October is American Archives Month, as such it seems like a good time to take a quick look at the archival collection at the Pennsylvania Lumber Museum. As a museum we collect both 3D artifacts as well as 2D archival material, which differs from a Archive, such as the State Archives, that focuses more on the archival records to the exclusion of 3D artifacts.
The Lumber Museum’s archival collection is located in the back half of our collection storage area. This area has moveable compact storage with individual shelves sized to hold archival file boxes.
The boxes that are used for storage are all made of acid-free material to help preserve the records. The boxes also help prevent exposure of the archival material to UV light. Paper and photographic materials are sensitive to light exposure as it will cause fading. The strings that can be seen are there to make it easier to pull a box from the shelf, just be sure not to hold a box just by the string.
The archival collection at the Lumber Museums consists of 2D paper materials such as primary source records, such as the ledgers from a Lumber Company , photographic negatives and prints, posters and maps. Rare books, brochures, and pamphlets are also included in the Lumber Museum’s archives. The photos below provide a look into some of the types of items in our archival collection.
A ledger from the Emporium Lumber Company 
Inside of the Emporium Lumber Company Ledger 
Photograph of workers from the Goodyear Lumber Company 
Newsletter from Civilian Conservation Corps Camp S-87 Ole Bull 
1927 Map of Bald Eagle State Forest 
Inside of Bald Eagle State Forest Map 
Smokey Bear Poster 
Booklet “Guide to Forestry” 1920’s 
Photo Albums belonging to Frank Latt with images of the Central Pennsylvania Lumber Company in the 1930s.
To further explore American Archives Month, check our the Pennsylvania State Archives online.
