Flagship Niagara at Erie Maritime Museum

Posted by on Nov 25, 2013 in | Comments Off on Flagship Niagara at Erie Maritime Museum Among the more unusual treasures – and the only sailing vessel – interpreted by the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission, the U.S. Brig Niagara is the Commonwealth’s official flagship and goodwill ambassador. Berthed in her homeport at the Erie Maritime Museum, the ship carried Commodore Oliver Hazard Perry to his stunning victory over the British in the Battle of Lake...
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The Value of Pennsylvania History

Posted by on Nov 25, 2013 in | Comments Off on The Value of Pennsylvania History George W. Bush won the presidential election of 2000 because the fifty states cast more electoral votes for him, even though more people actually voted for his opponent, Albert A. Gore Jr. The election reminded Americans about a curious institution called the Electoral College, and an equally peculiar system known as federalism in which each state conducts elections according to distinct laws...
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A Letter from the Chairman

Posted by on Nov 25, 2013 in | Comments Off on A Letter from the Chairman It’s no secret that Pennsylvania abounds with spectacular resources, both natural and historic, including vast forestlands, state parks, majestic mountains, verdant valleys, and hundreds of historical organizations and cultural institutions, including the more than two dozen historic sites and museums that make up the popular and well-traveled Pennsylvania Trail of History. No matter where...
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PHMC Highlights

Posted by on Nov 25, 2013 in | Comments Off on PHMC Highlights The Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania, Strasburg, will host “Railway Heritage in the Heart of Penn­sylvania Dutch Country,” the forty-fifth annual conference of the Association of Railway Museums from Wednesday through Sunday, October 5-9. Conference topics include steel car preservation, oral history programs, historical writing, and linking railroading and the public school...
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Experience Lake Erie as a Seaman!

Posted by on Nov 20, 2013 in | Comments Off on Experience Lake Erie as a Seaman! Standing on Lake Erie’s shoreline on a summer day, your eye catches a glint of sunlight on a tiny speck white far off in the distance. Eventually, sails, masts, and rigging of a magnificent tall ship emerge over the horizon, unlike any other structure for hundreds of miles in any direction. For those on board this stately vessel, the US Brig Niagara offers an incomparable experience. They can...
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Executive Director’s Letter

Posted by on Nov 20, 2013 in | Comments Off on Executive Director’s Letter Anniversaries offer opportunities for us to collectively consider our past, and reflecting on the past inevitably helps us to consider the future. This fall at the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission (PHMC) we are reflecting on two national anniversaries. The first is the nation’s commemoration of the bicentennial of the War of 1812. It’s an often overlooked conflict and one that’s...
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A Flag Bears Witness – Don’t Give Up The Ship

Posted by on Nov 20, 2013 in | Comments Off on A Flag Bears Witness – Don’t Give Up The Ship A mere five words stitched on a flag in 1813 in a tiny frontier village produced one of the most enduring symbols in United States history. Two hundred years later those few words – Don’t Give Up The Ship – have become a stirring, unofficial motto of the U.S. Navy; a rallying cry; and a flag flown from masts of sailboats, yachts, tall ships, and more. The details of the War of...
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A Tall Order for a Tall Ship: Pennsylvania’s Flagship Niagara – An Interview with Captain Walter P. Rybka

Posted by on Nov 20, 2013 in | Comments Off on A Tall Order for a Tall Ship: Pennsylvania’s Flagship Niagara – An Interview with Captain Walter P. Rybka Continuing his stellar career with sailing landmarks – including several vessels built specifically to train sailors – Walter P. Rybka joined the staff of the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission (PHMC) in 1991 as master of the Flagship Niagara. It was the Brig Niagara, his relief flagship, that Commodore Oliver Hazard Perry commandeered and led the American forces to a...
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Executive Director’s Letter

Posted by on Nov 20, 2013 in | Comments Off on Executive Director’s Letter The commemoration of historical events and anniversaries is one of the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission’s legislated responsibilities. The year 2013 will provide a number of opportunities to do so. For each of us these anniversaries provide a doorway to discovering more about Pennsylvania’s legacies. This year three notable anniversaries relate to the American Civil War. In January...
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Celebrating a Milestone with the Best of the Past

Posted by on Nov 20, 2013 in | Comments Off on Celebrating a Milestone with the Best of the Past Over the years — thirty-five to be precise — Pennsylvania Heritage has enjoyed the distinct pleasure — and great privilege — of presenting readers a veritable treasure trove of works of art held by historical organizations and cultural institutions throughout the Keystone State and beyond. From museums, colleges and universities, galleries, and libraries, we borrowed exceptional artworks in a...
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