HISTORICAL SOCIETY ELECTRONIC NEWSLETTER
MARCH  1999
editor, J.R. Zane
jrzane@bigfoot.com                                                   issue 2


WEB PAGE A SUCCESS 
        On-line for only three weeks, the HSSC Web site has had over 700 "hits."  
        It will take time to digest the many suggestions offered to improve 
        both the HSSC and the Web site.

BOARD MEETING HIGHLIGHTS
        At the monthly Board of Directors meeting which was held on Saturday 
        March 6 the HSSC awarded a contract to remove asbestos tile from 
        the old Female Grammar School (the future headquarters) to Environmental 
        Options Group of Reading for $1900.  Removal of the asbestos should 
        occur by mid to late March as governmental paperwork must be completed 
        first.  Empire Services expects to complete their work at the School 
        shortly and the Schuylkill County Sheriff's Office called HSSC and 
        offered to send volunteer prison inmates over to clear out debris.  
        The gracious offer was accepted.

        The anticipated "Molly Maguire Road Ramble" which was hoped to be 
        held on June 19th may have to be postponed.  Mike McGough, who will 
        organize the rally will be in Pottsville on March 21st to discuss 
        this.  A Molly Maguire Panel discussion will be held on June 19th in 
        the Courthouse Jury Lounge.  More details will follow.  A walking 
        tour of Shenandoah is planned for June 18th.  Again, more details to 
        follow..

MONTHLY MEETING TUESDAY MARCH 23, 1999
        At 7:30 p.m. in the Trinity Episcopal Church, Second and Howard 
        Avenue, Pottsville, the monthly meeting will be held.  The topic 
        will be "The Hermitage In Pitman" presented by Brother Johannes von 
        Zinzendorf.  For the past 10 years, the Hermitage in Pitman has been 
        moving to its 63 acre site, a number of vernacular farm buildings 
        from the Mahantongo Valley and beyond.  Larger log and timber frame 
        buildings are dismantled, moved in sections and rebuilt.  These 
        buildings comprise one of the finest collections of Pennsylvania 
        German buildings in the state.  They are used for craft buildings, 
        hermit houses, communal and educational buildings and  daily farming 
        operations.  They discussion presented by Brother von Zinzendorf 
        will also include a history of the Pietist and Pantheist order founded 
        by Moravians in 1749.  Please attend and bring a friend. If you are 
        not a member, then please attend and consider joining.  
        All are welcome!

ANNUAL HSSC DINNER SAT. APRIL 17th
        On April 17th the Annual HSSC dinner will be held at the Quality 
        Hotel (The Old Pomeroy's building  as it known to historians) at 
        7:00 p.m..  The price is $25.  The menu will consist of Chicken 
        Corn Chowder, wilted lettuce with hot bacon dressing, baked stuffed 
        pork chop, boiled potatoes, schnitzel beans (green beans with bacon 
        & onions) and dutch apple crisp.  The speaker is Dr. David Valuska 
        of Kutztown University and his topic is "The Pennsylvania Dutch."  
        The history of the Penna. Dutch stretches from 1683 to the present 
        day.  He will highlight the 18th and 19th century and relate the 
        story of the immigration years and the traditions that endure today.  
        The dinner is open to members, guests and those that are interested 
        in the HSSC or the topic of the evening.  If you fail to receive an 
        invitation by April 5th, then please contact HSSC headquarters.

REMEMBER THE HSSC
        Don't throw away any old high school year books, local programs to 
        events, or interesting old photographs that pertain to Schuylkill 
        County.  You should drop them off at the HSSC headquarters.