Sunday, July 12, 2009

MAINTENANCE UPDATE




Work has begun recently on the Landis Valley House Hotel.

The Landis Valley House Hotel was built in 1856 by Jacob Landis Jr. It is an original structure standing on its original site, which is at the crossroads which met in what was once the village of Landis Valley. When a post office became part of the hotel around 1860 it put Landis Valley "on the map"!
There was a restaurant, a bar and several rooms for over-night guests. In the mid 1950s it was known for its turtle soup and 3" thick ham sandwiches.

There was also a stage coach stop at the Hotel in the late 1800s and Henry Harrison Landis often mentions going to the hotel to look for someone, to conduct business, or (in his earlier years) to get a drink. He also talks about buying a beer at the hotel for his day laborers.

Today, as there is a modern kitchen there, the Hotel is used as a rental facility for special tour luncheons or other special events such as the Victorian Valentine Dinner, a very popular event!


Tuesday, June 30, 2009

SUMMER INTERN IN THE VALLEY

Landis Valley Museum is pleased to welcome Veronica Santiago Padilla to our interpretive staff.

The expression, "it is a small world" certainly applies here. While looking for educational opportunities abroad she just happened upon LVM's website and the "rest is history"! She will be with us for six weeks as a volunteer!

Veronica is from Oaxaca, Mexico and is a student at the Universidad de las Americas in Puebla, Mexico, where she is majoring in International Relations.
Veronica has jumped right in to the program here and has already translated our site brochure into Spanish. As she is also fluent in French, she updated our French version as well.

You might find her interpreting in the Brothers' House or the Country Store. We are grateful for her upbeat personality, her desire to learn, and her openness and flexibility.
EDIT
Last night, July 16, Veronica appeared on the local cable news program. You can view this on you tube here.


Thursday, May 28, 2009

RECENT ACQUISITIONS

As you might know, my brother George and I collected many, many items. Although we never counted them, some people estimate that when we handed over our collections to the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania in 1953, there were upwards of 100,000 individual items!

The curatorial staff at Landis Valley today is responsible for this collection. They also try to find articles of significance that should be a part of the museum collection.

An "accession" process helps us to decide what are the best pieces to add to the collection.

Recently we managed to get a one-pint milk bottle from the Landis Valley Dairy!

This dairy was run out of what is currently called the Isaac Landis farm complex. It was run by H.H. Landis in the 1930s. He was a distant relative of ours.

Here is a photograph of one of H.H. Landis' Landis Valley Dairy trucks taken in Landis Valley.



And here is the recently acquired, one-pint bottle from the Landis Valley Dairy!


And here is a detail of the inscription on the bottle.


Monday, May 18, 2009

Staying home this summer?

Give the kids (or grandkids) the opportunity to get some fresh air, explore, run around in the grass and visit the animals! With a Family Membership to Landis Valley Museum - you can come and visit as much as you like. It's like spending a day in the country, only you don't have to drive as far!

This is old fashioned entertainment at a very affordable price. Pack a picnic lunch & blanket and come show the kids how much fun a lazy summer day can be!





Tuesday, April 21, 2009

RYAN AND FRIENDS


Recently a film crew from Blue Ridge Channel 11 came to film an episode of "Inside Access" which is hosted by Ryan Bomgardner and his sidekick Jeffrey, pictured above.

According to the Blue Ridge Channel 11 website, "the show goes behind the scenes of attractions of Lancaster County (with some hilarious results) as well as educating audiences on issues such as health, recycling, and history."

You can learn more about Ryan and his friends here.

The episode about Landis Valley Museum is scheduled to air numerous times during the month of May, so be sure to check the Blue Ridge link above for scheduling information if you are a Blue Ridge cable customer.

We hope that Ryan and Jeffrey enjoyed their visit!

Tuesday, April 7, 2009

Come to the Herb & Garden Faire!

Our Herb & Garden Faire will take place on Friday & Saturday, May 8th & 9th! Hours are 9am-5pm, admission is $8, children five and under free! This is a great event for gardeners, also a nice way to spend the day. Shop or plants, seeds, art for the garden and more!