The Appalachian Trail Museum
The board of the Appalachian Trail
Museum Society at its first general meeting in Harpers Ferry in
March, 2003
(left to right)
Front row: Greg Boone, Stacy Mikkalsen, Laurie
Potteiger, Don Owen;
Back Row: Brian King, Bill O'Brien, Bob
Williams, Bridgie
Graham Smith, Bart Smith, Kent Wilson, Wayne Greenlaw,
Terry
Harley-Wilson, Larry
Luxenberg, Laura Wright, Noel De Cavalcante, Maurice
Forrester Jr., J.R.
Tate.
Appalachian Trail Museum to Open June
5, 2010,
At Pine Grove Furnace State Park
The Appalachian
Trail Museum, a decade in the making, will open on National Trails
Day, June 5, 2010. The Museum’s home is
a 200-year-old grist mill in the historic district of Pine Grove
Furnace State Park near Gardners, Pennsylvania. The Museum, which
will be the first hiking museum in the country, is within two
miles of the A.T.’s midpoint. The building is next
to Pine Grove General Store and near the Ironmasters Hostel,
both popular stops for hikers. The store hosts the Half Gallon
Club in which hikers try to eat an entire half gallon of ice
cream in a single sitting.
The opening exhibits will feature the
Earl Shaffer Shelter and artifacts from other early hikers including
Grandma Gatewood, Gene Espy and Ed Garvey. Also planned is a children’s
discovery area to introduce children to the A.T. and outdoor activities.
The Museum will include an area to welcome hikers and give visitors
a chance to hear directly about their trail experiences.
The Museum also will display on a large screen the more than 12,000
thru-hiker photos taken at ATC headquarters in Harpers Ferry since
1979. The photo project, with support from the Quimby Foundation
and in cooperation with ATC, includes a website where all the pictures
will be accessible.
The Museum will operate on weekends in the spring and fall and daily
from Memorial Day to Labor Day. The Museum will rely primarily on
volunteers for renovation work, staffing the building and for programs
such as talks, nature walks and demonstrations of outdoor skills
with an emphasis on programming for children. More information is
available at www.atmuseum.org and info@atmuseum.org.
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