Events & Current Exhibitions
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SPECIAL EVENT
Julia C. Collins Marker Dedication
Saturday, June 19, 2010; 12:00 p.m.
The LCHS membership is invited to attend
the Pennsylvania Historical Marker unveiling and dedication ceremony
for Julia C. Collins, an African American novelist who taught school
in Williamsport in the middle 1800s. In April 2009, the
Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission selected Collins for
this honor. The ceremony takes place on Saturday, June 19th at
12 noon on the Susquehanna River Walk and Timber Heritage Trail in
Williamsport near the Hepburn Street Water Station.
Julia Collins is the author of The Curse of Caste;
or the Slave Bride (1865), considered to be among the first
published novels by African American women. The serialized
novel, along with six nonfiction essays by Collins, was published in
The Christian Recorder, the weekly newspaper of the African
Methodist Episcopal Church. Since The Recorder had a
national distribution and a large African American readership,
Collins’s writing
reached many thousands of people across the United States.
In 2006, Oxford University Press republished the novel
and essays in a book edited by professors William L. Anderson and
Mitch Kachun. Professor Kachun is scheduled to make remarks
for the marker unveiling.
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SOCIETY PROGRAM
J. Horace
McFarland’s Glass Slides of Eagles Mere
Speakers: Bush
and Barbara James
Sunday, June 20, 2010; 2 p.m.
Mr. McFarland was
an internationally acclaimed environmentalist long before today’s
environmental movement became popular. From Harrisburg, he summered
in the Park in
Eagles Mere in the house still owned by his granddaughter. He
travelled with a friend and
professional photographer, William Simon, who also occupied a Park
cottage. Together, in
the late 1800s and early 1900s, they created magnificent glass
slides, many hand painted.
The bulk of these works of art are housed in the State
Museum in Harrisburg. However,
the Eagles Mere Museum is fortunate to own over 100 of these slides
applicable to Eagles Mere
and its surrounds. From these, the Jameses have selected what they
feel are the best for an
entertaining afternoon: beach and lake scenes, children, cottages,
flora, waterfalls, paths, hotels,
and more.
Don’t miss this rare glimpse into the past of a special
place. The Society Program is free and
open to the public.
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SPECIAL EXHIBITION
Earth, Wind and Fire
Susquehanna Valley Art Exhibition
Opening Reception; Friday, July 2, 2010; 6 – 8 p.m.
The Lycoming County Arts Council presents an art exhibition with the
theme Earth,
Wind and Fire in the Community Room of the museum. The juried
exhibition showcases
the works of many regional artists in a variety of media. The
exhibition continues through
August 14.
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SOCIETY PROGRAM
The History of Hughesville
Speaker: Robert Webster
Sunday, July 18, 2010; 2:00 p.m.
Hughesville, a small, friendly, quiet, and
peaceful town located in the eastern end of Lycoming County, has a
history that dates back to the 1700s. The name comes from
Jeptha Hughes who came to the area and purchased the land in 1816.
For many years, Hughesville served its area as an
important business and shopping center. It had many businesses
and retail stores; several large industries with many employees; and
for excitement, the Williamsport and North Branch Railroad, the
Lycoming Fair, an airfield and “Big
Time” automobile races. In
those days, Hughesville was referred to as
“A Saturday Night Town” as
people came to town to do their weekly shopping.
Life styles have changed, much of the business has
left, and today Hughesville has evolved into a quiet residential
area - “a nice place to live.”
Mr. Webster will talk about the evolution of this
community from its founding to the present day. Always a
popular speaker, Mr. Webster spends many hours researching his
topics and usually gives a highly informational presentation
interspersed with humorous anecdotes. You won’t
want to miss this one.
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