The Best Places You've Never Seen
Pennsylvania's Small Museums: A Traveler's Guide
Therese Boyd
“Although the Philadelphia Museum of Art, with its famous Rocky staircase and Thomas Eakins masterpieces, is a must-see for most Keystone State visitors, the rest of the state’s museums are largely unknown to outsiders. Writer Boyd has visited small museums throughout Pennsylvania and found 42 she says are worth detouring for; she details these little gems in this handy guide organized by region. In the Poconos, visitors should check out the Houdini Tour and Show, where they can see the padlocks the great escapist used, or Yuengling Brewery, dubbed ‘America’s Oldest Brewery.’ While trucking through the Alleghenies, drivers might make a pit stop at Mr. Ed’s Elephant Museum, a nondescript wooden building that features a range of ‘elephantania,’ from plaster elephants to elephant salt and pepper shakers. And in an around Philly, there’s the Mummers Museum, which pays tribute to the city’s version of Mardi Gras; the Shoe Museum (displaying South African clogs and a size 18 shoe); and more. It’s a quirky travel guide that will undoubtedly be a godsend to anyone faced with a long drive on Route 80.”
- Media
- Description
- Reviews
- Bio
- Table of Contents
- Sample Chapters
- Subjects
To view an interview with this author about this book, click here: http://boyd.soar.psu.edu
Unlike large museums, which display masterpieces of art and other "important" items, small museums feature objects that would otherwise be thrown away and forgotten—everything from spittoons to high button shoes and trolley cars. Some small museums, such as the Richard Allen Museum, serve a serious purpose; others are playful, even eccentric. All offer a fresh perspective on how people have lived and worked.
Boyd, who has visited small museums throughout Pennsylvania, concentrates on the forty-two museums she considers most worth a detour. These range from Kready's Museum, where visitors can savor the simple pleasures of a country store, to the Vocal Groups Hall of Fame and Museum, where music fans can listen to "golden oldies" and pore over memorabilia (including sequined dresses once worn by the Supremes). Boyd's personal favorite is the museum in the home of Christian Sanderson, a man who collected literally hundreds of historical relics, not the least of which is the purse found in the apron pocket of Jennie Wade, the only civilian killed at the Battle of Gettysburg. Boyd's book is a comprehensive, illustrated guide to the best small museums in Pennsylvania. It weaves amusing anecdotes about Boyd's own visits to the museums along with descriptions of their histories and collections. Her guide provides travel directions as well as complete information about each museum's visiting hours, website, and contact information.
“Although the Philadelphia Museum of Art, with its famous Rocky staircase and Thomas Eakins masterpieces, is a must-see for most Keystone State visitors, the rest of the state’s museums are largely unknown to outsiders. Writer Boyd has visited small museums throughout Pennsylvania and found 42 she says are worth detouring for; she details these little gems in this handy guide organized by region. In the Poconos, visitors should check out the Houdini Tour and Show, where they can see the padlocks the great escapist used, or Yuengling Brewery, dubbed ‘America’s Oldest Brewery.’ While trucking through the Alleghenies, drivers might make a pit stop at Mr. Ed’s Elephant Museum, a nondescript wooden building that features a range of ‘elephantania,’ from plaster elephants to elephant salt and pepper shakers. And in an around Philly, there’s the Mummers Museum, which pays tribute to the city’s version of Mardi Gras; the Shoe Museum (displaying South African clogs and a size 18 shoe); and more. It’s a quirky travel guide that will undoubtedly be a godsend to anyone faced with a long drive on Route 80.”
“Boyd’s descriptions of the museums (which run no longer than a page or two), combine her conversational writing style and a well-balanced mix of background information, personal observations and anecdotes, and make for a quick and often humorous read.”
“Pennsylvania’s many small museums would otherwise feature objects that would otherwise be thrown away and forgotten—everything from spittoons to high-button shoes and trolley cars. Some small museums, such as the Richard Allen Museum, serve a serious purpose; others are playful, even eccentric. All offer a fresh perspective on how people have lived and worked.
Boyd’s book is a comprehensive, illustrated guide to the best small museums in Pennsylvania. It weaves amusing anecdotes about Boyd’s own visits to the museums along with descriptions of their histories and collections. Her guide provides travel directions as well as complete information about each museum’s visiting hours, web site and contact information.”
“Part travel guide, part tales of the road, Therese Boyd’s The Best Places You’ve Never Seen: Pennsylvania’s Small Museums. . . takes the reader on a journey through some of the state’s more interesting, lesser-known museums.”
“Part diary, part history lesson, part coolest travel brochure you’ll ever come across; this book does what a good travel guide is supposed to do: make you forget that you’re reading a travel guide.
Boyd has succeeded in assembling a volume that could very well make more than a few readers want to cast aside their domestic chores and embark on that road trip they’ve been planning in their minds for years.”
“Think about it. You travel in your air-conditioned car to some of the cooler museums for just a day trip away from home. Who could ask for a better summer vacation than that?”
“Boyd’s writing style is enjoyably breezy, as well, showing surprise and sometimes disappointment. Put down the TV remote, power down your computer, put some gas in the tank and head in any direction. The Best Places You’ve Never Seen call out to be seen. In person.”
“In a friendly style, tinged with wit, she deftly distills the essence of each museum in a short essay and succinctly provides the nuts and bolts things, such as directions, hours and cost.”
“Who knew that one small book could make such big waves?
But Boyd’s book does more than just tell the tale of one woman, and her occasional companions, in search of history, fun and collectibles. The book is complete with directions, phone numbers, web sites and other information to let the reader become their own tour guide, to experience the state’s tiny treasures.”
“Though her book—her first—contains all the details and photographs necessary to be a useful guide, Boyd’s amusing storyteller’s approach to chronicling her visit to each site conveys much more about its subjects, and its author, than a utilitarian tour guide.
Boyd’s stories are a pleasure for the armchair traveler but many may find themselves itching to get on the road for themselves.”
“A good general rule is that only when the guide is Mark Twain or Rose Macauley does the reader welcome learning more about the guide than the place. Ms. Boyd often flouts this rule, but by the end her appreciation of the odd is contagious, and almost all is forgiven. She genuinely likes the strong souls who mind the museums, and she enlists the reader in her cause. Her approach is regional, and the selections are charmingly diverse.”
“This is a very cool book. . . . Take the book, get a road map, pile the kids into the SUV, and do a weekend ramble. Heck, do lots of weekend rambling to all 40 of the Best Places You’ve Never Seen. The book’s fun by itself, and the destinations are all plucky and gritty.”
Therese Boyd is a (nearly) lifelong Pennsylvanian. When she's not driving the back roads looking for somewhere fun or writing about where she's been, she edits books, writes book reviews, and teaches writing at Penn State York.
Contents
Acknowledgments
List of Symbols
Introduction
1. Better in the Poconos
Bill's Old Bike Barn, Bloomsburg
Houdini Tour and Show, Scranton
White Christmas Chalet and Tree Farm, Slatington
Yuengling Brewery, Pottsville
Zane Grey Museum, Lackawaxen
2. Around the City of Brotherly Love
Boyertown Museum of Historical Vehicles, Boyertown
Christian Sanderson Museum, Chadds Ford
The Insectarium, Philadelphia
Lost Highways Museum, Philadelphia
Moravian Pottery and Tile Works, Doylestown
Mummers Museum, Philadelphia
Museum of Mourning Art, Drexel Hill
Richard Allen Museum, Philadelphia
Shoe Museum, Philadelphia
Wharton Esherick Museum, Valley Forge
3. Deep in the Lower Susquehanna Valley
Bob Hoffman Weightlifting Hall of Fame and Museum, York
First National Bank Museum, Columbia
Kready's Country Store Museum, Lititz
Le Petit Museum of Musical Boxes, Marietta
New Holland Band Museum, New Holland
The Toy Robot Museum, Adamstown
4. Heart of the Alleghenies
Gardners Candies, Tyrone
Grice's Clearfield Community Museum, Clearfield
Horseshoe Curve, Altoona
Johnstown Flood Museum, Johnstown
Mr. Ed's Elephant Museum, Ortanna
Pasto Agricultural Museum, State College
Rockhill Trolley Museum, Rockhill Furnace
5. Iron City Environs
Coal and Coke Heritage Center, Uniontown
George Westinghouse Museum, Wilmerding
Jimmy Stewart Museum, Indiana
Mattress Factory, Pittsburgh
Photo Antiquities, Pittsburgh
6. Heading for Lake Erie
John Brown Museum, New Richmond
Vocal Groups Hall of Fame and Museum, Sharon
Wild West Museum, Franklin
7. Top of the World
Eldred World War II Museum, Eldred
Ole Bull Museum, Oleana
Pennsylvania Lumber Museum, Galeton
Piper Aviation Museum, Lock Haven
Tom Mix Birthplace and Museum, Driftwood
Zippo Visitors Center, Bradford
Photo Credits
Appendix: Other Small Museums Mentioned
?
Mailing List
Subscribe to our mailing list and be notified about new titles, journals and catalogs.