Heather Palmer to Share Favorite Museum Piece Each Week

The museum is now open for the season Wednesday through Friday, 10 am to 4 pm and the first Saturday of the month, 10 am to 2 pm. New items are added to the exhibits every year in our museum. If you haven't visited in several years, you have missed several items that have been rotated in and out of the displays. This summer, Heather Palmer will be sharing a new photo each week to show some of the pieces that she finds most interesting. We hope you enjoy them and will stop by to see them in person along with hundreds of other local history artifacts. Following is her choice for this week. Visit the Curator's Blog to see the photo if it does not appear here.

#1 - LEHIGH VALLEY TRAIN
This wooden Lehigh Valley toy train was handcrafted by Thomas Edward Lafy (1881-1947) as a Christmas present for David Howe Lafy. As a child, David, placed the Christmas sticker on the side of the caboose. This beloved toy has been passed down through the generations and all is original but the wheels, which have gone on long treacherous journeys. Many train enthusiasts, both young and old, enjoy peering into the glass case to see this beautifully crafted piece of Bradford County history.

"Friday Night at the Museum" Begins Tonight

Another season of Friday Night at the Museum begins tonight at the Bradford County Historical Society. The program this evening is "The History of the Chapel on the Hill" presented by Henry Farley. Register by calling 570-265-2240 or by emailing info@bradfordhistory.com.

"The History of the Chapel on the Hill" to be presented by Henry Farley, May 15

The Bradford County Historical Society is pleased to announce the kickoff of its eighth season of Friday Night at the Museum programming by hosting a program titled The History of the Chapel on the Hill scheduled for Friday, May 15, 2015 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.

One of the only things that remain of the early Irish settlements that popped up across Bradford County in the days of the construction of the North Branch Canal is the Chapel on the Hill. This was the third church built by those Irish pioneers that settled in Ridgebury Township.

 Henry Farley, who has done extensive research on the Irish in Bradford County, will present a power point photo journey that tells the history of the Irish Chapel. The Ridgebury Irish settlement is one of the only early "Irish Patches" that has descendants of the original settlers still living there over 175 years later.

Farley is also president at the Bradford County Historical Society.

This program is part of the 2015 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 a half-hour prior to the event.

The Bradford County Historical Society is a recipient agency of the Bradford County United Way and the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission. 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.

Bradford County Historical Society to Host Exhibit Opening, May 17

The Bradford County Historical Society invites the public to attend an Exhibit Opening event on May 17, 2015, at 2 pm beginning in the Great Room of the museum at 109 Pine Street, Towanda. There is no admission fee.

The Exhibit Opening is an opportunity for the Historical Society to introduce the changes that have been made throughout the museum for this season. The event will open with a description of the museum tour schedule and the Friday Night at the Museum programming schedule for the year. 

Society Manager/Curator Matthew Carl will conduct a tour of the new displays found on both the first and second floors of the museum. He will explain the reason he chose to feature the new items that are on display this year and give some background information about them. After the tour, visitors may peruse the exhibits at their own pace and take a closer look at the new displays.

Patrons are then invited back to the Great Room to enjoy light refreshments.

The museum will open for the season on May 27 and will remain open Wednesday, Thursday and Friday from 10 am to 4 pm. Call for Saturday hours. Admission is a donation. Group tours may be arranged by calling 570-265-2240.

The Historical Society also welcomes back Heather Palmer who will work as summer tour guide in the museum again this year.

Patrons are reminded that the first Friday Night at the Museum program for the year will be held May 15, 2015 at 6 pm in the Great Room. The first program of the year is titled, “The History of the Chapel on the Hill,” presented by Henry Farley that tells the history of the Irish chapel in Ridgebury Township. Please call the museum at 570-265-2240 to reserve a seat for this free program.

For more information about the Historical Society, visit www.bradfordhistory.com. The Bradford County Historical Society is supported in part by the United Way of Bradford County and the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission.