NEWS AND COMMENT By DONALD H. KENT Pennsyivania Historical, and Museum Commission ASSOCIATION NEWS At its annual meeting at Raleigh, North Carolina, on October 4, the American Association for State and Local History selected the Pennsylvania Historical Association to receive its Award of Merit. The citation reads: For constant support and aid of the activities of other societies interested in State and local history in Pennsyl- vania, and for steady contributions to historical knowl- edge. It is good to see this recognition of the role of the Pennsylvania Historical Association in historical activities in the Common- wealth. HISTORICAL SOCIETIES At its annual business meeting on October 1, 1963, the Adams County Historical Society dedicated the Musselman, Berkey, Hill, and Stewart Rooms in its headquarters, "Old Dorm." On No- Axernber 5, J. Melchior Sheads addressed the society on "The Ver- sions of Lincoln's Gettysburg Address." On December 3, Donald Tyson spoke on "The Tyson Brothers: Pioneer Gettysburg Photographers." Dr S. K. Stevens, executive director, Pennsylvania Historical and 'Museutin Commission, talked to the Beaver Falls Historical Society on October 17 about ways to improve the society's services to the community and to develop its Historical Room. The first fall exhibit in the Museum of the Historical Society of Berks County was "A Pictorial History of Reading's Penn Square from 1733 to the Present Time." This exhibit was opened 93 l 94 PENNSYLVANIA HISTORY on September 22 with an illustrated lecture by Louis J. Heizmann, former president of the society, on old Reading sites. On October 6, Wilbur Dickinson of the Berks Camera Club presented a photo essay on the "Changing Face of Penn Square." In November, Ralph Dunkleberger, a well-known artist, talked to the Women's Auxiliary of the society on art in connection with the early history of Berks County. The Reading-Berks Chapter of the Pennsylvania Guild of Craftsmen held a three-day craft exhibit and Christmas sale at the society's headquarters on November 22-24, with demonstrations of various crafts. At a lecture meeting on December 15, Colonel Frederick A. Muhlenberg gave an address entitled, "Some Reminiscences of the First World War." The most notable event of the season, however, was the gift to the society of $7,750 from the Junior League of Reading, Inc., for the perpetuation of history in Reading and Berks County. The presentation was made on the occasion of the fortieth anniversary celebration of the league. The Blair County Historical Society has been working closely with congressional sponsors of the bill to create the Allegheny Portage Railroad National Historic Site and Johnstown Flood Memorial and to make these projects part of the National Park Service, U. S. Department of the Interior. Proposed sites to be included for maintenance, development, potential historical restora- tion, and public recreation are the Portage tunnel and canal dam at Johnstown, the railroad summit area, all of which are in Cambria County, and four of five remaining inclined planes and levels, still well preserved, in Blair County. A subcommittee and the full Committee on Interior and Insular Affairs have held hearings and reported the bill favorably to the House of Repre- sentatives. Passage cannot be expected at this session, but the prospect of enactment next year appears encouraging. The annual dinner meeting of the Brownsville Historical Society was held on October 24 at the Nemacolin Country Club, with about sixty members in attendance. Howard Porter, a member of the executive committee of the Pennsylvania State Rural Area Re- development Council, spoke on the possibility of using historical sites in the Brownsville area as tourist attractions. The annual NEWS AND COMMENT ')5 business meeting of the society was held on November 14, when the following were elected to three-year terms as directors: Frank Silliman, Howard Porter, Louis Richards, and Mrs. Louise White. Dr. Ralph F. Garafalo was elected president, and the other offi- cers elected included Frank Silliman, vice-president; Louise White, recording secretary; Dr. H. D. Wilkins, treasurer; and Mrs. Julia Griffin, corresponding secretary. The Bucks County Historical Society held its autumn meeting on September 28 at the village of Uhlerstown on the bank of the Delaware Division Canal. Hal Clark led a panel discussion of Uhlerstown and its environs. On October 5 the society sponsored a historical tour to the Sleepy Hollow Restorations at Croton-on- l Iudson, New York. A remarkable collection of fire-fighting memorabilia, which was bequeathed to the society in 1919 by the former Volunteer Firemen's Association of Philadelphia, has been rejuvenated and placed on display in a newly established exhibit area in the basement of the Elkins Building. This "Volunteer Firemen in America" exhibit was previewed at a meeting on November 20, and then opened to the public as an added attrac- tion to visitors to the society's museum. There is an admission charge of 75 cents for adults and 25 cents for children. A Christ- mas open house was held in the Mercer Museum on December 11. At the meeting of the Butler County Historical Society on No- vember 15, i\Iiss Lila Adams presented "Who's Who of the Past in Butler County." At the September 17 meeting of the Chester Couinty Historical Society, Mrs. A. William Ball, Jr., previewed the 23rd annual Chester County Day with an illustrated talk on the art, archi- tecture, antiques, and history of the county. The annual banquet wvas held on October 15, and featured an illustrated lecture on "The American Dream of Antiquity," by Dr. Edgar P. Richard- son, director of the staff at Winterthur. The society's annual open house was held on Sunday, November 17, when more than four hundred persons visited the museum at 225 North High Street in West Chester. This year's theme, "Chester County Furniture," served as a background for the meeting on November 19, when 96 PENNSYLVANIA HISTORY Mrs. Herbert Schiffer spoke on "Furniture Treasures in Our Museum." The Christmas meeting on December 10 included two illustrated talks: "Favorite Dolls of Pennsylvania Girls," by Miss Winnie Langley; and "Christmas Lore and Customs of Penn- sylvania," by Mrs. Lynmar Brock. There was a special display from the society's growing collection of toys as well as a Christ- mas tree with antique decorations. At the annual meeting of the Clarion County Historical Society on October 8, Miss Dorothy Whitehill was re-elected president; George W. Cole, first vice-president: Mrs. Martha S. Rose, sec- retarv; Mlerle B. Eberlin, corresponding secretary; Bird E. Riley, financial secretary; and Mrs. Amy C. Davis. treasurer. B. M. Davis, former county superintendent of schools, was the speaker of the evening on the subject, "Chief Cornplanter the Man." The need of the societv for a home of its own was discussed and a fund-raisilng committee was appointed. At a later meeting of the society's board of directors, Mr. Eberlin was elected curator. The annual anniversary dinner of the society was held in the Prosperity Grange Hall on November 14. with a program featuring the junior Historian movement in Pennsylvania. The speakers in- cluded Mrs. Autumn Leonard, associate historian of the Pennsyl- vania Historical and Museum Commission and executive secretary of the Pennsvlvania Federation of Junior Historians; William Gilbert, district director for the Junior Historians in Clarion, Jefferson, and Venango counties; and two local Junior Historians. Entertainment was provided by the Boy Scout "Indian Chunka Dancers' of Knox and nearby communities. Members of the so- ciety were saddened by the sudden death on November 30 of Director Mrs. Velma K. Fitzgerald, who was chairman of the librarv-mnuseum committee. She willed to the society her home in Clarion and a considerable number of books and other items of historical interest. The Clearfield County Historical Society held its annual meet- ing on November 19, when some 125 members heard a scholarly report on the Kephart family, presented by the Rev. John H. Ness, curator and secretary of the Historical Society of the Evangelical United Brethren Church. For the use of the local newspaper the NEWS AND COMMENT 97 society each week provides a photograph from its files of old pictures. The society is on the air each Saturday at 11:30 a.m. with a fifteen-minute radio program on the local station, in which some item of historical interest to the county is discussed. The annual banquet of the Clinton County Historical Society was held on October 15. Hugh Manchester, of the editorial staff of the Bellefonte Centre Demiocrat, and president of the Centre County Historical Society, was the featured speaker, discussing the joint history of Clinton and Centre counties. At the meeting on November 11, Clarke Kahler of Muncy spoke on the death of Captain John Brady. At the meeting of the Cocalico Historical Society in the Ephrata Public Library on November 21, Clarence Spohn presented an illustrated talk on "The Battle of Gettysburg." The Columbia County Historical Society completed its public activities for the year 1963 with two stated meetings, at Esther Furnace, Franklin Township, on October 12; and at Berwick on October 30. The Esther Furnace meeting dealt with the history of the early charcoal iron furnace, which was operated for half a century. Members in attendance enjoyed conducted excursions to view scenery, old grist mills, and covered bridges. In the eve- ning, Mrs. Kenneth Artley presented the history of Esther Furnace and students of Southern Columbia County Joint High School presented musical numbers and two historical papers, the latter by Randy Whitenight and Timothy Steele. Their teacher is Mrs. Charles M. Rarig. At the Berwick meeting, Dr. Barbara Shockley, of the Bloomsburg State College faculty, presented aspects of the Constitution of Pennsylvania and conducted an open forum.