‘Bringing history to life’: Hampton’s Depreciation Lands Museum marks golden anniversary

From a wagon display to basket weaving, history enthusiasts gathered at the Depreciation Lands Museum on May 21 to celebrate the Hampton landmark’s 50th anniversary.

State Rep. Arvind Venkat, D-McCandless, presented a certificate to Carol Greiner, museum association president, in honor of the anniversary. He commended the dozens of volunteers who donate their time to the museum, saying, “It’s always the volunteers in a community that make the difference.”

“I was a history major in college, and sometimes history just seems like it’s dusty books. But what you’re doing here is bringing history to life for our communities,” he said.

The museum, located on the edge of Route 8, opened in 1973 as a Colonial living history village. The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania created the Depreciation Lands in 1783 to compensate Revolutionary War soldiers for their services because the value of paper money had depreciated drastically during the war.

Today, the museum is open every Sunday from 1 to 4 p.m. in May through October. Volunteers dressed in Colonial-era outfits educate visitors on life in early America, including cooking, sewing, blacksmithing and more. Visitors can also step inside buildings such as the Pine Creek Covenanter Church, a log house, wood shop, wigwam, smokehouse and one-room schoolhouse, as well as a barn that’s home to a Conestoga-style wagon.

“This is one of the few museums that I’ve ever been involved in that comes to life. This is a labor of love,” said municipal manager Christopher Lochner. “Starting back in 1973, there was a group of Hampton residents and some non-residents that got together with a dream that this could be some type of a reality.”

‘It’s a lot of fun’

During the anniversary celebration, which fell on the same day as the annual Friendship Day event, Christine Shipley greeted guests at the museum’s entrance. Shipley, who lives in McCandless, said she started volunteering a couple of years ago after visiting the museum many times.

“We had so much fun and people said, ‘Oh, you ought to volunteer,’ because we just enjoyed the history,” she said. “We love history, and we just love the museum. It’s a lot of fun.”

Shipley said one of her favorite parts of volunteering is cooking in the cabin, where she makes Colonial dishes such as wild boar and squirrel over a fire in a cast-iron skillet or cast-iron Dutch oven.

Mark and Janet Pearson decided to bring their two grandchildren to the museum on May 21. The kids, in fourth grade and first grade, visited the replica one-room schoolhouse. Complete with desks, chalkboards and even a painting of George Washington on the wall, it shows what a school likely looked like in 1792. At the time, children provided their own books and supplies.

Mark Pearson, who is the chairman of the Elizabeth Township Historical Society and a reenactor, said even though the museum is small, there’s a lot to see and learn. He said his older grandson is also interested in history, so he was happy to bring him out.

“I like just how they’re showing you everything,” said Janet Pearson. “They explain everything.”

The museum also displayed a variety of relics. Inside the Deacon’s Tavern was an original newspaper from 1792, called “The New-York Journal & Patriotic Register.” Scattered throughout the museum was everything from fabric to guns to spoons.

‘Treasure of Hampton’

To learn about people who lived in Hampton Township, visitors went on self-guided tours of the Depreciation Lands cemetery during the event. One gravestone was for Dr. John Sloan, a Civil War veteran who practiced medicine in Allegheny County, and another was for Jane McFarland, who lived for 101 years, from 1860 to 1961. There was also a lesson from Matt Shipley on “The History of the Covenanters.”

Other community leaders, like township council vice president Bethany Blackburn, complimented the museum, calling it a “treasure of Hampton and Western Pennsylvania.” She said when she first moved to Hampton, she stumbled across the museum and was immediately impressed by it.

“I attend on a regular basis their board meetings every month, and I get to see firsthand, honestly, how dedicated each and every one of them are to making sure that this museum has interesting programming, engages with the community and is really well taken care of,” she said.

Kristen Paul is one of about 22 volunteers who just started this season. Volunteering seemed like a good fit after bringing her family to events such as the doll tea and lantern tour.

Paul’s talents lie in historical sewing. She made her entire Colonial-era outfit, which included an apron, skirt and hat. As a teacher at Shaler Area High School, Paul also creates the costumes for the fall musical. She was excited to see so many people show up to Friendship Day, saying the turnout was much higher than a typical Sunday.

“It’s a nice group of people here,” she said. “I came to the volunteering, the orientation, and a nice range of ages and talents for everyone to bring all their skills here, so it’s been really fun so far.”