History Center Catalogs now online

What's in our library? What photos and postcards do we have?? What records do we have? Do we have photos of your family or class? Now you can go exploring in some of the records of our collections and find them.

Online Collections | History Center (pastperfectonline.com)

While we have nearly 30,000 cataloged items, about 5,000 of them have so far been uploaded in our online catalog where you can see them. Do we have a copy of your class commencement brochure? If not, send us a copy so we can link your class photos to it.

Check out what we do to commencement brochures when we have them. Subject Search for Commencement Programs | History Center (pastperfectonline.com) In the 1920s to 1940s graduation programs, we have links to the biographies and obituaries of deceased class members. We are still working on more recent classes, but that is the goal, particularly when we have copies of commencement brochures to link them from. Scroll way down to see them.

Take a look. The ONLY way to learn your way around this utility is to read the guidelines and poke every link. Just explore, go wandering. You'll be surprised.

You will find lists of people (all by name at birth), lists of subjects, or try searching on keywords which is just about anything. Our genealogy database of local connections includes over 100,000 individuals. Over 11,000 of them are also included in our museum files with links to schools, cemeteries, businesses, etc. People are only included online if we have an object or photos associated with them, although they are in our files if they are/were local (lived here, buried here, went to school here). If your family is not shown, send us photos so they can be.

You can select Random Images and follow something that catches your eye.

Try searching for advertisements. They link to businesses and the life stories of the people who ran them, and even the buildings they operated in.

You can also link to the online catalogs through our landing page at joycetice.com.

We have lots more fine-tuning and linking to do for our online presentation, but you'll be surprised what you find when you get lost in our files.

Voices from the Archives: Issue 15 sent out in March

Here's what's in the current issue of Voices from the Archives which goes to all History Center members:

Jennie Edwards Farrer's story of teaching in the rural schools of the 1870s which includes "boarding around" with the local families and even eating burned pancakes.

The story of Hiram Beebe Middaugh who built the original North Hall in 1874. He and his wife, Nancy Clark, pioneered in four states while they were still territories.

Thomas Hulslander's tales of installing telephone lines in the early nineteenth century.

A little bit of history and lots of photos of Powers Corners community.

If you are a 2024 member of The History Center, you receive your copy in March. If you are not a member, there's still time to subscribe or renew. Link below.

What's in our Library?

Pennsylvania’s Solders Orphan Schools

by James L. Paul

article by Linda Rashidi

Published in 1877, this volume tells the story of Pennsylvania’s Orphan Schools. Among Pennsylvania’s standing as “first among States” is the care for children orphaned as casualties of the Civil War and the establishment of Orphan Schools. An act of 1867 provided for the education and maintenance of soldiers’ orphans. J.L. Paul’s hefty book gives a full, detailed account of the raison d’etre for this act, how the system was organized, who ran these institutions, their goals, and the treatment of the orphans.

One such school was located here in Mansfield. On page 481 is an engraved plate showing the building, which stood on the northwest corner of North Main and West Wellsboro streets. It burned in 1912 ans was preplaced by the two story bbrick building there now. “Our” institution had its origin in a desire to establish a model school which needed more pupils than could be found locally. Fordyce A. Allen, its first proprietor, applied to the State for 25 boys and 25 girls. Thus, this Orphan School was an integral part of the Education Department of what was then Mansfield Normal School, and the teachers of these pupils were themselves Normal School graduates.

We also find in this account that music had an early prominent role in the Mansfield Normal School: “Two brass bands have been organized at this school, a set of instruments costing 285 dollars purchased, and the boys frequently discourse excellent music, to the evident delight of the inmates of the institution and the surrounding villages” (482).

We can see from this early account that Mansfield’s Orphan School played a prominent role in both the community and the history of Mansfield University.

High School Reunions 2024

So far two reunions are scheduled to visit The History Center this summer:

Classes of 57-58-59 on July 27

Class of 64 on September 14.

We will be glad to welcome all reunion classes. Just let us know you are coming and when.

We'd like to have twenty new members for 2024. As a bonus, we'll send each of them a journal issue from 2023 in addition to the 2024 issues as they are published. You can send a check or pay by PayPal. Directions link from the button at left.

If you are planning a reunion, consider a casual afternoon Meet & Greet at the History Center's Museum of Us. In an informal environment, you can chat with your friends, watch a slide show of Mansfield's historic photos, and find traces of yourself, your friends, and your family. Many of our exhibits are designed for those who grew up here. The Blue & Gold Room is full of MHS sports mementos. The pictorial display includes YOU along with all the other MHS graduates in its first hundred years.

Thank You to Our Gold Level Sponsors

Law Offices of Larry Mansfield

First Citizens Community Bank

VFW Post 6757

Mansfield Auxiliary Corporation

Lutes Foundation