Tuesday, April 29, 2014

BCHS Exhibit Opening and Reception, May 18

The Bradford County Historical Society invites all interested patrons to an Exhibit Opening and Reception to officially begin the 2014 season.

This event will be held Sunday, May 18, 2014, 2 pm, at the Bradford County Historical Society. The event will begin in the Great Room at 2 pm with an introduction followed by a tour of the new exhibits by Matthew Carl, BCHS Manager and Curator.

The featured exhibit for 2014 is “Educating Bradford County”. Located in the rotating exhibit room on the second floor, this exhibit features several display cases with historical material from schools in Bradford County. You will find material from the Susquehanna Collegiate Institute, the Robert Packer Hospital School of Nursing, antique instruments and a fascinating scale from the Towanda High School, yearbooks, diplomas, textbooks, class souvenir cards, a quilt made in the Ulster-Sheshequin School in 1989, and more.

Other small exhibits this year include a display of Towanda Cut Glass, a display of Spanish American War items, a 100-year old homemade Lehigh Valley Railroad toy train, a collection of Sylvania Men’s Chorus memorabilia and other surprises.

Refreshments will be served after the tour.

The museum will open for regular hours beginning Wednesday, May 21. Hours will be Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday, 10 am – 4 pm. Call for Saturday hours. Note that these are the same hours as the research center.

Wednesday, April 23, 2014

"Friday Night at the Museum" season to begin with Lehigh Valley Railroad program, May 16

The Bradford County Historical Society will host a program entitled "Memories of the Black Diamond: The Story of the Lehigh Valley Railroad’s Famous Train" scheduled for Friday, May 16, 2014 at 6 p.m. Doors open at 5:30 p.m. There is no admission charge for this event but donations are appreciated. To reserve a seat, participants are asked to register by calling 570-265-2240 or by email at info@bradfordhistory.com.

The program traces the history of one of the most famous intercity trains in the Northeast that existed between 1896 and 1963, the Lehigh Valley’s Black Diamond. More than 200 images will be used to tell the story.

Railroad historian, Richard Palmer, of Syracuse will present this program. He authored the book, “The Handsomest Train in the World,” which correlates with his program. Palmer has taken a special interest in the history of this railroad, which contributed much to the growth and development of Towanda for generations.

Richard Palmer has written more than a dozen books pertaining to railroads in upstate New York.

This program is part of the 2014 "Friday Night at the Museum" programming series that is held the third Friday of each month from May through October. Each event is held in the Great Room at the Bradford County Historical Society, located at 109 Pine Street, Towanda, PA. Refreshments are provided at each program and the museum is open prior to the event.

Other Friday Night at the Museum programs scheduled for 2014 include: Bradford County Churches and Communities: Past and Present, June 20; Waiting for the Queen: A New Novel Set at French Azilum, July 18; The Towanda of the 1870’s, August 15; Remarkable Women of Bradford County, September 19; and Towanda’s Early Water Supply, October 17.

The Bradford County Historical Society is a recipient agency of the Bradford County United Way. For more information about the society and its programming schedule, museum or research center, visit www.bradfordhistory.com or check out the society Facebook page at facebook.com/BradfordCountyHistoricalSociety.