Spring Dinner April 27th!
The Juniata County Historical Society’s Spring Dinner and Annual Business meeting will be held Wednesday, April 27 at Walker Grange at 6:30 p.m. Speaker will be Jessica Guyer on her book Tuscarora Academy: Providence Is Here. A chicken breast meal will be served. Following the meal there will be a short business meeting with the election of officers prior to the speaker’s presentation. Tickets are $20 each and can be purchased at the Archives room on Tuesdays or call 717-436-5152 (let a message) to reserve your ticket(s). If you can’t pick up your tickets during open hours and you’d like tickets mailed to you, please mail a self-stamped, return envelope along with your check (made out to Juniata County Historical Society) to 498 Jefferson Street, Suite B, Mifflintown, PA 17059. Tickets are by reservation only and will Not be sold at the door.
Archives To Open For Business April 5
The Juniata County Historical Society Archives Room will be open for business Tuesday, April 5 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. All other hours are by appointment by calling 717-436-5152 (let message) or via email at jchs1931juniatacountyhistoricalsociety.org
Work to Resume at Archives on December 8th
As of Dec 8, 2021 volunteers should be able to return to limited work at the Archives, after being out for more than 5 weeks for environmental concerns. The County has allowed us to re-enter the area, although furniture and resources are in total disarray. Local companies GME Communication, HomeFront Cyber, and CentreWisp have been crucial in getting our computers, internet and phones back in service.
We are waiting for an evaluation on how to treat the moisture issues, and until then, the area can not return to normal. Hours this winter will be by appointment only. Thanks for your understanding.
New Book Published on the Tuscarora Academy
JCHS Board of Directors member Jessica Guyer has published a book detailing the history of the Academy and the life stories of some of the students who attend there. The book is available for purchase on Amazon or by clicking on the Image of the cover page.
The synopsis reads as follows:
Advertisements for Tuscarora Academy continued to use this phrase more than 50 years after the school was established in 1836. Located in the hamlet of Academia, Juniata County, Pennsylvania, the Tuscarora Academy was a premier 19th century secondary educational institution. Thousands of students from more than 30 states traveled to Academia for their college preparatory courses, and their stories are collectively imbedded into the history of Tuscarora Academy.
Utilizing newspapers, letters, school records, documents from descendants of alumni, and the collection of the Juniata County Historical Society, author Jessica Eaton Guyer tells the story of the Academy from its inception, through its many decades of education that ended in 1916, to the sole remaining building’s current use as a museum exhibiting relics of Juniata County’s past. The book details Tuscarora Academy’s administration and steadfast adaptation to the changing educational landscape in Pennsylvania, while interweaving firsthand accounts about students, trustees, and faculty.
After receiving educations that helped shape their minds and characters, Tuscarora Academy alumni went on to settle in every state in the contiguous United States, with many establishing new towns, creating inventions, building landmark infrastructure, and filling important positions in courtrooms, legislative chambers, universities, churches, banks, and hospitals. Their stories, and more, combine to create this comprehensive history dedicated to the pioneers of early American education.
Archives Closed Due to Environmental Issues
The archives will be closed until further notice until this issue can be resolved. We will not be able to take research requests at this time as we will have no access to anything inside the archives and we will not be able to respond to phone messages. We ask for patience as we work through this situation.
