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The Anthracite Heritage Museum and Scranton Iron Furnaces Associates are hiring a part-time Store Clerk. Please see the attached file for more information!

Interested applicants should send your resume and cover letter to Vivian Cleveland, Business Manager. (ahmuseum[at]verizon.net)

Take a look at this fascinating online program.

In case you missed it – take a look at our virtual Arts on Fire.

Thank you to all our partners who made this possible!

Click HERE or see below for our virtual event including artists’ demonstrations, footage and images from previous years’ events, messages from partners, and musical guests Dashboard Mary and the Quietmen!

The Anthracite Heritage Museum is pleased to work with our community partners to produce a virtual program for this year featuring music, art, and history. #artsonfire #anthraciteheritagemuseum

The Arts on Fire Festival, launched in 2010, is a celebration of arts, heritage, industry and community held the first weekend of June at the Iron Furnaces in Scranton, a four acre site along Roaring Brook and managed by The Anthracite Heritage Museum and Iron Furnaces. The Iron Furnaces is a former working iron foundry, built in the 1840s, where many of the early immigrants to Scranton worked. Set against this historic backdrop, visitors to the Arts on Fire Festival can enjoy hands-on history and the best of contemporary art.

Thank you to our many sponsors!!

The Anthracite Heritage Museum is currently seeking a Weekend Store Clerk. Please see the attached file for details. Send cover letter and resume to ahmuseum[at]verizon.net

Application deadline is March 6.

Members! Please access this link to review the Governance Committee and Board of Directors’ recommendations for Bylaws Revisions. Contact the museum with questions or concerns. This will be voted on at our annual meeting on November 23, at 2:00 pm at the Museum.

The Anthracite Heritage Museum recently underwent some visitor research through Penn State Harrisburg’s Center for Survey Research and the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission.

The findings proved interesting, and the Associates Board of Directors as well at PHMC staff are in process of addressing some of the public’s questions and ideas about the museum and how we tell the story of Anthracite.

Both the survey & focus group report are attached to this post, for your perusal! Please feel free to direct any questions to Jackie Schulte, Associates Board President, or Bode Morin, Site Administrator at AHM and Eckley Miners’ Village.

Focus Group Report

Site Survey Report

From: Kasidy Leggin

Shortly after our first concert at Saint Cynog’s Church, the choir visited The National Assembly for Wales in Cardiff. The building houses the Welsh Parliament, known in Welsh as the Senedd. It stands as a sleek work of architecture. Opened in 2006, the premises border Cardiff Bay, and the sheen from its many windows provides a stark contrast to the antiquity of say- the Parliament in London, or the U.S. Capitol building. Before 1997, the Welsh were governed solely by the Parliament in England. Being only twenty years past its inception, the Welsh Parliament is relatively new. As a result, every facet of the Welsh government has a certain freshness and vigor to it. Even our tour guide at the Senedd appeared lively, not looking a day past his mid twenties.

One thing that stuck out to me about the Welsh government was how inviting and open it felt. After nothing more than a cursory security check, we were allowed inside to explore. I later learned that this was not special treatment reserved for our choir, as every Welsh citizen can do the same. After a quick visit to the café, we were led to a circular auditorium. Every seat was fitted with headphones and a video console, and in the center was a circular glass dome which enclosed the debating chamber for the Welsh Parliament. The debating chamber was a classy room, with computers at each desk and headsets for the purpose of immediate Welsh to English translation. Nestled behind a glass panel toward the front of the chamber was a regal looking golden mace, the symbol of parliamentary government.

In the auditorium, we had the honor of meeting the Welsh Secretary of Education, Kirsty Williams. She explained to us that whenever Parliament was in session, anyone may listen to the discussion in the debating chamber from up in the auditorium. To me, that gesture was indicative of the welcoming nature of Wales in general. Williams also taught us about the similarities of the Welsh government to our own back in America. In our system, there is a distinction between the federal government in Washington D.C. and the legislatures of each state. Not much is different in Wales. The Parliament in London governs over the whole U.K., much like our federal government, and the Parliament of Wales is congruent to an American state government.

After she shared these insights into the Welsh government, Williams asked the choir to sing “Rachie” in the auditorium. She had been to our concert the previous night and was quite impressed with our Welsh, even claiming that it was better than her own! Before leaving, we also sang the Welsh national anthem on the main staircase. Like many times already on the trip, everybody appeared to have been struck by the majesty of this musical moment. Our talent, dedication, and love for music had allowed us to create it for some of the leaders of this wonderful country, and it was a wonderful feeling. I truly believe that every choir member left the Senedd that day stunned at where their hard work had taken them.