Come see us this weekend!
August 21, 2009
August 5, 2009
Ever pass a historical marker while driving and think, “That looks interesting – wish I had time to stop and read it.”
Now, through the efforts of historically-minded volunteers, you can view a ever-growing number of Pennsylvania historical markers on the web. Through the Waymarking.com site, each marker is photographed and linked to a location on a map. Not every marker is up yet (the Old Stone House will be added soon!) but the list is extensive.
This is a nice use of web & GPS technology, giving Pennsylvanians a chance to read these (unfortunately) often bypassed markers of the Keystone State’s past. Of course, there’s no substitute for visiting an actual historic place, so use the site’s map, locate a few sites near you, and go exploring!
July 1, 2009
Please note: The Old Stone House will be closed for the upcoming Independence Day holiday weekend so that our docents may spend time with friends and family. Please take advantage of the numerous festivities & events at other local sites this weekend, and visit us again soon!
May 22, 2009
The Old Stone House is now open for the season, and we’ve been pleased to see lots of visitors in our first few weeks! We’ve hired two new student docents, done a little spring cleaning, and are now in the midst of totally revising all our exhibits in the display room.
This week’s Find isn’t really all that old, but is a neat look into “what might have been.” As you may know, the Stone House was reconstructed in the 1960s, under the direction of the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission (and later turned over to Slippery Rock university). What you may not know is that the Stone House was originally to serve as the anchor for a much larger “historic village” site that was to include a schoolhouse, church, small working farm, and living history demonstrations of blacksmithing, carpentry, and agriculture.
We recently discovered in our file cabinets the blueprints for a building labeled the “Old Stone House Gift Shop, Crafts, and Display Center – Bldg. #3″; a small detail for your enjoyment (click on picture for larger version):
As the plans show, this building was supposed to have a candlemaker shop, blacksmith shop with working forge, a carpenter shop, as well as a number of displays and two windmills (not shown in this detail).
So, why didn’t it happen? It likely had something to do with the economic climate of the 1970s, during which high interest rates, rising unemployment, and runaway inflation canceled lots of plans made during the booming economy of the 1960s. (Hmm…museums getting pinched during a recession. Gee, that sounds so familiar…)
Some of the planned elements from this display did make it into the Stone House – for instance, we still have a display devoted to artifacts uncovered during the reconstruction of the house, and we do have the “walking wheel” and smaller “flax wheel” shown at the top of this picture, and a number of tools likely intended for the carpenter’s shop.
While it’s a bit sad to compare the grand plans to the much smaller reality, it’s a good reminder that public history sites need lots of public support to carry out their missions. Maybe someday we can pull out these plans again and start a new building project…anyone have a hundred thousand dollars they wouldn’t miss?
Have a great weekend – should be nice weather; come out for a picnic and tour the Old Stone House!
May 7, 2009
Sorry it’s been a bit quiet around here; the combination of the opening weekend Pow Wow and the end of Slippery Rock University’s academic year created quite a workload!
The Pow Wow was a great time, and we were fortunate to have sunshine both days. Lots of people came out, especially Saturday afternoon. It was great to see people enjoying the Muddy Creek Singers and watching the dances (MCS even incorporated some dances from Iroquois and Northeastern societies to give the event some more local connection). Also great to see lots of people asking questions and learning more about what they were seeing, what a Pow Wow is, and many variations of Native American. Thanks to all who made it a success, especially the People of the Forest and All Nations Gathering, for their hard work.
Sadly, we workers at the Stone House were so busy we didn’t get a chance to take many pictures of the Pow Wow events. If you have them, we’d appreciate any you can share!
The Old Stone House is now open every weekend, Saturday 10-5, Sundays 12-5 – please stop by for a tour. Group tours are also available by appointment at any other time.
May 2, 2009
Visitors welcome from 9-6. Grand Entry is scheduled for 12 noon both Saturday and Sunday.
Come out, have some fun, learn more about Native American history and culture and support the Old Stone House - admission is free!
April 27, 2009
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
April 24, 2009
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.
April 17, 2009
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!)
April 10, 2009
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.
