The Columbus Chapel and Boal Mansion Museum

are open May 1 to October 31 annually

6 days per week (closed Mondays).

Spring Hours (May 1 - June 14, 2010):

Tuesday through Sunday 1:30 - 5 p.m.

Summer Hours (June 15 - August 30, 2010):

Tuesday through Saturday 10 a.m. - 5 p.m.  Sunday 12 - 5 p.m.

Fall Hours (August 31 - October 31, 2010):

Tuesday through Sunday 1:30 - 5 p.m.

On-site group tours and off-site program speakers

are possible at any time in any season by advance arrangement.

If you'd like to be on the Museum's mailing list for future events and activities, email your contact information (name, mailing address, email, phone, etc.) to office@boalmuseum.com and we'll stay in touch!

And now, access our Museum Page on Facebook by clicking here, or paste this address in your web browser:

http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#!/pages/Boalsburg/Columbus-Chapel-and-Boal-Mansion-Museum/127547680589308?ref=sgm

Once you access the Facebook page, click on the "like" button and we'll stay in touch!

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Interested in being a volunteer guide (docent)?

For more information, if you are a student click here and if you are an adult, click here and then contact the Museum to schedule an orientation tour. And now, access our Docent Page on Facebook by clicking here, or paste this address in your browser:  http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#!/pages/Boalsburg-PA/Boal-Mansion-Docents/60082528981?ref=sgm

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Scenes from the very recent

Garden Party for the Declaration of Independence.

Richard Henry Lee, an ancestor of the Boal family, didn't just sign the Declaration, he made the motion for independence in the Continental Congress on June 7, 1776 in what history books call "Lee's Resolution." In the library of the Boal Mansion is a portrait of Lee and his authentic signature on a book that belonged to him that is still in the Lee family.

To celebrate America's birthday, we read the Declaration of Independence on Saturday, July 3, 2010, at 1:30 pm and provided refreshments and a free tour of the Museum to some seventy people. For photos click here.

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"Saints Preserve Us!"

Now you can preserve the saints!

With due diligence, the Museum is honing in on an approach to conserve the flaking 15th and 16th century statues of saints in the Columbus Chapel. We are being guided by nationally renowned conservationist Virginia Naudé, and counseled by Susan Wall of the Rhode Island School of Design (pictured below, with Museum CEO Christopher Lee and the statue of St. Margaret) and Dr. John Steyaert of the University of Minnesota, who is the internationally recognized expert on Gothic sculpture. All three experts have made the pilgrimage to the Columbus Chapel and...(for the complete story, click here).

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An Offering to School Teachers:

Teachers can access the Boal Mansion Museum's full range of curriculum offerings by clicking here.

Read what teachers wrote whose classes recently (Oct/Nov '09) visited the museum:

"I highly recommend an experience at your location to any local school as a way to bring learning to life with a most engaging visit."
--  Dr. Dale Reimann, Principal, Annville-Cleona Middle/High School, October 11, 2009

"I have accompanied groups to Gettysburg, the PA state capitol, the PA governor's mansion, Corning Glass Center, a Glider Museum, etc. and found your communication of historical knowledge on a par with any of them."

--Howard McKenzie, home school teacher and  former high school history teacher, December 18, 2009

Teachers can access the Boal Mansion Museum's full range of curriculum offerings by clicking here.

For the classroom picture presentation: http://boalmuseum.com/presentation.htm

For all educational offerings: http://boalmuseum.com/schools.htm

For the Museum home page: http://boalmuseum.com

12/16/09: The genealogy web page has been updated.  If your update hasn't been posted, please send it again to office@boalmuseum.com because we probably had trouble figuring it out! We are also seeking to update the genealogy quicker and better. To that end, we have received a donation of $340 from Rush Clark of Michigan to enable the Museum to buy Family Tree Maker software and one year's access to Ancestry.com. If you wish to join Rush in helping out, you can make your check to "Boal Mansion Museum,"  PO Box 116, Boalsburg PA 16827.

12/16/09: For those seeking a wedding or reception here on a Saturday evening in 2010, there are some Saturday evening dates available when the Boal Barn Playhouse will not be in session. See the "Weddings and Receptions" page for details. As always, Saturday afternoons are always good for wedding receptions here.

The companion website for the new walking tour brochure of the village of Boalsburg available at the Boal Mansion Museum and at other high quality locations throughout the village of Boalsburg is http://boalmuseum.com/walkingtour.htm

Check Out the Fun Activities

Are you docent material?

     Students in grades 8 to 12 are invited to contact the Boal Mansion to arrange a free tour and to hear about the activities planned (festivals, music, art, history, Frisbee, French kids visiting).

     They can join a team of young and old volunteer tour guides (docents) we will develop. You can apply with your friends. Parents are welcome too (since they provide support) and so are adults interested in joining in the activities. For details about the student program, click here.

For Boalsburg Village Conservancy news: click here

The Boalsburg Village Conservancy has held meetings to plan for Boalsburg's 200th birthday in 2008/2009. A schedule of events and historical publications are planned.

For details, click here.

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This web site is designed to help you learn more about the museum and the Boal family. Use the menu on the left of every page to navigate through the different areas. Click on a particular area of interest to either open or close the more specific lists. Click on "Home Page" or the logo at the top to return to this page.

If you have any questions or suggestions, please feel free to e-mail us at: office@boalmuseum.com. You may also use e-mail to make reservations to special events (see Special Events on the left) or to arrange group tours, which are possible at any time or season by advance arrangement.

Nine generations of Boals have shaped today's community. The Boal Mansion has been home to these generations and after 219 years, the original family, furnishings, and buildings are still here. This registered National Historic Site, (US Department of the Interior), tells the story of America -- The Emerging Nation.

See also the Columbus Chapel which contains the most important Columbus collection in North America -- an incredible collection of Columbus relics, fine art, and religious relics, including two pieces of The True Cross.

Three Exhibit Rooms show how people lived, worked and fought from medieval times through Worlds War I, before electricity, cars, etc.

We have group tours available, wedding reception reservations available, and information for those interested in volunteering! If you'd like to support the Museum's mission with a donation click here for details.

More News

The Boal Mansion Museum -- a beacon of light!

Always an educational beacon of light, now the Boal Mansion Museum has two new true beacons -- beautiful antique-style lamp posts, the same design as those in the village of Boalsburg.

The lights, located at the visitor parking and between the Mansion and the Playhouse, were installed with a grant from the Tourism Grant program of the Central Pennsylvania Convention and Visitors Bureau, a program funded through a tax on hotel guests and designed to “put heads in beds.” The lights are considered tourism infrastructure.

A third light, by the Columbus Chapel, has been sponsored by Jack Sapia of State College in memory of his wife Doris and his son Samuel “Arn” Sapia and should be installed by the May 1^st season opening.

"Active Learning" Tour Involves Young Students

An “active learning” tour of the Boal Mansion and Columbus Chapel took place in June. Fifty-six fifth graders from the Boalsburg Elementary School taught themselves about America, the emerging nation, and developed ideas about their own role in continuing our nation’s progress. For details on the tour format and how to arrange one, click here.

The Pennsylvania Knights of Columbus

and the Columbus Chapel

Under the leadership of State Deputy Joe Yourish, the Pennsylvania Knights of Columbus have involved councils throughout Pennsylvania in work to help out with the Columbus Chapel. Together, they have already restored the stone path to the Columbus Chapel. For details, click here.

Volunteer Guides Bring History To Life

for Grateful Visitors

"This is the most interesting room in Centre County" remarked volunteer guide John Kriner, a retired school principle, about the library at the Boal Mansion Museum. Kriner is one of a host of volunteer guides, ranging from age 14 to senior citizens who are retired but still active in their community.

These guides bring to life a wealth of local and international memorabilia such as a lock of hair of Napoleon, Christopher Columbus' Admiral's Desk and two pieces of the True Cross. When the tour is finished, visitors have connected with their American heritage. click here for the full story

Genealogy Database

We now have an online interactive genealogy database of the Boal Family dating back to 1764 starting with David Boal.  To learn more about the Boal Family genealogy visit the genealogy page where you can read about our family history, talk to other Boal's on our message board, and search through our new database. Also, for an independent database on the Columbus family genealogy recently recommended to us,  go to http://book-smith.tripod.com/colon.html

CEO's Viewpoint:

What’s Good for the Community

is Good for the Boal Mansion Museum

 2008 was quite a year for me in the community: I served as Chairman of Harris Township, President of the Boalsburg Village Conservancy and Chair of the Boalsburg 200^th not to mention Vice-Chairman of the Centre Region Council of Governments, member of the Centre County Metropolitan (Transportation) Planning Organization (MPO) and President of the Central Pennsylvania Musicians Association.

But positions don’t mean much if you simply occupy them. I have been fortunate to be surrounded by people who share my interest in the community and who have responded to the pro-active and positive agenda of shaping the future we will live in.

Harris Township’s year began with Academy Street residents saying:   click here for the full story

New Photo Pages

Click here to go to a page with a selection of photos of Museum views.

Live in the heart of history

in historic Boalsburg.

The Boal Estate, a national historic site and a beautiful 40 acre country estate close to State College and Penn State University, offers the following affordable houses on the Estate for rent:

The Middle House, 2 br, $495

The End House, 3 br, $775

The Carriage House (first floor), 2 br, $575

The Carriage House (second floor), 3 br, $650

The Gate House: 2br, $650

The next availability for these rental units is July 31, 2010.

For more details, click here.

To view, contact Park Forest Enterprises at (814) 238-3431  (you must specify you want the "Boal Estate") or go to http://rentpfe.com/boal_estate.htm

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