silk.

Drake Well Museum & Park, DW2019.29.17

Desk & Derrick Club lapel pin, Drake Well Museum & Park. This pin was part of a trove of objects and manuscript material assembled and donated by Jean Riddle. Oilman Jack McClure hired her in 1983 and made sure that she learned every step of the oil production process. One of very few women in the industry, Riddle worked as a “landman,” negotiating oil leases with landowners on behalf of oil and gas producers. Once established in her career, she helped organize seminars to educate industry workers in many subjects, from geology to safety; she also attended regional and national meetings to continue her own education in the field. In 1985 Riddle was instrumental in establishing the Oil Creek Desk & Derrick Club, which met at Drake Well Museum.

Cornwall Iron Furnace, CF2020.1.1

18th-century daybook/blotter, Cornwall Iron Furnace. Part of a collection of late-18th- and early-19th-century daybooks and ledgers, this string-bound book records transactions at Samuel Rex’s Store from May 21, 1793, to March 1, 1795. Rex was a merchant based in the village of Schaefferstown, about 8 miles from Cornwall. His store supplied goods to workers and ironmasters alike. Ironworkers from Cornwall (and other furnaces and forges in the area) could use store credit against future wages. Daybooks were used to record transactions and note whether the purchaser was using credit, paying cash or paying off debt. As such, it is a glimpse into everyday life in the late 18th century and includes purchases of sugar, coffee, spices, tobacco, sheet iron, fabric, buckles and buttons, among other items. Additional daybooks from Rex’s store acquired by Cornwall provide documentation into early 1807.

Pennsylvania Anthracite Heritage Museum, AC2021.8.2

Commemorative face mask, Pennsylvania Anthracite Heritage Museum. In April 2021, the Eastern Coalition for Abandoned Mine Reclamation (EPCAMR) hosted a tree planting event in Centralia, a near ghost town where an underground mine fire has been burning since 1962. Several sections of the former borough were roped off to allow trees to be planted by volunteers with the intent to beautify the landscape and deter people from littering. Volunteers received a reusable water bottle, a face mask due to COVID-19 health and safety guidelines, and a t-shirt. The donor participated in the tree planting event and later donated the gift items to the museum.

Amy Killpatrick Fox is a museum educator in PHMC’s Bureau of Historic Sites & Museums. She writes a weekly blog also called Trailheads.