Now Hear This! Oral Histories at the Historical and Museum Commission

Posted by on Nov 30, 2013 in | Comments Off on Now Hear This! Oral Histories at the Historical and Museum Commission Something very healthy is happening in the field of American history which will profoundly influence future writing and thinking about our past. Oral historians are helping to change our sense of the social fabric of the country. In fact, it is difficult now to measure the meaning of our nation’s and Pennsyl­vania’s past, or the quality of American life, solely in terms of the...
read more

Life in an Industrial Boom Town: Monessen, 1898-1923

Posted by on Nov 30, 2013 in | Comments Off on Life in an Industrial Boom Town: Monessen, 1898-1923 In reading about our nation’s past, we often forget how different life was for our ancestors. We read about historical figures and movements, but rarely – except in excellent historical novels – do we gain a glimpse into the living environment. We also tend to for­get that there are many past environ­ments, each producing its own style and pace of living. During the late...
read more

Historical Societies As Nonprofit Organizations

Posted by on Nov 28, 2013 in | Comments Off on Historical Societies As Nonprofit Organizations Incorporation The long-range interests of groups such as historical societies are best served by incorporating them as nonprofit organizations. In­corporation creates a legal identity for your society and consequently con­veys important legal protections. Once incorporated, your members are se­cured from society debts, individual liabilities and other legal actions; your collections of...
read more

Fund-Raising for Historical Societies

Posted by on Nov 28, 2013 in | Comments Off on Fund-Raising for Historical Societies This is the second and final segment of a two-part series on historical societies prepared by Mr. Magda, Part I of which appeared in the Spring issue (see “Historical Societies As Nonprofit Organizations”).   Historical societies should not underestimate the possibilities or raising money from their local communities. A large and successful local fund-raising pro­gram is solely...
read more