Chippendale style miniature blanket chest form. Mahogany-stained softwood, dovetail contruction, Lid with brass butt hinges, four ogee bracket feet. Edge molding on lid; chest bottom extends beyond sides to create look of molding. Interior till at left. All surfaces stained and glossy-varnished. Large brass batwing lock escutcheon; silvered key. Top of lid has central relief-carved cartouche incorporating the monogram of Frances Mayer Hershey "FMH" according to Clarke E. Hess. He believes chest was commissioned by Frances' grandparents Henry M. and Frances Mayer. Pencilled in cursive on bottom is "M. Mayer Rohrerstown." Frances' parents were Harry E. Hershey and Dora E. Mayer.
Attributed to Henry Slough, Sr. workshop.
Provenance
Descent from Frances Mayer Hershey to son Henry R. Outin. Purchased by Heritage Center at estate sale of Henry Outin of 2107 Wood St., Rohrerstown, held by Shaub at Willow Street Fire Hall. According to Clarke E. Hess, Outin died just a few months before the Sept.sale. He was the only child of Frances Mayer Hershey and her French husband, (?) Outin. Clarke recalls this couple lived in Algiers and perhaps other places abroad. Frances M. H. Outin left America with her husband in 1928, putting all her belongings in storage until she returned as a widow in 1967, at wich time Hess Builders built a home for her behind the Rohrerstown Mennonite Church. Mrs. Outin died later at age 92.
Lid is strongly abraded, notably a large oblong outline. Minor wear and abrasions overall. Several small cracks at left front at dovetails and a 2 3/4" long crack at midline. Interior abraded and scarred with accretions.
Object ID
P.00.38.1
Place of Origin
Lancaster
Credit
In memory of Anne Bausman Woodcock by Sally Slaymaker & Caroline S. Nunan
World War I medal consists a cast bronze pentagonal medallion suspended from a silk ribbon of green and white, pinned to an oblong buff colored card printed with "WELCOME HOME / BOYS!" at the top and "LANCASTER, PA. / MADE BY J.F.A.Co." at the bottom.
Medallion hangs from ribbon via two brass rings. Raised detail on face is "WELCOME HOME" written in a banner at top. At center is the Lancaster seal flanked by the date "1919". Banner at bottom reads "LANCASTER PA." Ribbon has a safety pin stitched to upper back side, and is mounted by pin onto printed card.
Inscribed in ink on card to right of medallion is "$6.50". Struck on reverse of medallion is "JFACo."
Bronze is very dark with tarnish and soil. Ribbon is in poor condition with losses of green threads at left and broken and separating threads at right side. Card is worn and darkened with bottom right corner missing.
Cast-iron toy tri-motor Fokker aquaplane, painted yellow. Made of multiple castings fitted and securred with screws. Three wire spring cables are fitted to pulleys under plane, allowing the 4 rubber wheels to turn the 3 propellers and activate a noisemaker. Raised letters atop wings spell "FRIENDSHIP". "NX4202" is on tail and "Fokker" is on left side of fuselage. All letters painted blue. Inside hollow fuselage is "HUBLEY." Gold seal on left end of wing reads "It's a Hubley Toy". Profile of Earhart is cast into one of the two rear windows on left side.
The Friendship was flown across the Atlantic from Newfoundland to Wales, on June 17, 1928, with Amelia Earhart aboard. She was only a passenger, but this event won her immense fame, including a ticker tape parade in New York City, and started her career as a major celebrity. (see Notes on why this plane was made.)
Provenance
Plane was given to donor by his friend Charlie Reiger (sp?).
Moderate overal loss of paint; rust on exposed metal; cracking rubber on wheels.
Object ID
G.88.9
Notes
Hubley Mfg. Co. was commissioned by Pittsburgh industrialist Arthur E. Braun (1876-1976) to make 22 yellow aquaplanes modeled on Earhart's Friendship. Earhart signed each one and Braun gave the planes out as gifts at a reception in honor of Earhart, held at his own residence in Pittsburgh in June of 1929. This plane is unsigned, suggesting perhaps that this example may have been a factory extra.
In 1932, Earhart flew solo across the Atlantic, again achieving acclaim as the 2nd person and 1st woman to do so. She received the Distinguished Flying Cross from Congress, the gold medal of the National Geographic Society and the Cross of the Legion of Honor from France.
Place of Origin
Lancaster
Credit
Gift of Samuel S. Snyder, Heritage Center Collection
Cast Iron Hubley Motorcycle with driver. Red "Indian" motorcycle with sidecar has a removable policeman with uniform, goggles, badge, sidearm, cap, boots and gloves. Cycle is painted red with silver handlebars, engine and highlights; sidecar seat is black. Decal on left side of gas tank has "Indian" on gold ground. Policeman is painted black with silver goggles, badge and buckle; face is pink. Three tires are marked "HUBLEY MFG CO. BALLOON" w/ size and "CORD". Metal "clicker" underneath. Sidecar policeman missing.
Moderate overall wear with soiling and significant scattered rusting and corrosion. All tires are flattened with some additional deformation.
Object ID
2010.023.2
Notes
Hubley Toy Company produced many different models, sizes and compositions of motorcycles during the years they were in production. Most of the motorcycles were based on Harley Davidson and Indian in the earlier years and then expanding to the BMW and perhaps others. Indian models are the most sought-after and have the highest value.
Lignum vitae lead-dressing stick. odd shaped heavy wooden tool has flat bottom, flat front end and long round handle on opposite end. Dark lignum vitae wood, natural finish with white paint at various places on handle.
Lead dressing stick is used to "dress" or shape, flatten, and smooth sheet lead.
Provenance
Maker to daughter Ruth Eppley Ganse and spouse Robert N. Ganse to son
Spiral labyrinth, watercolor and ink on wove paper, signed by John A. Landis (15 Sep 1777 - 8 Mar 1862) of Lancaster City. Within a line border is a compass-drawn large circle filled with interwoven near-circles (paths of labyrinth) emanating from another center circle that is in turn filled with compass-drawn floral decoration. The near-circle pathways have text written within, beginning at the top with the words, "What is a gentleman?" Leafy vines with flowers fill the corners outside of the large circular labyrinth. Two distelfink-type birds are perched on lower vines. At bottom center is a heart in which vines are anchored. Within heart are 4 lines of neatly printed English: "Made By/ John A. Landis in the/ Year of our Lord 1852/ in the Seventy Fifth/ Year of his/ Age."
Reverse side of frame has two stickers; the top one reads: "MSC/ #135" and the lower one reads: "T76.10.37/ (MSC - 135)."
Unusual -- believed to be the only hand-done Lancaster City fraktur known. Samuel Baumann is the design source for Landis's birds, flowers and hearts. Baumann produced printed fraktur in Ephrata in the early 19th century. See NOTES
Provenance
Provenance: Dealer Hattie Brunner to Dr. & Mrs. Donald A. Shelley. Shelley collection sold at auction (Pook & Pook), Oct. 2004 to Heritage Center.
Paper is darkened overall; watercolored words of labyrinth are blurry and often illegible.
Object ID
P.04.45.1
Notes
According to Landis family genealogy & other sources, Landis operated a museum in Lancaster City at several successive locations. Article in Lancaster Gazette, 1825, lists detailed changes & additions Landis made to the museum.
Landis married twice, leaving no children and is buried in Shreiner's cemetery (tall monument along Mulberry St. side). The 1850 Census records him living, at age 72, with his wife Sarah in a hotel kept by Henry Nauman. He is also listed in the 1860 Census but of course gone by 1870.
Labyrinths have been made in various forms for centuries, traditionally of a spiritual nature. According to Michael Bird, "The labyrinth had pre-Christian roots in the worlds of Crete, Greece and Rome..." Landis's labyrinth is unusual in that it is not rooted in a spiritual or Biblical theme, but instead focuses on moral character. This compass-drawn design is not traditional Pa. German; it is likely Anglo-inspired.
This labyrinth was illustrated in Donald Shelley's "The Fraktur-Writings of Illuminated Manuscripts of the Pa. Germans", figure #223. See Klaus Stopp's The Printed B&BCs of the German Americans, Vol. II, pp. 208-217, for fraktur printed by the Baumanns of Ephrata. These show the source of motifs used in this labyrinth.