Volume Eight Issue Two March 2023 |
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- Genealogy Library & Family Files
- Research Library
- 13,000 catalogued photos & local postcards
- Museum Exhibits
- Public Events
- Website: joycetice.com/histcent.htm
- Open T W Th 11 Am to 3 PM or anytime we are here, which is most of the time.
- Stop in for a visit
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Director- Joyce M. Tice: President - Steve McCloskey: V.P - Kathy McQuaid |
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Have you dreamed of making history? Of course, we all have. And now we have a chance to be a part of north central Pennsylvania region's day of giving - an opportunity to unite our community around causes in which we truly believe and help nonprofit organizations connect to the larger community.
We need your help! Please join our campaign and help us reach our goal of $2500 so that we can have safe, new flooring put in the History Center! We need you to tell your friends and family members about the important work we do and ask them to join us in helping to make a difference.
Get ready to give! On March 8-9, visit raisetheregion.org and make a donation to us and/or to any of the great participating nonprofit organizations in north central Pennsylvania region. All giving will end at 11:59PM on March 9, so make sure to get your gift in on time!
There are cash prizes given to nonprofits that raise certain amounts or gain a certain number of donors during the window of giving, so you’ll see lots of posts on our Facebook page during the event in hopes we can win some matching or extra funds!
Thank you for your help!
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Save the Day: March 25, 2:00 P.M. at The History Center |
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National Women's Month : Outstanding Local Women |
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On March 25, we will present a program about four outstanding women with local origins from different periods of time whose achievements were memorable.
Martha Ann Dartt, A.K.A. Mrs. Maxwell, originally from Charleston Township broke new paths in discoveries and studies in natural science. She even had a sub-species of owl named for her. She established a national reputation and exhibited her collection of Rocky Mountain animal species at the Centennial Exhibition in 1876 in Philadelphia.
Grace Crocker Steadman came to Mansfield in 1921, serving as the Director of Music at Mansfield State Normal School and Mansfield State Teachers College until retiring in 1939. Tireless in her efforts to promote Mansfield, she further enhanced the image and reputation of the institution and her students to local, regional and national organizations. The Grace Steadman Theatre in Butler Center is named in her honor.
Margaret Williamson (stage name Margaret Adams) of Mansfield graduated from our local schools and established an international career in music and theater, opera, Broadway, and even movies. She maintained her friendships throughout her life with the people she grew up with in our town.
Helen Dieffenbach Lutes came to Mansfield in 1946 after serving as lieutenant in the WAVES during WW2. Overseeing women's physical education and women's athletics for the next 28 years, Lutes was a guiding force in gender equality creating opportunities for her students to participate in athletics and supporting them with generosity and intensity. In 1995 Mansfield University built and dedicated the Helen Dieffenbach Lutes Softball Complex in her honor.
Join us March 25 to hear about these remarkable local women.
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The History Center Library: Women's History Collection
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The History Center on Main Street has a well-stocked library of books, both old and new. Our collection includes: History of Pennsylvania and the surrounding states; Military History; Genealogy; Fiction; Women’s Studies; Biography; Best Short Stories Series; Fashion; Catalogues from different eras; Yearbooks from local schools—and much more.
In celebration of Women’s History Month, you might want to check out our collection of volumes on women and their writing and accomplishments in the HIS WS section of our library. The oldest book in this section is Women of New York: Or the Underworld of the Great City by George Ellington(pseudonym), published in 1869. This tome details the habits, daily life, and activities of women in New York City when it was in its infancy. There are chapters on afternoon walks, a drive in Central Park, at the races, all delineating the leisure activities of society women of the time. Amazingly there were all-female boating clubs with rowing and picnics, and gambling saloons. But there are also chapters on working “girls” (mostly sewing) and life in the slums, as well as discussion of pickpockets and criminals and prisons for women.
Another interesting 19 th century book is one in a series of novels called the “Samantha Series.” Authored by “Josiah Allen’s Wife”, aka Marietta Holley, these books were best
sellers in the 1880s. Holley was considered the female Mark Twain of her time with her vernacular humor, and today there is even a Holley scholarly society with conferences and
academic papers.
In a less humorous vein, our collection contains a number of diaries by women during the Civil War: The Civil War Diary of Margaret Wight, Civil War Nurse: The Diary and Letters of
Hannah Ropes, Women of the War, and The Private Mary Chestnut. We also have a large collection of diaries and narratives of pioneer women, detailing their life both on the
trek West and the Frontier itself; they tell of the harsh conditions of homesteading and raising children, and the fortitude of the women who made this journey.
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Our Library is open any time the History Center is open. We invite you to stop by to browse, dip into volumes, do research, or just sit and read. We can search our database if you are looking for some specific book or topic. You can also check out a volume on loan to take with you. |
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Let us know what you think of our newsletters or just drop us a note to tell us about you and your family's time in Mansfield. We want to hear from you at [email protected] |
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Renewed Members - New Members - Join us for 2023 |
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At The History Center, we rely on the support of the community to do what we do in collecting, preserving, analyzing and presenting the stories of our town and its people. Every membership dollar is valuable for us. Some of our members have been with us from the very beginning in 2012 and 2013, and new people join us every year.
Membership dollars keep our building operating and allow us to stay in touch with members and non-members alike who care about Mansfield area history and appreciate the opportunity to see themselves and their families represented as part of the community. We also present Mansfield as a thriving community to visitors who drive through and stop in to see what Mansfield is about. We provide a gathering place for people to celebrate and learn about our town and each other.
Our 40-page quarterly journal which is mailed to members, tells the stories of some outstanding and some ordinary citizens like us who played a role here. In some cases, they get the chance to tell their own stories to a new audience through our Voices from the Archives.
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We'd like to have twenty new members for 2023. As a bonus, we'll send each of them a journal issue from 2022 in addition to the 2023 issues as they are published. You can send a check or pay by PayPal. Directions link from the button at left. |
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Thanks also to our members who renew for another year. If you are due for renewal, your card is in the latest journal mailed in November. |
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You've thought about it. Now's the time. |
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Upcoming Events: Your Suggestions |
In March, we are planning an event for Womens History Month highlighting women from our area's past who have engaged in career or activities usually out of the reach of the norm for her time. We'd like to hear your suggestions of women who meet that criteria. Let us know by email who you suggest and what they did that makes you consider them. Thanks [email protected]
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Note for December - The History Center will be closed from mid-December until January 2nd. If you need to communicate, please do it by email to [email protected]. Enjoy your holidays.
Normal Hours: We are open 11 to 3 T, W, Th or by appointment or any time we are here (which is most of the time).
We've been very pleased to see the High School Reunions resume after two years of absence. This year, we hosted several, and we are looking forward to more in 2023. Let us know when your class will be gathering, and we will make sure our doors are open to welcome you back home. If you've been here before, expect to see even more now.
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After two long Pandemic years, we hope that the High School reunions can start again. If you are planning a reunion, consider a casual afternoon Meet & Greet at the History Center's Museum of Us. In an informal environment, you can chat with your friends, watch a slide show of Mansfield's historic photos, and find traces of yourself, your friends, and your family. Many of our exhibits are geared to those who grew up here. The Blue & Gold Room is full of MHS sports mementos. The pictorial display includes YOU along with all the other MHS graduates in its first hundred years. |
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Update on Our Renovations |
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Our outside work icomplete: Siding, Stairs, Porch and sidewalks. This 174-year-old building is looking great thanks to Matt Neal and his crew and the community members who chipped in with financial support.
Special thanks to Jim Davies and Mary Robinson-Slabey who tore out the old lath and plaster to get the project started. That was the hardest part of the work.
Be sure to visit our new genealogy-history library. Started on the inside in spring 2019, we are completed on the outside in fall 2022.
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Growing With YOUR Help!!!
Your Town, Your Ancestors, Your History
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For the New Year. Consider a gift membership. Members will receive our 40 page printed journal by mail 3 to 4 times a year with new articles that have never been researched before and outstanding photos to illustrate. Share your love of the Mansfield area with your friends and family. |
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Why do we ask for donations in every newsletter? Because we have to.
It's the only way we can continue offering our important services to the community.
Your help will make it possible.
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The next issue of Voices from the Archives is in preparation. It will be forty pages of articles about the lives and activities of our town. Be sure your membership is current, so you don't miss any. |
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Membership- Renew for 2023 |
Annual memberships are an important part of keeping us operating. Please consider a new or renewed membership.
Members receive four to six issues annually of our printed journal Voices From the Archives.
Membership dollars are an important part of our operating resource. Be sure to renew your membership for 2023 or become a new member. A renewal card will be included in the next journal which will be mailed this month.
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Annual Membership Levels
Family $50
Individual $35
Senior (Over 65) $25
Business Level $100
Lifetime $500
MHS Class Memorial $200
Checks to
The History Center
61 N. Main Street
Mansfield PA 16933
or by the PayPal Donate Button
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A History Center Member is a History Center Hero
Be A Hero
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Thank You to Our Gold Level Sponsors
Ward Manufacturing
Law Offices of Larry Mansfield
First Citizens Community Bank
VFW Post 6757
Mansfield Auxiliary Corporation
Tri-County Rural Electric Cooperative, Inc.
Lutes Foundation
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Thank You to Our Silver Level Sponsors
Real Disposal Service
UGI Utilities, Inc.
Blue Ridge Cable
Matt Neal Construction
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The History Center on Main Street
570-250-9829
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See what's happening on our social sites: |
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The History Center on Main Street provided no goods or services in exchange for your contribution. Your contribution is deductible to the extent provided by law. The official registration and financial information of The History Center on Main Street, may be obtained from the Pennsylvania Department of State by calling toll free, within Pennsylvania, 1-800-732-0999. Registration does not imply endorsement |
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