Congratulations are in Order Photo via Ephrata Cloister Facebook page Congratulations to the staff, board, and volunteers at Ephrata Cloister on their recent reaccreditation by the American Alliance of Museums (AAM). Ephrata was first accredited by AAM in 1983 and has maintained its status through three subsequent accreditation reviews. It is one of only 202 museums in the nation to achieve accreditation status four times and one of only 35 accredited museums in Pennsylvania. This national recognition reflects a commitment to excellence and high professional standards, as well as co ..read more

Another Anniversary! Celebrate the 275th anniversary of Hope Lodge by attending the British Car & Motorcycle Show on Saturday or the Ambler Symphony Concert on Wednesday (photo via Hope Lodge Facebook page) Historic Hope Lodge is celebrating the 275th anniversary of the completion of the mansion (read about Hope Lodge's history). The Erie Maritime Museum just marked the 25th anniversary of the opening of the museum on Erie's waterfront. The Pennsylvania Lumber Museum has a temporary exhibit in honor of the 90th anniversary of the Civilian Conservation Corps. And the Pennsylvania ..read more

Lilacs in bloom at Daniel Boone Homestead (Photo via DBH's Facebook page) As I mentioned in last week's post, most Trails of History sites will be closed on Monday, May 29, for Memorial Day. The Pennsylvania Military Museum and Fort Pitt Museum will be open. The Pennsylvania Military Museum is hosting a World War II event Saturday and Sunday, exploring the experiences of soldiers on the Western Front in Europe. Be sure to check the list of other events in the coming week, as well as the list of events requiring or offering advance tickets. Oh, and the list of summer camps. There's a ..read more

Music, Gardens, and More Enjoy lovely scenery and beautiful music at Ephrata Cloister this Sunday (photo via Ephrata's Facebook page) Please note that the Pennsylvania State Archives Search Room will close to the public on Monday, May 22, to allow staff to make final preparations for their move to the new State Archives facility on North Sixth St. in Harrisburg (online and mail services were suspended earlier this month). The Search Room and other archival services will resume in the fall at the new facility. I hope your weekend and the coming week are restful, fun, exciting or what ..read more

Watch This! Shop for all kinds of heirloom varieties at Landis Valley Village and Farm Museum today and Saturday (photo via LVVFM Facebook page) Over the past month or so, I've run across some Trails of History videos that I'd like to share. But first, I want to be sure you know about our PA History 2 Go project, which was funded through an Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) federal grant under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act. The series includes all Trails of History sites and provides overviews of site history and visitor experiences at e ..read more

Hungry? Visit Cornwall Iron Furnace to see food like this cooked in cast iron (photo via Cornwall's Facebook page) Have plans for the week ahead? Would you like to? Check out our program listings below. Also, we've had a couple of additions to the list of summer camps if you're still looking for something great for the kids or grandkids to do this summer. Up Next Friday, May 5 StoryTime (in-person); 10:30-11:30 am; The State Museum of PA Read What Grandma Did by Erin Miller with illustrations by Randall Harmon, the story of a little girl who learns her grandmother was a pilot dur ..read more

New Things to See This month marks the 90th anniversary of the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC), part of what became know as The New Deal during the Great Depression. A new temporary exhibit at the Pennsylvania Lumber Museum commemorates this event and supplements the CCC section of the museum's core exhibit, Choices and Challenges in Pennsylvania's Forests. Curator Josh Fox notes in a recent issue of the PA Lumber Museum Associates newsletter that Pennsylvania was home to the second CCC camp, ANF-1, which opened on April 24, 1933, in the Allegheny National Forest. Eventually, Fox writes, "Pe ..read more

Volunteers of the Year 2023 This past Saturday, April 15, we held our first in-person PHMC Volunteer of the Year awards ceremony since 2019 (see group photo above). We honored volunteers for service in 2022. Although the weather was quite rainy in Harrisburg, the assembled group at The State Museum of Pennsylvania was cheerful, vibrant, and good-humored. It was truly a pleasure to bring people together to say thank you for the hours of time and the tremendous amounts of talent that our volunteers contribute, working alongside our dedicated staff to care for collections, present programs, lea ..read more

History through Art Custom poster created by design firm School using Benjamin West's 1771 painting Penn's Treaty with the Indians (painting courtesy of the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, Philadelphia) Starting tomorrow and continuing for the next year, a new sound installation at Pennsbury Manor will take visitors on a journey through Pennsbury's riverfront grounds, honoring and reimagining environmental song-making practices surviving in the Lenape diaspora. With "nkwiluntàmën: I long for it; I am lonesome for it (such as the sound of a drum)," artist Nathan Young invites a ..read more

Snowdrops and daffodils at Pennsbury Manor (via Pennsbury's Facebook page) It's a pretty quiet week ahead on the Trails of History, but you'll still find things to do or to plan on doing. To the best of my knowledge, all Trails of History sites will be closed this Sunday for Easter, but they'll be on their regular schedules the rest of the week. Whatever holidays you are observing (or not), I hope that the week ahead brings you peace, time with friends and family, and the hope of spring. Up Next Today, April 7 StoryTime (in-person); 10:30-11:30 am; The State Museum of PA Listen t ..read more