Pennsylvania Heritage magazine-2008 issue set

This set highlights the Pennsylvania Historical & Museum Commission's commemoration of the 75th anniversary of the New Deal.

Spring Has Sprung-Our Spring 2008 issue, that is! Readers will enjoy our features about Philadelphia’s century-old music school and its impact on immigrants; the story of a runaway slave who risks death for freedom and a furor it caused in Wilkes-Barre; and a feature about one of the greatest art in education projects ever accomplished—during the height of the Great Depression!

This issue also showcases the findings of four prestigious national authorities in paleontology, geology, and physical science, including the PHMC’s paleontologist, Robert Sullivan. They have identified an important fossil 370 million years old that was previously unidentified in the collections of the Reading Public Museum. Walter P. Rybka and the Erie Maritime Museum literally invite the public on board to sail with the U.S. Brig Niagara, Pennsylvania’s seaworthy, nineteenth century flagship.

Regular columnist Willis L. Shirk Jr. again reveals where to look for important documents in the Pennsylvania State Archives. Travel tips to places new and different, as well as events at galleries and museums, provide something to do for every interest. Editor Michael J. O’Malley III again offers detailed book reviews, including a book about the cult of Zippo Lighters, of particular interest to Vietnam veterans. Historic sites, both “Lost” forever and “Found” and still around, a 1915 postcard from Butler County, colorful photographs, and, of course, the Pennsylvania Heritage Society newsletter will show readers once again why Pennsylvania Heritage is an award-winning magazine.

Escape the ordinary and discover Pennsylvania ’s extraordinary history in the Summer 2008 issue of Pennsylvania Heritage . Theatre, baseball, and a unique perspective of art created under the New Deal are just part of the ongoing span of fascinating topics you’ll find in feature-length articles inside the pages of our award-winning quarterly. In this issue, you’ll also discover a virtual gallery of Fallingwater as it has never been seen before. We’ll also take you to Gettysburg National Military Park ’s new visitor center, profile Pennsylvania ’s late James Finnegan who ran the presidential campaign of Adlai Stevenson III , and “Marking Time,” featuring one of Pennsylvania ’s more than 2,500 state historical markers—in this issue we remember Pennsylvania ’s 195,000 former Civilian Conservation Corps members. You’ll also find a 1908 penny postcard visit to Cambria County ’s luxurious Mountain House resort. And don’t forget our “Travel Tips” throughout the magazine—tips that will be more important than ever to find interesting places to visit closer to home.

The Barrymores of Philadelphia: America’s Royal Family of the Theatre
We look back at America ’s, and Philadelphia ’s, most famous theatrical families—the Barrymores and the Drews. Take a backstage look at the lives of Ethel, Lionel, and John Barrymore and how their legacy impacted our culture and is very much alive today.

The Architect, the Icon, and the Artist
Visitors to The State Museum of Pennsylvania were fortunate to witness the debut of a special art exhibit by Spanish artist Felix de la Concha. De la Concha spent more than a year painting breathtaking views of Fallingwater from all angles and in all seasons. Even though the exhibit is gone, you will have an exclusive tour at some of the finished canvases in which you will almost believe you are sitting inside Fallingwater.

Rediscovering the People’s Art: New Deal Murals in Pennsylvania Post Offices
You’ll also “Rediscover the People’s Art” as we take an art tour of Pennsylvania post office buildings—not to appreciate architecture, but to see colorful murals, sculptures, and engravings created during the Great Depression as part of President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s New Deal. This art can still be appreciated in Pennsylvania’s post offices, as well as within the current issue in a colorful collection by photographer Michael Mutmanksy.

The colorfully illustrated Fall 2008 edition of Pennsylvania Heritage will educate and entertain. Laugh with our editors in remembering one of the world’s most beloved comedy teams of all time, or marvel at the magnificent architecture of public buildings built during the Great Depression. One nearly forgotten story of the American Civil War is uncovered about African Americans who fled slavery and Confederate soldiers to live free in a small Adams County community. Take a trip down the lower Susquehanna River to view the largest concentration of Native American petroglyphs found in the northeastern United States. This issue’s penny postcard is delivered from Cameron County and ten historical markers all commemorate “Rural Electrification” in the 1930s and the coming of electricity to Pennsylvania’s farms. Willis Shirk again finds a gem among the millions of documents in the Pennsylvania State Archives with the story of Con Carbon, court jester, songwriter, and minstrel to the United Mine Workers. Readers will find Michael J. O’Malley III’s latest book reviews, the Pennsylvania Heritage Society’s newsletter and calendar of events, PHMC staff highlights, and a handy 2008 index of the year’s feature stories.

Laughing with Philadelphia Stooge Larry Fine
Since the days of vaudeville, The Three Stooges continue to entertain the world long after their passing. A legacy of live performances and more than two hundred short and feature-length films have spanned generations. The story of Philadelphia native and “Stooge in the Middle” Larry Fine is told with rare photographs, courtesy of The Stoogeum, a museum dedicated to the trio. Author William C. Kashatus reveals how Larry Fine endured a horrible and painful childhood accident to become a prodigy violinist at the age nine. He then leveraged his vaudeville talents to become an icon of American mass culture.

Built by the New Deal
One of the greatest architectural achievements in Pennsylvania ’s history, financed by the Public Works Administration under the New Deal, took place during the Great Depression. With archival images and new color photos by staff photographers, these magnificent buildings, designed by some of the country’s greatest architects, artists, sculptors, and even philosophers, are detailed expertly by magazine editor and author Michael J. O’Malley III . Great edifices in Harrisburg’s Capitol complex, and elsewhere, still stand, not only to be admired and provide public services, but as a testimony that Pennsylvania’s citizens would not be defeated by the worst economic crisis in history.

Black Settlement on Yellow Hill
For decades prior to the climatic Battle of Gettysburg, African Americans found refuge in Yellow Hill, a nearby peaceful hamlet of farmers, laborers, and crafts persons in Adams County . In 1863, with the Confederates converging on Gettysburg , African Americans justifiably feared capture and being bonded back into slavery. Yellow Hill offered a peaceful sanctuary. Most traces of Yellow Hill are gone and only one tombstone from its cemetery, that of an infant child, survived time and vandals. Yellow Hill and the story of its African American Civil War veterans might have been forgotten if not for the research of scholar Debra McCauslin and co-author Alisha Saunders, a direct descendant of the first Yellow Hill property owner.