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Morning Call: Be a part of history with “Time Capsule Bethlehem” exhibit
March 9th, 2018 | In The News
Written by Jennifer Sheehan for The Morning Call
Learning about history is one thing. Being a part of it is another.
An upcoming exhibit, “Time Capsule Bethlehem: Our City Then & Now,” gives visitors the chance to share stories and contribute to a Bethlehem time capsule and explore displays that document Christmas City history. Hosted by Historic Bethlehem, the exhibit opens on March 29 and runs through Aug. 26 at six of its museums.
“The exhibit is one giant time capsule,” says Caitlin Nelson, marketing coordinator for Historic Bethlehem. “The pieces on display will be things you’d find in a time capsule from another age.”
Community involvement will be a big part of the exhibit. Historic Bethlehem is looking for artifacts, photos and records to be included in a time capsule. To contribute, fill out a submission form on the Historic Bethlehem website or at the Kemerer Museum of Decorative Arts, and submit your contribution.
The public will have a chance to vote on which submissions make it into the time capsule on Historic Bethlehem’s Facebook page. Voting will begin March 24 and run through Aug. 1. The capsule will be on display during the exhibit and buried after the exhibit closes.
At Kemerer Museum, you can make your mark on an interactive timeline. The timeline, which will span an entire gallery, covers 1741-2018 and will feature maps, artwork depicting Bethlehem, newspaper clips and artifacts ranging from Count Zinzendorf’s crystal cuff links to memos from Bethlehem Steel secretaries. The walls above and below the timeline will be covered with whiteboard panels where you can contribute your own stories.
A family-friendly opening reception for the exhibit is planned for 6-8 p.m. March 29 at Kemerer. It will include music, time capsule activities and a presentation on documentation found in Pennsylvania German fraktur, an artistic and elaborate form of folk art.
The exhibit is set up so each site will feature something special to see, tying in to the idea of the “time capsule,” including paintings, journals, archaeological findings, photographs and more, along with special events and activities.
Here are some of the highlights:
Kemerer Museum
* See artifacts customarily found in a time capsule such as ticket stubs, birth certificates, scrapbooks, letters and photographs.
* Browse historic letters and learn more about letter-writing techniques.
* Try to guess the function of mystery tools from the past and peruse family heirlooms.
* Test your time capsule analysis skills by reviewing several “mini capsules” to determine the period they represented in Bethlehem.
* See the dollhouse displays and see how these structures are not just playthings from a child’s past, but also records of how more affluent families lived 1830-1933.
* Check out the Family Room, a space dedicated to the display of family trees, heirlooms such as quilts, artwork, and handmade furniture, and family photos from the collection. Enjoy children’s activities, including making your own family tree, making a take-home mini time capsule box and decorating a fraktur-inspired birth certificate.
Moravian Museum
* Learn more about Moravian documents from the early days of Bethlehem, including journals, letters, deeds, family documents, business records and other forms of record keeping and find out how these records contributed to Bethlehem’s history.
Single Sisters’ House
*Explore how art pieces made by women in Bethlehem in the 18th, 19th and 20th centuries help historians learn more about the past.
1752 Apothecary
* Explore apothecary prescriptions, records and rarely exhibited manuscripts from the collection, including bills, sales, records and customer information.
Goundie House
* See “Catastrophe!,” an exhibit of materials related to fires, floods and train accidents in Bethlehem. You’ll see photos, insurance papers, first-responder gear and more.
Luckenbach Mill
* Explore “Bethlehem Past and Present,” an exhibition of photographs of Bethlehem’s past, interspersed with the work of contemporary photographers capturing the city today.
