July 2011, Volume 13, Issue 1

From the President’s Desk
The barn is done!  The heating and air conditioning system was installed in March and the electrical upgrade was completed the first week of June along with the hook up to the HVAC equipment.  This means that the north and south exhibit bays and the north and south storage bays in the lower level, along with the curatorial room are air conditioned with humidity control, i.e. climate controlled.  The center two bays in the upper level are air conditioned, without humidity control and have been used on a number of occasions for various events.  They are available to the community for a modest fee to cover overhead costs.  The climate controlled areas allow Allison-Antrim Museum to meet American Association of Museum (AAM) standards for controlling the humidity in the exhibit and storage bays.  AAM recently increased the acceptable humidity range to 40% - 60%. 

It’s been a very long journey of seven years and nine months since the project started in October 2003.  The credit for accomplishing this feat of saving an extended German bank barn is because of the help and support of Allison-Antrim Museum’s members and the greater Greencastle-Antrim community.  All major members of the barn were color-coded, numbered, cataloged, photographed, dismantled and moved 12 miles south of its original home, just south of Chambersburg, to the backyard of the museum’s property in Greencastle where everything was reassembled.  The next challenge was to give the gentle mammoth a second life by making it air mammoth a second life by making it air tight and usable as a museum.

 To put it into perspective, during the evolution of the project, three Old Home Weeks took place, seven September 11 anniversaries were observed, seven G-A community July 4th celebrations were held, eight Christmases were celebrated, there were eight graduating classes at the high school, and four May afternoon teas were held in the barn.  Milestones included the August 8, 2005 blasting of the limestone outcroppings, which may be viewed at www.greencastlemuseum.org/Barn_project/year_2005.htm. The laying of the first cornerstone was done in October 2005.  The joinery began in October 2006, followed by the laying of the floor.  Day one of the raising was December 14, 2006.  The last rafter assembly was set in place late afternoon on December 15, 2006.  The siding, granaries, and roof were finished in time for Old Home Week, August 2007.  Interior studding in both levels was completed as well as the hanging of the bank-side barn doors in 2008.  In 2009, electrical wiring, plumbing, insulation, and finishing work were completed.  The structural and architectural inspection of the barn was passed by the State during the last week of July 2010.   The third Old Home Week for the barn welcomed over 900 visitors during the first week in August.  During the winter of 2010-2011, various exhibits were held in the north and south exhibit bays in the upper level with small electric space heaters and humidifiers for human comfort and proper care of the artifacts.  AAMI received the final inspection of the HVAC system in June from Commonwealth Code.  With only minor finishing touches yet to be done, the museum can hopefully soon put a period at the end of the barn project and I can exhale. 

The museum house is now in transition from an exhibit space to an interpretive historic home.  By using items donated over the years, we are gradually furnishing the Alexander and Martha Irwin home.   The dining room has a table and couple of chairs made in Greencastle, along with the blind corner cupboard that was donated by the Greencastle-Antrim Lioness Club.  In the grand hallway stands a tall English clock with Greencastle connections, donated by Charles Miller.  The master bedroom is furnished with a sack-bottom bed donated by Mary Jane and Darryl Crunkleton.  A pre-Civil War Phillippy family quilt adorns the bed and was donated by Jack Phillippy.  An Empire style chest of drawers, with mirror, made by Augustus Shirey, a Greencastle cabinet maker and undertaker (b. 1817, died 1897 in Muncie, IN, son of John Shirey) is also in the master bedroom.  Smaller accessories include a chamber pot, a small folding rocking chair, and an infant’s cradle accompanied by a low-to-the floor nursing rocker.

In April, Greencastle and Allison-Antrim Museum had the honor of kicking off the PA Civil War 150th celebration.  During the two and one half days of events, the museum’s visitorship exceeded 600 people.  During the 2010 Old Home Week, AAMI welcomed 900 people.  The total number of visitors for 2010 was 2,154; the “normal” number would have been around 1,374.  In 2009 prior to having a part-time staff member to keep the museum open Monday-Friday, noon – 4 pm, the average number of visitors was about 900.  One can easily see that having the museum open on a regular basis each week significantly increases the number of visitors.

AAMI has been blessed with two part-time staff members, Mary Hartman and David Stratton since January 2011.  Their salaries are paid through a federal grant program which is administered through the PathStone Corp in Chambersburg.  For the 2012 fiscal year, the national budget for the program has been cut by 45%.  Therefore, when Mary and David leave for full-time jobs, fewer people will be available through PathStone to fill the position at AAMI. 

The museum is looking for volunteers who would be willing to commit one afternoon a week to help keep the museum doors open to the public on a regular basis.  If you are interested in volunteering, please call the museum at 717.597.9010.

In closing, I extend an open invitation to visit your hometown museum, especially if you have not visited within the past couple months. You can also take a virtual tour by visiting the Web site at www.greencastlemuseum.org.

                        Bonnie Shockey
                        President

Annual Membership Dues
In an effort to save postage, enclosed with this newsletter is the annual membership application. By renewing today, you are helping to honor the past by preserving our local heritage for future generations. Your timely response, on or before August 1, will be greatly appreciated.

You are a valued member and, as such, you play an important role as a steward of our local history and its artifacts. I, again, look forward to seeing your name on the July 1, 2011 – June 30, 2012 membership roster.

As a 501(c)(3), AAMI is required to get its support from the community-at-large. During the current economic times, your membership donation is especially appreciated. On behalf of the directors, I say, “Thank you for your support!”

Collections within the Barnes Library
The Barnes Library is named after A. Isabelle Barnes, a native of Greencastle-Antrim and AAMI member. She was a charter member of the Greencastle-Antrim Civil War Roundtable, established in the mid 1970s. For almost four decades, Isabelle collected books – books on the local history of Greencastle-Antrim, books on the history of Franklin County, books on the history of Pennsylvania, and books on American History. When she moved to Maine in 2008 to live with her daughter and son-in-law, Isabelle said, “I have no use for these local history books in Maine, so I am giving my collection to Allison-Antrim Museum.” With one magnanimous gesture, Allison-Antrim Museum’s library grew tenfold. For this reason, the board of directors decided to name the barn’s library The Barnes Library. Allison-Antrim Museum is sincerely grateful and indebted to Isabelle for her generosity.

The Michael Schnebly American Cookbook Collection
Throughout the winter and spring of 2010, Michael Schnebly, a native of Greencastle and AAMI member, with a masters in Library Science, began the process of writing introductions for select cookbooks from his extensive, one-of-a-kind American cookbook collection. In July, Michael started delivering boxes of the remarkable foodways history books to Allison-Antrim Museum.

Located in the Barnes Library almost 400 hundred are now placed on the shelves alongside the local, state, and American history books donated by A. Isabelle Barnes.

The following is an introduction to the American Cookbook collection as written by Michael Schnebly.

“The collection is given to our community (Greencastle-Antrim) in honor of my mother Elizabeth B. Schnebly, in memory of the wonderful meals we shared over the years.

My collection of approximately 400 books on American food and drink includes many scarce, first, and early editions of "classic" works of influential teachers and cooking authorities from the past. There are also examples of regional and charitable cookbooks which offer vintage and treasured recipes from private kitchens of long ago, including Pennsylvania imprints.

My donation is presented as an archive to stimulate interest and further collecting of historical culinary literature which is part of our social and cultural heritage. Hopefully this resource will provide opportunities to culinary researchers, food enthusiasts, cookbook collectors, and anyone wishing to explore American foodways.”

”I have enjoyed collecting each and every book included here and hope many others will share my enthusiasm for preserving this literature as part of our domestic background. It is interesting to observe that quite a few of the books discussed here have been re-issued in facsimile in recent years. Each item has been described on a 3x5 card with bibliographic citations to resources. Each book also has a summary on content and/or significance in the context of cookbook history between 1815 and 1950.”

The Pennsylvania German Society Collection
The Cumberland Valley was settled in the early 1700s by the Scots-Irish Presbyterians.  Shortly thereafter, the Pennsylvania Deitsch (pronounced Pennsylvania Dutch by the Anglo Saxons), soon made their way to the Cumberland Valley where they settled with their families and also greatly influenced our state and local government and culture.

The Pennsylvania German Society (PGS), established in 1891, is a non-profit organization dedicated to the study of the more than 325 year history of the Pennsylvania German people in this Commonwealth and America.  Its offices are located in Kutztown, PA.  2011 marked the 45th annual publication by PGS.   Paint, Pattern, and People joined 44 other outstanding quality books published by PGS. 

Allison-Antrim Museum member Tom Gerhart, who is one of the editors for the Pennsylvania German Society, has generously donated a complete collection of all the annual publications to the Barnes Library.  These and all of the books in the Barnes Library are available for research purposes.  AAMI is very grateful to Tom for his generosity to the Greencastle-Antrim community.

Fundraisers
The board of directors is making a concerted effort this year to concentrate on fundraising.  The first spring garden tour was held on June 5.  The profit was $1,697!  There were over 100 tickets sold.  Six Greencastle-Antrim area home owners – Richard Bateman Jr., Tom and Patty Harmon, Bill and Karen Hudson, Tim and Barb Piper, Mark and Kim Siner, and Ken and Bonnie Shockey, opened their gardens for the benefit of Allison-Antrim Museum.  To all of them, “Thank you.”  Nancy Smith’s expertise and guidance in the planning process was also greatly appreciated.  A final thank you goes to all of those in the greater Greencastle-Antrim community who purchased tickets for the tour.  Their donations made the garden tour an outstanding success.  The second annual spring garden tour is planned for June 10, 2012.

With the help of Ralph Sipes of Mercersburg and his delicious BBQ chicken, the patrons who stopped by for takeout orders, and board members who helped Ralph on Saturday, June 18 helped raise about $500.  The simultaneous yard sale yielded over $800 through the sale of leftover construction materials.

Tuesday evening ballroom dance classes and a monthly dance are also held as fundraisers.

Monthly Meeting Venue
Beginning with the July monthly meeting, the speakers’ series will be moved to the barn. The board of directors of AAMI wishes to extend a very heartfelt "thank you" to Evangelical Lutheran Church for allowing the museum, its members, and the public to hold its monthly meetings in the church's social room. Without the use of the church's facilities, AAMI would not have been able to reach the thousands of people who have attended the speakers' series since 1997. Thank you does not seem adequate enough.