Penns Valley Historical Museum Presents New Exhibits

The Penns Valley Historical Museum in Aaronsburg opened for the 2018 season May 5, featuring two new exhibits created by museum collections chairman Kay Gray.

“My Lady’s Bed Chamber” is a decorated bedroom one might have found in 19th-century homes in the area.

“My incentive to do this exhibit was due to the amount of handcrafted vintage textiles we have in our collection,” said Gray. “I thought this would be a great way to display them and show the craftsmanship of the Penns Valley women.”

The bedroom features a brass bed adorned with handmade quilts and blankets, and a blanket chest at its foot. A sitting area occupies the opposite side of the room, and features a wicker loveseat and small table stocked with vintage magazines and reading glasses. Another chest displays a hairbrush, comb and hand mirror, along with jewelry and other accessories for a Victorian lady.

Gray said the bedroom display represents that of an upper-class lady of the era.

“A banker’s wife is a good representation,” she said. She noted that all the display items came from the Penns Valley area.

The museum’s second new exhibit is a collection of memorabilia from World War I, commemorating the centennial of the war’s end in 1918. The display features a full U.S. Army uniform of the time and an Army nurse’s uniform. A gas mask, helmets and vintage bayonets also are included in the display.

The exhibit features photos of Penns Valley residents who served in the war, as well as photos of a parade in Millheim that celebrated the armistice in 1918.

The Penns Valley Historical Museum will be open Saturdays from 1 to 4 p.m. through October.

For more information, call Gray at (814) 349-5740.