Thursday, May 9, 2019

Friday Night at the Museum Begins with “Lewis Brothers Lumber Company on Barclay Mountain”

The Bradford County Historical Society will host a program titled, “Lewis Brothers Lumber Company on Barclay Mountain,” scheduled for Friday, May 17, 2019 at 6 p.m. Doors open at 5:30 p.m. There is no admission charge but donations are appreciated. To reserve a seat, participants are requested to register by calling 570-265-2240 or by email at info@bradfordhistory.com.

Prior to the start of large lumbering operations at Laquin in 1902, the Lewis Brothers of LeRoy Township had been active in the lumber business in the same part of the county for several years. In fact, they sold their final stockpile of lumber to the Barclay family so the Laquin Lumber Company could build their new sawmill and commence operations. Today, the LeRoy Heritage Museum is preserving a hotel built by the Lewis Brothers with lumber taken from the mountain. Who were the Lewis Brothers and what impact did they have on southwestern Bradford County?

The program will be presented by Matthew Carl, Bradford County Historical Society Manager/Curator, who is also President of LeRoy Heritage Museum.

With the beginning of a new season of Friday Night at the Museum, the loyalty card contest also begins again. All those who attend all six monthly programs during 2019 and have their loyalty card punched at each event will be eligible to be included in a drawing at the final program. The winner has the opportunity to choose a free item from the BCHS gift shop worth $50 or less. To participate, attend the May 17th program to pick-up your loyalty card!

This program is a part of the 2019 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. Other programs scheduled for this season are: June 21 – The Story of the Junction Canal; July 19 – Welcome the Boys Home: A Concert of World War I Music; August 16 – Unusual News of Bradford County, Part II; September 20 – Coal Mining in Northeastern Pennsylvania: Its History and Methods; October 18 – The Waverly, Sayre, and Athens Traction Company: Bradford County’s Only Trolley System.

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 on Facebook or Twitter.

Bradford County Historical Society to Host Archives Workshop, June 11-12

The Bradford County Historical Society is pleased to announce that it will host a two-day workshop titled, “Archives Without Tears”, in partnership with the Pennsylvania State Archives and the State Historical Records Advisory Board, on June 11-12, 2019.

Archives Without Tears is an affordable workshop open to anyone who works, interns or volunteers for organizations that deal with archival records—whether it’s a museum; private, non-profit, or college archives; the city clerk’s office; the library’s local history room; or a historic site. The workshop provides practical advice, sample forms and policies, and discusses archival best practices, disaster planning and response, and records management principles so that staff can collect, preserve, and assist researchers with the archival records in their care.

The first day of the workshop will cover the basics of archives while the second day will cover disaster planning for historical and essential records as well as records management.

Registration is now open for the workshop and will close on June 5. Full registration is $30 per person for two days or $20 per person for only one day. Registration includes a continental breakfast and lunch each day as well as an opportunity to tour the museum. There is a limit of 50 people for the workshop so be sure to register early.

Those interested should download a form at www.bradfordhistory.com, fill it out, and mail with payment to the Bradford County Historical Society, 109 Pine Street, Towanda, PA 18848. If paying by credit card, you may also call the BCHS Research Center at 570-265-2240 and register over the phone. Any special dietary considerations are requested as part of the registration. More details about the workshop topics may be found on the form referenced above.

Join the Bradford County Historical Society for two full days of archives training in June!