The Old Stone House Museum

The Old Stone House is proud to once again host a Native American pow wow celebration this weekend, May 2-3. Traditional drums and singing will be provided by Western Pennsylvania’s Muddy Creek Singers, a Northern style drum group. All Nations Gathering and People of the Forest will offer demonstrations of native dance, food, storytelling, and handicrafts, representing a number of different nations’ cultures. All events are free and open to the public from 9am-6pm both Saturday and Sunday. Tour guides will also be on hand to offer tours of the Stone House. Free parking is available.

This event marks the opening event of the season for the Old Stone House, and should provide entertainment for the entire family, while offering a great opportunity to learn more about the history and culture of American Indian societies. Hope to see you there!

For further questions, contact the Old Stone House curator, Dr. Aaron Cowan, at aaron.cowan@sru.edu

This week we go three-dimensional, with a nice shard of pottery found at the Stone House site:

Potsherd excavated from Old Stone House site, date unknown

When the OSH reconstruction began in the late 1960s, archaelogical excavations were conducted at and near the site to determine the historic building locations and usage patterns.  Excavations of  outhouses (or, if you prefer a more refined term, “privies”) usually provide the richest material, since the “bathroom” doubled as garbage site for broken household items.
Unfortunately, we haven’t yet had the opportunity to research the age of this particular piece, and, sadly, don’t have the resources to hire our own ceramics specialist on staff!  The names of the states might give us some clue – pieces celebrating the Union were popular after the ratification of the Constitution, and after the end of Civil War.  It’s unlikely this dates from the 1790s, and could be as late as the 20th century.  If you know of a good research source for American ceramics, please leave a comment below!

At the Stone House we have an exhibit of various pieces of material culture excavated at the site.  This piece of pottery is on display, along with silverware, nineteenth-century toys, liquor bottles, and even shoes, all excavated from our site.  Beyond the basic novelty, these everyday objects can also tell historians a great deal about life in nineteenth-century Western Pennsylvania.

Old Stone House, c. 1912 - photographer unknown

This one is probably pretty familiar to those of you who’ve visited the Old Stone House before.  The Stone House’s function as a stagecoach tavern was largely obsolete by the post-Civil War era, when railroads surpassed the stagecoach as the primary form of transportation.  The Stone House was then rented out as a farm, frequently changing hands between both owners and tenants.  This photo from about 1912 shows a number of alterations – much of the upper porch had been enclosed for additional living space, as well as a portion of the lower porch on the right.

It would be interesting to know when these alterations were carried out – were they done by tavern operators for additional sleeping rooms (and thus more profit), or by later private residents?  Records on the Stone House are scant, especially architectural descriptions, so we’ll probably never know.  For comparison, here’s a picture of the Stone House today (as it was likely originally configured in 1822) from roughly the same angle

Photo by Paula J. Slomer

Thanks for checking in – there will be lots more coming to the OSH blog as our season opens and we get into the full swing of things.  For now, don’t forget about the  Civil War Encampment this weekend – free and open to the public (with beautiful weather to boot!)

One of the goals of the Stone House is to begin to make its collections and artifacts more accessible to the public (that’s you!).  So, each Friday we’ll post an interesting document, image, or other article from the house or its collections – check back weekly to see what interesting stuff we dig up!

1859 Way-Bill from the Pittsburgh to Erie Stagecoach line

This 1859 way-bill was recently found in a cabinet drawer in the house.  The Pittsburgh to Erie stagecoach  line was established in the 182os, and the Stone House became one of its landmark stops.   Note the  “United States Mail” across the top – the U.S. Postal service used stagecoach lines as one of the primary methods of mail distribution before the advent of an extensive and reliable railroad system.

This waybill also shows us that stagecoach travel, while used by all classes of people, was not cheap.  The second passenger listed here (Lafever?) paid $3.25 for passage from Pittsburgh to Meadville, a distance of about 90 miles.  By one rough calculation, that’s the  equivalent of approximately $74.00 today.

Hope you enjoy this glimpse into the Stone House!   We will also soon begin posting images on Flickr and each “Friday Find” will also be available there.

As some Pennsylvania residents may know, the state of Pennsylvania has proposed drastic cuts in funding for the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission (PHMC), and the possible permanent closure of a number of state museums and historic sites, including a number here in Western Pennsylvania. You can read more about the impact on historic sites in our region here (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, 23 March 2009).  Many other historic sites that receive a large portion of their operating budgets from PHMC grants may also be forced to close.

Thankfully, the Stone House is not subject to these same pressures, but the greater historical resources of Pennsylvania will suffer greatly if these proposals are implemented.  Obviously in a budget crisis, difficult choices have to be made, but many lawmakers and state officials need to be made aware of the valuable contribution museums make to society.   Please contact your state legislators and advocate for the importance of museums and historic sites as both key parts of the economy and an invaluable form of education.  An organization called “Save Fort Pitt Now” has a good guide to contact info and guidelines on their website.

Come watch Civil War reenactors from the 10th PA Reserves (http://www.10thpa.com/10thintro.htm) as they drill, skirmish, and bring Civil War history to life.  Everyone is welcome – tour guides will also be on hand during public hours (10-5 on Saturday, 10-3 on Sunday)  for tours of the Stone House.

Welcome to the blog for the Old Stone House, a reconstructed historic wayside inn in Slippery Rock, Pennsylvania! In the coming days, watch this site for updates, photos, and news about what’s new with the Old Stone House – including our opening weekend Indian Powwow, Civil War encampments, new exhibits, and much more!