The Bradford County Historical Society announces that its museum is now open for the 2010 season.
The museum is located in the former Bradford County jail, located at 109 Pine Street in Towanda. The museum features two floors of exhibits that can be found in the former jail cells and other rooms. Each exhibit features an accompanying easy-to-understand descriptive panel that includes stories, statistics and photographs. Many reminders of the jail still exist, including the original jail doors, a dungeon cell, prisoner exercise yard, Sheriff’s house, and much more.
Visitors will find six new rotating displays this season including an exhibit about Charles Carroll of Carrollton who was the last living signer of the Declaration of Independence and owned over 1,000 acres of land in Bradford County.
A photography exhibit is spread throughout three different cases and includes a variety of cameras from the late 1800’s and early 1900’s along with examples of various types of photography from the last 150 years.
Another case tells the history of “Old People Day,” an event sponsored by the Bradford County Historical Society in the early 1900’s. The main lobby display has an interesting display of odd and unusual items from the Society collection including souvenirs from famous buildings and ships, a saw back bayonet, a piece of human skull from the Civil War and other objects collected over 100 years ago.
BCHS also announces that Shannon Funk is this year’s summer tour guide. Shannon is a 2009 graduate of Bloomsburg University, earning her Masters in Education and her Bachelors in History and Anthropology. She will be glad to give you a tour of the museum when you visit this summer.
Museum hours are Thursday through Saturday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. The Research Library is also open and the hours are Wednesday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and the first Saturday of each month, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
The Bradford County Historical Society is supported in part by the Bradford County United Way and the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission. For more information about the Society visit www.bradfordhistory.com or join the Bradford County Historical Society Facebook page for the latest news.
