Spring Banquet Set for April 9th
Scenes of Juniata County from the photographic collection of Tom Leister will be shown during the Juniata County Historical Society’s Spring Dinner Program this year. The dinner, set for Tuesday, April 9 at Walker Grange, Mexico, PA, will feature photos from Leister’s vast collection of happenings in the county caught on camera. He started his photo collection following a camera purchase in 1980. He simply had an interest in recording events, he explains of why he began snapping area photos. Shots he’ll be showing via his slide collection will include a wide range of those taken in the mid-1950s to the present. Some will include those taken by his late father and uncle.
The dinner begins at 6:30 p.m., with the presentation to follow. Menu is roast chicken, filling, mashed potatoes, green beans Almondine, assorted cakes and ice cream. Tickets are $20 and any profit benefits the General Operating Fund. There will also be a 50/50 drawing. Deadline for reservations and payment is April 2.Tickets can be bought by visiting the Society’s Archives Tuesdays from 10 a.m.— 4 p.m. or Wednesdays from 10 a.m.— 1 p.m. You may call 717-436-5152 to reserve ticket[s], but they must be picked up. If you’d like them mailed to you, send a self-addressed, stamped envelope along with your check payable to Juniata County Historical Society and send to: 498 Jefferson Street, Suite B, Mifflintown, PA, 17059.
Archives Closures for the Holiday Season
The archives room will be closed the week of Thanksgiving and no appointment hours will be available. We will open again on November 27th with our regular hours and the last day for normal business hours in 2018 will be December 12th, and we will be open for regular business hours again on March 19th 2019. If you need to do any research between December 26th and March 19th, please contact the archives for an appointment at 717-436-5152 or send us an email at jchs1931@juniatacountyhistoricalsociety.org.
Have a Blessed Holiday Season!
“The First Thanksgiving at Plymouth,” Jennie Brownscombe, 1914.
Carolina Christmas, The North Carolina Room, Painted panelled room, Scotland County, NC, 1836
BEST KEPT SECRET IN JUNIATA COUNTY – THE TUSCARORA FEMALE SEMINARY
Juniata County Historical Society’s Fall Dinner Program will be held Wednesday, October 24 at 6:30 p.m. at Walker Grange, Mexico, PA.
The program will highlight the history of the Tuscarora Female Seminary. It will feature not only the educational programs taught there, but also the history surrounding the building and its unique architecture by presenter Audrey Sizelove.
Tuscarora Female Seminary 1856-57
[Photo courtesy of Audrey Sizelove]
An article, “The History of the Tuscarora Female Seminary” as published in the book, Pennsylvania History: A Journal of Mid-Atlantic Studies will be available for sale as well that evening.
A roast turkey dinner will be served family style.
Tickets $20 per person.
Tickets should be purchased by visiting the JCHS Archives Tuesdays from 10 a.m.-4 p.m. or Wednesdays from 10 a.m.-1 p.m. You may call to reserve tickets at 717-436-5152, however, tickets must be paid for prior to the event and picked up at Archives.
If you wish to have tickets mailed after calling for reservations, a self-addressed, stamped envelope must accompany your reservation payment. Checks should be made out to Juniata County Historical Society and mailed to 498 Jefferson Street, Suite B, Mifflintown, PA 17059 with “Fall Dinner” written in memo. Deadline is Tuesday, Oct. 16.
Native American Artifact Display Set For August 19th!
It was a wet and rainy day on July 22nd when this display was originally scheduled for. Therefore the decision was made to cancel the event. However, we have rescheduled for August 19th and we hope to see you there! It is always a lot of fun!
American House Owners Host Tuscarora Academy Fund-Raiser
Tom and Jeanne Cleck Reese, owners of the historic American House in East Waterford, hosted a Spring Fling, April 28, to benefit the Tuscarora Academy. The American House was built in 1790, and later served as a hotel to stage coach travelers and passengers on the Tuscarora Valley Railroad. The hotel hosted guests and served as many as 500 Sunday meals, under the ownership of Miss Grace Pannebaker, who passed away in 1960. The Reese’s gave a history of the building and talked of the restoration of the rooms and furnishings. Jeanne also told stories of local characters like the eccentric Doc Greenwood, and World War II veteran and cook Lehman Hampton. The couple have such a passion for this building that they bought it not just once, but twice. You’ll have to visit to hear that story!
More than 45 attended the fund-raising event. Docents in beautiful period-dresses from Jeanne’s vintage clothing collection guided visitors through the house. Attendees enjoyed tours, history and light refreshments at the event, which raised nearly $500 for the Tuscarora Academy. (Story and photos by Susanne Shearer)
Sue Eargle (left) and Shirley Covert visited the American House to attend the Spring Fling April 28.
American House owners Tom and Jeanne Reese hosted a fund-raiser benefiting the Tuscarora Academy.
Gwen Cleck, wearing a vintage dress, explained this was Miss Grace Pannebaker’s bedroom, the only room in the house that was never rented out.
