Mailbox
Written by PA Heritage Staff in the Mailbox category and the Fall 1990 issue Topics in this article:The Studio of Ben Solowey is currently collecting information concerning the works of theater portraitist, Bucks County landscape artist and sculptor Ben Solowey (1900-1978). Although his theater portraits number more than 850, only 450 have been located to date. Information regarding these portraits will be used in upcoming exhibitions of this theater work. The Studio is. also interested in obtaining any photographic records of Solowey’s paintings, drawings and sculpture for an illustrated catalogue raisonne. (For a detailed account of the artist, see “Ben Solowey: The Thing Speaks for Itself” by Peter Frengel and David Leopold, which served as the cover story for the summer 1990 edition of Pennsylvania Heritage.) Correspondence should be directed to: David Leopold, Archivist, The Studio of Ben Solowey, Box 163, Bedminster, PA 18910; or telephone (215) 795-0228.
The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation is conducting a survey of covered bridges throughout the Commonwealth, and is seeking secondary sources to determine the historical significance of the spans, as well as their present condition. A questionnaire is being developed to collect pertinent data, and individuals with knowledge that may be helpful in the compilation of survey results are urged to write: Deborah Suciu, Environmental Quality Division, Pennsylvania Department of Transportation, Transportation and Safety Bldg., Room 1113, Harrisburg, PA 17120; or telephone (717) 783-9700.
Bartram’s Garden, Philadelphia, America’s oldest surviving botanic garden, is seeking photographs of the grounds and buildings for a celebration in 1991 to mark its one hundred years as a public park. Especially sought are late nineteenth century photographs, probably taken in the 1870s, of a greenhouse that no longer exists. Individuals and institutions able to provide such images of Bartram’s Garden are encouraged to write: Lori Tate, Researcher, John Bartram Association, 54th St. and Lindbergh Blvd., Philadelphia, PA 19143; or telephone (215) 729-5281.
The Industrial Survey Project of the PHMC’s Bureau for Historic Preservation is seeking information, photographs and drawings, business records, correspondence and related materials pertaining to the Weimer Machine Works of Lebanon. The company was operated by Peter L., Lucien and William Weimer, who relocated from nearby Reading in 1854 to build cars and repair locomotives for the Philadelphia and Reading Railroad. The Weimer Machine Works later manufactured blowing engines and furnace equipment for the iron and steel industry. Information may be shared with: Diane Reed, Bureau for Historic Preservation, Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission, P.O. Box 1026, Harrisburg, PA 17108-1026; or telephone (717) 787-8045.
Information – such as archival collections and oral histories – regarding the musical traditions of northwestern Pennsylvania, specifically Erie, Crawford, Mercer and Warren counties, is being collected for a research project to identify, document and interpret the traditions of music and dance in the rural areas of this region. Please write: Susan Beates Hansen, Curator, Erie County Historical Society, 417 State St., Erie, PA 16501; or telephone (814) 454-1813.
Landscape painter Everett Longley Warner (1877-1963) taught at the Carnegie Institute in Pittsburgh from 1924 to 1942, and recollections from his students and colleagues are necessary for a major biography of the artist. Individuals with personal correspondence, anecdotes and photographs are asked to write: Anna Marie Brooks, A.M. Brooks and Company Fine Arts, DeWitt Bldg., 215 North Cayuga St., Ithaca, N.Y. 14850.