Postcards Can Be Valuable

Posted by on Nov 29, 2013 in | Comments Off on Postcards Can Be Valuable William E. Stewart of Arnold, Pennsylvania, may have one of the largest collection of postcards in America. And, in addition, he has a wealth of information on what the cards depict. The postcard originated in Austria in the 1860’s with a young professor. Dr. Emmanuel Herman. The first official postal card appeared on October 1, 1869. Soon Germany and Great Britain introduced similar...
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In Search of the Elusive Basketmaster

Posted by on Nov 29, 2013 in | Comments Off on In Search of the Elusive Basketmaster Four years ago, when our project of tape record­ing oral traditions in the Union County area began, we became aware that several area families had been making baskets for generations. Particularly in the “tight end” of our county, where the Shivelys were, and the Forest Hill area, where the Diehls had lived, these skills and attitudes were passed down and practiced much longer than...
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The Proud Romanians of Pennsylvania

Posted by on Nov 28, 2013 in | Comments Off on The Proud Romanians of Pennsylvania Search through the smoky steel towns nestled in the hills of central and western Pennsylvania and you will find the scattered descendants of once-numerous communities of Romanian immigrants. While Romanians settled throughout the state wherever mining and ‘industrial work was present, the largest concentrations remaining to­day are in Erie, Mercer. Lawrence, Beaver, Allegheny, Cambria and...
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The French in Northwest Pennsylvania, 1753-1759

Posted by on Nov 28, 2013 in | Comments Off on The French in Northwest Pennsylvania, 1753-1759 Every summer numerous va­cationers from both within and beyond Pennsylvania’s borders come to the northwest comer of the state to use the recreational facilities of Presque Isle State Park. Probably few of the summer visitors sunning themselves along the state park’s beaches, or swimming in Lake Erie, pause to ask themselves how the park and peninsula came to bear a French name. It...
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Chin Up, Smile, Keep ‘Em Happy!

Posted by on Nov 26, 2013 in | Comments Off on Chin Up, Smile, Keep ‘Em Happy! With the construc­tion of movie palaces through­out Pennsylvania in the years immediately fol­lowing World War I, ushering – quite ordinary employment in the days of the nickelodeon – became a much-sought-after vocation. For it was then that movie house showmen first pronounced that service was the “personality” of show business, and that ushers were an individual...
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Shorts

Posted by on Nov 26, 2013 in | Comments Off on Shorts The distinctively decorated furniture of Soap Hollow in Somerset County (see “Makers’ Marks and a Master’s Touch” by Edna V. Brendlinger and Robert B. Myers in the winter 1986 edition) is on view at the Southern Alleghenies Mu­seum of Art, Loretto, from Saturday, March 27, through Monday, May 31, 1993. Soap Hollow furniture, made during the second half of the nine­teenth...
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Mailbox

Posted by on Nov 26, 2013 in | Comments Off on Mailbox The State Museum of Pennsylvania, Harrisburg, is compiling a comprehensive listing of works by Pennsylvania artist Lloyd Mifflin (1846-1921), hailed as the “Poet and Painter of the Sus­quehanna River.” Born in Columbia, Lancaster County, Mifflin studied in Europe in the early 1870s and returned to his home­town to devote his life to painting and poetry. In addition to his paintings,...
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U.S. Brig Niagara

Posted by on Nov 26, 2013 in | Comments Off on U.S. Brig Niagara Commissioned as the Commonwealth’s official flagship in 1990, the United States Brig Niagara is a re-creation of the sailing warship commanded by Commodore Oliver Hazard Perry during the Battle of Lake Erie in September 1813. Today, the vessel – crewed by professionals and volunteers – gives visitors a rare opportunity to see, firsthand, the workings of a nineteenth century...
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Sail On, O Ship of State: An Interview with Capt. Walter Rybka of the U.S. Brig Niagara

Posted by on Nov 26, 2013 in | Comments Off on Sail On, O Ship of State: An Interview with Capt. Walter Rybka of the U.S. Brig Niagara Summer 1992 marked the longest and most ambitious voyage of the historic United States Brig Niagara. Originally built for the fleet of Commo­dore Oliver Hazard Perry (1785-1819), the ship carried the twenty eight year old commandant to a decisive victory over the British during the bitter War of 1812 on September 10, 1813 (see “The Battle of Lake Erie: A Victory for Commodore Perry”...
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Shorts

Posted by on Nov 26, 2013 in | Comments Off on Shorts The seventeenth annual Conference on Black History will be conducted by the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission on Friday and Saturday, May 13-14, 1994, in Erie. The theme of this year’s event is “African Americans at Work in Pennsyl­vania.” For additional information, write: 1994 Conference on Black History, Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission, P. O. Box...
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