COLUMBUS CHAPEL & BOAL MUSEUM
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Boalsburg Events to Raise the Roof and a Barn to Celebrate and Save Local Heritage

8/25/2014

 
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The gala benefit ball in Boalsburg on October 11
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Free wagon rides through Boalsburg on Oct 12
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Performing October 12 on the village square will be (from left) Bruce Young, Richard Sleigh, John "JT Blues" Thompson and Tommy Wareham with the Intrigues.
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The pioneer David boal (left) and Christopher Columbus will appear at the October 11 ball and the October 12 street festival in Boalsburg
Boalsburg will celebrate the birthday of the historic village and of America itself with a free festival on the Columbus weekend to raise heritage awareness and with an elegant benefit ball to “raise the roof” and fix roof leaks now threatening the two-hundred-year-old Boal Mansion Museum.

A surge of community support to save the Boal Barn Playhouse has resulted in repairs that have complied with fire and safety codes. Now plays are slated to return in the summer of 2015.

Buoyed by this success, the Boal Museum Board has decided to try another very big project -- reroofing the northern portion of the Boal Mansion Museum.

“There is an urgent need to put an end to leaks that are damaging the internationally renowned historic building and the collection within,” says Museum CEO Christopher Lee.

Project architect Philip Foreman estimates it will take $200,000 to replace the existing crumbling leaking asphalt shingle roof with a long-lasting standing seam roof as recommended by the Architectural Conservation Plan written for the site by Architect Dale Frens of West Chester.

Fund raising for such an expensive project also can be fun raising and the roofing campaign is no exception. The campaign will kick off with a gala “Let’s Raise the Roof” ball at the Boal Mansion on October 11th at 7:30 pm that will honor major contributors to the campaign with champagne, punch, abundant hors d’oeuvres from area restaurants and contra-dancing.

The festive event will also feature a mid-evening speaking appearance of historical characters from the eight generations of the Boal family and their friends, some in period dress, who have shaped the community and the nation.

Many of the historical characters again will appear at the Boalsburg Heritage Birthday Festival in the village square the following day on Sunday, October 12, from Noon to 4 pm. The festival commemorates the founding of Boalsburg in October 1808 and Columbus’ historic landing in the New World on October 12, 1492.  

The Columbus focus is explained by the fact that the Columbus Chapel at the Boal Mansion Museum is the strongest tangible link in North America with the famous explorer and has been featured on BBC-TV in the United Kingdom and Belgian National Public TV in Europe. The Museum is open daily to the public. Details can be found at the Museum web site at BoalMuseum.com.

The Sunday festival also features top area musicians John “JTBlues” Thompson, Richard Sleigh, Bruce Young and Tommy Wareham and the Intrigues as well as arts and crafts and food booths.

During the festival, popular free wagon rides with a tour guide will be offered through the village and down to the Boal Mansion and Columbus Chapel, which will be open from Noon to 5 pm.

Donations for the museum roofing project may be made to the non-profit “Boal Mansion Museum,” PO Box 116, Boalsburg PA 16827. For more information on the project or the festival and for tickets to the October 11th benefit ball at $100 per person, access boalmuseum.com or contact office@boalmuseum.com or 814-466-9266.

Boal Awards Recognize Those Who Serve Their Community

8/20/2014

 
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Bellefonte High teacher Mike Maney with his wife addresses the Memorial Day audience on the importance of linking schools and museums.
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Terry Shively grades the Museum drive with his tractor
At festivities at the Boal Mansion Museum for the 150th Boalsburg Memorial Day in May, an afternoon ceremony recognized museum volunteers and a local teacher for their contributions to the community.

The Colonel Theodore Davis Boal Community Service Award in honor of Colonel Theodore Davis Boal (1867-1938) who founded the Boal Troop and the 28th Division Shrine as well as the Boalsburg Fire, Electric, Water, Telephone and Bus Companies was awarded to super-volunteers Bob and Deb Griffin for their support of many diverse programs at the Boal Mansion Museum, including managing the reception for “Music at the Boal Mansion” and supervising on numerous volunteer days and for providing a pickup truck, a wide range of tools, and their hard-working grandson, Joel.

The Ambassador Pierre Boal Award for Historic Preservation, named after the fifth generation Boal who began the museum operation at the Boal Estate in 1952, was presented to painting contractor Terry Shively who has both painted at the Boal Mansion and graded the museum driveway with his own tractor.

The Judge George Boal Award for Education in honor of George Boal, one of the founders of public education in Pennsylvania and of Penn State University, was awarded to Bellefonte High School teacher Michael Maney for his initiative in connecting the content of the historic site with his high school students.

Pennsylvania Knights Keep Columbus Chapel Collection Safe and Secure

8/20/2014

 
Preservation of the unique collection in the Columbus Chapel took a big step forward last winter when the security system was replaced with a more efficient one with support from the  Knights of Columbus.

The Pennsylvania Knights previously supported a number of projects at the Columbus, including installation of two lamp posts, one in memory of the late State Deputy Joseph Yourish who was instrumental in bringing together the State Knights with the Columbus Chapel.

Col. Lionel Bassett of Our Lady of Victory parish in State College now serves as the Pennsylvania Knights representative on the Centre County Columbus Celebration board aiding and advising the Museum.

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The Knights of Columbus of Our Lady of Victory parish at the Columbus Chapel for the Columbus Day Mass with the celebrant, Monsignor David A. Lockard.

Music at the Boal Mansion, May 3, 2014: "The best party ever!"

3/4/2014

 
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Musicians perform in the 1898 ballroom of the Boal Mansion Museum.
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Flutist Naomi Seidman of the Penn State School of Music is organizing the faculty who will perform May 3.
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Come hungry! Guests will enjoy champagne, punch and an abundance of hors d'oeuvres.
"Music at the Boal Mansion,” (May 3, 2014, from 7:00 to 9:00 p.m.) is an intimate evening of musical performances paired with delicious food and champagne at the Boal Mansion.  

This year's concert will feature members of the Penn's Woods Festival Orchestra and the Penn State School of Music faculty, including the leader of the May 3 musical program, Naomi Seidman (flute), who will perform Trois Chants de Noël by Frank Martin (1890-1974) with Jennifer Trost (soprano) and Sue Haug (piano); the Duo for Flute and Oboe (1945) by Alberto Ginastera (1916-1983) with Timothy Hurtz (oboe); and as the Flute Trio with Cathy Herrera, Laura Clapper.

The Boal Mansion is a nationally registered and internationally renowned historic site in Boalsburg near State College open to the public May through October. The site includes the centuries-old Columbus Chapel from Spain imported to Boalsburg 100 years ago by Colonel Theodore Davis Boal whose wife was a descendant of Christopher Columbus.

In addition, Max Zorin (violin) will perform the acclaimed work Meditation by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky with internationally renowned pianist and winner of the 10th Concours International de Piano d’Orléans Christopher Guzman. Also performing will be David Stambler (saxophone) and Kristin Stephenson will perform a solo work for piano.

“Music at the Boal Mansion” takes place at 7 pm on Saturday, May 3, 2014, at 163 Boal Estate Drive in Boalsburg. Tax-deductible tickets are $75 per person and benefit both historic preservation and Penn State University’s “Music at Penn’s Woods” which takes place in June. For reservations, contact the Boal Mansion Museum at 814-466-6210 or office@boalmuseum.com. For details, access http://boalmuseum.com.

Save the Boal Barn Playhouse!

3/3/2014

 
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The Boal Barn Playhouse, seeking renewal
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Workers install a fan in the cupola of the Boal Barn to draw hot air out of the building on warm evenings. New LED stage lights will also produce less heat than the old system did.
          When the Boal Barn Playhouse shut its doors in 2013, many feared the demise of another local theater, much like the Garman Theater in Bellefonte which was recently demolished.

            The outgoing theater company, the State College Community Theater (SCCT), left in 2013 to find a year-round venue, taking with them their lights and sound system and leaving behind a request to the Centre Regions Code Agency to inspect the 100-year-old barn for compliance with regional codes, something never before done in the Barn’s 54-year history as a playhouse.

            Now a new theater company dedicated to the site -- in fact named the “Boal Barn Players” -- has arisen with plans to install new sound and lighting systems and return the Boal Barn Playhouse to its former glory as the model of summer theater in the region.

            Meanwhile, the Boal Museum has engaged a contractor to accomplish compliance with the requirements of the Code Agency inspection in order to have a Certificate of Occupancy as a Venue of Public Assembly – a first for the site.

            While saving the Garman Theater was said to require five million dollars, saving the Boal Barn Playhouse appears to require only $125,000 and plans are underway to solicit support from the community to see the project through and re-open the Boal Barn as a summer theater.

            A hopeful first step has been taken by the Boalsburg Village Conservancy, which has offered to match up to $5,000 in individual donations to the cause. Tax-deductible contributions may be made to “Boal Barn Playhouse” care of the Boalsburg Village Conservancy, PO Box 451, Boalsburg PA 16827.


A Docent's Story -- from a chapel in Boalsburg to a 1,000-year-old castle in France. 

3/2/2014

 
                             -- by Marta Millar, age 17

    “The story of the Boal Mansion is the story of America” -- an America that some worry is being slowly buried beneath fast food restaurants, plastered over with an obsession with pop culture so focused on the here and now that it more often than not excludes the how and why we arrived here. 

   The story of the Boal Mansion tour guides is the story of a few Americans who, like the multitude of explorers and innovators they recall, act in accordance with a vision of bringing the glories of the past to the present. Each day we embark on a mission to enlighten and excite the hundreds of visitors we are blessed with each year about our own collective past. 

     For almost three years I have shared in the privilege of belonging to the community of volunteers here at the Boal Mansion. As an enthusiastic student of history who had read every book in the local library on the American Revolution by age seven, and who today overloads her high school schedule with social studies credits, and watches both documentaries and Downton Abbey with a devotion one might call religious, by the conclusion of my first introductory tour at mansion, I was thoroughly sold on volunteering here. 
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Marta and French visitor Louis de Menthon, age 15, race for the Frisbee on the pond field at the Boal Mansion Museum.
During my time here, though, I quickly discovered that working at the Boal Mansion reminds one of all the best aspects of America -- and not just those of the past. I have encountered all manners of people, between my fellow, enthusiastic docents, the gracious individuals who aid with special events, and, of course, the visitors. Be it “Joe from Ohio,” a couple on tour from Australia, a decorated veteran, or the retired history professor I had the daunting task of serving my first tour, interacting with the visitors never fails to add interest and flavor to each venture. 

The best feel like rediscovering long-lost friends, as we muse over Mathilde’s intricate daydress, laugh at my feeble attempts to sing “pop goes the weasel” in the country life exhibit, or pause, awestruck, in the chapel. At the end of the best tours, I’ve not only shared the rich story of this estate, but also gleaned some new nugget of information which I eagerly anticipate passing on to the next guest.   
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Marta Millar (far right, standing) after a lively game of Frisbee with the French, including (far left, standing) Louis de Menthon, heir to the Menthon Castle in France where Marta is guiding tours in July.
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The thousand-year-old Menthon Castle in France, where Boal Museum docent Marta Millar will live throughout July 2014 as a guest of and volunteer for the Count de Menthon.
 No matter how polite or intriguing a guest is, though, unfortunately (for them) the fleeting time in their company never equates to the pleasure of that spent with the French students who visit each season. Befriending and passing time with our guests is always one of the highlights of my summer.        

   Between matches of ultimate Frisbee under the blistering sun and delightfully frightening rounds of Ghost in the Graveyard at night, one finds the beginnings of friendship. Despite differences in who we are and where we come from, we share the same joys and laughs. 

Of course, differences in culture don’t entirely vanish. There are grins as we order grossly “American” burgers on grilled donuts at Baby’s or tease each other over accents while trash-talking during Frisbee. But at the end of the day, the only tears shed are those of farewell as our new friends head home… with the promise to write soon.
 
  The Boal Mansion has been far more than a job on the side for me. It’s a place for reflection on the desires, struggles, and determination of humans throughout the ages. It’s a chance to step outside of the box -- or blanket chest -- while taking a chance, acting boldly, and putting on a show while weaving the tale of the tour or dancing the Virginia Reel at the Columbus Ball. 

   Indeed, it truly is the story of America, because here, just like in this great nation, we form a community, unhindered by the barriers of distance, be they between countries, or the past, present, and future; here all can exist together. 
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Editor's Note: Throughout July 2014 Marta will live at the 1000-year-old Menthon Castle with the Count and Countess of Menthon and guide castle tours for them. 

   The Menthon Castle was the childhood home of Jeanne de Menthon Boal (1989-1984) wife of Boal Museum founder Pierre Boal.

   Interested? Prospective docents, adult or student, can contact the Boal Mansion Museum at 814-466-9266 or office@boalmuseum.com. There will be an orientation for new docents on April 18, 2014, at 10 am to Noon with refreshments and a free tour.

The September 2013 Newsletter of the Columbus Chapel and Boal Mansion Museum -- Enjoy!

9/5/2013

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The following articles can be found on this page by clicking on the title of the article.

Come to the Columbus Ball on October 5th and stay for the Boalsburg Heritage Birthday Festival on October 6th!

Many small preservation projects have been accomplished.  A few big ones remain.

Art and Patriotism: Ongoing Special Events at the Boal Mansion lift us up

A Typical Summer at the Boal Mansion is a Unique Experience.

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Art and Patriotism: Ongoing Special Events at the Boal Mansion lift us up

9/5/2013

 
PictureThe Brichets, who came from France for the event, dance at the Columbus Ball, this year on October 5.
The tour season saw a full slate of special events at the Boal Mansion focusing on art and country. It began in April and will culminate at the upcoming October 5 Columbus Ball at the Boal Mansion where guests will enjoy champagne, abundant hors d’oeuvres, dancing and a living heritage event mid-evening.

Here is a list of special events so far this season:

1)    A lecture on the national origins of Columbus in early April
2)    “Music at the Boal Mansion,” the spring concert/reception with Penn State School of Music faculty
3)    Civil War battles interspersed with food, music and crafts on Memorial Day
4)    A mini-concert in mid-June with two Russian classical musicians who performed the same program the next day in Moscow
5)    A garden party with a reading of the Declaration of Independence by local professors and elected officials, a French viscount descended from the Marquis de LaFayette and a professor who marched on Washington in 1963. The reading took place first at the Boal Mansion and then at the Independence Day 4thFest at Beaver Stadium. 


Rounding out the year will be the Columbus Ball on October 5 and the Boalsburg Heritage Birthday Festival on October 6. For details on attending those, click here.


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A talent of musicians from the Penn State faculty of the School of Music performed at the May "Music at the Boal Mansion."
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At "Music at the Boal Mansion" the spring concert/reception, musicians and guest mix and mingle. From the left, pianist Cecilia Dunoyer, Museum docent John Wainright and his wife Linda, and Jenni Evans of Boalsburg.
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Before thousands of viewers, North and South conduct a Civil War battle on the Boal Mansion lawn on Memorial Day.
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Maggie Loukachkina, piano, and Nikita Borisevich, violin, of the Peabody Conservatory performed a mini-concert in the ballroom in June.
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The Bellefonte Community Band performs at the Boal Mansion on Memorial Day.

Many small preservation projects have been accomplished.  A few big ones remain.

9/4/2013

 
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The west side of the Boal Mansion benefited from replacement of the surfaces of stucco and wood walls, including the white painted wall of the old sleeping porch (100 years ago, when fresh air was sought against tuberculosis) which is now the administrative office.
Many small improvements: Thanks to the generous support of many small -- and a few large -- donors, the Boal Mansion Museum has been able to accomplish many improvements to the Boal Mansion Museum site which is listed on the National Register of Historic Sites by the US Department of the Interior. 

Included in repairs recently completed by AR Building & Materials of Howard, Pennsylvania, are:

1)    Replacement of the exterior wall stucco of the front porch, where the old horse-hair plaster was pock-marked and falling off. 
2)    Reroofing of the exhibit building housing the weapons and the country life exhibit, where roof leaks were threatening the collection.
3)    Reconstruction and patching of the stucco of exterior walls between the pioneer stone cabin door and the east window of the ballroom
4)    Replacement of the second-story exterior wall of the administrative office above the cloak room and reflashing nearby to end a persistent leak in the kitchen hallway
5)    Repair and replacement of rotted and deteriorated woodwork and pillar footings on the east side of the servants quarters (now called the middle house)
6)    Reconstruction of two stone bridge piers damaged by machinery when it was removing the immense trunk of a 100-year-old oak tree and replacement of seven bridge planks that had deteriorated.

And in the spring, Johnny Pons and friends from Calvary Baptist Church repainted the exterior stucco and trim of the ballroom alcove. All these projects have much improved the appearance of the site.

What’s waiting? The big stuff. Waiting for a concerted effort and major donors are: (click here to see full story and more photos).

A Typical Summer at the Boal Mansion is a Unique Experience.

9/4/2013

 
Photo on right: Learning local history from primary sources: Millheim homeschoolers Gus and Huck Trisch with their friend Nettie and their mother Shana, play Sherlock Holmes combing for clues in the front hall of the Boal Mansion as part of an interactive learning tour.
Photos below: More photos of summer at the Boal Mansion. Click on photos to enlarge them.
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Flower watering at the gate by Count Charles Ladislas Louis Marie Mouchet de Battefort de Laubespin, grandson of a Marquis of the same family name.
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Penn State's FreshStart volunteers in the Columbus Chapel after cleaning up and picking up at the museum.
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Highschool volunteer guides, French visitors and friends take a break from a lively game of Ultimate Frisbee
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Boal cousin Count Gaspar de Menthon (center) of Paris and his schoolmate Arthur Rauzy with groundskeeper Joel Griffin (right) got the bonfire started on June 21.
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A bus full of retired teachers and county school employees called the museum "a hidden gem" and promised to tell everyone they know about it.
PictureSherlocks: Gus and Huck Trisch and their mother Shana and friend Nettie Vernon
On any given summer day, where is it that you might find a retired corporate executive discussing Christopher Columbus with out-of-town visitors, or a French count or marquis – young friends and relatives of the Boal family here to learn English -- watering flowers, or the museum’s bright young high-school volunteer guides taking a break to teach the French visitors ultimate Frisbee?

That is your typical summer day at the Boal Mansion Museum, where the bright and motivated, both young and old, get together to advance the museum mission of historic preservation, heritage education and community service while enjoying the spacious beauty of the forty acre historic site which is listed on the US Department of the Interior’s National Register of Historic Sites.

Some days are less typical. Twice this summer, thirty student volunteers from Penn State gathered at the museum to help clean up and pick up.  A dozen of them have signed up to come back again of their own accord. These volunteers were treated to refreshments donated by Nancy Crane and a tour of the museum.

And then there were the young homeschoolers who took part in a special interactive learning tour (see large photo), or the longest day of the year when everyone gathered for a bonfire “to keep the sun alive!” 

That’s a typical summer at the Boal Mansion Museum – a unique combination of people, place and program that happens everyday.



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Docent John Wainright, a retired corporate executive, sets up the ballroom for school children taking the interactive learning tour.
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