Audio-Visual Research Guide

Overview

Resources related to the audio/visual holdings at the Pennsylvania State Archives.

Jump to:

• Department of Agriculture - Collection RG-001
• Department of Auditor General - Collection RG-002
• Department of Forests and Waters - Collection RG-006
• Office of the Governor - Collection RG-010
• Department of Highways - Collection RG-12
• Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission - Collection RG-013
• Department of Justice - Collection RG-015
• Department of Labor and Industry - Collection RG-016

 

Department of Agriculture - Collection RG-001

r001_0005_0001_SilentServantsCa1960s

Silent Servants 

This 1960s film, titled "Silent Servants presented by Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture," describes the process of the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture Food Inspectors collecting, testing, grading, checking, and sampling a variety of foods and plants for safety and quality. A wife shops in a grocery store and prepares and serves a meal at home to her family. A food inspector visits a grocery store to collect products, which he then takes back to the "Bureau of Foods and Chemistry" laboratory for testing. Milk is tested to determine the percentage of butterfat and to detect the absence of bacteria. Ground beef samples are tested for composition and quality. Eggs are sized and candled to determine grading. Apples are graded to guarantee quality, and apple peelings are tested for toxic spray residue. Flowering plants, rose bushes, trees, and shrubs are inspected for pests to be sold in nurseries. Grass is inspected to ensure it meets or exceeds its label requirements, and germination testing is conducted. Fertilizer undergoes quality testing and detailed laboratory analysis for any deficiencies. Milk cows, farms, milk houses, processing plants, and final products are tested, graded, checked, and sampled to ensure a safe, high-quality product. Buy with confidence, go ahead and eat, the food is safe, and you can be sure - because of the "Silent Servants" of the PA Department of Agriculture! This film is in color and contains narration. 

r001_0005_0002_BeyondTomorrowCa1960s

Beyond Tomorrow

This 13-minute film in color is a collection of Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture "Beyond Tomorrow" vignettes, narrated with a combination of film and animation. Vignettes are Pennsylvania specific and include: "Soil and Water Conservation Plan," "What does it take to grow a good Christmas tree," "Future lumber supply," "Farming investment per worker," "Modern food market and fair price for food," "Grading food size and quality," "First in many agricultural foods," "A good lawn comes from good grass seed," "Florists and plant nurseries," "Milk is a nearly perfect food," "Fruits grown in PA," "An egg is a versatile food," and "Wide selection of available meats." The vignette, "Soil and Water Conservation Plan," explains the benefits of carefully planned farms. "What does it take to grow a good Christmas tree?" shows the planting, caring for, and harvesting of Christmas trees. "Future lumber supply" explains how to plant and harvest trees to ensure a sustained lumber supply. "Farming investment per worker" highlights the investment made in and the efficiency of PA farmers. "Modern food market and fair price for food" highlights foods produced in PA and compares the percentage of income spent on food in the U.S. with that of other countries. "Grading food size and quality" explains how inspectors assure the quality and size of eggs, potatoes, and apples. "First in many agricultural foods" highlights that PA's volume of eggs, cigar leaf tobacco, mushrooms, plantation-grown Christmas trees, and apples are first in the nation. "A good lawn comes from good grass seed" explains the inspection and grading of grass seed, fertilizers, and shrubbery produced and grown in PA. "Florists and plant nurseries" shows the state inspection of flowers and shrubs grown and sold in PA. "Milk is a nearly perfect food" highlights the variety of uses and products made from milk. "Fruits grown in PA" shows the variety and products made from apples and peaches grown in PA. "An egg is a versatile food" shows the many ways to prepare eggs and their nutritional benefits. "Wide selection of available meats" highlights the variety and inspection of PA meats, including chicken, turkey, pork, lamb, and beef. 

r001_0025_0001_TobaccoFarmers

Tobacco Farmers

Men and women rake, hoe, and weed between rows of tobacco plants, while a two-horse team pulls a man seated on a tiller. Next, young tobacco plants are tended to by several men and women. Tobacco plants are watered, pulled, and boxed for planting in a field by a three-man team pulled by a horse. Finally, a field of mature plants is weeded and plowed by a one-horse and one-man team, as men walk through the field picking off the top leaves of the plants. This is a short, silent film in color. 

r001_0025_0002_Agriculture

Agriculture Laboratory

This silent film in color shows laboratory workers performing their duties at an agricultural laboratory. Inside the laboratory, the film shows various activities, including handwashing, sterilizing glass test tubes in an autoclave cabinet, and preparing and storing test tubes for use. 

r001_0025_0003_GrangeFair

Grange Fair

This short, silent film in color shows Bernville No. 1887, Centreport Juvenile No. 73, and Shartlesville Juvenile No. 150 Grange displays of canned food, vegetables, produce, baked goods, and flower arrangements at a county fair.  

r001_0025_0004_FarmFields

Farm Fields

This short, silent, black-and-white film is composed of shots of farmers spraying and tilling potato fields. A track-mounted front sprayer is used, along with a Cletrac crawler tractor, for tilling. The film concludes with scenic views of rolling hills, woods, and open lands.  

r001_0025_0005_FarmingWithHorses

Farming With Horses

Two men are walking through a field of potato plants. One of the men points to several plant leaves, and he begins comparing healthy and diseased potato leaves. A two-horse team (one black horse and one white horse) pull a man riding a tiller through the field. This is a brief, black-and-white, silent film.  

r001_0025_0006_FarmViews

Farm Views

This short, silent, black-and-white film includes four farm-related scenes. The first scene is a crawler tractor tilling a field. The second scene shows a crawler tractor pulling a disc harrow, plowing a field. The third scene is a farmer standing by a very short county bridge over a small stream. The fourth and final scene shows views of rolling hillsides with woods and open land.  [Finding Aid]

r001_0025_0007_SeedlingsWartResistance

Seedlings for Wart Resistance

The film begins with a sign: "USDA Seedlings Wart Resistance Plot, Test of 30 new seedlings developed by the U.S. Dept. of Agr." Next, a shot of three barrels, labeled A1, A2, and B3, behind a sign "Chemo Cultures, Chemical solution contains the following plant foods: phosphorus, nitrogen, potassium, calcium, sodium, silicon, sulfur, iron, magnesium, boron, manganese, hydrochloric acid" is shown. The film ends with a man handwashing glass test tubes. This very short, silent film includes scenes of color, and black-and-white footage.

r001_0025_0008_TobaccoFarm

Tobacco Farm

A truck drives down a farm lane and then backs into a farm building that is adjacent to a set of railroad tracks. Men and women are harvesting tobacco plants by skewering the plants on long, sharp poles to be hung on tobacco wagons. A man leads a mare, foal, and a stallion past a farmhouse. The film ends with scenic views of rolling hills, farmland, and woodland. This is a brief, black and white, and silent film.

r001_0025_0009_TobaccoGrowingFreeOfWildfire

Tobacco Growing Free of Wildfire

This 10-minute, silent and color film is entitled "Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture, 5/1937, Tobacco Growing Free of Wildfire." A pickup truck with a steam generator is parked alongside a patch of ground that includes wooden frames. A man in overalls and a cap uses a digging pitchfork to breakup and loosen the ground, after which the man and another are shown placing a large machine on the ground between the wooden frames. This machine has hoses attached to the steam generator in the pickup's bed. The men walk on top of the machine to firmly embed it on top of the ground, as hot steam is injected onto the ground. The men lift the machine to show the underside of the device and the steam nozzle. The following scenes include a large, fenced-in area of wooden frames, where young tobacco plants are watered with both a sprinkling can and a garden hose. Several men and women harvest and box the young plantings. A large field is prepared for planting by a three-mule team and a tractor; next, a three-man team plants the field using the previously seen young plantings. Men and women are hoeing and weeding, while a two-horse and farmer team plows between rows of younger plants. Next, a field of mature plants is shown, and a one-horse and man team plows between plant rows with two men walking amongst the plants while pointing to naturally occurring white bloom or plume spots on the leaves that indicate the plants are maturing and nearly ready for harvesting.

r001_0025_0010_TheHuskingBee_193710

The Husking Bee (Husking Corn)

This film, "The Husking Bee, Mt. Joy Farm Show, Lancaster Co. Pa. 10/1937," opens with scenes of parked vehicles and crowds of people standing and milling around the edge of a corn field adjacent to a town. A man atop a ladder announces the start of a timed, corn-harvesting contest. Several male contestants are seen as they harvest and shuck corn ears by hand, directly from the corn stalks, and then the men toss the ears into their respective wagons drawn by John Deere and Farmall tractors. A man shoots a rifle to signal the end of the timed contest. A parade of spectators, contestants, and tractors with wagons loaded with harvested ears drive up to a weighing scale to determine the contest's winner. The film ends, showing the winner receiving congratulations for his efforts. This is a 7-minute, black and white, and silent film.

r001_0025_0011_WartEradicationProjectCa1938

Wart Eradication Project, East Mauch Chunk, PA

This is a brief, silent film in color from the "Wart Eradication Project, Penna. Dept. of Agriculture, East Mauch Chunk, Penna., June 29, 1938" begins with a man watering garden plants. Next, a research lab with a sign that reads "Chemo Cultures: This type of plant culture is used to facilitate the study of resistance or immunity of infected cells of host plants to the growth stimulus of the wart organism" is shown. The facility's research in exterior bed ground plots is visible at the end of the film.

r001_0025_0012_CertifiedSeedPotatoes

Production of Certified Seed Potatoes

This "Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture Presents the Production of Certified Seed Potatoes" film shows all phases of potato farming, including: preparing a loose soil well mixed with humus, hand and mechanical cutting seed, planting, weeding, cultivating, spraying, field surveying for seed certification, inspecting the field, roguing by removing diseased plants, potato leafroll plants compared with healthy plants, yellow dwarf, a field of certified seed potatoes, comparison of healthy and diseased tubers, digging and harvesting, inspecting for grade, and certification. This 13-minute silent film has black-and-white and color footage.

r001_0025_0013_WartEradicationCa1941

Potato Wart Eradication by Chemical Soil Treatment

This film documents the field research efforts to completely eradicate potato wart disease by chemical soil treatment and by determining the required amount of ammonium thiocyanate per acre, at the Experimental Gardens at Drifton, PA, from 1932 to 1942. Maps of infected areas and successfully treated locations in Pennsylvania show the success that was achieved by the eradication campaign. Men are shown mixing, spraying, and applying various solutions and treatment methods to control plots at the research center. This is a 9-minute, silent film with black-and-white and color footage.

r001_0025_0014_ReadingFair

The Vocational and Horticultural Exhibits of the Reading Fair

Vocational and Horticultural Exhibits at the Reading Fair, Berks County, PA, are shown in this silent film. The organizations whose displays are shown include Department of Public Playground's and Recreation City of Reading, Berks County Playground Exhibit, Bethel FFA, Schwenksville FFA, Oley Town FFA, and Marion No. 1853. A farmhouse, a school, and a grist mill with a water wheel are shown, along with several educational displays that emphasize the importance that learning has in serving others and preparedness. This is a silent film in color.

r001_0025_0015_WartEradicationDriftonCa1938

Drifton, PA Garden, Wart Eradication Project

This silent, black and white film opens with scenic views of rolling hills, woods and farmland, and goats grazing by tall bushes. The film continues with scenes of the "Penna. Dept. of Agr. Drifton Exp. Station [research facility] in Drifton Penna., Drifton Exp. Garden, April 27, 1938," including "Wart Eradication Project, Penna Dept. of Agriculture, Application Cyanate Broadcast Chemical Salt and Sawdust Filler, 25 lbs. Cyanate to 5 Cu. Ft. Sawdust." Men add these ingredients to a wooden bin to create a mixture, while other men in the background are seen raking the mixture onto a patch of bare ground. At the end of the film, a man walks amongst several research patches of ground at the facility.

r001_0025_0016_FarmShow

Livestock Event at the Farm Show

This black and white, silent film takes place at a Farm Show livestock event, where Future Farmers of America students are showing their prize cows and sheep. The film then shows judges congratulating the winners. Next, a man in bib overalls, with a pipe in his mouth, is pitching horseshoes, with several ringers and leaners shown. Lastly, a "Golden Guernsey American Table Milk" display is shown with a cow standing aside glass bottles filled with milk.

r001_0025_0017_GrangeFair

Grange Fair in Centre Hall

A wide variety of jarred fruits and vegetables, flower arrangements, dried herbs and flowers, beans, eggs, baked goods, and produce are shown in this silent, color film. Organizations such as: Fleetwood No. 1839; Kutztown No. 1836; Virginville No. 1832; Gouglersville No. 1743; Ontelaunee No. 1617; and Pioneer No. 1777, Topton, PA are featured in this film about the Centre County Grange Fair, held in Centre Hall.

r001_0025_0018_GypsyMothAndTobacco

Gypsy Moth and Tobacco

A pickup truck with a steam generator is parked alongside a patch of ground that includes wooden frames. A man in overalls and a cap is seen using a digging pitchfork to breakup and loosen the ground, after which the man and another are shown placing a large machine on the ground between the wooden frames. The machine has hoses attached to the steam generator in the pickup's bed. The men walk on top of the machine to firmly embed it on top of the ground, as hot steam is injected onto the ground. The men lift the machine to show the underside of the device and the steam nozzle. The film concludes by showing gypsy moth larvae. This short, silent film has a combination of black-and-white and color footage.

r001_0025_0019_PotatoFarming

Potato Farming

A brief, black and white, silent film shows a man walking between rows of potato plants and hand-digging potatoes from the field. A Cletrac crawler tractor pulls a plow to create rows in the field. Expansive, scenic views of potato fields and rolling hills are shown. A man uses a ruler to show a 10-inch depth of a row before planting. Another man drives a two-horse team, one black horse and one white horse, that pulls a single-blade plow. A woman places potato eyes in a row before the two-horse team turns the earth to cover the eyes. The man and woman continue to plant potato eyes as the film ends.

r001_0025_0020_YorkFairApples

Apple Displays at the York Fair

A wide range of apple varieties and flower arrangements are shown at the York Fair in this silent, color film.

r001_0025_0021_GypsyMothInfo

Gypsy Moth Information

This film highlights the locations of gypsy moth infestations in the northeastern United States, including locations in Pennsylvania. A large area along the eastern seacoast from Rhode Island to Maine, that includes Massachusetts and New Hampshire, and several smaller areas in Pennsylvania and Ohio are marked to indicate the presence of gypsy moth. These maps are followed by six title cards that read: "Larvae under burlap bands, Larvae in Trees, Trapping caterpillars with burlap bands, Close ups of various stages of the gypsy moth, These hose lines may run out for a mile or more, The gypsy moth was discovered near Pittston in July 1932." This narrative then ends the black and white, silent film.

r001_0025_0022_PotatoPlants

Potato Plants

A man points to and compares several healthy potato plants and plant leaves before he begins pulling plants out of the ground to show the potatoes. He then, with the use of a 12-inch ruler, measures plant leaves. Next, he begins showing and pointing to wilted plants and leaves, and then he does a side-by-side comparison of three leaf stems. The film ends with both wide and close-up shots of a man walking through a potato field while pointing to different plants. This is a black and white, silent film.

r001_0025_0023_AgricultureLab

Agriculture Lab and House

This silent film in color shows various activities being performed around the grounds and within an agricultural laboratory. The film opens with automobiles approaching and parking by the entrance to the agricultural building, and then the people in the vehicles enter the building. Prior to activities being shown inside the building, the film first shows various springtime flower and vegetable gardens and pastures on the laboratory grounds. Cows graze the pastures, and two men and one woman stroll through the gardens as they inspect and cut flowers, while a third man pulls weeds. Animals that are seen in the film include hens and roosters wandering within their pens, a single antlered deer walking the grounds, and sheep and Holstein cows grazing in the pastures. Men working in a hay field are raking using a two-horse team, and they bale hay using pitchforks. Inside the laboratory, the film shows various laboratory activities, including: the process of handwashing and sterilizing glass test tubes in an autoclave cabinet. After sterilization, the test tubes are prepared for use, as scientists and laboratory assistants work with centrifuges and titrate test tubes, while preparing for laboratory studies.

r001_0025_0024_YorkFairExhibit

The Horticultural Exhibit of the York Fair Association, PA

This silent film in color begins with a title card showing: "The Horticultural Exhibit of the York Fair Association Penna." The film displays a cornucopia of vegetables, fruits, flower arrangements, jarred produce, dried herbs and flowers, beehives and bee products, and a large selection of many different apple varieties.  Organizational display's include banners of: Red Lion Grange No. 1781; Future Farmers of America (FFA) New Freedom Chapter; FFA Delta Chapter; FFA Stewartstown Chapter; FFA Glenville Chapter; Paul A. Bear; and Chas A. Schaeffer.

r001_0025_0025_GypsyMothEradication

The Gypsy Moth in PA

Men are hand-harvesting potatoes and using a Cletrac crawler tractor that pulls a mechanical harvester. Potatoes are dumped on the ground and sorted and sliced by a man wearing work gloves. Title cards, such as: "Later scouting has shown it to be present in parts of Luzerne, Monroe, Lackawanna and Carbon Counties; Projects for control and eradication are under way by the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture and the State Department of Forests and Waters; The damage is done by the heavy feeding of the larval or worm stage on the leaves of fruit, shade and forest trees; Spraying with Arsenate of lead and fish oil to control the caterpillar or worm stage; Trees are defoliated and killed; Town Spraying; Washing spray material from pavement and buildings; Woodland spraying; Spray tanks and water supply; Filling the tanks - notice the two compartments; The Gypsy Moth in Pennsylvania; The female's body is so heavy that she is unable to fly" are displayed before the film ends.

r001_0025_0026_TobaccoHarvest

Tobacco Harvest

This black and white, silent film begins with multiple views of tobacco fields and plants, and transitions to men using long-handled loppers to cut and harvest tobacco by skewering the plants on long, sharp poles. Harvested plants are hung on horse-drawn wagons. The fully loaded wagon is driven to a tobacco barn, where tobacco leaves are taken to dry. The film then shows several additional views of plants, fields, and tobacco harvesting by a women and a man.

r001_0025_0027_PotatoWartDisease

Potato Wart Disease Projects

This film titled "Potato Wart in Pennsylvania" shows the effects of, and the efforts to research, mitigate and combat the disease. Title cards are shown throughout the film and explain the subject and history of the disease in Pennsylvania, the disease's financial destructive cost to both the potato crop and land values, and map graphics show the spread of the disease in Pennsylvania. Examples of deformed potatoes and plant roots with the disease are shown throughout the film, along with potato plant varieties that are immune to the disease. The second half of the film shows color footage of the "Penna. Dept. of Agr. Drifton Exp. Station [research facility] in Drifton Penna., June 30, 1938," experimental research that highlights the disease's longevity testing based on soil culture types and temperatures, and a map of infected areas in relationship to growing season zones. This 13-minute silent film includes scenes of both black and white and color footage.

r001_0025_0028_PotatoFarmers

Potato Farmers

Two farm vehicles are parked aside each other, with two men transferring liquid from one vehicle to the other. Rows of young seedling potato plants are shown, and a man demonstrates the recommended grouping and distance between the plantings. Lastly, the camera pans across a large field of potato plants in this black and white, silent film.

r001_0025_0029_SeedlingPotatoes

Planting Seedling Potatoes

This film begins with two women on a porch, cutting and quartering seed potatoes. Two men are tossing seed potatoes into a field row, followed by two men raking the ground to cover the planted potatoes. Several close-ups of seeding potatoes in the ground show the proper distancing between plantings. The final scene is of a man intermittently pulling out young potato plants while walking along a row of potato plants in this black and white, silent film.

r001_0025_0030_HarvestingTomatoes

Harvesting Tomatoes

The opening scenes of this black and white and silent film show a tomato field with workers hand-harvesting tomatoes and placing the tomatoes into bushel baskets. Full bushel baskets line the edge of the field, where a truck is being loaded with the bushel baskets. The end of the film shows several trucks loaded with tomato bushel baskets and lined up next to a roadside platform, where bushels of tomatoes are emptied into a hopper and a man sorts the harvested tomatoes.

r001_0025_0031_SpringFlowers

Woman with Flowers, Spring Flowers, Haymaking

This silent film in color opens with a women holding a bouquet of spring flowers. Next, the film shows daisies, iris, and other spring flowers blossoming along garden paths. An active dog in a kennel is shown before the film ends with two men using pitchforks to manually stack hay, with one man standing atop a large bale of hay.

r001_0025_0032_DogAtHouse

A Dog at a House and on Railroad Tracks

A dog walks along railroad tracks and through a yard until it begins digging in the yard. Next, there are scenes of a residential garden with women cutting flowers. The dog is seen walking and sitting down on the garden path near the end of this short, black and white, silent film.

r001_0025_0033_SampleCollecting

Sample Collecting

A brief, black and white, silent film during wintertime shows a group of men overturning rocks along a rock wall, looking for larvae, and brushing a liquid on rocks and trees with found larvae.

r001_0025_0034_CaterpillarStudy

Caterpillar Study

A brief, black and white, silent film shows leaf damage caused by gypsy moth caterpillars, and a person uses a pointer to indicate gypsy moth caterpillars on the bark of a tree.

r001_0025_0035_Racetrack

Racetrack Footage

This black and white, silent film includes many shots of open-wheel, sprint car racing on an oval dirt track.  Included in the scenes are racers driving on the track, a flagger, grandstand, and infield spectators. There is one shot that shows spectators standing on upside-down peach baskets.

r001_0025_0036_PotatoProduction_193710

Production of Certified Seed Potatoes

This black and white, silent film opens with scenic views of rolling hills and farmland. The film then shows a title frame: "Presents The Production of Certified Seed Potatoes. 5/37." The next title frame is: "Mt. Joy Farm Show Lancaster Co. Pa. 10/1937." The film then shows scenes of potato fields being harvested by tractor and by hand.

r001_0025_0037_SpeedThrillsSpills_1939

Road Construction

This film with the title of "Speed Thrill Spills of 1939" shows views of an urban road under construction. Scenes of men raking gravel, a road roller, bicycle riders, and a pedestrian walking are shown in this black and white, silent film.

r001_0025_0038_TreeClimbing

Tree Climbing

In this black and white, silent film, men are shown climbing and descending trees with rope.

r001_0025_0039_PotatoFields

Potato Fields

Several scenic views of potato fields, a man showing the spacing of potato plantings, and a well-dressed man and woman are shown in this black and white, silent film.

r001_0025_0040_TomatoAndTobaccoHarvest

Tomato and Tobacco Harvest

The film shows scenes of tomato and tobacco harvesting. The tomato harvesting scenes include: a man filling bushel baskets with tomatoes; trucks that are loaded with tomatoes driving on and off weight scales; trucks with bushel baskets parked by "Pennsylvania Railroad" railroad cars, where men are loading the railroad cars; a train loaded with tomatoes passing by a building topped with an "Armstrong Linoleum" sign; and women and men harvesting tomatoes by hand.  The tobacco harvesting scenes include handpicking tobacco leaves for drying and a horse pulling a wagon of harvested tobacco leaves.

r001_0025_0041_SkyHighSeedPotatoFarm

Sky High Seed Potato Farm

This black and white, silent film shows several scenes from "Sky High Seed Potato Farms Ltd., Coudersport, Pa." The film opens by showing a two-horse (one black horse and one speckled white horse) team and a tracked tractor, driven by a farmer tilling a potato field. In the film, a ruler shows the correct depth to plant a potato eye, a man lifting and tearing apart clumps of ground, and a truck with a front-mounted sprayer driving through a field.

r001_0025_0042_BarnBuildingAndConstruction

Barn Building and Construction

This black and white, silent film opens with a large group of men, women, and children standing by a building. Some of the men are dressed in suits and others are dressed in work clothes. There are several shots of men working on barn construction and scenes of women preparing food, and then the film shows everyone eating. In one scene, several women are standing around a large barrel of potato salad. At the end of the film, trucks loaded with construction materials are driving past the camera.

r001_0025_0043_PotatoFieldScenes

Potato Field Scenes

This black and white, silent film shows several scenes of potato fields.  In one of the scenes, two men are walking through a potato field. In another scene, a man driving a tractor is pulling a sprayer as another man sprays the field. The film ends with a man walking through a field and pulling potato plants out of the ground.

r001_0025_0044_SeedPotatoProduction

Certified Seed Potato Farm Production

This silent film begins by showing men cultivating a potato field with a tractor and using a ruler to show the proper depth of planting a potato eye. Additional scenes include a man emptying bags of potatoes into a hopper attached to a tractor, a man slicing whole potatoes, and the slices being inspected. A well-dressed man in a three-piece suit and hat and a stylishly dressed woman in fancy dress are shown speaking to one another. An automated mechanical machine slicing potatoes, wide expanses of a potato field, and a bag of "Pennsylvania Growers Seed Potatoes" are shown. The film concludes with a scene of a man handing a bag full of potatoes to a woman, and then the man is slicing potatoes from the bag while the woman holds the bag. This film includes both color footage and black and white footage.

r001_0025_0045_PotatoWartDiseaseInfo

Potato Wart Disease (Informative Film)

This film about Potato Wart in Pennsylvania displays a sequence of 12 title cards. Title Card No. 1 states, "1. The disease, unless transported by other than natural means, spreads very slowly. 2. Wart persists in soils under favorable conditions for many years and will re-establish itself quickly unless infected soils are chemically treated or the disease eliminated by starvation." Card No. 2 is titled "Potato Wart in Pennsylvania" and states, "The history of the potato wart disease in America is typical of what happens when a foreign parasite is introduced and establishes itself at the expense of our agricultural industry." Card No. 3 continues, " The aggregate damage by the foreign pests now widely established in the country mounts into many millions annually, and the cost of control measures is a heavy load on our sorely burdened agriculture." Card No. 4 is titled "Potato Wart Disease" and states, "The potato wart disease is a fungus soil organism of low type which attacks the under-ground portions of the potato plant. The fungus in no case kills the potato plant but stimulates the growth process so that large warty masses of tissue are produced at the point of infection." Card No. 5 is titled "Wart Infected Area of Pennsylvania" and states, "The wart infected areas of Pennsylvania include 40 scattered towns and villages and 5 townships in 13 counties." Card No. 6 is titled "The Potato Wart Problems and states, "Potato wart in Pennsylvania presents a serious problem to our potato industry for several reasons: -". Card No. 7 continues, "1. While potato wart which is capable of destroying an entire crop may not spread as rapidly and freely as most plant diseases do, yet it does spread; otherwise, it would not be found in this state and country." Card No. 8 continues, "2. With wart let loose in potato districts of Pennsylvania or any state, land values would certainly suffer in addition to direct losses to the potato crop." Card No. 9 continues, "In the absence of regulatory action by Pennsylvania, we would reasonably expect that other states would place restrictions against this state in order to protect themselves. This would be a serious handicap to Pennsylvania growers and shippers." Card No. 10 continues, "Over ninety percent of the Pennsylvania potato crop consists of varieties which are susceptible to wart. Shifting to immune or resistant varieties, even if available, would mean seed certification and inspection on a statewide basis which would cost as much, if not more, than the maintenance of a quarantine." Card No. 11 is titled "Research" and states, "Research investigations by the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture have established the following salient facts: -" Card No. 12 continues, "1. The disease, unless transported by other than natural means, spreads very slowly. 2. Wart persists in soils under favorable conditions for many years and will re-establish itself quickly unless infected soils are chemically treated or the disease eliminated by starvation."

r001_0025_0046_TomatoesAndApples

Tomato Production and Apple Picking

This black and white, silent film shows scenes of a man sorting produce, a man carrying a basket of apples, trucks loaded with crates of apples, apples being unloaded, and a man picking apples from trees. The final scene of the film shows a large crowd of spectators and dairymen with cows.

r001_0025_0047_GypsyMothControl

Gypsy Moth Control

This short, black and white, silent film begins with showing the entrance to the "Office of United States Department of Agriculture, Bureau of Entomology and Plant Quarantine, Gypsy Moth Control, and Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture, Bureau of Plant Industry" building. Men are then seen standing with a truck. Lastly, men are seen spraying plants and bushes with a hose and spray nozzle.

r001_0025_0048_BagOfPotatoes

Bag of Potatoes

This black and white, silent film shows a man emptying a bag of Potter County Seed Potatoes. He then inspects the potatoes, while another man and child watch.

r001_0025_0049_PotatoPlants

Potato Plants

The black and white film pans across a close-up of potato plants, and then a man's hands come into the frame, pointing to terminal leaflets with multiple apexes. Next, the leaves are measured with a ruler. The film concludes with continued close-ups of potato plants.

r001_0025_0050_MotorcycleRacing

Motorcycle Racing

This black and white, silent film shows several home vegetable and flower gardens in the first part of the film. The film ends with members of the "Harrisburg MC Club" and "Middle Atlantic Motorcycles Dealers Assn. Inc." performing various motorcycle skills.

r001_0025_0051_WilliamsGrovePark

Williams Grove Park

This short, black and white film shows men wrapping strips of cloth around trees to protect against insects and pests at Williams Grove Park.

r001_0025_0052_CertifiedSeedPotatoesSmith

Certified Seed Potato Production, Paul R. Smith, Ulysses, PA

This black and white, silent film shows men inspecting, slicing, sorting, and tagging "Certified Seed Potatoes, Paul R. Smith, Ulysses, PA."

r001_0025_0053_TobaccoGrowingFree_193705

Tobacco Growing Free of Wildfire

This film shows farmers working in a tobacco field with plants in varying stages of growth.  A two-mule and three-man team plant the field; next, men and women are hoeing and weeding around young plants. Then, a horse and farmer team are plowing between rows of mature plants.

r001_0025_0054_ArsenateOfLeadPesticide

Arsenate of Lead Pesticide Spraying

This black and white, silent film shows a worker mixing bags of Ansbacher's Arsenate of Lead Pesticide powder with liquid in a tanker truck in preparation for application.

r001_0025_0055_TreesAndFerns

Williams Grove Park, Trees Wrapped with Cloth, and Ferns

A brief, black and white, silent film shows a panning shot of a forest with ferns. The film shows trees wrapped with cloth strips to protect against insects and pests.

r001_0025_0056_TownInWinter

Town in Winter, Houses, Ducks

This black and white, silent film shows a town in winter. Included in the film are scenes of houses, streams, a picnic pavilion by water, cars crossing railroad tracks through the town, and geese swimming by and standing on a submerged rowboat.

r001_0025_0057_PesticideTrucks

Automobiles and Trucks with Tanks for Pesticide Spraying

A short, black and white, silent film shows various types of agriculture trucks parked in a row and ready to embark on a day of work.

r001_0025_0058_Caterpillars

Gypsy Moth Caterpillars on Rocks

A brief, black and white silent film shows an infestation of gypsy moth caterpillars on rocks.

r001_0025_0059_TreesWrappedWithCloth

Williams Grove Park, Trees Wrapped with Cloth, and Ferns

A brief, black and white, silent film shows a panning shot of a forest with ferns. The film shows trees wrapped with cloth strips to protect against insects and pests.

r001_0025_0060_MenSprayingTrees

Men Spraying Trees

A team of men are spraying trees and bushes using a spraying nozzle and hose in a residential area in this black and white, silent film.

r001_0025_0061_PotatoFarmingWithHorses

Potato Farming with Horses

A brief, black and white, silent film first shows a two-horse (one black and one speckled white) team, and then a tracked tractor, driven by a farmer who is tilling a potato field.

r001_0025_0062_AgricultureEradicationProjects

Agriculture Eradication Projects

This short, black and white, silent film begins with a panned shot of the front of the Office of United States Department of Agriculture, Bureau of Entomology and Plant Quarantine, Gypsy Moth Control, and Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture, Bureau of Plant Industry building. The film then shows an agency truck exiting the facility. A title card included in the film states, "Projects for control and eradication are underway by the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture in cooperation with the United States Department of Agriculture and the State Department of Forests and Waters."

r001_0025_0063_Defoliation

Defoliation

This is a very short black and white silent film of tree branches with damaged leaves, framed against a sky background, with defoliation possibly caused by insect infiltration.

r001_0025_0064_GrangeFairProduce

Grange Fair Produce

Agricultural produce displays at the Grange Fair, held in Centre Hall in Centre County, are shown. The displays include corn, varieties of apples, beans in sacks, floral arrangements, tomatoes, onions, carrots, pears, amongst assorted other produce. This is a short, silent film that includes both black and white, and color footage.

r001_0025_0065_MenPosedWithTrucks

Men Posed with Agriculture Vehicles

A short, black and white, silent film shows a line-up of agriculture trucks used for pesticide spraying or watering. Men are standing by or sitting on the fender of their respective vehicles.

Department of Auditor General - Collection RG-002

r002_0090_0004_TipPSA_19791008

Tip Public Service Announcement, Auditor General Al Benedict, October 8, 1979

This color film with sound includes three 30-second public service announcements from Pennsylvania's State Auditor General Al Benedict, requesting the public's assistance in reporting the misuse of state money, waste, fraud, or thievery. In the first announcement, Auditor General Benedict cites three examples of fraud that the Auditor General's office prosecuted: a Philadelphia nursing home that misused taxpayer money, a Pittsburgh PennDOT official who wasted millions of tax dollars, and the largest case as yet of welfare fraud in Erie, PA. While seated in his office, Auditor General Benedict encourages citizens to call a toll-free tip hotline if they know of any misuse of public funds. In the second announcement, Auditor General Benedict focuses on welfare fraud. In the third announcement, Auditor General Benedict discusses welfare fraud, while standing in an open office space. At the end of the film, a staff member answers the tip hotline. "Yes, the State Auditor General's office is watching!"

r002_0090_0005_TipPSA

Tip Public Service Announcement, Auditor General Al Benedict, August 23, 1983

This 30-second public service announcement from Pennsylvania's State Auditor General Al Benedict mentions that Pennsylvania will spend seven billion dollars of taxpayers' hard-earned money that year, and a tip hotline was established in 1977 for taxpayers to report the abuse of state funds. Two examples are given: a welfare recipient living in a luxury condominium and a sweetheart contract between a professional football team and a state college. Auditor General Benedict again encourages the use of the hotline to report fraud.

r002_0090_0006_TipPSA

Tip Public Service Announcement, Auditor General Al Benedict, August 23, 1983

This 30-second public service announcement from Pennsylvania's State Auditor General Al Benedict mentions that Pennsylvania will spend seven billion dollars of taxpayers' hard-earned money that year, and a tip hotline was established in 1977 for taxpayers to report the abuse of state funds. Two examples are given: a welfare recipient living in a luxury condominium and a sweetheart contract between a professional football team and a state college. Auditor General Benedict again encourages the use of the hotline to report fraud.

r002_0090_0007_TipPSA            

Tip Public Service Announcement, Auditor General Al Benedict, August 23, 1983

This 30-second public service announcement from Pennsylvania's State Auditor General Al Benedict mentions that Pennsylvania will spend seven billion dollars of taxpayers' hard-earned money that year, and a tip hotline was established in 1977 for taxpayers to report the abuse of state funds. Two examples are given: a welfare recipient living in a luxury condominium and a sweetheart contract between a professional football team and a state college. Auditor General Benedict again encourages the use of the hotline to report fraud.

Department of Forests and Waters - Collection RG-006

 r006_0019_0001_LionelCa1950s

"Reel 1: Lionel #1, Firefight, Time 1:07, Bin 2553," Extinguishing brushfire drill using airplane

In this Department of Forests and Waters film, a single engine biplane is prepared to practice fighting forest fires. The plane is filled with water and then flies over a controlled fire, releasing the water to extinguish the flames. There are several shots of the plane taking off, flying, dumping water, and landing. This is a silent, black and white film from the 1950s.

r006_0019_0002_NarrowsburgCa1950s

"Reel 2: Narrowsburg to Lower Pond Eddy," Delaware River from Narrowsburg, NY to Pond Eddy, NY

In this Department of Forests and Waters film, there are scenes shown at various points along the Delaware River: including Narrowsburg, New York; Pond Eddy, New York; and Delaware and New Jersey scenes. Shoreline, rocks, whitewater, birds flying, and several bridges are seen. This is a silent, black and white film from the 1950s.

r006_0019_0003_MountainLaurel_19530624

"Reel 3: Mountain Laurel, Cook Forest and Clarion County"

In this Department of Forests and Waters film, there are scenic views of mountain laurel plants in bloom and close-ups of blossoms in Cook Forest State Park in Clarion County. This is a silent film in color from 1953.

r006_0019_0004_Beehive_19470603

"Reel 4: Beehive, Robin, Scenic Views Route 44 Toward Jersey Shore"

This Department of Forests and Waters film shows scenic overlooks of valleys along U.S. Highway 44. This short, silent film in color is from 1947.

r006_0019_0005_PlantingSaplingsCa1950s

"Reel 5," Planting saplings using tractor with attachment, location unknown

In this Department of Forests and Waters film, a tree planting crew plants saplings with the use of an attachment pulled by a tracked tractor. This silent film is in color.

r006_0019_0006_BrushFire_19500503

"Reel 6," Extinguishing brush fire drill using airplane (continuation of Reel 1)

In this Department of Forests and Waters film, a fire crew ignites a controlled shrub fire, and a single engine biplane is used to dump water to extinguish the flames. A fire crew rushes in and manually extinguishes any remaining flames with rakes and a fire extinguisher. This is a silent, black and white film from May 3, 1950.

r006_0019_0007_PondEddyCa1950s

"Reel 7: Pond Eddy to below Sparrow Bush," Delaware River from Pond Eddy, NY to Sparrow Bush, NY (continuation of Reel 2)

This Department of Forests and Waters film includes several scenes at various points along the Delaware River from Pond Eddy, NY, to Narrowsburg, NY.  Shoreline, woodland hills, mountains, rocks, whitewater, and a bridge are shown. This silent film is in color.

r006_0019_0008_PAstateParksNo6_19580805

"Reel 8: PA State Parks #6, SOF 1 min," Pennsylvania State Parks promotional short

This Department of Forests and Waters promotional film invites the public to enjoy limitless outdoor recreation, which the 2-million-acre state park and forest system affords. Families are shown fishing, picnicking, and swimming. A title frame shows: Governor George M. Leader and Maurice K. Goddard, Secretary of Forests and Waters. This narrated film from August 5, 1958 is in black and white.

r006_0019_0009_SugarMapleCa1948

"Reel 9: Sugar Maple boring and spile, South Towanda Flood of 1948"

This Department of Forests and Waters film shows a man hand drilling a hole into a maple tree, and then he places a maple spout and bucket to catch maple sap. Several scenes of the aftermath of the South Towanda flood of 1948 are shown, followed by images of structures inundated by a swelling Susquehanna River. This silent film from 1948 is in color.

r006_0019_0010_SouthTowandaFlood_19480328

"Reel 10: South Towanda Flood of 1948, pulpwood operation"

Homes and surrounding structures inundated by a swelling Susquehanna River of the South Towanda flood of 1948 and riverbank soil erosion are shown in this Department of Forests and Waters film. Workmen stack wood logs onto a truck, and logs sawed into sections are shown. Two workmen fell trees with the use of a two-man gas chainsaw. A one-man and horse team pulls a felled tree. This silent film is in color.

r006_0019_0011_PowerSawCa1950s

"Reel 11: Power Saw," chain saw cutting trees in forest

In this Department of Forests and Waters film, a forestry crew sections a fallen tree using gas powered chainsaws. This silent film is in color.

r006_0019_0012_LoadTransportBoardCa1950s

"Reel 12: Load Transport Board, scoring for transplanting," preparing larch seedlings for transplanting

This Department of Forests and Waters film begins with men packing larch seedlings for planting. The following scenes show a forestry crew digging holes and planting the seedlings in an open area. The film ends with men separating and sorting seedlings for packing. This silent film is in color.

r006_0019_0013_MountainLaurelCa1950s

"Reel 13: [Mountain] laurel, garter snake"

In this Department of Forests and Waters film, there are several views of mountain laurel plants in bloom and closeups of blossoms. The film concludes with a closeup of a garter snake on a rock and a hand holding a young garter snake. This silent film is in color.

r006_0019_0014_WaterSystemCa1950s

"Reel 14: Water system, weeding, mulching" at tree farm or nursery?

Tree seedlings are watered by a spray irrigation system in this Department of Forests and Waters film. Weeds are pulled from between the seedlings, and pitchforks are used to cover the seedlings with compost. This silent film is in color.

r006_0019_0015_LarchCa1950s

"Reel 15: Larch, seedling, fishing, Stony Creek"

This Department of Forests and Waters film begins with men separating and sorting seedlings for packing. The following scenes show a group of men fly fishing near a dam, and the film ends with several scenic views of a flowing stream. This silent film is in color.

r006_0019_0016_CherokeeRoseCa1950s

"Reel 16," close up of Cherokee Rose flower

A closeup of a Cherokee rose blossom is shown in this short, silent film in color. This Department of Forests and Waters film is circa 1950s, silent, and in color.

r006_0019_0017_DeerCa1950s

"Reel 17: Deer, Eastern Red Bud (Cercis Canadensis)"

This Department of Forests and Waters film begins with white-tailed deer meandering and running though woods. The film then transitions to shots of a grove of redbud trees on a hillside above a road. Several close-ups of the blossoms are shown. The film ends with another grove of blossoming trees. This silent film is in color.

r006_0019_0018_BlackWalnutCa1950s

"Reel 18: Black Walnut, Mountain Ash, Turkeys," and Maple

In this Department of Forests and Waters film, there are several views of eastern black walnut, mountain ash, and maple trees. Wild turkey strolling along a road and through woods are also shown. This silent film is in color.

r006_0019_0019_WaterSystemCa1950s

"Reel 19: Water system, good beds of larch" (continuation of Reel 14)

Tree seedlings on a tree farm are watered by a spray irrigation system in this Department of Forests and Waters film. A "Prevent Forest Fire, It Pays" sign in a wooded area is shown. The film ends with shots of large and tall evergreen trees. This is a silent film in color from the 1950s.

r006_0019_0020_WaterRiverCa1950s

"Reel 20" Close-ups of water in unidentified river (oil spill?)

In this Department of Forests and Waters film, there are several views of silt, debris, and industrial pollution floating along a riverbank by an industrial complex. This is a silent film in color from the 1950s.

r006_0019_0021_PullingSeedlingsCa1950s

"Reel 21," Pulling seedlings, transplanting seedlings, seed sprouting, shot of strip mine or quarry, brush fire

This Department of Forests and Waters film begins with a work crew pulling young fir tree seedlings for another work crew to transplant in neat rows, which is shown in the next scene. Also included in this film are scenes of individual seeds being placed into a seed spacer under glass, young seedlings being placed into a spacer for transplanting, a garden row prepared for planting, a forest ground cover fire, and deep ravine ground erosion on a hill by a field. This is a silent film in color.

r006_0019_0022_SouthTowanda_19480323

"Reel 22: South Towanda Flood"

This Department of Forests and Waters film shows an overflowing Susquehanna River flooding homes and buildings in South Towanda during the 1948 flood. A man rowing a boat, with a woman passenger, passes by several buildings. In another shot, a man in a rowboat rescues a father, mother and their child from the first floor of their home. Other scenes are a man carefully wading through flood waters; many buildings with flood waters up to the first floor; and a man standing on his porch, where the water level is even with the porch. This silent film is in color.

r006_0019_0023_SleighRideCa1950s

"Reel 23:" Sleigh ride, unidentified icy river

This Department of Forests and Waters film includes winter scenes of a two-horse team pulling a sleigh filled with happy passengers through the woods, as a dog follows behind. Then, there are several views of an ice-covered river. This silent film is in color.

r006_0019_0024_MtAltoStudentsCa1950s

"Reel 24: Mt. Alto students and girlfriends," sleigh ride

Mt. Alto students excitedly exit a building and begin throwing snowballs at each other. The students continue frolicking in the snow before they run to get on a sleigh ride. The sleigh ride is pulled by a two-horse team along snow covered paths through the woods and over a small bridge with the students laughing and smiling as they enjoy the ride. This is a silent Department of Forests and Waters film in color from the 1950s.

r006_0019_0025_SchuylkillRiverCa1950s

"Reel 25: Schuylkill River project, track full of steel, rip-rap ditch, devastation near Minersville"

The destructive effects of an open-pit coal mining operation near Minersville are shown in this Department of Forests and Waters film. Large mounds of slag, dead trees, and riprap-covered ground adjacent to homes are shown. Mining equipment and trucks working in the open pit mine are also shown. The film ends with a shot of train cars loaded with coal. This silent film is in color.

r006_0019_0026_SwimmingNorristownCa1950s

"Reel 26: Swimming at Norristown Dam"

This short Department of Forests and Waters film shows boys jumping from a high ledge into the Schuylkill River near the Norristown Dam in Montgomery County. This silent film is in color.

r006_0019_0027_LendfieldDikesCa1950s

"Reel 27: S.R. Lendfield Dikes," digging dikes

An excavator shovel and earthmovers are used to build the Lendfield Dikes in this Department of Forests and Waters film. Several shots are of earth moving equipment working in tandem to form and shape the ground. This silent film is in color.

r006_0019_0028_LogLoaderCa1950s

"Reel 28: Log loader, truck of logs"

A three-man crew loads a flatbed truck with logs in this Department of Forests and Waters film. A flatbed truck backs up to a log loader. One man operates the loader as a second man manually assists with placing the logs on the truck, and a third man assists the loader with picking up the logs from the forest floor. The truck drives away with a full load of logs. This silent film is in color.

r006_0019_0029_DenudedFarmLand_19480331

"Reel 29: Denuded farm land, sawmill setup, truck of logs, unloading seedlings, D.F.W. label"

This Department of Forests and Waters film opens with a quick shot of a line of maple trees, tapped and bucketed for sapping, along a road. The film transitions to a logging operation, with shots of logs sorted in piles by a sawmill and adjacent to large mounds of sawdust. A truck loaded with logs drives down a road away from the camera, and then two men are shown unloading boxes and crates from a truck onto hand cars by a "Railway Express Agency" building in a railyard. The film concludes with a shot of boxes labeled with "Young Forest Trees from Pennsylvania Department of Forests and Waters, from Fayetteville to Northampton." This silent film is in color.

r006_0019_0030_ShadesNurseryCa1950s

"Reel 30: Shades, nursery sign," at Mont Alto State Forest Tree Nursery

Tree seedlings in various stages of growth at the "Mont Alto State Forest Tree Nursery, Penna. Department of Forests and Waters" are shown in this silent film in color. Younger seedlings are protected under wooden slats, while other more mature seedlings are uncovered. The spray irrigation system used to water seedlings is also shown. This silent film is in color.

r006_0019_0031_ClearfieldFlood_1948

"Reel 31: Clearfield flood 1948, Sixmile Run stream Centre County, Stony Creek, prepare for fishing

This Department of Forests and Waters film begins with views of the West Branch Susquehanna River during the 1948 flooding in Clearfield, PA. Views included are a road closure because of flooding near a steel trellis bridge, a truck driving through flooding water, and rapids and white caps created by fast-moving flood waters. The film ends with three men dressed in sportswear loading their fishing gear into a sedan car as they prepare to go fishing. This silent film is in color.

r006_0019_0032_Erosion_19470421

"Reel 32: Erosion, tree planting" brush fire

This Department of Forests and Waters film includes several shots of a ground cover fire within a wooded area. This silent film is in color.

r006_0019_0033_HikingSwimmingLessonsCa1948

"Reel 33," Women and children hiking, girls' swimming lesson at unidentified lake

A group of young girls, some with wicker basket backpacks, exit a cabin and join a larger group of girls at the start of a hike. The large group is gathered under a tree, and a hike leader provides information to them before the hike. Several shots of the girls hiking are shown. In the last half of the film, a group of girls along a dock in a lake receive swimming instructions and then try out their swimming skills. This is a silent Department of Forests and Waters film in color.

r006_0019_0034_HunlockCreekCa1950s

"Reel 34: [Land] slide Hunlock Creek, cutover and pastured area"

This Department of Forests and Waters film shows the result of a landslide, with fallen trees and erosion, on a wooded hill near Hunlock Creek, PA. This silent film is in color.

r006_0019_0035_KooserParkCa1950s

"Reel 35: Kooser Park tornado [damage]"

This Department of Forests and Waters film shows several views of the aftermath of a tornado in a wooded area near Kooser Park. The film shows uprooted and fallen trees. A man and a horse are shown near a cabin and a stack of cut logs towards the end of this silent film in color.

r006_0019_0036_BlackBearCa1950s

"Reel 36," Black bear in the woods, climbing a tree

A young black bear wanders and forages in the woods in this Department of Forests and Waters film. The bear is also shown climbing and standing upon a tree stump, as well as climbing a tall tree and then descending to the ground. This silent film is in color.

r006_0019_0037_LaurelHillEasterSealsCa1948

"Reel 37: Laurel Hill [Lake and State Park]" Camp Easter Seals children swimming in lake and around a campfire

A group of children, young teens, and their adult supervisors attend Camp Easter Seals at Laurel Hill State Park. The children swim in a lake during the day and gather around a campfire in the evening. This silent film is in color.

r006_0019_0038_LaurelHillEasterSealsCa1948

"Reel 38: Laurel Hill [Lake] swim," Camp Easter Seals

Children, young teens, and their adult supervisors attend Camp Easter Seals at Laurel Hill State Park. The children hike the state park grounds, and swim and play in the lake. This silent film is in color.

r006_0019_0039_SwimmingEasterSealsCa1948

"Reel 39," Swimming and fishing at Laurel Hill Lake, Camp Easter Seals

A large crowd of families are sunbathing, playing, and swimming in the lake at Laurel Hill State Park, in this Department of Forests and Waters film. The film also includes views of water flowing over a dam, fishermen, and a young camper on crutches navigating the steps in front of the Infirmary cabin. This silent film is in color.

r006_0019_0040_CanoeingCampAdahiCa1948

"Reel 40," Girls swimming and canoeing at Camp Adahi, ceremony around flag pole (Girl Scouts)

This Department of Forests and Waters film opens with shots of Girl Scouts playing, swimming, and diving into the lake at Camp Adahi near Mohnton, PA. Also on the lake are two girls in a canoe (Water Sprite, Camp Adam #3) and four girls in a rowboat. A large group of Girl Scouts form two circles around a flagpole as the flag is taken down. Two lines of scouts are shown entering a camp building. The film ends with a large crowd of families playing and swimming in the lake. This silent film is in color.

r006_0019_0041_SwimmingLaurelHillCa1948

"Reel 41," Bathers swimming at Laurel Hill Lake

Several scenes of families playing, swimming, springboard diving, tubing, and boating at Laurel Hill State Park are shown in this Department of Forests and Waters film. This silent film is in color.

r006_0019_0042_IceRiverCa1950s

"Reel 42: Ice" breaking up on unidentified river

A large expanse of river ice breaks apart and piles up against a bridge, in this Department of Forests and Waters film. Also shown are piles of large ice chunks amassing along the river's shoreline. This silent film is in color.

r006_0019_0043_KooserParkTornadoCa1950s

"Reel 43: Kooser State Park tornado," park entrance sign, dam and lake, picnic pavilions

This Department of Forests and Waters film opens at the entrance to Kooser State Park, showing broken and downed trees from a tornado. There are scenes of water flowing over a dam and a tranquil river, before views of "The Mighty Oak Pavilion, Tsuga Canadensis Bathhouse, Kooser Lake Beach, Tables and Fireplaces" is shown near the the end of the film. This silent film is in color.

r006_0019_0044_TreePlanting_19470425

"Reel 44: Tree planting"

Two men are planting fir seedlings in this Department of Forests and Waters film. The first man uses a pickaxe to gouge the ground, and the second man plants the seedling and uses a wooden mallet to tamp the ground around the seedling. There are various shots of this process, from afar and close-up. This silent film in color concludes with a view of mature fir trees.

r006_0019_0045_WellsboroGrandCanyonCa1950s

"Reel 45: Wellsboro Grand Canyon," Pine Creek Gorge and railroad

This Department of Forests and Waters film includes scenic views of the Wellsboro Grand Canyon, Pine Creek Gorge Natural Area. Views of the river, including a line of train cars on railroad tracks, are shown. This silent film is in color.

r006_0019_0046_UnloadingSeedlings_19480303

"Reel 46: Unloading seedlings, pickup and drive away with unknown"

In this Department of Forests and Waters film, three men at a Railway Express Agency office in a railroad yard load a pickup truck with boxes and crates of tree seedlings before the truck drives away. The film ends by showing rows of seedlings planted at a nursery. This silent film is in color.

r006_0019_0047_HollyTreesCa1950s

"Reel 47," Holly trees, white tailed deer, road with white birch trees

There are three sections in this silent film in color.  A tall holly tree is shown in the first section, with close-ups of its leaves and berries. A white-tailed deer roams and grazes in the woods in the middle section. The third section of the film shows a wooded lane lined by birch trees. This is a Department of Forests and Waters film.

r006_0019_0048_PineConesCa1950s

"Reel 48: Drying pinecones, churning cones, seeds, loading seedling boxes"

Pinecone seeds are the subject of this Department of Forests and Waters film. The film opens on a large pile of pinecones drying on the ground and being shuffled by a rake. The dried cones are placed into a rotating box and turned so that the seeds fall out onto a tarp on the ground to be collected. Two forestry workers load crates of seedlings into a pickup truck and drive to a farm where the crates are unloaded. This silent film is in color.

r006_0019_0049_SkiingHickoryRunCa1950s

"Reel 49" Skiing at Hickory Run State Park

Several skiers are shown skiing a short path at Hickory Run State Park in this Department of Forests and Waters short film. Two skiers fall when attempting to navigate a small bend in the path, as others walk up the path on their skies. This silent film is in color.

r006_0019_0050_ClearingBrushCa1950s

"Reel 50," Clearing brush, boats and bathers at Pymatuning Reservoir

This Department of Forests and Waters film opens with a forestry crew clearing brush, digging a shallow trench, and spraying weed control in an open area within the woods. The crew forms a line aside a truck as they are handed their tools to begin their work. In the second half of the film, scenes of boats and docks, a family boating, busy roads and parking areas, and bathers at Pymatuning Reservoir in Pymatuning State Park are shown in this silent film in color.

r006_0019_0051_SprayingLakeCa1950s

"Reel 51," Spraying unidentified lake with unknown substance (weed control?)

A large group of men are standing and milling around trucks at a lake shoreline, as the trucks are spraying the waters near the shoreline. Several men are wearing work clothes, while others are in T-shirts, and a few men are shirtless. Next, five trucks are shown in a line by the water. Men adjust the truck's spraying equipment, and others use hoses to spray into the water. This silent film in color ends, showing a forestry crew walking into the woods with their tools in hand.

r006_0019_0052_PymatuningReservoir_19490815

"Reel 52," Swimming and picnicing at Pymatuning Reservoir, snowy egrets

In this Department of Forests and Waters film, swimmers, sunbathers, and picnickers are shown at a beach at Pymatuning Reservoir in Pymatuning State Park. A group of approximately ten houseboats are anchored near each other in a cove. A family enjoys a picnic by the water in the early evening. Three snowy egrets feed in shallow waters. This silent film is in color.

r006_0019_0053_ShoreBirdsCa1950s

"Reel 53," Shore birds, sailboats, and sunset at Pymatuning Reservoir

This Department of Forests and Waters film begins with multiple scenes of shore birds feeding in shallow waters, and then the film transitions to several views of sailboats. The film also shows a dock, trees, and a couple strolling along a shore silhouetted by a setting sun. This silent film is in color.

r006_0019_0054_ChildrenCrutchesCa1950s

"Reel 54," Children with crutches at waterfall, Franklin tree, mallard ducks and young

Several groups of children, some with crutches and leg braces, are standing near the base of a waterfall, and children are also standing and sitting on rocks by a stream. One of the boys throws stones into the stream. The film then transitions to show a Franklin tree, including a close-up of its leaves and buds. The film concludes with two adult mallard ducks and one baby swimming together along a stream bank. This is a Department of Forests and Waters film that is silent and in color.

r006_0019_0055_Route11_19470818

"Reel 55: Route 11 three miles north of Hunlock Creek," close-ups of various plants and earthmoving (installing power lines)

This Department of Forests and Waters film opens with a shot of a blossoming mimosa tree adjacent to a house. The remaining film shows the result of a landslide, with fallen trees and erosion, on a wooded hill near Hunlock Creek, PA. An excavating shovel loads a dump truck with debris, and a couple of workmen are shown working on downed electrical poles and lines. This silent film is in color.

r006_0019_0056_CreekFishing_19480415

"Reel 56," Unidentified creek, man fishing near dam, creel of 8 trout

This Department of Forests and Waters film includes several scenic views of an unidentified stream before a creel holding eight trout is shown. Two fishermen are shown fishing near a dam. One of the fishermen stands on the bank, while the other is in waders in the water. This silent film is in color.

r006_0019_0057_SwimmingRiverCa1950s

"Reel 57: Swimming in River after dredging," unidentified river with covered bridge in background (Schuylkill River?)

Young men and women are shown swimming in this Department of Forests and Waters film. A group of boys dive and swim in a river near a long covered bridge. Two boys sunbathe near an antique convertible. A group of boys and girls swim, tube, and dive from a wooden diving board into a river. A family enjoys the river as a woman learns to swim. An excavating shovel is briefly shown at the end of the film. This silent film is in color.

r006_0019_0058_GovDuffRaccoonCreekCa1950s

"Reel 58," Governor James H. Duff at Raccoon Creek State Park releasing fish

A fish stocking program at Raccoon Creek State Park is the subject of this Department of Forests and Waters film. Governor James H. Duff and other gentlemen speak to a crowd of observers, and then Governor Duff adds the first fish from a bucket, into the lake. The Governor continues to pour additional pails of fish into the lake. He also scoops fish out of the pail by hand and tosses them into the lake, as he chats with the crowd surrounding him. This silent film is in color.

r006_0019_0059_WadingSchuylkillCa1950s

"Reel 59," Girl wading in Schuylkill River at Kernsville Dam or Poplar Neck

A girl is standing in ankle-deep water, in the Schuylkill River at Kernsville or Poplar Neck Dam. The girl then wades through the water and returns to the shoreline. This very short Department of Forests and Waters film is silent and in color.

r006_0019_0060_PromisedLandPark_19490615

"Reel 60," Views of Promised Land State Park

This Department of Forests and Waters film opens with a park ranger looking out over the lake at Promised Land State Park. Next, a man feeds a white-tailed deer from his hand. The film continues showing various locations within the park, including a family enjoying sunshine along the lake's shoreline, camping facilities at the park, and a family enjoying their campsite and playing badminton. The film ends as a mother and her young daughter stroll across a small wooden bridge over a steam. This silent film is in color.

r006_0019_0061_SchuylkillRiverProjectCa1950s

"Reel 61: Schuylkill River Project, inspection trip (mining), deep mining"

A group of men in dress suits are shown inspecting various locations at a coal mining and processing facility for the Schuylkill River Project in this Department of Forests and Waters film. The men are shown gathered around a project table at the site, walking across a trellis bridge, viewing a water sluice, walking around various locations outside of the processing facility, and standing above the deep pit mine while watching the mining equipment at work below. This silent film is in color.

r006_0019_0062_RipRapping_19490616

"Reel 62: Rip Rapping, impounding basin"

Several scenes of grading and repositioning riprap are shown in this Department of Forests and Waters film. Crews are shown using a power backhoe excavator, mounted on the back of a truck, and working a large pile of riprap stones and rocks. A dump truck unloads a pile of riprap which the excavator then repositions. This silent film is in color.

r006_0019_0063_SchuylkillRiverCa1950s

"Reel 63: Schuylkill River, clearing banks, head of dredge, cutler head of dredge

This Department of Forests and Waters film shows the cutting and clearing of trees and brush and river dredging. With the use of hand axes and a two-man chain saw, a forestry crew clears and gathers trees and brush. In the Schuylkill River, a cutler dredger head is shown clearing a riverbank. This silent film is in color.

r006_0019_0064_PineCreekInspectionCa1950s

"Reel 64: Inspection trip, Pine Creek"

A group of men dressed in suits and overcoats are on a trip to inspect the progress of the Pine Creek Gorge Natural Area land clearing project. A large area of land has been cleared of trees, and earthmoving equipment has been used to level the land. As the inspectors walk around the construction site, various earthmoving equipment is visible in the background: road graders, bulldozers, an excavating shovel, a jeep, and a large dump truck hauling a large tree stump and tree debris. This is a Department of Forests and Waters film that is silent and in color.

r006_0019_0065_KernsvilleDamCa1950s

"Reel 65: Building Kernsville Dam and clearing banks"

Building the Kernsville Dam is the subject of this Department of Forests and Waters film. In the first half of the film, excavating shovels, dump trucks, and bulldozers are in the process of building the base of the dam. In the second half of the film, a bulldozer is used to push ground from a bank along the waterway into the water. This silent film is in color.

r006_0019_0066_InspectionSchuylkillCa1950s

"Reel 66: Inspection trip, Schuylkill River"

This is a Department of Forests and Waters film that is silent and in color. A large group of men inspect the progress being made at the Kernsville Dam construction site along the Schuylkill River. As the group stands on a jetty above the construction site, dump trucks and excavating shovels are shown working below near a dam wall.

r006_0019_0067_PipeDischarge_19490314

"Reel 67: Pipe discharge, dredge [unidentified river], deer"

This film opens with a shot of a pipe discharging a large volume of dark and thick water. Next, a large dredger maneuvers near a riverbank. In the second half of the film, white-tailed deer are wandering and grazing in woods and open grounds. This is a Department of Forests and Waters film that is silent and in color.

r006_0019_0068_SchuylkillEquipmentCa1950s

"Reel 68: Schuylkill River, equipment"

Several views of a newly constructed, unidentified dam on a river are shown in this Department of Forests and Waters film. Included in the film are several views of water flowing over the dam spillway. Also shown is a large volume of dark and thick water discharging from a pipe. This silent film is in color.

r006_0019_0069_SchuylkillPileDriverCa1950s

"Reel 69: Schuylkill River, pile driver"

This Department of Forests and Waters film includes several views of water flowing through an unidentified dam spillway. A construction crew uses an excavating shovel to dredge an area of low water and constructs a large structure for a section of the dam. As a man sits atop piles, he helps guide the next pile into postion to be driven into the ground with a pile driver. This silent film is in color.

r006_0019_0070_KernsvilleDamCa1950s

"Reel 70: Kernsville Dam complete, tailpipe dredge," Boulder Field at Hickory Run State Park

In the beginning of this Department of Forests and Waters film, several scenic overlook views are shown of mountains, rolling hills, and a river gorge opening to farmlands. Two men hike a wooded path, a grouse is shown briefly on a path before it flies away, and scenic waterfalls are pictured. The film concludes with views of the Boulder Field at Hickory Run State Park. This silent film is in color.

r006_0019_0071_IntertitleCa1950s

"Reel 71," intertitle "This film exhibited by the Pennsylvania Department of Forests and Waters"

This 16-second film only shows a "This film exhibited by the Pennsylvania Department of Forests and Waters" title card. This silent film is in color.

r006_0019_0072_PollutionCa1950s

"Reel 72: Pollution, ground hog, ringneck [pheasant]"

This Department of Forests and Waters film includes shots of water pollution, a groundhog, and a ringneck pheasant. The film opens on a pipe outlet discharging pollution into a body of flowing water. The film then transitions to shots of a groundhog in the woods. The film ends with several shots of a pheasant wandering, grazing, and running in a pasture. This silent film is in color.

r006_0019_0073_ConstructionCa1950s

"Reel 73," Construction and welding (unknown project)

This Department of Forests and Waters film shows an unidentified building project, possibly a pump house. A crane, with the help of two workers, positions a metal wall in place. While the wall is placed, another worker bolts together wall sections. Motors and pumping equipment are shown before one of the workers welds a portion of the wall. This silent film is in color.

r006_0019_0074_DredgingCa1950s

"Reel 74," Dredging on unidentified river, earthmoving equipment at construction site

A dredger on a river is shown in the first half of this film. Close-up views of its dredge cutter spinning before being lowered into the water to begin dredging are also shown. Several earthmovers work in tandem to grade a large open area in the second half of this Department of Forests and Waters film. This silent film is in color.

r006_0019_0075_DischargePipeCa1950s

"Reel 75: Discharge end of pipe, dredge working"

This silent film in color begins with several shots of pipes discharging dark, thick water and sludge at construction sites. A large "Commonwealth of PA Dredge Chester" dredger is shown working on a river. The location of this Department of Forests and Waters film is unknown.

r006_0019_0076_SchuylkillErosionCa1950s

"Reel 76: Schuylkill River Project, erosion of banks"

This Department of Forests and Waters film shows examples of bank erosion along the Schuylkill River Project. An uprooted tree, riprap, timbers, and deeply eroded banks with exposed roots are shown. This silent film is in color.

r006_0019_0077_SchuylkillDeepMiningCa1950s

"Reel 77: Schuylkill River Project, deep mining Kernsville Dam, Blue Mountain Dam"

This silent film in color opens with a panning shot of an unidentified concrete dam on the Schuylkill River. Next, what appears to be a broken and destroyed timber and riprap dam is shown. The film ends with views of a very large and deep open-pit coal mine, and operators of mining equipment and vehicles are working in the mine. This is a Department of Forests and Waters film.

r006_0019_0078_BuckMountainCa1950s

"Reel 78: Small stream of culm, Buck Mountain, stomp field, inspection trip, Big Reading Dam"

This Department of Forests and Waters film shows a man using a stick to dig into a small stream of coal slurry before a large open field of coal slurry with tree debris scattered about the field is shown. Next, a group of men are standing on a flat concrete slab above a small creek dam as they inspect the area. This silent film in color ends with a group of men viewing and inspecting the ruins of a destroyed timber and riprap dam.

r006_0019_0079_TractorLogsCa1950s

"Reel 79," Tractor hauling logs in the snow, cutting logs with chainsaw

This film has scenes of lumbermen in wintertime, in a snow covered field, working with large tree logs. A Cletrac HG crawler tractor drags and maneuvers the large logs into position for two men, who use a crosscut saw to cut the logs into smaller sections. This is a Department of Forests and Waters film that is silent and in color.

r006_0019_0080_RedPine_19480115

"Reel 80: Red pine, Blue Mountain Dam, Hummels Dam, snow scenes"

In this Department of Forests and Waters film, views of a country road that cuts through a forest of tall mature red pine trees are shown. Next, there are several snow-covered wintertime scenes of a creek with a railroad timber bridge and dam ruins, including an excavating shovel and bulldozer digging in the debris along the creek bank. The film concludes with picturesque snow-covered cornfields and a farm road.

r006_0019_0081_RiverCleanUpCa1950s

"Reel 81: River clean-up," earthmoving equipment

In the opening scenes of this Department of Forests and Waters film, a steam-powered pile driver sets piles in position and then pounds them into a riverbed. A power shovel, dump truck, and bulldozer work in tandem to place rock riprap on the edge of an embankment. The final scene of this silent film in color is of earthmoving equipment working on a river construction site.

r006_0019_0082_GovDuffInspectionCa1950s

"Reel 82: Governor Duff inspection, river clean-up," unidentified river

Governor James H. Duff leads a large group of men on an inspection of a newly constructed dam. The men are dressed in suits and topcoats. Next, a few State Police officers gather together and then walk to the dam in this Department of Forests and Waters film. The film is silent and in color.

r006_0019_0083_DucksCa1950s

"Reel 83," Ducks, flag pole, Forests and Waters shed and pickup truck

This Department of Forests and Waters film includes flying ducks, an American flag, and Forests and Waters workers. The first 40-second segment of this film is too dark to see anything, before ducks are shown flying against a sky backdrop. Next, an American flag with forty-eight stars is shown waving against a sky backdrop. Lastly, a Forests and Waters pickup truck is parked aside a Forests and Waters shed. The doors of the shed slide open and four men come running out. Three of the men jump into the back of a green Ford pickup truck, while the fourth man hops in the driver seat and quickly drives away. This film is silent and in color.

r006_0019_0084_BrushFireCa1950s

"Reel 84," Putting out a brush fire drill/demonstration

This Department of Forests and Waters film begins with a small brush fire. A Ford pickup truck and men shown in the previous film arrive at the fire. The men grab rakes and hoes out of the truck to fight the fire. Several of the men rake and hoe the dry leaves near the fire, as another man sprays water on the fire. Next, a man with a flare ignites a small fire which is used for fire extinguishing practice. There are additional shots of men carrying water canisters on their backs and spraying the fire while others are raking and hoeing. When the men are finished practicing, they return to the truck with their tools and leave the site. The film is silent and in color.

r006_0019_0085_LoadingLogsCa1950s

"Reel 85: Loading logs"

Logging in winter is the subject of this Department of Forests and Waters film. This silent film in color opens on a Cletrac crawler tractor dragging logs along a snow-covered dirt road. The rest of the film shows a three-man crew loading four logs, with a crane and timber claws, onto the back of a stake truck, and the men assist with properly positioning the logs on the truck.

r006_0019_0086_SchuylkillDredgingCa1950s

"Reel 86: Schuylkill River" dredging and dredging spoil

A dredging operation along a Schuylkill River bank is shown in this Department of Forests and Waters film. A dredger is shown working on the river, with views of the surrounding countryside and industrial facilities. A water culvert outlet discharging water is seen. Dark and thick dredging spoil flows from a pipe into a large spoil field. The film is silent and in color. 

r006_0019_0087_SkiddingLogsCa1950s

"Reel 87: Skidding logs"

Loggers working in winter are shown in this Department of Forests and Waters film. Scenes of a man in a tree, a man using a two-headed axe, a man using a chainsaw, a man walking over snow-covered logs, a tree stump topped by a mound of snow, and a bulldozer being used to skid large logs are shown in this silent film in color.

r006_0019_0088_UnloadingLogsCa1950s

"Reel 88: Unloading logs"

In wintertime, two men with log jacks unload a Department of Forests and Waters flatbed truck by rolling the logs off the side of the flatbed. When the two men finish unloading, the truck drives away and a second truck arrives. While the men are in the process of unloading the second truck, a third truck arrives. Scenes of a lumber mill with snow-covered logs and lumber stacked in piles are shown, before this silent film in color ends with a shot of a white-tailed deer at the edge of a wooded area.

r006_0019_0089_UnloadingLogsCa1950s

"Reel 89: Unloading logs"

Flatbed trucks that are loaded with logs arrive at a Department of Forests and Waters logging operation in winter. A bulldozer is used to skid large logs. A man chops wood with a hand axe. Men with log jacks unload a truck full of logs. The final scene of this silent film in color shows snow-covered logs stacked in a lumber yard.

r006_0019_0090_LoggingCa1950s

"Reel 90: Logging," hauling logs with tractor, cutting logs with chain saws

It is winter, and busy logging operations are shown in this Department of Forests and Waters film. A bulldozer skids logs, logs are cut by chainsaw, and tree debris piles are cut by hand axe in this silent film in color.

r006_0019_0091_LoadingScalingLogsCa1950s

"Reel 91: Loading [and] scaling logs"

A Department of Forests and Waters logging crew loads, scales, and measures logs during wintertime in this silent and color film. A crane, with timber claws, loads logs onto the back of a stake truck with the assistance of two men who guide the logs into proper position. When the truck is fully loaded, a chain is used to clamp down the logs for safe transportation. Another crew member then begins to use a log rule to measure the diameter of the logs and to determine the volume of the log based on its diameter and length measurements. After the man finishes measuring, he stamps the log with the back end of a hand axe. Another crew member records the measurements on a piece of paper. At the end of the film a bulldozer is shown skidding a long log.

r006_0019_0092_SanatogaDredgeCa1950s

"Reel 92: Dredge at Sanatoga and pontoon," Schuylkill River

A dredging project on the Schuylkill River is shown in this Department of Forests and Waters film. This silent film in color begins with a panning shot that shows a dredger on the river with piping being used to transport and deposit the dredging spoil into a large man-made "pool" with very high embankments to retain the sludge waste. The camera then zooms in close on the dredger and its cutter. A man is shown walking across the piping on the river to land. At one point he begins to lose his balance, but he regains his balance and does not fall off the pipe. The final 50 seconds of this film are completely black.

r006_0019_0093_WhitePineSeed_1947

"Reel 93: Pick of White Pine seed, bamboo"

This Department of Forests and Waters film begins with a man who is free climbing a tall white pine tree without the use of a rope. When the man nears the top of the tree, he removes pinecones for seed harvesting and then throws the pinecones to the ground. The final shots of this silent film in color are of non-native, invasive bamboo plants growing adjacent to a two-story structure. Several of the plants are shown to be as tall as the building's roof peak.

r006_0019_0094_TamaquaCa1950s

"Reel 94: Tamaqua [basin] and dam"

Various views of the Tamaqua basin and dam project are shown in this Department of Forests and Waters film. Scenes of man-made earthworks, water flows, and the newly constructed concrete dam are shown in this silent and color film. Two dump trucks are shown backfilling earth near the dam.

r006_0019_0095_EarthmovingCa1950s

"Reel 95," Earthmoving machinery along riverbank, drainage construction, dam (Schuylkill River Project?)

This silent film in color opens with bulldozers and earthmoving machinery building an earthwork dyke along a riverbank. The film also includes scenes of a water drainage culvert under construction, water flowing over a dam, and drainage construction possibly associated with the Schuylkill River Dam Project. This film is from the Department of Forests and Waters.

r006_0019_0096_BrushFireCa1950s

"Reel 96," Putting out brush fire drill/demonstration, fire lookout tower, river dredging

Scenes of a brush fire drill, a fire lookout tower, and river dredging are included in this Department of Forests and Waters film. With the smoke of a brush fire in the distance, a crew of young men rake and clear leaves and underbrush along a forested, steep incline. A flare is used to start a brush fire for the crew to practice extinguishing the flames. A group of spectators climb and gaze out from a fire lookout tower. The final scene of this silent film in color shows a power shovel and dredger working on a river dredging project.

r006_0019_0097_CabinFireRenovoCa1950s

"Reel 97," Cabin fire and brush fire, Renovo PA

Various views of a log cabin, underbrush, a tree log on fire, and fire smoke rising above valleys are shown in this Department of Forests and Water film. It is possible that these scenes are of a fire that occurred near Renovo, PA. This film is silent and in color.

r006_0019_0098_FloodingCa1950s

"Reel 98," Flooding, unidentified river

This silent film in color includes various scenes of homes and adjacent buildings inundated by an unidentified river's flood waters. Homeowners are shown standing on the porch of their homes, surrounded by flood waters. Two boys in a rowboat float aside a home, where the owners look out from the first-floor windows. Debris float in the water, and views of homes and buildings isolated by flood waters are shown in this Department of Forests and Waters film.

r006_0019_0099_SchuylkillHavenCa1950s

"Reel 99: Schuylkill Haven," woman at dam, man and woman on boat

A woman walks along a ledge by a dam, stops to gaze out across the water, and then she looks back, smiling at the camera. Water flows over the dam behind the woman, in the background. Next, the woman is shown at a railing, taking in the sights of a calm body of water. In the following scene, she is being given a tour of a boat, possibly a dredger, by an attentive man who points out various features of the boat. They descend stairs to the main cabin and enter. Later, the woman climbs a ladder to return to the dock, and then the man and woman walk past the camera. This is a Department of Forests and Waters film that is silent and in color.

r006_0019_0100_FloodingCa1950s

"Reel 100," Flooding, unidentified river, railroad tracks (same location as Reel 98)

Homes, vehicles, railroads tracks, and a small village are inundated by flood waters in this Department of Forests and Waters film. A rowboat floats amongst the homes and two people look out from a second-floor window of their home. This film is silent and in color.

r006_0019_0101_FloodingWilkesBarreCa1950s

"Reel 101," Flooding in Wilkes-Barre/Kingston, PA, Susquehanna River, burning cabin (same cabin as Reel 97)

This film begins with various views of the Susquehanna River flooding in the Wilkes-Barre and Kingston areas in Pennsylvania, and the film ends with scenes of a log cabin engulfed by fire! Cars and trucks navigate a flooded road with Atlantic Oil tanks in the background and Amoco Gas and Nash Automobile billboards in the foreground. The Wyoming Valley School of Aviation's buildings and airport are inundated by flood waters, and flooded streets and homes near the airport are also shown. The film ends with a log cabin, in a wooded area, ablaze and consumed by a raging and out-of-control fire. This is a Department of Forests and Waters film that is silent and in color.

r006_0019_0102_SchuylkillRiverCa1950s

"Reel 102: Schuylkill River #5," men building stone structure, dam

Several bricklayers labor to lay mortar and stone for a stone structure that is surrounded by scaffolding. Near a smaller and newly-built stone structure, two pole climbers attach cross timbers to their adjacent poles by driving spikes into their respective poles. One of the men walks across the timber to assist his fellow climber. Views of a newly constructed dam conclude this Department of Forests and Waters film. The film is silent and in color.

r006_0019_0103_GovDuffDogCa1950s

"Reel 103: Governor Duff and dog, Valley Forge, Schuylkill River"

Governor James H. Duff, wearing breeches and riding boots, and his pet German shepherd dog stroll along a dirt road aside a body of water. A monument, blooming dogwood trees, and blossoms in Valley Forge National Historical Park are shown next. This Department of Forests and Waters film concludes with a distant shot of a cleared area of land with several burning piles of debris. This film is silent and in color.

r006_0019_0104_SchuylkillBoathouseRowCa1950s

"Reel 104: Schuylkill River view from bridge, Fairmount Park dam," Boathouse Row

This Department of Forests and Waters film has views of the Schuylkill River near the Fairmount Park dam, bridge, and Boathouse Row. A project is underway to dredge and remove silt and debris along the riverbanks. A man shovels silt off a pier, and a dredger and "Feraco, Phila, PA" power shovel work along the banks of the waterway. The final scenes show the Fairmount Park Dam and Waterworks, with the Philadelphia Art Museum and Boathouse Row houses appearing in the background. This film is silent and in color.

r006_0019_0105_SchuylkillRiver_194803

"Reel 105: Schuylkill River," winter views, dredging

Wintertime views of ice flows and a dredging operation on the Schuylkill River are featured in this Department of Forests and Waters film. This silent film in color opens on a wintery scene of snow-covered ground and a wide shot of a frozen river in the distance, before transitioning to a closeup of several islands in the river surrounded by ice flows. Later in the film, a power shovel dredges debris from what might be remnants of a damaged dam or bridge in the river, and a dump truck waits to be loaded. A portion of the damaged structure is shown at the very end of the film.

r006_0019_0106_PollutionDarbyCreekCa1950s

"Reel 106: Pollution of Darby Creek, dredging of Schuylkill"

This Department of Forests and Waters film includes scenes of a water culvert discharging brownish water into a body of water, an industrial area along a river, ducks taking flight, several shacks along the river, a tugboat guiding a barge, and a dredger operating on the river. The film concludes with a brief scene of busy street traffic in an unidentified city. This film is silent and in color.

r006_0019_0107_GirlScoutsPicnicCa1950s

"Reel 107: Girl Scouts picnic," boulder field at Hickory Run State Park

Two adult couples enjoy a picnic in the woods at the start of this Department of Forests and Waters film. The remainder of the film shows Girl Scouts on an outing, hiking a trail while carrying their knapsacks, pitching a tent, and walking and sitting amongst the boulder field at Hickory Run State Park. This film is silent and in color.

r006_0019_0108_HickoryRun_19480115

"Reel 108: Hickory Run," dredging

Various views of a steam shovel dredging a river in wintertime are shown in the Department of Forests and Waters short film. This film is silent and in color.

r006_0019_0109_BlueMountainDamCa1950s

"Reel 109: Blue Mountain dam," old Schuylkill Canal

Various views of the damaged wooden timber and riprap Blue Mountain dam, along the old Schuylkill Canal, are shown in this Department of Forests and Waters short film. It is evident that a large section in the center of the dam has been washed away in this silent film in color.

r006_0019_0110_CulmPilesCa1950s

"Reel 110: Culm piles and road [from] Minersville to St. Clair, Forestville"

This film opens with a man inspecting a damaged area of a large coal slag pile, where a landslide has occurred and damaged the wooden timbers meant to hold back and stabilize the culm waste. The next scenes show streams of running coal slurry from the slag pile in the background, and outbuildings are shown by the stream. The film continues with additional shots of collapsed sections and various views of the slag pile. This is a Department of Forests and Waters film that is silent and in color.

r006_0019_0111_GreenwoodFurnaceCa1950s

"Reel 111," Pitch pine seedlings at tree farm, Greenwood Furnace State Park

Farming operations at the Greenwood Furnace State Park's pitch pine seedling tree farm are shown in this Department of Forests and Waters film. Two men pull weeds from between the seedlings and the rows of planted seedlings. Wheeled hand plows are used to till the ground between the seedling rows. A crew of women and men are shown hand weeding a large field. Later in the film, a man gazes up at a large tree in the woods, and then walks over a large tree log across a stream. Lastly, several people are shown enjoying a beach area by a body of water in the mountains in this silent film in color.

r006_0019_0112_ColerainParkCa1950s

"Reel 112," Children playing volleyball and Red Rover at Colerain State Park

The first 30-second-part of this film is dark until a picturesque shot of water cascading over the steps of a dam appears, and two young women walk past a "Cloerain Park, Entrance, Penna. Dept-Forests and Waters" sign. A group of young boys play in an open grassy area as four girls stroll by. A girls-against-boys volleyball game is shown. Boys and girls play the game Red Rover, as two boys toss a baseball to each other. A group of boys around a water pump take turns pumping while others drink directly from the spout, before the film's final scene returns to the previous volleyball game. This silent film is in color.

r006_0019_0113_WhippleDamCa1950s

"Reel 113," Whipple Dam State Park lake with bathers and swimmers

Several scenes of picnickers, sunbathers, swimmers, and boaters are shown, as people enjoy the sunshine and their time at Whipple Dam State Park Lake in this Department of Forests and Waters film. This silent film is in color.

r006_0019_0114_WhippleDamCa1950s

"Reel 114," Whipple Dam State Park lake with bathers, swimmers, and canoeing

This Department of Forests and Waters film includes several scenes of boaters, canoers, swimmers, and sunbathers enjoying the sun and their time at Whipple Dam State Park Lake. Keep an eye out for the boaters who are standing up to row their boat! This silent film is in color.

r006_0019_0115_BathersWaterfallCa1950s

"Reel 115," Bathers at swimming hole near waterfall (possibly Rickett's Glen State Park?)

This Department of Forests and Waters film begins with several picturesque waterfall shots. Several people dive and jump from the falls, while sunbathers and swimmers are shown near the falls. Next, several families are enjoying their picnic meals, and one of the meals could even be called a feast! Lastly, we see a Boy Scout Troop unloading their camping supplies from a truck. This silent film is in color, and may have been filmed at Ricketts Glen State Park.

r006_0019_0116_PAstateParksNo1_19580805

"Reel 116: Pennsylvania State Parks #1, SOF 20 sec"

In this film, the viewer learns that: "State Parks belong to you, two million acres of State land are available to you for your pleasure, take advantage of the fine Pennsylvania State Parks nearest you," in this Department of Forests and Waters 30-second promotional film that is black and white with sound. The film includes scenes of a lake with a dam, children on a seesaw, families sunbathing on a lake beach, and a fisherman fishing in a stream. "George M. Leader, Governor, and Maurice K. Goddard, Secretary of Forests and Waters" is displayed on the last frame of this film.

r006_0019_0117_PAstateParksNo3Ca1950s

"Reel 117: Pennsylvania State Parks #3, SOF 20 sec"

In this black and white, 30-second promotional film with sound, the viewer is encouraged to: "Take advantage of the fine outdoor recreation available in your State Park system and try it during the week when Park facilities are not crowded, the water is fine, and just as refreshing Monday through Friday." This film includes scenes of boaters, swimmers, children playing on a sandy beach, and a group of young women having fun splashing each other. "George M. Leader, Governor, and Maurice K. Goddard, Secretary of Forests and Waters" is displayed on the last frame of this film.

r006_0019_0118_PAstateParksNo2Ca1950s

"Reel 118: Pennsylvania State Parks #2, SOF 1 min"

This one-minute Department of Forests and Waters film states: "State Parks in Pennsylvania offer the finest in recreational facilities, try them during the week when there are no crowds, there are more State Parks this year too, whatever your summer pleasure, you'll find it in a State Park." We are shown scenes of young and old people who are enjoying sunbathing, swimming, picnicking, and rowboating at Pennsylvania State Parks. "George M. Leader, Governor, and Maurice K. Goddard, Secretary of Forests and Waters" is displayed on the last frame of this film.

r006_0019_0119_PAstateParksNo5_19580608

"Reel 119: Pennsylvania State Parks #5, SOF 1 min"

This Department of Forests and Waters film reminds us that: "We the people of Pennsylvania are blessed with a variety of riches. Many of them are to be found in our State Parks. A determined conversation policy has maintained those riches, over the years, and expanded them. Take advantage of your State Park system, but use it wisely and well. Be careful of fire on your State Park and State Forest lands. One time, one slip can wipe out a valuable resource." Flowing streams, fishing, sunbathers, picnickers, swimmers, crowded beaches and lakes, a concession stand, horseshoe games, boaters, and hikers are shown in this film. "George M. Leader, Governor, and Maurice K. Goddard, Secretary of Forests and Waters" is displayed on the last frame of this film. This is a black-and-white, promotional film with sound.

r006_0019_0120_PAstateParksNo4Ca1950s

"Reel 120: Pennsylvania State Parks #4, SOF 1 min"

This Department of Forests and Waters film opens on a scene of a mother and daughter playing on a lake beach as the mother covers her daughter's leg with sand. Next, a father digs a hole in the sand while his son fills the hole with water, as we hear from a narrator: "This fun can be yours, this fun is yours, for these scenes from your State Park show the fine recreation available in Pennsylvania's two million acres of State Park and State Forest lands." The film continues with scenes of a fisherman fishing in a stream, a family row boating on a lake, a picnic grove full of families enjoying picnicking, a young boy drinking from a water fountain, a crowd of sunbathers by a lake, two men tossing a ball, young children enjoying the water, and a camping area with picnic tables and outdoor grills. "George M. Leader, Governor, and Maurice K. Goddard, Secretary of Forests and Waters" is displayed on the last frame of this film. This is a black-and-white, promotional film with sound.

r006_0019_0121_TreesCampsiteCa1950s

"Reel 121," Views of trees and a campsite by a lake

Views of a large lakeside campsite with camping facilities, camping tents, a playground, boat docks, motorboats, and a crowded parking lot filled with cars are shown in this Department of Forests and Waters film. This silent film is in black and white.

r006_0019_0122_BoatsCa1950s

"Reel 122," Boats on trailers, boat launch at unidentified river

This Department of Forests and Waters film opens on a busy boat launch ramp that is surrounded with cars and boat trailers, as families prepare to launch their boats for a day of motorboating on the lake. The camera pans to include construction for facilities being built along the lakeside. The film ends with shots of a crowded parking lot of cars and boat trailers.

r006_0019_0123_PAstateParksSpotsCa1950s

"Reel 123," Pennsylvania State Parks TV spots

This Department of Forests and Waters film is a collection of six individual Pennsylvania State Parks television promotional spots. All of the TV spots are in black and white with sound, and encourage the public to take advantage of the State Parks nearby. Swimming, sunbathing, boating, fishing, hiking, camping, picnicking, outdoor games, and enjoying nature at State Parks are the activities highlighted in these films. "George M. Leader, Governor, and Maurice K. Goddard, Secretary of Forests and Waters" is displayed on the last frame of this film.

r006_0019_0124_LonesomeRoadSmokeyBearCa1950s

"Lonesome Road" forest fire prevention PSA featuring Smokey Bear

This "Smokey the Bear" promotional film that uses lyrics from "Look Down That Lonesome Road" to promote forest fire prevention and awareness. The sound of hammering opens the film, and Smokey is constructing an "Only you can prevent forest fires" sign. When the song begins, the film shows a path through a burnt forest, and the narrator states that any person whose carelessness results in fire destruction would hang their head and cry, as the animation focuses on a lone, regretful person. The film continues with showing scenes of burnt trees, and then ends by returning to: "You can stop this shameful waste! Remember, Only you can PREVENT FOREST FIRES!" This black-and-white film is animated with sound.

r006_0019_0125_CleanWaterSpotsCa1950s

Clean water TV spots from the President's Water Pollution Control Advisory Board, footage of fisherman featuring John Daly

This Clean Water TV service announcement, from the President's Water Pollution Control Advisory Board, begins with a scene of a fisherman in a boat, as we are told that: "America is known as a land rich in water but today too much of that water is dirty and the blight is spreading. Can something be done about it? Yes! We have the know-how, but it's up to you. There is, or should be, a clean water program in your community. Find out about it. Support it." This is a black-and-white film with sound, which features John Daly as the announcer.

r006_0019_0126_CleanWaterSpotsCa1950s

Clean water TV spots from the President's Water Pollution Control Advisory Board, footage of fisherman featuring John Daly

This Clean Water TV service announcement, from the President's Water Pollution Control Advisory Board, begins with an announcer telling us: "America is known and envied as the land rich in clean water but today too much of that water is dirty and the blight is spreading." The films shows a boater navigating on an open waterway and then transitions to the announcer John Daly, shown behind a desk. Daly continues the narration: "In ten years, unless we plan and act, there'll be a critical shortage of clean water. Who is spoiling our water? All of us." The film transitions back to the boater, who is now fishing and hooks a fish, and Daly continues: "Many families, farms, and factories using our water supply return it with waste products to pollute our rivers, lakes, and streams. Building roads, spraying forests, digging oil wells, washing clothes, caring for your lawn, neglecting underground salt beds, all these can and do pollute water unless a planned program is followed. We know how to clean up America's waterways and keep them clean. Communities, industry, each of us can and must act now. There is, or should be, a clean water program in your community. In your own self-interest, find out about it. Support it." The film concludes with the fisherman netting his catch. This is a black-and-white film with sound.

r006_0019_0127_PAstateParksSpotsCa1950s

Pennsylvania State Parks, 6 TV spots (same as Reel 123)

This Department of Forests and Waters film is a collection of six individual Pennsylvania State Parks television promotional spots, all in black-and-white with sound, promoting the use and enjoyment of State Park and facilities on all days of the week. Swimming, sunbathing, boating, fishing, hiking, camping, picnicking, outdoor games, and enjoying nature at State Parks are highlighted activities in this film. "George M. Leader, Governor, and Maurice K. Goddard, Secretary of Forests and Waters" is displayed on the last frame of this film.

r006_0019_0128_GeologyMineralResources

"Geology and Mineral Resources," presented by Pennsylvania Department of Internal Affairs featuring Genevieve Blatt

This film, "Geology and Mineral Resources of Pennsylvania," is an extremely informative film presented by Pennsylvania Department of Internal Affairs, and it features the Pennsylvania Secretary of Internal Affairs, Genevieve Blatt, who introduces the film by reminding us how beautiful Pennsylvania is and "that underneath our beautiful landscape there are vast mineral resources which have made and still make Pennsylvania one of the richest States in the nation. Yet, perhaps, it has never occurred to you that landscape and mineral resources alike are governed by our geology and that's what this film is about." Coal found in such abundance in northeastern and southwestern Pennsylvania, oil first drilled at Titusville, and iron ore mined in Cornwall long before the Revolutionary War, all make Pennsylvania the fifth largest mineral producing State in the nation and a leader in producing coal, cement, slate, iron ore, clay, and many other minerals [at the time of this film]. After Genevieve's introduction, a narrator explains Pennsylvania 's importance in history, industry, agricultural, and commerce to the United States, as various scenes related to each of these topics are shown. The film continues by explaining how the State's geology and mineral resources have influenced the location of major population centers and transportation arteries throughout the State. Pennsylvania's topography is a result of the distribution of igneous, metamorphic, and sedimentary rock types. Maps are used to explain five regions within Pennsylvania, and their distinct features. Each region is explained in detail, along with their respective geologic history, by the narrator and with the use of photographed and animated scenes, with emphasis on each region's contribution to Pennsylvania's economic vitality. The coal and iron ore mining industries, oil and natural gas extraction, cement and limestone production, and sand and gravel production are explained in detail in the film. Coal, limestone, sand, gravel, sandstone, quartz, granite, slate, clay, and zinc ore quarries and mining facilities are shown throughout the film.

r006_0019_0129_ReliefWorkersCa1930s

Relief workers cutting firewood at Birch Run Dam, road work and clearing brush at Michaux State Forest (Civilian Conservation Corps?)

This 16-minute, black-and-white, silent film from the 1930s follows a Civilian Conservation Corps crew at the Michaux State Forest as they cut firewood, construct roads, and clear timber for a reservoir. Intertitle cards are used throughout the film to explain the work being done. Men with saws and axes walk in a line along a road to begin felling a tree before a horse drags a log to a portable power saw, where firewood is "bucked-up" into stove-length pieces. Brush is burned to decrease fire hazards and maintain a sanitary condition within the forest. Saws and axes are sharpened with a hand file and grindstone with a crank handle. The crew enjoys dinner around a campfire. Later in the film, the crew uses shovels and picks to spread gravel for road construction and resurfacing. Two men throw rocks from a dump truck, as a crew of men use sledgehammers to break the rock. A flatbed truck pulls a metal wheeled grader to level the road. Forestry employees inspect the progress of the work being done and walk a road that is completed and ready for automobile traffic. Near the end of the film, the crew clears timber by hand from a 50-acre reservoir construction site, while power shovels excavate a foundation for a dam. The diversion of Birch Run stream and pipeline construction will provide the water for the reservoir.

r006_0019_0130_CCCBeginningCa1930s

"Beginning of CCC (ECW16A)," Erecting Civilian Conservation Corps and Emergency Conservation Work camp at Pine Grove Furnace, building roads, clearing brush, repairing a dam at Logan State Forest, camp life, and Clearfield State Forest Tree Nursery

This film from the 1930s tells the story of erecting a Civilian Conservation Corps and Emergency Conservation Work (ECW) Camp at Pine Grove Furnace. The film shows scenes of road construction, brush clearing, repairing a dam at Logan State Forest, camp life, and enlarging the Clearfield State Forest Tree Nursery. A truck loaded with supplies, equipment, and men leaves a railroad yard, headed for the mountains. The trucks are unloaded at the new campsite. One man happily tap dances on top of a pile of boxes as others cheer him on. Lumber for constructing tent floors is unloaded, and work begins on raising tents. Then, the first meal in camp is enjoyed. Next, work begins on constructing a wooden mess hall and a corduroy road for the camp. Regular army and non-commissioned officers oversee the camp. The camp's construction is completed, as the camera pans across the entire camp. A map shows the locations of ECW camps throughout Pennsylvania. The men march off to the woods to begin work with their hand shovels, picks, axes, and sledgehammers on clearing trails and fire lines. One man is taken back to camp on a stretcher for medical treatment for sun exposure! Another man gets treatment for a slight cut on his thumb. Dead and weak trees are removed to improve the forest, and suitable timber is selected to use for telephone poles. A small earthen and stone dam is repaired in Logan State Forest. At Indiantown Gap Military Reservation, the drill field is leveled with the use of a steam shovel and steam tractor pulling a grader. A wooden shelter is constructed at a State Forest public camp. The Clearfield State Forest Nursery is enlarged by clearing and preparing a new nursery field site. Throughout this film, the men appear to be in good spirits, as they are laughing and joking with each other, and enjoying the work. This is a 13-minute, black-and-white, silent film that uses intertitle cards to narrate the action scenes. This film is a duplicate of RG-6 film No. 131.

r006_0019_0131_CCCBeginningCa1930s

"Beginning of CCC (ECW16A)," Erecting Civilian Conservation Corps and Emergency Conservation Work camp at Pine Grove Furnace, building roads, clearing brush, repairing a dam at Logan State Forest, camp life, and Clearfield State Forest Tree Nursery

This film from the 1930s tells the story of erecting a Civilian Conservation Corps and Emergency Conservation Work (ECW) Camp at Pine Grove Furnace. The film shows scenes of road construction, brush clearing, repairing a dam at Logan State Forest, camp life, and enlarging the Clearfield State Forest Tree Nursery. A truck loaded with supplies, equipment, and men leaves a railroad yard, headed for the mountains. The trucks are unloaded at the new campsite. One man happily tap dances on top of a pile of boxes as others cheer him on. Lumber for constructing tent floors is unloaded, and work begins on raising tents. Then, the first meal in camp is enjoyed. Next, work begins on constructing a wooden mess hall and a corduroy road for the camp. Regular army and non-commissioned officers oversee the camp. The camp's construction is completed, as the camera pans across the entire camp. A map shows the locations of ECW camps throughout Pennsylvania. The men march off to the woods to begin work with their hand shovels, picks, axes, and sledgehammers on clearing trails and fire lines. One man is taken back to camp on a stretcher for medical treatment for sun exposure! Another man gets treatment for a slight cut on his thumb. Dead and weak trees are removed to improve the forest, and suitable timber is selected to use for telephone poles. A small earthen and stone dam is repaired in Logan State Forest. At Indiantown Gap Military Reservation, the drill field is leveled with the use of a steam shovel and steam tractor pulling a grader. A wooden shelter is constructed at a State Forest public camp. The Clearfield State Forest Nursery is enlarged by clearing and preparing a new nursery field site. Throughout this film, the men appear to be in good spirits, as they are laughing and joking with each other, and enjoying the work. This is a 13-minute, black-and-white, silent film that uses intertitle cards to narrate the action scenes. This film is a duplicate of RG-6 film No. 130.

r006_0019_0132A_CCCNo1Ca1930s

"CCC #1" Civilian Conservation Corps: dam construction at Moshannon State Forest, building roads at Rothrock State Forest, camp life and recreation at various camps

This black-and-white, silent, 13-minute film documents the construction of Parker dam in the Moshannon State Forest in Clearfield County and camp life at a Civilian Conservation Corps camp. The film opens with stone cutters using hand tools to cut stone, and then shows stonelayers laying stone blocks in building the dam to create a 30-acre lake for public recreational use. Next, there is a short scene of a road being built with a steam track tractor pulling a road grader, as men follow behind with racks and shovels while leveling the road. The men are smiling and happy in their work as they return to camp for their evening meal. A group of men lather up to wash before eating. Some men swim, one man chops wood, and others are on "kitchen patrol" duty, before a hearty meal is served and enjoyed by all! Laundry is done with scrub boards by a stream, and a "fresh air" barber shop is shown. Snakes are found and caught at the camp site! Recreational activities include music and dancing, jug bands, football, horseshoes, and boxing. The evening parade includes lowering the colors at sunset. Ah, the camp life! This film is a duplicate of RG-6 film no. 132B.

r006_0019_0132B_CCCNo2Ca1930s

"CCC #2" Civilian Conservation Corps: dam construction at Moshannon State Forest, building roads at Rothrock State Forest, camp life and recreation at various camps

This black-and-white, silent, 13-minute film documents the construction of Parker dam in the Moshannon State Forest in Clearfield County and camp life at a Civilian Conservation Corps camp. The film opens with stone cutters using hand tools to cut stone, and then shows stonelayers laying stone blocks in building the dam to create a 30-acre lake for public recreational use. Next, there is a short scene of a road being built with a steam track tractor pulling a road grader, as men follow behind with racks and shovels while leveling the road. The men are smiling and happy in their work as they return to camp for their evening meal. A group of men lather up to wash before eating. Some men swim, one man chops wood, and others are on "kitchen patrol" duty, before a hearty meal is served and enjoyed by all! Laundry is done with scrub boards by a stream, and a "fresh air" barber shop is shown. Snakes are found and caught at the camp site! Recreational activities include music and dancing, jug bands, football, horseshoes, and boxing. The evening parade includes lowering the colors at sunset. Ah, the camp life! This film is a duplicate of RG-6 film no. 132A.

r006_0019_0133_CCCBeginningCa1930s

"Beginning of CCC (ECW16A)," Erecting Civilian Conservation Corps and Emergency Conservation Work camp at Pine Grove Furnace, building roads, clearing brush, repairing a dam at Logan State Forest, camp life, and Clearfield State Forest Tree Nursery

This film from the 1930s tells the story of erecting a Civilian Conservation Corps and Emergency Conservation Work (ECW) Camp at Pine Grove Furnace. The film shows scenes of road construction, brush clearing, repairing a dam at Logan State Forest, camp life, and enlarging the Clearfield State Forest Tree Nursery. A truck loaded with supplies, equipment, and men leaves a railroad yard, headed for the mountains. The trucks are unloaded at the new campsite. One man happily tap dances on top of a pile of boxes as others cheer him on. Lumber for constructing tent floors is unloaded, and work begins on raising tents. Then, the first meal in camp is enjoyed. Next, work begins on constructing a wooden mess hall and a corduroy road for the camp. Regular army and non-commissioned officers oversee the camp. The camp's construction is completed, as the camera pans across the entire camp. A map shows the locations of ECW camps throughout Pennsylvania. The men march off to the woods to begin work with their hand shovels, picks, axes, and sledgehammers on clearing trails and fire lines. One man is taken back to camp on a stretcher for medical treatment for sun exposure! Another man gets treatment for a slight cut on his thumb. Dead and weak trees are removed to improve the forest, and suitable timber is selected to use for telephone poles. A small earthen and stone dam is repaired in Logan State Forest. At Indiantown Gap Military Reservation, the drill field is leveled with the use of a steam shovel and steam tractor pulling a grader. A wooden shelter is constructed at a State Forest public camp. The Clearfield State Forest Nursery is enlarged by clearing and preparing a new nursery field site. Throughout this film, the men appear to be in good spirits, as they are laughing and joking with each other, and enjoying the work. This is a 13-minute, black-and-white, silent film that uses intertitle cards to narrate the action scenes. This film is a duplicate of RG-6 film No. 131.

r006_0019_0134_CCCNo2Ca1930s

"CCC #2" Civilian Conservation Corps: dam construction at Moshannon State Forest, building roads at Rothrock State Forest, camp life and recreation at various camps

This black-and-white, silent, 13-minute film documents the construction of Parker dam in the Moshannon State Forest in Clearfield County and camp life at a Civilian Conservation Corps camp. The film opens with stone cutters using hand tools to cut stone, and then shows stonelayers laying stone blocks in building the dam to create a 30-acre lake for public recreational use. Next, there is a short scene of a road being built with a steam track tractor pulling a road grader, as men follow behind with racks and shovels while leveling the road. The men are smiling and happy in their work as they return to camp for their evening meal. A group of men lather up to wash before eating. Some men swim, one man chops wood, and others are on "kitchen patrol" duty, before a hearty meal is served and enjoyed by all! Laundry is done with scrub boards by a stream, and a "fresh air" barber shop is shown. Snakes are found and caught at the camp site! Recreational activities include music and dancing, jug bands, football, horseshoes, and boxing. The evening parade includes lowering the colors at sunset. Ah, the camp life! This film is a duplicate of RG-6 film no. 132A.

r006_0019_0135_CCCNo3Ca1930s

"CCC Park 3," Road construction and grading, clearing brush, breaking rocks, winter scenes and ice formations, surveying, unidentified location (possibly Pine Grove Furnace?)

This 17-minute film documents the construction of roads and structures in State Forests. The film begins with the construction of a road through the woods, with a track tractor pulling a road grader to level the dirt road. Next, a bulldozer clears a path through the woods for a roadbed. There are several scenes of work crews hand grading roads, shoveling dirt, and breaking rocks during construction. Interspersed between construction shots are winter scenes of snow and ice flows around a lake and dam, and park buildings and landscapes are also shown. An old stone iron furnace, men measuring tree diameters, a surveying crew, and a tractor uprooting tree stumps are also shown in this black-and-white and silent film.

r006_0019_0136_CCCNo9Ca1930s

"CCC Park #9," Road construction and grading, clearing brush, breaking rocks, winter scenes and ice formations, surveying, unidentified location (possibly Pine Grove Furnace?)

This 17-minute film documents the construction of roads and structures in State Forests. The film begins with the construction of a road through the woods, with a track tractor pulling a road grader to level the dirt road. Next, a bulldozer clears a path through the woods for a roadbed. There are several scenes of work crews hand grading roads, shoveling dirt, and breaking rocks during construction. Interspersed between construction shots are winter scenes of snow and ice flows around a lake and dam, and park buildings and landscapes are also shown. An old stone iron furnace, men measuring tree diameters, a surveying crew, and a tractor uprooting tree stumps are also shown in this black-and-white and silent film. This film is a duplicate, yet reverse image of RG-6 film No. 135. Several scenes in this film are grainier and of lower quality than film No. 135.

r006_0019_0137_CCCNo15Ca1930s

"CWA #15," Chopping down trees, hauling logs, clearing brush, building and re-inforcing embankments, unidentified location

This 12-minute film is comprised of forestry crews' work in wintertime. Crews fell trees, cut timber, split wood, stack timbers, burn brush, receive medical aid, enjoy a campfire side meal, construct roads, dynamite a large rock, debark logs, construct a log framed dam, and hike a trail while carrying their lunch boxes. Also included in this film are scenes of a two-horse team dragging logs, a two-horse team pulling a sled full of timber, dump trucks loaded with dirt and rocks, and a steam shovel dredging for construction of a dam. This is a black-and-white, silent film.

r006_0019_0138_CCCTreePlantingCa1930s

Tree Planting by CCC Moshannon District-Tree Planting at Black Moshannon

A Civilian Conservation Corp crew plants tree seedlings in Black Moshannon State Park in this 10-minute, black-and-white, silent film. Scenes of log cabins neatly lined with rocks and trees and the Moshannon District Tree Farm are included in this film. Crews prepare the planting areas of the farm where seedlings will be grown, before spreading, rolling, mulching, and protecting the seeds.

r006_0019_0139_CCCParkCa1930s

"CCC Park (B/W Duplicate negative)" Road construction and grading, clearing brush, breaking rocks, winter scenes and ice formations, surveying, unidentified location (possibly Pine Grove Furnace?)

This 17-minute film documents the construction of roads and structures in State Forests. The film begins with the construction of a road through the woods, with a track tractor pulling a road grader to level the dirt road. Next, a bulldozer clears a path through the woods for a roadbed. There are several scenes of work crews hand grading roads, shoveling dirt, and breaking rocks during construction. Interspersed between construction shots are winter scenes of snow and ice flows around a lake and dam, and park buildings and landscapes are also shown. An old stone iron furnace, men measuring tree diameters, a surveying crew, and a tractor uprooting tree stumps are also shown in this black-and-white and silent film. This film is a duplicate albeit reverse image of No. 135. Several scenes in this film are grainier and of lower quality than film No. 135.

r006_0019_0140_CWACa1930s

"CWA (B/W Dup. Negative)" Chopping down trees, hauling logs, clearing brush, building and re-inforcing embankments, unidentified location

This 12-minute film is comprised of forestry crews' work in wintertime. Crews fell trees, cut timber, split wood, stack timbers, burn brush, receive medical aid, enjoy a campfire side meal, construct roads, dynamite a large rock, debark logs, construct a log framed dam, and hike a trail while carrying their lunch boxes. Also included in this film are scenes of a two-horse team dragging logs, a two-horse team pulling a sled full of timber, dump trucks loaded with dirt and rocks, and a steam shovel dredging for construction of a dam. This is a black-and-white, silent film. This is an exact duplicate of RG-6 film No. 137.

r006_0019_0141_SchuylkillRiverSwimming

"Can 2, Schuylkill River," Robin on nest, rowing, children swimming in river, coal mining, water pollution and silt build up on Schuylkill River

The first three minutes of this 26-minute film begins with an American robin sitting on a nest in a fir tree, before feeding its young chicks. The remainder of the film includes scenes of and along the Schuylkill River. A single rower racing skiff cruises the river, and three boys swimming by a dam use their hands to scoop up and show silt from the riverbed. Scenes of a quarrying operation, with resulting sledge and silt water pollution run-off and build-up along the Schuylkill River, takes up the majority of the film. Collapsed and intact dams, downstream of the coal quarry, are shown along the river. Debris remaining from the collapsed wood-frame and rock dams are surveyed, as well as dredging silt by a bridge pillar and Fairmount Park's Boathouse Row. Silt and sludge bars in the river and along the riverbanks are also shown. This silent film is in color.

r006_0019_0142_HarrisonStatePark

"Color #2, Harrison State Park/Grand Canyon," views of Leonard Harrison State Park and the Pennsylvania Grand Canyon (Pine Creek Gorge)

Diving, swimming, volleyball, and tennis activities at Leonard Harrison State Park and the Pennsylvania Grand Canyon (Pine Creek Gorge) are shown at the beginning of this film. The first section of this film is in black and white. The rest of the film is in color and shows an American Chestnut tree, several blooming plants, cows grazing in a hilly pasture, a tree farm, and a lake. The film concludes with wintertime scenes at the Pennsylvania Grand Canyon that include views of the canyon from above, a track tractor with snowblade clearing snow, and snow-covered trees and park facilities.

r006_0019_0143_CurseOfForestCa1940s

"Curse of the Forest," depicts forest fire fighting in Pennsylvania

This film titled "Curse of the Forest," is presented by The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, Department of Forests and Waters. The film depicts forest fire fighting in Pennsylvania in the 1940s. A firefighting crew is followed as they work to control a forest fire. We are informed there are 140 fire towers that vary in height from 50 to 80 feet, across Pennsylvania, and the towers are used to actively scan for fires. It is reported that cigarette smokers are responsible for about 1000 forest fires each year. A fisherman carelessly starts a fire, and a fire tower lookout observes the start of the fire and calls in the fire's location to dispatch a firefighting crew, who arrive in a flatbed truck and unload their firefighting tools (brush hook, axe, rack, torches, hoses, and portable pumps). The crew forges streams and climbs steep mountain sides to reach the fire. They create a fire line and start a backfire to combat the main fire. The film includes scenes shot during daylight and nighttime. Backpack water sprayers and portable pumps with hoses are used to extinguish the flames. This film runs for 10 minutes, is in black and white, and contains narration explaining the firefighting techniques.

r006_0019_0145_HistoricTreesValleyCa1930s

"Historic Trees Valley, Hopewell Forest Fire Tower," various scenes from French Creek State Park and Hopewell Furnace, clearing brush, dog at campsite, dogwood trees in bloom, and buildings at Hopewell Furnace

This 16-minute, black and white, silent film shows various scenes from French Creek State Park and Hopewell Furnace throughout the year. Springtime scenes include dogwood trees in bloom, the park lake and surrounding lands, an Indian statue and memorial monuments, park and historical buildings, and campers playing with their pet dog. Summertime scenes include buildings at Hopewell Furnace, people enjoying the park facilities, a man wearing a suit walking over a stone bridge and along a trail, and several people dressed in their Sunday best clothes enjoying an outing. Fall scenes include a crew clearing brush, sawing, and chopping tree limbs; two carpenters construct a half-log bench; and views from the 80-foot-tall Hopewell Forest Fire Tower. Wintertime scenes include snow-covered picnic tables and a park cabin, the Hopewell Forest Fire Tower station, and a women walking through the snow and throwing snowballs.

r006_0019_0146_SkiingWinterScenesCa1950s

Skiing and winter scenes at Hickory Run State Park

Several skiers are shown skiing a short path at Hickory Run State Park in this short Department of Forests and Waters film. One skier falls when attempting to navigate a small bend in the path, knocking over another skier as they both tumble in the snow. A beautiful wintry scene of a small country church in the woods is included in this film. Skiers with backpacks ski wooded trails, through snow-covered pines. A group of hikers navigate a snow-covered trail and bridge. This silent film is in color.

r006_0019_0147_LifeOfASeedling

"Life of a Seedling," depicts tree nursery operations, unidentified location

This film opens with scenes of a river gorge, a trail through the woods, white-tailed deer, a man walking an open area, erosion on a hill, a quarrying operation, stream in the woods, and a mountainside. The film then shows a hand holding tree seeds and begins telling the "life of a seedling," documenting tree seedling nursery operations from seed germination to harvesting. Nursery operations shown include preparing the seed beds, protecting the planted seeds, caring for the seedlings, separating and replanting young seedlings, and harvesting and packaging seedlings for replanting in the wild. This is a 17-minute, silent film in color.

r006_0019_0148_NewForests

"New Forests (#17)," unidentified State Parks, picnicking, chopping wood, measuring trees

A large group of men, women, and children all finely dressed are shown on a mountain lookout: they survey the surrounding countryside, enjoy a picnic, and later line up for a formal photo at a stone lodge. A man chops firewood and is then walking and posing by a fire tower. A crew saws limbs from a pine tree. A measuring tape is used to measure the diameter of an extremely large tree. Several more large trees are shown in this 17-minute, silent film in black and white.

r006_0019_0149_UnconqueredScenesCa1946

Paramount at Cook Forest, behind the scenes filming "Unconquered" by Cecil B. DeMille, stunt scenes with horses

This 12-minute, silent film in color documents the behind-the-scenes filming of crew and actors involved in the Paramount movie "Unconquered" by Cecil B. DeMille, filmed in Cook Forest State Park. Film shots are staged and practiced, actors go through make-up, scenes are shot and reshot, and large crowds of observers watch the filming.

r006_0019_0150_PineCreekCa1930s

"Pine Creek," Forestry Company 1366 Civilian Conservation Corps, various building and construction projects

This film from the 1930s tells the story of erecting a Civilian Conservation Corps and Emergency Conservation Work (ECW) Camp at Pine Grove Furnace. The film shows scenes of road construction, brush clearing, repairing a dam at Logan State Forest, camp life, and enlarging the Clearfield State Forest Tree Nursery. A truck is loaded with supplies, equipment, and men leaves a railroad yard, headed for the mountains. The trucks are unloaded at the new campsite. A man holds up a sign with "Co. 279 N.Y. – N.J. IDA" on the front side of the sign and "Come Back" on the back side of the sign. One man happily tap dances on top of a pile of boxes as others cheer him on. Lumber for constructing tent floors is unloaded and work begins on raising tents. Then, the first meal in camp is enjoyed. Next, work begins on constructing a wooden mess hall and a corduroy road for the camp. Regular army and non-commissioned officers oversee the camp. The camp's construction is completed, as the camera pans across the entire camp. A map shows the locations of ECW camps throughout Pennsylvania. The men march off to the woods to begin work with their hand shovels, picks, axes, and sledgehammers on clearing trails and fire lines. One man is taken back to camp on a stretcher for medical treatment for sun exposure! Another gets treatment for a slight cut on his thumb. Dead and weak trees are removed to improve the forest, and suitable timber is selected to use for telephone poles. A small earthen and stone dam in the Logan State Forest is repaired. At Indiantown Gap Military Reservation, the drill field is leveled with the use of a steam shovel and steam tractor pulling a grader. A wooden shelter is constructed at a State Forest public camp. The Clearfield State Forest Nursery is enlarged by clearing and preparing a new nursery field site, dynamite is used to remove a tree stump. Large stones are unloaded, moved, chisel, cut, and set into place by stone cutters to build a large stone dam. A forest road is built using a tractor, grader and manual manpower. Throughout this film, the men appear to be in good spirits, as they are laughing, joking with each other, and enjoying the work. This is a 15-minute, black-and-white and silent film.

r006_0019_0151_StoryOfAPineSeedCa1940s

"Story of a Pine Seed," featuring tree nurseries at Mont Alto and Greenwood Furnace

"Story of a Pine Seed, presented by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, Department of Forests and Waters" is a 9-minute, black-and-white film with narration that follows the life of a pine seed to pinecone, to 30-year-old trees. The film features the tree nurseries at Mont Alto (established in 1902) and Greenwood Furnace. Thirteen million seedlings are grown annually (at the time of the film) in the four nurseries that were operated by The Department of Forests and Waters. The film shows seeds being collected, harvested, tested, germinated,  and shows the preparation of the beds in which the seeds are planted and grown, the irrigation system, and weeding. Seedlings from one to three years old are transplanted, harvested, and packaged for transportation, for eventual reforesting. A tree planting crew, organized in two teams, plants seedlings by hand in Logan State Forest. The first team digs the holes in the ground, and the second team plants the seedlings. A white pine tree plantation has one-year-old, ten-year-old, twenty-year-old, and thirty-year-old trees.

r006_0019_0152_SproulDistrictCross_1953

"Sproul District Cross," various scenes from Kettle Creek State Park and Sproul State Forest

This color film was shot at the "Kettle Creek State Park, Swimming-Camping-Fishing, Pennsylvania Dept. of Forests and Waters" facility. There are various scenes of flocks of wild turkey, a queen and her court ceremony, foliage, park public facilities, aerial views of a mountain gorge and surrounding forested mountains, a swimming area and beach, a fire lookout station tower, a turtle who flips itself upright, white-tailed deer bounding through high grass, and scenic views from Cooks Run and Sugar Camp overlooks.

r006_0019_0153_ParkerDamStatePark

Parker Dam State Park, scenes of lake, baby on blanket, swimming and diving in pool

Views of a dam, a lake, a boat, fishing piers, a baby on a blanket, and people diving and swimming in a pool at Parker Dam State Park are shown in this black-and-white, silent film from the Department of Forests and Waters.

r006_0019_0154_ThinningOperationsCa1930s

Thinning operations, surveying, taking a core sample of a tree, unidentified location

This Department of Forests and Waters film follows a forestry crew as they identify and mark trees during a thinning operation. The film opens with a forestry crew on a road aside a wooded area, and then transitions to several long scenes of wooded areas with trees and underbrush. The crew measures and records tree diameters, identifies and "marks" trees for thinning by gashing the bark of the tree with an axe, drills a bore into a tree trunk with a hand drill to retrieve a core sample, and surveys an area of the woods. This is a silent, black-and-white film.

r006_0019_0155_ThenItHappenedCa1930s

"Then it Happened (#10)," forest fire prevention film, locations in Maine

"Then it Happened" is a film produced by the Motion Picture Service, United States Department of Agriculture, and distributed by the Pennsylvania Department of Forests and Waters, in the interest of conservation of our natural resources. The film is in color, is narrated, and tells the story of a large, raging forest fire that engulfs two hundred thousand acres of wooded lands and threatens communities near Kennebunkport, Maine. It is a warm, dry, and windy autumn when a forest fire quickly spreads because of human carelessness. The film documents the firefighter's heroic efforts to contain the fire, the communities and families who must evacuate their homes and businesses, and the buildings and homes destroyed as a result of the fire. A news broadcast shows the President declaring the main fires a national disaster. The Red Cross, supplies, equipment, and additional manpower arrive from within and outside of Maine to fight the ever-growing fire. Finally, after eleven days the firefighters begin to get the fire under control, and then the rains come to the aid of the firefighters. The tragic impact of the fire upon nature, individuals, businesses, and communities is explained, including thirty-two million dollars in property damage and sixteen lives lost. There are scenes of fires, individuals, and communities in action, and burned woods and buildings shown throughout the film.

r006_0019_0156_TheEnemyFireCa1941to1945

"The Enemy Fire," Public Service fim for the Office of Civil Defense Forest Fire Fighters Service, featuring General Henry H. Arnold

The United States Office of Civilian Defense presents "The Enemy Fire" with William Harrigan and Harry Oldridge; this public service film for the Office of Civil Defense Forest Fire Fighters Service also features General Henry H. Arnold. This is a 13-minute, black-and-white film with sound. The Army's aviators cannot fly, and the Navy's patrol boats cannot do their jobs effectively because of the smoke created by forest fires. Each year in the United States, two hundred thousand fires burn more than thirty million acres of land, and the Forest Fire Fighter Service needs men from across the country to fight these forest fires. Because of the manpower devoted to the war effort, manpower to fight fires is in short supply. Forest fire's destructive impact on America's war effort is explained. President Franklin D. Roosevelt says that fighting forest fires is an important part of the war effort and any healthy citizen in any rural area can contribute to and volunteer to fight fires. A park ranger shows volunteers the proper way to use their equipment. After training, volunteer fire fighters receive their official certificates and arm bands. A fire is spotted, the location is determined and called in. Now the volunteer firefighters must spring into action. The volunteers' firefighting efforts allow the war efforts to stay on track and to not be interrupted. Every fire is a defense line, every volunteer firefighter is a soldier, enroll now with your local Defense Council!

r006_0019_0157_TreesForTomorrow_1942

"Trees for Tomorrow," short documentary regarding the timber industry in the United States and forest management

"Trees for Tomorrow" is a 16-minute documentary film from 1942, presented by the American Forest Products Industries regarding the timber industry and forest management in the United States. The film opens with a reminder of how wood and timber contributed to and was essential to the "building" of America. Trees should be cared for like crops, nurtured until mature, and then harvested. Different methods of forest management are explained; from selective logging in natural growth to completely harvested blocks of trees within a forest, with neighboring trees left untouched so that they can reseed the area where the harvested trees were cut from. Forest management not only helps nature grow trees, but it also aids the vital job of fire protection. What causes forest fires: careless smokers, 25 percent; deliberate firing, 25 percent; brush burning, 14 percent; lighting, 9 percent; and other causes, 27 percent. The film explains "scientific" forest fire fighting techniques and the damage to the timber industry because of uncontrolled forest fires. Also, forest industries' tree nurseries grow seedlings for use in replenishing and replacing the harvested timber crop, to assure a never-ending supply of timber to satisfy America's need for wood. This narrated film is in black and white.

r006_0019_0158_TreesAndSmokeyBearSpot_1942

"Trees for Tomorrow," short documentary regarding the timber industry in the United States and forest management, Smokey Bear spot

This 17-minute documentary film from 1942 is presented by the American Forest Products Industries regarding the timber industry and forest management in the United States. The film opens with a reminder of how wood and timber contributed to and was essential to the 'building' of America. Trees should be cared for like crops, nurtured until mature, and then harvested. Different methods of forest management are explained; from selective logging in natural growth to completely harvested blocks of trees within a forest, with neighboring trees left untouched so that they can reseed the area where the harvested trees were cut from. Forest management not only helps nature grow trees, but it also aids the vital job of fire protection. What causes forest fires: careless smokers, 25 percent; deliberate firing, 25 percent; brush burning, 14 percent; lighting, 9 percent; and other causes, 27 percent. The film explains "scientific" forest fire fighting techniques and the damage to the timber industry because of uncontrolled forest fires. Also, forest industries' tree nurseries grow seedlings for use in replenishing and replacing the harvested timber crop, to assure a never-ending supply of timber to satisfy America's need for wood. This video ends with a incomplete version of a Smokey the Bear public service announcement, with Smokey instructing a family how to not be careless with their campfire. This narrated film is in black and white.

r006_0019_0159_CCCTreePlantingCa1930s

Tree planting by Civilian Conservation Corps, tree nursery, unidentified locations

A Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) crew demonstrates the techniques used to plant tree seedlings in nature, in this 10-minute, black-and-white and silent film. One man digs a hole in the ground for another man to plant a seedling and tamp the ground around the seedling to secure the seedling upright. Also shown are scenes of a neatly maintained CCC camp of log cabins, stone lined paths, and newly planted evergreen trees. A tree nursery is shown, with crews preparing and cultivating rows of seedling beds.

r006_0019_0160A_PileatedWoodpecker

"The Pileated Woodpecker," (KU dupe) scenes of various woodpeckers

William L. Rhein presents this 22-minute, color and silent nature film. The film has various close-up scenes of the gypsy moth and nest, a male and a female woodpecker feeding their young, honeybees, a bird watcher, dragon flies, a tree climber, streams and pastures, flowers in bloom, a flowering dogwood tree, and a red salamander. Downy, flicker, pileated, and redheaded woodpeckers are shown in this film.

r006_0019_0160B_Woodpeckers_1942

Scenes of woodpeckers, Northern Raven film by R.H. Rauch

This nature film from 1942, directed by R. H. Rauch, documents the efforts of the Wildwood Bird Club, to investigate and photograph previously known locations of northern raven colonies. They discover that many of the previous nesting locations have been abandoned because of vanishing wilderness, and in one incident, great-horned owls have taken over the nesting site. However, ravens are shown at the Detweiler location. A blind is constructed and set-up to photograph a pair of ravens caring for and feeding their young. The film also includes various scenes of streams, mountains, snowfall, flowering trees and bushes, pileated woodpeckers, great-horned owls, a man's hands holding owl pellets, and birds flying. This is a 24-minute, color and silent film that uses intertitle cards to tell the story.

r006_0019_0161_CloseUpTrees

Close-ups of trees, fungus on pine trees

Pine trees at varying locations, stages of tree growth, and various degrees of tree health are shown during this 12-minute, color and silent film. The film opens with healthy tree specimens, and later transitions to several shots of dying and dead trees, including many close-ups of fungi on trunks and branches.

r006_0019_0162_TimberDwellers

"Timber Dwellers," documentary about woodpeckers and "Shadows in the Wilderness," documentary about the northern ravens at Detweiler Gap, Centre County

This 34-minute, color and silent film is a combination of two documentary nature films: "Timber Dwellers" about woodpeckers and "Shadows in the Wilderness" about the northern ravens at Detweiler Gap, Centre County. "Timber Dwellers" documents pileated, downy, and red-headed woodpeckers caring for and feeding their young. In one scene, a black snake has scaled a tree and is seen crawling through a hole in the tree trunk, which is used by the woodpeckers for their nest. A man climbs the tree and pulls the black snake out of the hole. "Shadows in the Wilderness" documents a northern raven colony at Detweiler Gap, Centre County. In both films, the photo crew builds blinds to film from, positions mirrors to light the nests, and follows the woodpecker and raven families as their offspring grow from chicks until they learn to fly and leave the nest.

r006_0019_0163_WaterOnFireCa1950s

"Water on the Fire," forest fire fighting training film and dramatization

"Water on the Fire," is a forest fire fighting training and dramatization film "distributed by the Pennsylvania Department of Forests and Waters in the interest of conservation of our National Resources sponsored by the 14 northeastern states in cooperation with the United States Department of Agriculture Forest Service." This 27-minute film is in color with narration and sound. Fire needs a combination of oxygen, heat, and fuel. Proper use of water will result in lessening heat and decreasing oxygen, resulting in "breaking the fire." A firefighting crew learns the most effective method of coordinating the use of backpack water pumps, together with hand tools to extinguish a fire. Next, the crew learns how to use a 450-gallon tank truck with a power pump, hose couplings and valves, nozzles, and portable pumps to fight larger fires. The importance of planning for and creating firefighting plans for critical areas, ahead of fire seasons, is emphasized.  We see the crew spring into action, using their newfound knowledge and skills, when a forest fire is identified in close proximity to Strawberry Mountain and the town of Fairview. Even after the fire is put out, there is more work to do to ensure the fire does not restart, and then there is clean-up. The crews' training and hard work paid off in fighting the fire on Strawberry Mountain.

r006_0019_0164_DredgingTheSchuylkillCa1940s

"Dredging the Schuylkill," depicts aspects of the Schuylkill River Project, assembling the dredge, dredging operations

"Dredging the Schuylkill, is a record of the Schuylkill River Project authorized by the Department of Forests and Waters, and the Water and Power Resources Board of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, by the American Steel Dredge Company, Inc." This is a 31-minute, silent film in color with intertitle cards that explain the construction of the dredges from start to finish. Silt and anthracite coal culm was removed from the Schuylkill River in eastern Pennsylvania by four hydraulic dredges, built on location, specifically for this project. Heavy machinery first clears a site and constructs a temporary dock to begin the project. A crane lifts and places nine large pontoon sections into the river for these sections to be pinned together, forming the dredge's hull. Next, the electric motor, dredging pump, control panels, and other machinery are placed aboard. Center frames, hoist, and all larger deck and hold equipment are set in place before the deckhouse is assembled. Service piping, electric wiring, and all machinery are installed as the final pieces of the deckhouse are put in place. All the pieces to build the dredge fit together like a very large three-dimensional puzzle. The dredge is completely assembled, ready for operation, and inspection is in three weeks. In the remainder of the film, a group of distinguished-looking State and company officials touring the completed dredge, the additional dredges and their locations, and dredging operations are shown. One dredge removes an entire island from the middle of the river!

r006_0019_0165_WoodchipsToSawdust

"From Woodchips to Sawdust in Pennsylvania's Northwoods," photographed by Deck Lane, courtesy of the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission and the U.S. Forest Service, Allegheny National Forest

This black-and-white and silent film, titled "From Woodchips to Sawdust in Pennsylvania's Northwoods," has a runtime of 27 minutes. The film uses intertitle cards to document the last large hemlock lumbering operation in Warren County by the Central Pennsylvania Lumber Company. Trees are felled, debarked, and cut into log sections with hand axes and saws. A two-horse team skids the log sections through the woods to the railroad, where a crane with tongs loads the logs onto railcars for the trip to the sawmill. The destruction from a forest fire that burned over 15 thousand acres and 13 million feet of saw logs is shown. When the railcars loaded with logs reach their destination, two men with log pike poles unload the logs into the mill pond. Men who are using long poles guide the logs to an endless chain, which carries the logs into the mill to be sawed into planking. There are two saws in this mill that can produce 150,000 feet of lumber a day. Planks then go through planers and trimmers before being sorted and graded. The finished lumber is piled in the lumber yard and loaded onto railcars. At capacity, the lumber yard has forty million feet of lumber. The remaining sections of the film show two men walking through a virgin white pine forest and winter scenes of horse teams sledding hardwood logs in Potter County.

r006_0019_0166_CleanWaterTVSpotWaterManAnimated

Clean Water TV Spot: "The Water Man"

This one-minute "Clean Water" public service announcement is presented by the President's Water Pollution Control Advisory Board. This TV spot is in black-and-white with narration, and it features a "water man" dressed in fins and goggles, who attempts to avoid polluted waters being dumped into our streams and rivers. The announcement emphasizes the importance of clean water.

r006_0019_0167_CleanWaterTVSpotMapWithJohnDaly

Clean Water TV Spot: "Map," featuring John Daly

This "Clean Water" public service announcement featuring John Daly is presented by the President's Water Pollution Control Advisory Board. The PSA asks why we are so careless with dumping waste into our rivers. Clean water is becoming scarce, and we must act now to protect against water pollution. This is a 30-second, black-and-white TV spot with sound.

r006_0019_0168_CleanWaterTVSpot

Clean Water TV Spot: "Clean Water"

America's liquid treasure is an abundance of clean water, but clean water is getting scarce because factories and cities are dumping their waste into our rivers and streams. We must keep our water clean; you can help, write Washington D.C. or the clean water agency in your state. This is a public service TV announcement from the President's Water Pollution Control Advisory Board. It is a black-and-white TV spot with sound and shows clean cascading waters and polluted dirty water.

r006_0019_0169_CleanWaterTVSpotGlassWithJohnDaly

Clean Water TV Spot: "Glass" featuring John Daly

This "Clean Water, glass of clean water" public service announcement features John Daly. Daly narrates that a glass of clean water is becoming harder to provide in America, as he pours a glass of water; this is because we are not keeping our water sources clean. This public service TV spot was presented by the President's Water Pollution Control Advisory Board. It is a black-and-white TV spot with sound.

r006_0019_0170_CCCRoadConstructionCa1930s

Civilian Conservation Corps, Road Construction

This 10-minute film documents the construction of a road through the woods by the Civilian Conservation Corps. The film opens on a trio of automobiles parked at the edge of a woods, as a man begins walking into the woods to where crews are using stakes to plot the course of a road and working on road construction. Other crews clear the roadway of rocks and stones and shovel dirt onto the roadway. Trees and tree stumps are removed and burned. A crew waves to the camera as they gather around a campfire to eat lunch. A dynamite stick is prepared for use in blowing up a tree stump. A stone grinding wheel is used to sharpen axes and tools. After a snowfall, a woman walks through the snow along the path of the plotted road. Men line up with their cups and bowls to be served and eat a warm meal together. Rocks are broken with sledgehammers and fed into a portable stone crusher to turn into stone dust. The work progresses through the winter months. This is a black and white and silent film.

r006_0019_0171_TreePlantingCa1940s

Tree planting ceremony, unidentified location

This film documents a flag raising and tree planting dedication ceremony at an unidentified location, possibly military related, as Army and Navy military service representatives are in attendance. A large crowd of people gather around a flagpole as civilian and military speakers make speeches from a lectern surrounded by small American flags planted in the ground. Several families, possibly families that have lost loved ones, are shown planting trees in a large arch around the flagpole. A military honor guard fires a twenty-one-gun salute. The film ends with dignitaries and families posing by newly planted trees for photographs. This is a seven-minute, silent film in color.

r006_0019_0172_SchuylkillRiver

Schuylkill River

The first three minutes of this 26-minute film begins with an American robin sitting on a nest in a fir tree, before feeding its young chicks. The remainder of the film includes scenes of and along the Schuylkill River. A single rower racing skiff cruises the river, and three boys swimming by a dam use their hands to scoop up and show silt from the riverbed. Scenes of a quarrying operation, with resulting sledge and silt water pollution run-off and build-up along the Schuylkill River, takes up the majority of the film. Collapsed and intact dams, downstream of the coal quarry, are shown along the river. Debris remaining from the collapsed wood-frame and rock dams are surveyed, as well as dredging silt by a bridge pillar and Fairmount Park's Boathouse Row. Silt and sludge bars in the river and along the riverbanks are also shown. This silent film is in color.

r006_0019_0173_DeptPicnicCa1940sto1950s

Greenwood (Cook State Forest), Departmental Picnic

This film opens with scenic views of rolling hills of forest autumn trees and a river junction, including trees reflected in the water along a riverbank, in Cook Forest State Park at Greenwood. The film next shows a parking lot full of cars with people gathering for a day at the park and a picnic. A couple walks across a bridge, two men roast a chicken over an open campfire, large crowds gather within the picnic are, and cars come and go in the parking area. Friends and families form lines to be served refreshments and food. The picnickers appear to be enjoying the food, each other, and the day's activities. This is a silent film in color.

r006_0019_0174_ForestFireCrewsCa1950

Forest Fire Crews with Equipment

Forest firefighting equipment and techniques from the 1950s are the subjects of this film. Two gas-powered, portable tillers that are mounted on frames and attached to bicycle tires for creating a firebreak line are demonstrated to a firefighting crew. A Forestry Department pickup truck, with a pump attached to its motor, pumps water from a forest stream into a 55-gallon drum that sits in the truck's bed for spraying on a ground fire. One crew member drives his truck up-close to a ground fire, and he begins spraying the fire directly from the cab of his truck as he drives along the fire's edge. Men use a portable pump to draw water from a stream and then attach a hose and spray nozzle for their water supply. Hand tools are distributed from a stake truck to the firefighters. The proper use technique is demonstrated for each tool, and the men practice with their tools. This film is silent and in color.

r006_0019_0175_ForestFireToolsCa1950

Forest Fire Tools and Usage, Burning Techniques, Clearing Brush, and Fire Breaks

Department of Forests and Waters firefighters learn and practice the use of their firefighting tools in this silent film in color. The first tool demonstrated is a portable backpack water sprayer, which is used to practice extinguishing a ground cover fire. Next, a crew with racks creates a firebreak line through the woods and in open terrain. One firefighter uses a cut tree branch to stamp out the leading edge of a ground fire. A backpack sprayer is taken apart to identify each part and to locate a small twig that is clogging the sprayer. Wood and debris that is piled and stored outside a building is identified as a potential fire hazard.

r006_0019_0176_HynerStateForestMonument_19651002

Dedication Ceremony of the Forest Fire Wardens Monument, Hyner View State Forest Picnic Area

The dedication of the Forest Fire Wardens Monument at Hyner View State Forest Picnic Area is shown in this Department of Forests and Waters film. A Smokey the Bear statue is seen on the dedication stage. Several views and viewpoints of the surrounding mountains, river, and forests are shown from a scenic outlook. The dedication ceremony includes people gathering, speakers giving their remarks, and the unveiling of the monument. This silent film is in color.

r006_0019_0177_FireScenesCa1950

Fire Scenes

This 12-minute Department of Forests and Waters film shows several ground and aerial views from an airplane of multiple forest and ground fires in different locations. This silent film is in color.

r006_0019_0178_CookForestFishReleaseCa1950

Cook Forest State Park, Fish Release, Hiking

This Department of Forests and Waters film begins with many different scenes of mountain laurel. Next, various forest, river, and cabin scenes from Cook Forest State Park are shown. The film then transitions to winter scenes of skiers and tobogganers having fun on a winter snow slope and using a hand towline to get back up to the top of the ski run. Automobiles navigate snow covered roads in the park. The film ends with several scenes of mountain streams and waterfalls, and fish are released into the streams. This is a 18-minute, silent film in color.

r006_0019_0179_ViewsFromFireTower

Fire Tower No. 913 View from Fire Tower, and Summer Fires

This seven-minute Department of Forests and Waters film is comprised of various views of and from Fire Tower No. 913. The fire tower's station sits atop a tall metal girder structure with exposed stairs leading up to the station. In one scene the fire lookout is shown as keeping his eye on the surrounding forest from the station. There are long sequences of scenes of rolling hills, mountains, woods and forests, from atop the tower. There are a few on-ground scenes of dry brush and trees along trails. This is a silent film in color.

r006_0019_0180_RailroadWaterTankerCa1965to1967

Railroad Track Car, Extinguishing Brush Fires, Burning Railroad Ties, Water Tanker on Railroad Line, Water Tanker on Railroad

This film shows the burning of brush along a section of railroad track. The first crew purposely sets brush and railroad ties afire, and a second crew extinguishes the fire by spraying water from a hose and nozzle attached to a tanker car, as they follow along behind the first crew. They appear to be purposely burning brush and debris along the tracks. At the very beginning of the film, a track car is shown running on the rails. This is a silent film in color.

r006_0019_0181_StripMineReplantingCaEarly1950s

Strip Mine, Deforested Area Replanting Ceremony

This film shows a tree planting ceremony at a reclaimed section of land that was previously deforested from a strip mine operation. Dignitaries, young boys, and other people are shown replanting trees across a large area of mined land. A school band also takes part in the ceremony. This Department of Forests and Waters film is silent and in color.

r006_0019_0182_ProtectionInspectorsTraining_1964

Division of Protection, Inspectors Training Meeting, Department of Forests and Waters

Department of Forests and Waters Division of Protection personnel gather on a military installation, with an airstrip, to observe forest fire techniques and equipment. A small forest fire is seen in the distance as a bi-plane circles above the fire. The plane locates the fire and dumps a load of water on the fire to extinguish it. A firefighting tanker truck and a Dodge pick-up trucks outfitted for fighting fires are dispatched to the fire's location. A Mercedes-Benz four-wheel drive truck plows a firebreak line. Men are monitoring the situation while the plane's pilot has a discussion at the airstrip. The plane is then dispatched to a second fire location. The lighting is dim at the end of the film because of interior filming; however, several different speakers share their remarks from a lectern and several Smokey the Bear award plaques are presented to participants. This is a silent film in color that runs 11-minutes in duration.

r006_0019_0183_AerialViewsFireCa1950to1960s

Helicopter Film, Aerial Views of a Forest Fire, and Fire Control Center

Fighting forests fires with helicopters is the subject of this Department of Forests and Waters film. The film is silent, in color, and is 16-minutes in length. The film begins with a view of a Pennsylvania Department of Forests and Waters' Aerial Forest Fire Control Center station with windsock, helicopter pad, and General Motors Company water tanker firefighting trucks. There are many scenes of a Bell two-seater helicopter landing, filling its external tanks with water, and dumping water on fires. An alternative method of filling the helicopter's water tanks is to draw water from a river through a hose that extends below the helicopter while hovering over the river. Filmed from the helicopter, a few aerial views of fires are also included in this film.

r006_0019_0184_BlackMoshannonAirDropCa1950

Black Moshannon Air Drop

This short film shows a Bell two-seater helicopter and a single-engine biplane taking off to dump their loads of water on a brush fire, and a ground firefighting crew is extinguishing the flames with their hand tools. This black-and-white film is silent.

r006_0019_0185_SmokeyBear_1974

Smokey Bear Skit

This educational program for elementary school students from 1974 is presented by the Berks Cable TV network in cooperation with the Pennsylvania Bureau of Forestry, Department of Environmental Resources. The black-and-white film is 26-minutes in duration with sound. Ranger Brown uses a magic box to teach the children all about fire safety.

P is for Pollution; forest fires create air and land and water pollution.

L is for Litterbug; litter can cause forest fires.

E is for Everyone; everyone should be careful about fires.

A is for ABC rules; Always hold matches till cold, Be sure to drown all fires, Crush all smokes dead out.

S is for Save; save our environment and protect it from fires.

E is for Please; use the magic word "Please" when help is needed.

Smokey Bear makes an appearance at the end of the film to put out the fire and save the forest!

r006_0019_0186_TvSpots_197511

Bureau of Forestry TV Spots: 1. History and Present Uses of PA Forests 2. Uses of Trees 3. Tree Planting Tips 4. Contribution of Trees to the Arts 5. Wood and its Uses 6. Forest Ownership 7. Uses of the Forest 8. Fire Prevention

This 16-minute narrated film in black and white is comprised of eight one-minute TV spots from the Pennsylvania Bureau of Forestry. Each spot is approximately 60-seconds in length, with 30-60 seconds of blank screen between spots. This film is dated November 1975.

r006_0019_0187_VariousTitles

"The Maple Products Industry in Pennsylvania," "Tree Trimming," "State Forests of PA," and "Canal School of Forestry"

This 66-minute film is a compilation of four separate black-and-white silent films. The first film uses intertitle cards to present "Maple Products Industry in Pennsylvania," explaining the maple syrup process, which includes tapping the tree, collecting sap, boiling sap, and making maple syrup and sugar. The film also shows maple tree logging and lumber management and industry in PA. The second film begins at the 14-minute mark and shows crews fighting a forest fire, a picnic area and a pavilion, "Mother's Tree" planted in 1923 to honor motherhood, a lumber mill, and the thinning and pruning a grove of trees. The third film, "The State Forests of Pennsylvania," begins at the 29-minute mark and includes intertitle cards that explain the history of Pennsylvania's forests, the consequences of over harvesting, reforesting efforts, and the benefits of forests and State Parks. The fourth film begins at the 43-minute mark. This last film documents a canal, a leisurely canal boat ride, a functioning canal lock, and the life and scenery along the canal. Beginning at the 56-minute mark, the film ends with several unrelated scenes, including a young man sweeping up outside around a home, a mother knitting with father and son watching, buildings under construction, building ruins, bridges, and a firefighting crew battling a forest fire.

r006_0019_0188_VariousTitles

"Relief Workers Birch Run Dam," "New Forests for Old," "Hopewell Fire Control Tower," and "Gypsy Moth Control"

This 68-minute film is a compilation of five separate films. The first film from the 1930s follows a Civilian Conservation Corps crew at the Michaux State Forest as they cut firewood, construct roads, and clear timber for a reservoir while a dam is under construction. Intertitle cards are used throughout the film to explain the work being done. The second film begins at the 16:30-minute mark, telling the story of Martin Armstrong, a progressive Pennsylvania farmer who, through the encouragement of his son, decides to buy trees from the State to plant a five-acre barren plot of land on his farm. A District Forester explains the State Tree Nursery system, from gathering seeds to harvesting and replanting seedlings, to Martin's ordering of 5,000 seedlings to plant on the farm. The third film, "Hopewell Forest Fire Tower at the Hopewell Furnace State Park," begins at the 31-minute mark. This film shows various scenes throughout the year of crews working in the park and people enjoying the park's facilities. The fourth film begins at the 48-minute mark and follows a Civilian Conservation Corps' road construction crew as they plot out and build a road through a forest. All phases of road construction are shown. The final film, "Gypsy Moth Control in Pennsylvania," begins at the 58-minute mark and presents, with use of intertitle cards, the efforts to eradicate the gypsy moth infestation in Lackawanna and Luzerne Counties. The film explains how to identify and destroy egg clusters on small trees and brush, then painting egg clusters with creosote on mature trees, and felling large, infested trees. This silent film is in black and white.

Office of the Governor - Collection RG-010

r010_0105_0000_NegroInPAhistory_1967

The Negro in Pennsylvania History

"The Negro in Pennsylvania History" is presented by the Office of the Governor and the Pennsylvania Human Relations Commission in cooperation with the Pennsylvania Department of Public Instruction. Please note that the wording in this description is consistent with the terminology used in this film. The film presents the plight, advancements, struggles, and joys that Pennsylvania's negro population experienced during the Revolutionary War, through the 1800s, early 1900s, and up to 1967. In 1780, Pennsylvania was the first of the original thirteen states to pass a law to gradually abolish slavery. Negroes began forming churches and schools. Abolitionists extended the underground railroad throughout PA to assist the negro in their flight to freedom. Lincoln University, the first Black college in the nation, opened in 1854. During the Civil War, over 10,000 negroes from Pennsylvania went to battle. They served proudly in the Spanish-American, World War I, World War II, Korean, and Vietnam Wars. They alternately experienced acceptance and rejection in society, often based on economic and social conditions. When being excluded from general society, they formed their own communities and organizations and strove to better their quality of life through education and employment. This black-and-white film contains narration and is dated 1967. The film was produced by Robert DisrHighaeli.

Department of Highways - Collection RG-12

r012_0032_0000_0006_HuntingdonSurfacePatching

Construction at Huntingdon: Surface Patching

Several road construction and road repair projects in Huntingdon County are seen in this 8-minute, silent film in color. Earthmoving equipment cuts a roadway on a high and steep embankment. Cut trees lay along the sides of a road through a forested area, and men toss large stones into a dump truck that is parked along the road. A road grader widens road shoulders along a country road, and another machine picks up the debris left behind. Along a busy stretch of road, a road crew repairs and patches the road with new asphalt and hot tar.

r012_0032_0000_0007_ConstructionMorguePartA

Construction Morgue, Part A

Heavy earthmoving equipment cuts a roadway on the side of and through a high and steep mountain embankment. Earthmovers, large dump trucks, power shovels, and other equipment is seen in action. Next, cars and trucks are shown traveling through an underpass as a train crosses above. An Amish buggy travels along a country road, and a farm is seen from afar. The final sections of the film show passing barns while the camera travels along the road and shows close-up views of turkeys. This silent film in color is three minutes in length.

r012_0032_0000_0007_ConstructionMorguePartB

Construction Morgue, Part B

Heavy earthmoving equipment cuts a roadway on the side of and through a high and steep mountain embankment. Earthmovers, large dump trucks, power shovels, and other equipment is seen in action. Next, cars and trucks are shown traveling through an underpass as a train crosses above. An Amish buggy travels along a country road, and a farm is seen from afar. The final sections of the film show passing barns while traveling along the road, close-up views of turkeys, and a man using a large plate style camera on tripod. This silent film in color is four minutes in length.

r012_0032_0000_0007_ConstructionMorguePartC

Construction Morgue, Part C

An employee of the Department of Highways Photographic Unit is shown setting up his camera equipment. A rock face embankment is filmed from afar. A tree line is cleared, and a survey crew works along the side of a road. Earthmoving equipment constructs a roadway, and an additional lane is added to an existing roadway. The film shows a concrete roadway being laid and bridge construction. State police direct cars to pull over and off a roadway. PA route signs are installed and painted, and there is additional construction footage of a cement road. These are some of the scenes in this 9-minute, silent film in color.

r012_0032_0000_0008_ConstructionMorgue

Construction Morgue: Road Construction and Surveying; Moscow PA's Post Office and Byzantine Church

This 15-minute, silent film in color is a compilation of random, short vignettes and includes the following scenes. A man sets up a large plate camera while another man erects a route sign. A stretch of a three-lane road is shown, where a car passes a milk truck. A one room country schoolhouse is shown in an idyllic pasture setting. The film shows the Moscow, PA Post Office sign and onion domes atop a church. A power shovel scoops up dirt, and a PA Department of Highways employee tests ground samples. The police stop cars along a rural two-lane road. Vehicles travel along a section of four-lane highway. A stone crusher is shown. A vehicle travels along a rural three-lane section of Route 30. A cherry tree, corn stalks, and a young man walking into a sunset is shown; and then a "Keep them flying" metal collection drive event on the front steps of the PA State Capitol building, with speakers, a large crowd, and firetrucks is shown. The film shows a vehicle approaching a trestle bridge, and emergency firefighting vehicles, filled with metal pots and pans from the "Keep them flying" collection drive, appear. Vehicles travel a two-lane section of mountainous roadway, and then vehicles are shown on a newly built three-lane section of concrete roadway. The next scenes show construction of a concrete roadway and a power shovel scooping, lifting, and dumping limestone rocks into a Heltzel stone crusher. Peaches are harvested. Next, scenes of construction of a large metal girder bridge and roadways under various stages of construction are shown.

r012_0032_0000_0009_CoreDrilling23Circa1948

Core Drilling No. 23

A roadway crew cleans out and fills in a core sample drill hole on a newly constructed concrete road. A short man shovels stone, while a taller man tamps the stone into the core hole. This is a short, silent film in color.

r012_0032_0000_0010_CoreDrilling31Circa1948

Core Drilling No. 31

A completely patched core sample drill hole on a newly constructed concrete road is shown in this short, silent film in color. The drilling truck moves further along the road and begins drilling and extracting another new core sample. This is a short, silent film in color.

r012_0032_0000_0011_CoreDrilling32Circa1948

Core Drilling No. 32

A two-man crew uses their drilling truck to drill a core sample hole in the middle lane of a three-lane road.  A motorcycle with two riders pass the crew as the workers set up their equipment to begin drilling.

r012_0032_0000_0012_CoreDrilling35Circa1948

Core Drilling No. 35

A cement core hole sample is taken from a newly constructed cement roadway, measured and catalogued. After the sample is collected, a two-man crew (with one very tall man and another shorter man) patches the core sample hole. This is a short, silent film in color.

r012_0032_0000_0013_CoreDrilling36Circa1948

Core Drilling No. 36

The final smoothing is done on a cement core hole roadway patch and the debris swept away. This is a short, silent film in color.

r012_0032_0000_0014_Delaware17WintertimeCirca1948

Delaware No. 17: Wintertime Highway Footage

Automobiles and trucks are traveling on a section of rural road in wintertime in this short film. Construction of a bridge and another roadway are paused because of winter. The new road is shown cutting through the rural landscape. This silent film is in color.

r012_0032_0000_0015_DelawareRiverBridgeCirca1948

Delaware (Ben Franklin) Bridge

Inbound and outbound traffic is seen in a static shot of the six-lane Delaware River (Benjamin Franklin) Bridge. Cars, trucks, taxicabs, buses, and various vehicles are shown. This silent film in color is circa 1948.

r012_0032_0000_0016_DelawareRiverBridgeCirca1948

Delaware (Ben Franklin) Bridge

Traffic and pedestrian flow is shown in this static, close-up view of the entrance and exit to the six-lane Delaware River (Benjamin Franklin) Bridge. Cars, trucks, taxicabs, buses, other various vehicles, and a large Schmidt's Beer and Ale sign are shown. This silent film circa 1948 is in color.

r012_0032_0000_0017_DelawareRiverBridgeCirca1948

Delaware (Ben Franklin) Bridge

Traffic flowing onto and over the six-lane Delaware River (Benjamin Franklin) Bridge is shown in this silent film in color. Cars, trucks, taxicabs, Jeeps, buses, and other various vehicles are traveling on the bridge.

r012_0032_0000_0019_RoadConstructionPartACirca1935

Highways, Part A

This black and white, silent film shows several road repair and construction projects. First, a road crew repairs a roadway as vehicle traffic constantly interrupts their work. Eventually, the crew breaks for lunchtime. Then, another roadcrew building a road breaks large rocks with sledgehammers. Two hazards of breaking rocks by hand are a broken pair of glasses and a hand caught between a sledgehammer and a chisel!

r012_0032_0000_0019_RoadConstructionPartBCirca1935

Highways, Part B

This film begins with a crew digging an embankment with pickaxes, next to a newly cut road. Then the film shows the hazard and result of dropping a lit match into a 55-gallon drum without knowing what is in the drum. Next, a crew is shown digging the foundation for a culvert, and a dynamite charge is set. Lastly, the hazard of sitting on the edge of a truck's bed and falling off is shown. This black and white film is silent.

r012_0032_0000_0021_DifferentViewsOfRoadsCirca1947

Highways: Footage of Highways, Streets, and Scenery

This film shows travel from a vehicle passenger view along various rural and urban streets and highways. A large "Drive Safely" billboard is seen as the camera travels along a country highway. Next, a "Groff's Meats" sign is seen while traveling through the town of Elizabethtown. Continuing on the travels, the film shows farms, pastures, industrial and commercial areas, and a large steel plant. This silent film is black and white, circa 1947.

r012_0032_0000_0022_HummelstownRoadWorkCirca1952

Hummelstown Road Construction

This film shows highway 322 and bridge (now known as the Major Richard D. Winters Memorial Bridge) construction over the Swatara Creek at the west end of Hummelstown, PA, circa 1952. When it was completed, this highway provided the ability to bypass Hummelstown, instead of having to travel through the borough. This silent film is in color.

r012_0032_0000_0025_KameraKruisingCirca1940

Kamera Kruising: Mills, Streets, Cornwall Furnace, Amish, Adams County Fruit Belt

This 16-minute, silent film in color is presented by the Pennsylvania Department of Highways and includes various scenes in Pennsylvania. The film shows a steel plant in Whitehall, PA; driving along a country road; a couple walking through a rock garden; the Cornwall Furnace historical site; roadside flowers in bloom; Amish children in Gap, PA; an Amish roadside market; Amish farmers; tobacco farming; scenic farms; a picturesque sunset; scenic rivers and mountains; bridge construction; a miniature fort roadside attraction; road line painting; peach and apple orchards in Adams County; harvesting and husking corn; and autumn colored trees and leaves.

r012_0032_0000_0026_LimitedWays

Limited Ways

This 21-minute, black and white film with narration is titled "Limited Ways." The film promotes the need for convenient and low-cost transportation highways that move traffic safely. Cars transport people to and from work during the week and to recreational destinations, such as golf courses, beaches, mountains, country destinations, and airports on the weekends. Trucks, buses, and military transportation add to a busy traffic flow. Limited access, multi-level, and viaduct highways, without traffic lights that slow traffic and cause accidents, allow for a greater volume of traffic at greater speeds and safety and are needed for more efficient traveling. The film highlights several newly built highway and parkway projects in New York City, Chicago, Detroit, Los Angeles, and Pasadena. Specific attention is drawn to several of Robert Moses' highway and parkway projects in and around New York City and the new Pennsylvania Turnpike with seven tunnels and only eleven interchanges, providing 160 miles of safe, non-stop driving between Pittsburgh and Harrisburg. Adequate and safe highways are vital to the development of every metropolitan area in America.

r012_0032_0000_0027_MaintenancePaintingWhiteLines

Maintenance (Painting White Lines)

Several aspects of road construction and repair are shown in this silent film in color. Early in the film, a road painting crew fills their painting equipment. Two types of painting equipment are used: an individual one-man driven line painter and a line painter pulled behind a truck. Next, an asphalt paver crew lays and rolls a fresh asphalt road cover. Lastly, road cracks are filled with tar, and maintenance is performed on snowplow blades before the winter season.

r012_0032_0000_0029_ModernHighwaysCirca1960

Modern Highways

This Pennsylvania Department of Highways film shows the construction of a cement roadway. The film shows the construction of concrete forms, dump trucks dumping limestone into an onsite cement mixer, and the laying and smoothing of the concrete roadway. About halfway through the film, large steel girders are fitted together to construct a bridge. After an "The End" intertitle card, the film continues with additional footage of road and bridge construction. This is an eight-minute, silent film in color.

r012_0032_0000_0031_PaintTestDayCirca1947

Paint Test (Day)

In this three-minute, silent film in black and white, the camera follows along a three-lane rural road painted with white-lined test strips during daylight hours. The last 45 seconds of the film is blank.

r012_0032_0000_0032_PaintTestNightCirca1947

Paint Test (Night); Shop Outtakes

In this two-minute, silent film in black and white, the camera follows along a road painted with white-lined test strips during nighttime hours. The film ends with footage of the film crew preparing their equipment and joking around with each other.

r012_0032_0000_0033_ParkingLotAndHighwayCirca1948

Parking Lots: Cars in Parking Lots and on the Highway

This two-minute, silent film in color opens with shots of a partially filled parking lot next to a large industrial facility. The remainder of the film includes shots of traffic flow on a stretch of four-lane rural highway.

r012_0032_0000_0036_PAHighwaysPicnicPartA

PA Highways Picnic Part A

This silent film in color shot at Hershey Amusement park and arena includes a man lunging a horse, motorcycles with and without a sidecar doing tricks, a train amusement park ride in motion, PA State Police mounted horse patrol and K-9 unit performing maneuvers and tricks, a PA State Police officer shooting balloons mounted on top of a twirling pole, and a pie-eating contest with two-man pairs in blindfolds feeding each other as spectators watch all of the activities.

r012_0032_0000_0036_PAHighwaysPicnicPartB

PA Highways Picnic Part B

This one-minute, silent film in color, shot at Hershey Amusement park and arena, includes the PA State Police mounted horse patrol performing maneuvers and tricks and a blindfolded pie-eating contest with two-man pairs feeding each other as spectators watch the activities.

r012_0032_0000_0037_PennLincolnParkway_19500418

Penn Lincoln Parkway Before Construction

This film shows the "Braddock and Allenby Interchange, Looking southwest, 18 April '50," "Braddock Interchange looking southeast from Laclair Avenue, 18 April '50," and "Braddock Interchange, looking toward Braddock from opposite bank, 18 April '50" locations during site preparations for the start of the Lincoln Parkway construction.  Industrial and residential areas, and early earthmoving prep work for roadways and bridge construction are shown in this silent, three-minute film in color.

r012_0032_0000_0039_ATripOverPATurnpike_19400000

A Trip Over Pennsylvania Turnpike

This film, "A trip over the Pennsylvania Turnpike," includes aerial and ground views of various locations along the newly opened PA Turnpike. "The 160-mile limited way through the Alleghenies shortens travel time by hours and brings the industrial Pittsburgh area nearer the seaboard, the seven tunnels have a total length of about six and one-half miles, altogether 25,000,000 cubic yards of earth and stone were removed from cuts and tunnels, traffic enters and leaves the 11 traffic interchanges, and nearly half of the 121 concrete grade separations are of rigid frame design." The camera travels through toll booths, the Allegheny Mountain tunnel, and along stretches of roadways during this 17-minute, silent film in color with intertitle cards. Also shown is the Blue Mountain tunnel entrance and exit, and a Goodyear blimp hovers above the Turnpike.

r012_0032_0000_0043_SchuylkillExpressway_19500315

Schuylkill Expressway Before Construction

Views from different angles are shown of where an interchange on the Schuylkill Expressway will be located before construction starts, in this short silent film in color from March 15, 1950.

r012_0032_0000_0044_SchuylkillExpressway_19500315

Schuylkill Expressway Before Construction

Views from different angles are shown of where an interchange on the Schuylkill Expressway will be located before construction starts, in this short silent film in color from March 15, 1950.

r012_0032_0000_0045_SchuylkillCoRoute140_19500300

Schuylkill Expressway Rte 140 Before Construction

An industrial area with neighborhoods along the Schuylkill railroad corridor is shown in this three-minute, silent film in color, dated March 30, 1950. The camera pans along the entire path of the railroad tracks and sidings. Vehicles travelling on the Schuylkill Expressway Route 140 highway, along the river, are shown at the end of the film. Dodge and Chevrolet dealership advertising billboards are also visible along the river.

r012_0032_0000_0046_RoadSignMakingCirca1955

Sign Shop Cut Out: Road Sign Making

Watch the construction of a "Middleburg 9 miles ahead" road sign in this short, silent film in color. The letters are individually cut out and then applied to the sign, before being rolled to ensure the letters adhere to the sign.

r012_0032_0000_0049_SkidTestsFortyFort1Circa1940

Skid Tests: Forty Fort, No. 1

The Pennsylvania Department of Highways performs braking and skidding tests in Forty Fort Borough, on dry and wet road paver blocks in this ten-minute, silent film in black and white. Various department vehicles are used, including cars and trucks, with differing tread depths from bald to good tread. Each vehicle's test and resulting stopping distance are shown on intertitle cards.

r012_0032_0000_0050_SkidTestsPlymouth2

Skid Tests: Plymouth, No. 2

The Pennsylvania Department of Highways performs braking and skidding tests in Plymouth Borough, on dry and wet roadpaver blocks in this seven-minute, silent film in black and white. Various department vehicles are used, including cars and trucks, with differing tread depths from bald to good tread. Each vehicle's test and resulting stopping distance are shown on intertitle cards.

r012_0032_0000_0051_SkidTestsButler3

Skid Tests: Butler, No. 3

The Pennsylvania Department of Highways performs braking and skidding tests in Butler, on various pavement types in wet conditions and at various speeds in this thirteen-minute, silent film in black and white. Various department vehicles are used, including cars and trucks, with differing tread depths from bald to good tread.

r012_0032_0000_0052_SkidTestsButler4PartACirca1940

Skid Tests: Butler, No. 4 Part A

The Pennsylvania Department of Highways performs braking and skidding tests on a hill outside of Butler, on dry and wet pavement in this three-minute, silent film in black and white. Various department vehicles are used, including cars and trucks, with differing tread depths from bald to good tread.

r012_0032_0000_0052_SkidTestsButler4PartBCirca1940

Skid Tests: Butler, No. 4 Part B

The Pennsylvania Department of Highways performs braking and skidding tests on a hill outside of Butler, on wet pavement in this twelve-minute, silent film in black and white. Various department vehicles are used, ranging from cars to heavy trucks, with differing tread depths from bald to good tread. The vehicles are measured for braking and skid mark lengths. At the conclusion of the film, they test the force required to pull a fully braked car.

r012_0032_0000_0053_Speeceville20Rts22And322C1948

Speeceville No. 20 (Routes 22-322)

A roadway is cut into a hillside along railroad tracks and a partially frozen Susquehanna River in wintertime near Speeceville, PA. A power shovel digs out the embankment, dump trucks haul away dirt, and road graders smooth and level the dirt road in this three-minute, silent film in color.

r012_0032_0000_0054_Speeceville22Rts22And322C1948

Speeceville No. 22 (Routes 22-322)

This film begins with a PA Department of Highways vehicle spreading cinders on a snow-covered rural road. A pickup truck pulls a spreader as two men stand in the back of the pickup and shovel cinders into the spreader. The second half of the film shows a dump truck and power shovel working on cutting a new roadbed on an embankment near Speeceville, PA. This two-minute, silent film is in color.

r012_0032_0000_0055_Speeceville22ARts22And322C1948

Speeceville No. 22A (Routes 22-322)

Cars and trucks navigate a section of snow-covered road near Speeceville, PA, as a road crew spreads cinders on the road. Two men standing in the back of a pickup truck shovel cinders onto the road as cars and trucks are passing by. This two-minute, silent film is in color.

r012_0032_0000_0056_Speeceville23Rts22And322C1948

Speeceville No. 23 (Routes 22-322)

This three-minute, silent film in color shows views of the Waggoner's Gap road construction that follows the railroad tracks along the Susquehanna River embankment. The views shown are from the far side of the river and show the construction of additional roadways adjacent to the existing roadway.

r012_0032_0000_0057_SnowPlowClearfieldPartA

Snow Plow, Clearfield Part A

This seven-minute, black and white, and silent film shows a large heavy truck with snow chains outfitted with a massively large plow that has two large spinning blades which act as snowblowers. The plow is shown from several different angles, slowly traveling along a road through a large embankment of snow and blowing the snow far to the side of the plow. The film ends with an intertitle card that reads; "John Dillon, Oneida Co. Supt. of snow removal looks us over."

r012_0032_0000_0057_SnowPlowClearfieldPartB

Snow Plow, Clearfield Part B

This three-minute, silent film in color begins with a "At West Leyden we detour to rescue a stalled car and a ditched snow plow" title card. A car and a snowplow are stuck on a snow-covered road with snowbanks taller than the vehicles are. A snow removal crew shovels snow to extricate the stuck vehicles. Once the car is freed and moved to a safe distance away, a second snowplow makes multiple runs at the snow-drifted embankment to open the road. The film ends with an intertitle card that reads: "The 'four wheel positive drive' goes to work."

r012_0032_0000_0058_SnowRemovalCirca1942

Snow Removal

A road grader, a bulldozer, and snowplows are shown widening and cleaning up snow-covered roads in this two-minute, silent film in color. An Amoco Gas station sign is visible in one of the clean-up efforts.

r012_0032_0000_0059_SurfaceTreatment

Surface Treatment

Several asphalt road patches and repairs near Sunbury, PA, are shown in this silent film in color. Road crews do hand patching of holes by sweeping loose debris, applying oil and stone chips, and hand tamping the patch. Other crews use a mechanical sprayer to apply an oil coat and then add hot asphalt mix to tamp and roll with a Galion road roller.

r012_0032_0000_0062_HarveyTaylorBridgeCaEarly1950s

Harvey Taylor Bridge Groundbreaking and Construction

Ground is broken for the Harvey Taylor Bridge, and several dignitaries offer remarks from the podium, which WHP and NBC/WKBO broadcast. The early construction stages of the bridge piers is shown, with the PA state Capitol building in the far distance. Trucks, cranes, and bulldozers are involved in this early work. Later in construction scenes, cranes set large steel span sections on top of the completed bridge piers. The film ends as the last and final span section is put into place. This 16-minute, silent film is in color.

r012_0032_0000_0064_TrafficFourLaneCirca1948

Traffic: Four-Lane

The flow of traffic on a four-lane roadway is observed in this three-minute, silent film in color. The camera shows two locations, traffic traveling under an overpass and through a town. In the town, a man crosses the road and waits on the raised median strip to catch a bus.

r012_0032_0000_0065_PedestriansAndCarsCirca1948

Traffic: Pedestrians and Cars

A hand pushes the button on an Eagle Traffic Signal Control box at the beginning of this three-minute, silent film in color. The film shows the traffic flow of cars, buses, and trucks along a busy urban main thoroughfare.

r012_0032_0000_0066_TrafficSurvey

Traffic Survey

A traffic survey is conducted along a rural three-lane road at the beginning of this two-minute, silent film in color. A line of cars are stopped on the road as several individuals gather information from each car's driver. In the second half of the film, the camera shows a small building, a "Dibello Tailor" neon sign, a women waves her hand in a salutation, and a family enjoys an outside meal.

r012_0032_0000_0067_VineStRooseveltBlvdConstrC1949

Vine Street, Roosevelt Boulevard

Traffic flows at the Vine Street intersection and along Roosevelt Boulevard, a divided parkway lined with trees in Philadelphia, are shown in the first half of this film. Earth moving equipment constructing a roadway through a rural area is shown in the second half of the film. This silent film in color is three minutes in length.

r012_0032_0000_0068_WaggonersGapRoadWorkCeremony

Waggoner's Gap: Road Construction and Opening Ceremony

This 15-minute "Pennsylvania Department of Department of Highways Presents" film documents the Waggoner's Gap road construction and opening ceremony. Three men walk around and inspect the location and early stages of the road's construction. A construction crew drills and blasts rock, while earthmoving equipment cuts the roadway into a steep embankment. The roadway slowly takes shape when a foundation of crushed stone is laid. The camera follows along a section of road, before a road surface is laid. Then, a boy driving a two-horse team tilling a field and scenic views from the top of a mountain are shown. Next, vehicles travel on the completed road that includes guardrails and signage. A procession of cars, dignitaries, a school band, attendees, and speakers participate in the ribbon cutting opening ceremony. The film ends with two men dressed in frontiersman clothing and weaponry gazing out over the valley from an overlook. This silent film includes a combination of black and white and color footage.

r012_0032_0000_0070_WomensBaseballTeamCirca1950

Dept of Highways Women's Baseball Team

This film features the Pennsylvania Department of Highways' picnic and women’s baseball game at Hersheypark on August 15, 1950. The Picnic and Department Committee members' names are displayed during the film, along with views of the crowds and the action during a women's baseball game. This silent film in color has intertitle cards.

r012_0032_0000_0071_PhilaIntersectionsCirca1948

Philadelphia Intersections

Traffic and pedestrian flow are documented at three Philadelphia intersections in this short, silent film in color. Antique and classic cars, trucks, and buses are shown throughout the film. A large "Butens Paint Store" sign is located at the first intersection. The Tower Theater and a large Sealtest Milk and Ice Cream billboard with a clock appear at the second intersection. A large Tastykake sign and a Horn and Hardart cafeteria are seen at the third intersection in this film.

r012_0032_0000_0072_UnidentifiedRoadwaysCirca1948

Unidentified Roadways

Busy traffic flow is shown in two unidentified urban locations in this three-minute, silent film in color. A wide variety of automobiles, trucks, and buses are shown in this short film.

r012_0032_0000_0073_BaldwinLocomotiveWorksCa1948

Baldwin Locomotive Works, Eddystone

This silent film in color shows the Baldwin Locomotive Work's complex, in Eddystone, PA, outside of Philadelphia. The main headquarters' building, parking lot, and additional industrial buildings are shown.

r012_0032_0000_0075_UnidentifiedRoadsCirca1948

Unidentified Four Lane Highway

Busy traffic flow is observed in three unidentified urban locations in this silent film in color. A wide variety of cars, trucks, and buses are shown during this three-minute film.

r012_0032_0001_Agriculture

Agriculture

This 22-minute film from the Pennsylvania Department of Highways shows several Pennsylvania agricultural crops. Peaches from Adams County are harvested, loaded onto a tractor, and taken to a fruit stand for sale. Tobacco plants are harvested and loaded onto wagons to be taken to the drying barn. Crates of tomatoes are loaded onto train cars for transportation. Apples, from Trexler Farms Orchard of Allentown, PA, are picked, loaded onto trucks, and taken to the processing center. Corn in the field is harvested by hand. Dairy cows, sheep, and free-range turkeys are shown on a farm. Cherries are harvested and packed into crates. This silent film is in color.

r012_0032_0002_TrainingFilmArmyRoadCa1943

Official Training Film, War Department, Army Service Forces, Signal Corps Production, Military Roads, Part 2: Drainage

This 12-minute, black and white film with narration is titled "Official Training Film, War Department, Army Service Forces, Signal Corps Production, Military Roads, Part 2, Drainage." This film explains the importance of properly built and maintained military roads. Correctly built roads with proper drainage will keep water and rain from turning a road into a muddy mess. The correct road "crown," or slope, is dependent on the type of material that is used to build the road. Side ditches, along the side of the road, will channel water away from the road, while culverts will drain water across the top or underneath a road. Military vehicles driving on roads, vehicles getting stuck in mud, and soldiers constructing roads and drainage systems are shown throughout the film. The military needs "good fighting roads."

r012_0032_0003_TrainingFilmArmyRoadCa1944

Official Training Film, War Department, Army Service Forces, Signal Corps Production, Military Roads, Part 3: Road Repair and Maintenance

This film titled "Official Training Film, War Department, Army Service Forces, Signal Corps Production, Military Roads, Part 3, Road Repair and Maintenance" explains the importance of repairing battle-damaged roads to keep the troops moving and the supply lines open. Craters slow down or stop traffic. Damaged culverts will cause road washing. Chuck holes or potholes need to be filled in. A "road drag" can eliminate ruts. Widen bottlenecks to allow for two-way traffic. Military vehicles driving on roads and soldiers repairing roads are shown throughout the film. The military needs "good fighting roads." This film is 9 minutes in length and is in black-and-white with narration.

r012_0032_0004_TrainingFilmArmyRoadCa1945

Official Training Film, War Department, Army Service Forces, Signal Corps Production, Military Roads, Part 5: Sub-Grade Preparation

Military roads must stand up to all kinds of traffic and weather. This 9-minute, black and white film with narration, titled "Official Training Film, War Department, Army Service Forces, Signal Corps Production, Military Roads, Part 5 Sub-Grade Preparation" explains the importance of and how to build a good road foundation. Bulldozers, road graders, road rollers, military vehicles, and soldiers are seen throughout this film.

r012_0032_0005_CapitolBuildingAndMuseum

Capitol Building, State Museum, Capitol Park

The Pennsylvania Capitol and State Museum building entrances are shown in this short color film. There are close-ups of the Capitol building's dome with the statue, the United States flag flying, the cornice above the entranceway, and the Love and Labor, The Unbroken Law and Burden of Life: the Broken Law sculpture groups that flank the Capitol's entrance. The Pennsylvania State Museum's entrance portico and cannon adjacent to the entrance are also shown. The film ends with close-ups of pigeons and squirrels on the Capitol grounds.

r012_0032_0012_CoreDrillingNo35

Unidentified Highway Views

This short film provides a static view of a busy, four-lane highway intersection. Cars, trucks, and cabs are shown navigating the intersection and entering, exiting, and crossing the highway. This silent film is in color.

r012_0032_0014_DelawareNo17WintertimeHighwayFootage

Delaware No. 17: Wintertime Highway

Automobiles and trucks are traveling on a section of rural road in wintertime in this short film. The construction of a bridge and another roadway are paused because of winter. The new road is shown cutting through the rural landscape. This silent film is in color.

r012_0032_0018_Ducks

Birds and Unidentified Building

Flocks of geese and other birds are shown on a sandbar in a large body of water in the first half of this short film in color. An unidentified building of classical style architecture is shown in the second half of the film. The building may be a state capitol building.

r012_0032_0023_IndiantownGapMilitaryAffairs

Indiantown Gap Military Reservation Parade Yard

Military troops with flag guards are shown marching and saluting on the parade yard at Indiantown Gap Military Reservation in this short, silent film in color.

r012_0032_0024_IndiantownGapNationalGuard

Indiantown Gap Military Reservation, National Guard, Marching Band

Military and civilian dignitaries view, inspect, and give speeches as military troops and a marching band with flag guards are shown marching and saluting on the parade yard at Indiantown Gap Military Reservation, in this short, silent film in color.

r012_0032_0026_LimitedWays

 Limited Ways

This 21-minute, black and white film with narration is entitled "Limited Ways." The film promotes the need for convenient and low-cost transportation highways that move traffic safely. Cars transport people to and from work during the week and to recreational destinations, such as golf courses, beaches, mountains, country destinations, and airports, on the weekends. Trucks, buses, and military transportation add to a busy traffic flow. Limited access, multi-level, and viaduct highways, without traffic lights that slow traffic and cause accidents, allow for a greater volume of traffic at greater speeds and safety and are needed for more efficient traveling. The film highlights several newly built highway and parkway projects in New York City, Chicago, Detroit, Los Angeles, and Pasadena. Specific attention is drawn to several of Robert Moses' highway and parkway projects in and around New York City and the new Pennsylvania Turnpike with seven tunnels and only eleven interchanges, providing 160 miles of safe, non-stop driving between Pittsburgh and Harrisburg. Adequate and safe highways are vital to the development of every metropolitan area in America.

r012_0032_0028_ModernHighwaysInTheMaking

Prologue to "Modern Highways in the Making"

"Modern Highways in the Making" is the prologue to a longer film. The prologue is a scrolling intertitle card that explains the development of roads in Pennsylvania from early dirt-road wagon trails to present-day modern highways. Modern highways represent many hours of work and study on the part of engineers in planning and construction. This silent film is in color, and one-minute in length.

r012_0032_0030_Mountains

Mountains

This short film has scenic views of rolling mountains with autumn-colored trees and sightseers driving along rural roads and parking at overlooks to enjoy the views. This silent film is in color.

r012_0032_0034_PAhighwaysBathingBeauties_1952

Pennsylvania Highways Beauties with End Frame

Three young women in dresses enter and exit a state Capitol building via a revolving door. They pose outside the building when a fourth older women, carrying a crown, enters the picture frame and hands the crown to an older man, who places the crown on one of the young women. The man shakes hands of and congratulates all four women before "The End" intertitle card appears. This silent film from 1952 is in color.

r012_0032_0035_PAhighwaysBathingBeauties_1952

Pennsylvania Highways Beauties

Three young women in dresses, one with a crown on her head, are walking and posing in front of a state Capitol building in this short, silent film in color from 1952.

r012_0032_0036_PAhighwaysPicnic

PA Department of Highways Picnic

This silent film in color shot at Hershey Amusement park and arena includes a man lunging a horse, motorcycles with and without a sidecar doing tricks, a train amusement park ride in motion, PA State Police mounted horse patrol and K-9 unit performing maneuvers and tricks, a PA State Police officer shooting balloons mounted on top of a twirling pole, and a pie-eating contest with two-man pairs in blindfolds feeding each other as spectators watch all of the activities.

r012_0032_0038_PennLincolnParkwayArdmore_19500418

Penn Lincoln Parkway Ardmore Interchange

At the start of this film, the photographer briefly holds up an index card that says, "Ardmore Interchange, Looking West, Acri, 18 April '50," in front of the camera. The film then shows the progress of construction on the Lincoln Parkway interchange at Ardmore, and adjacent land. Most of the bypass bridges over the highway are completed but roads leading up to and buildings nearby are still under construction. This one-minute silent film is in color.

r012_0032_0040_CorrectUseOfTheRedFlag

Title Frames for "The Correct Use of the Red Flag"

This silent film in color shows only the beginning and final intertitle cards of the film. The cards include "Pennsylvania, Department of Highways presents The Correct Use of the Red Flag, Produced by Highways Photographic Unit, Department of Highways Safety Bureau" and "The End."

r012_0032_0045_SchuylkillExpresswayRt140

Schuylkill Expressway Route 140

An industrial area with neighborhoods along the Schuylkill railroad corridor is shown in this three-minute, silent film in color, dated March 30, 1950. The camera pans along the entire path of the railroad tracks and sidings. Vehicles travelling on the Schuylkill Expressway Route 140 highway, along the river, are shown at the end of the film. Dodge and Chevrolet dealership advertising billboards are also visible along the river.

r012_0032_0047_SignOfOurTimesNo1

Title Frames for "Highway Signs"

This silent film in color shows only the beginning and ending intertitle cards of "Pennsylvania, Department of Highways presents Highway Signs, Produced by the Photographic Unit" and "The End." The cards include artfully drawn graphics of colonial and modern times.

r012_0032_0048_SignOfOurTimesNo2

Title Frames for "Highway Signs"

This silent film in color shows the beginning and ending intertitle cards of "Pennsylvania, Department of Highways presents Highway Signs, Produced by the Photographic Unit" and "The End." The same artfully drawn cards, with graphics of colonial and modern times, are shown in a different sequence than the prior "SignOfOurTimesNo1" film, plus two smiling and laughing men's faces come into frame during "The End" card.

r012_0032_0056_SpeecevilleNo23

Waggoner's Gap Road Construction

Waggoner's Gap road construction, with a newly cut road into a mountain side, and scenic views of the surrounding valley are shown in this three-minute, black and white, and silent film.

r012_0032_0059_SurfaceTreatment

Surface Treatment

Several asphalt road patches and repairs near Sunbury, PA, are shown in this silent film in colors. Road crews do hand patching of holes by sweeping loose debris, applying oil and stone chips, and hand tamping the patch. Other crews use a mechanical sprayer to apply an oil coat and then add hot asphalt mix to tamp and roll with a Galion road roller.

r012_0032_0060_HarveyTaylorBridge

Harvey Taylor Bridge Construction

This film shows the construction of the Harvey Taylor Bridge in Harrisburg, PA. A large crane that sits on a span of the bridge transports two men from another span, across an open section to the span where the crane is sitting. Then the crane places a large section of the span into place. This short, silent film is in color.

r012_0032_0061_HarveyTaylorBridgeConstruction

Harvey Taylor Bridge Construction

This film shows the construction of the Harvey Taylor Bridge in Harrisburg, PA. A large crane that sits on a span of the bridge and the construction crew slowly maneuver a large steel span section into place. The riverfront walkway is also shown in this short, silent film in color.

r012_0032_0062_HarveyTaylorBridgeGroundbreaking

Harvey Taylor Bridge Groundbreaking Ceremony

Ground is broken for the Harvey Taylor Bridge, and several dignitaries offer remarks from the podium, which WHP and NBC/WKBO broadcast. The early construction stages of the bridge piers is shown, with the PA state Capitol building in the far distance. Trucks, cranes, and bulldozers are involved in this early work. Later in construction scenes, cranes set large steel span sections on top of the completed bridge piers. The film ends as the last and final span section is put into place. This 16-minute, silent film is in color.

r012_0032_0063_WildCatHunt_1947

Wild Cat Hunt

It is winter, snow is falling, and a flatbed truck loaded with a dogsled, dogs, and supplies is driving along a snow-covered, wooded road. Trigger Warning: if animal cruelty causes you distress, you may want to consider not viewing this film. Two men unload the truck, load the sled with the supplies, and begin pulling the sled through the woods as the dogs follow behind. They are hunting wildcats. They come to a cabin by a frozen waterfall. The dogs track down a wildcat that is high up in the branches of a tree. The dogs attack and drag the wildcat when it is on the ground. The men, carrying the dead wildcat, return to the cabin. The next day, they are again on the hunt and find a second wildcat clinging to the high branch of a tree. As the dogs circle the bottom of the tree, the men chop the tree with an axe until the wildcat falls from the tree and quickly runs away into the forest. The film ends with the men and dogs tracking a wildcat's paw prints through the forest. This silent film is in color and is 19 minutes in length.

r012_0032_0069_Williamsport_19490609

Proposed Market Street Bridge Over Susquehanna River at Williamsport

A "Proposed Market Street Bridge over Susquehanna River Williamsport" title card is seen at the beginning of this film. After the title card, an aerial photo of the current bridge and surrounding neighborhoods with the new proposed bridge and its on and off ramps, superimposed onto the photo, is shown. This black and white film is silent.

r012_0032_0070_DeptOfHighwaysWomensBaseballTeam

Department of Highways Women’s Baseball Team

This film features the Pennsylvania Department of Highways' picnic and women’s baseball game at Hersheypark on August 15, 1950. The Picnic and Department Committee members' names are displayed during the film, along with views of the crowds and the action during a women's baseball game. This silent film in color has intertitle cards.

r012_0032_0071_PhiladelphiaIntersections

Philadelphia Intersections

Traffic and pedestrian flow are documented at three Philadelphia intersections in this short, silent film in color. Antique and classic cars, trucks, and buses are shown throughout the film. A large "Butens Paint Store" sign is located at the first intersection. The Tower Theater and a large Sealtest Milk and Ice Cream billboard with a clock appear at the second intersection. A large Tastykake sign and a Horn and Hardart cafeteria are seen at the third intersection in this film.

r012_0032_0076_HorseshoeNail_1960

A Horseshoe Nail

"A Horseshoe Nail", presented by the Interstate Advisory Committee on the Susquehanna River Basin, is an 18-minute film in color with narration. Spring flooding, autumn droughts, and agricultural and industrial pollution affect water management throughout the entire Susquehanna River Basin. Professor Frederick L. Zimmerman of Hunter College in New York and Chairman of the Susquehanna River Basin Commission, introduces the film and explains the need for cooperation and comprehensive planning between New York, Pennsylvania, Maryland, and the Federal government to assure improved water management and adequate water supply to meet domestic, recreational, agricultural, and industrial needs throughout the entire river basin. More than 3-million people live within the 27,500 square miles of the basin. The basin is the 17th largest river basin in the United States and averages 39 inches of precipitation per year, 25-billion gallons flowing into the Chesapeake Bay per day. Scenes of  PA, NY, MD, and US Capitol buildings, and recreational, agricultural, industrial, fishing, and oystering scenes are shown throughout the film. Large-scale water impoundment projects, such as dams, and small-scale impoundment on farms and tributaries require Federal, State, and Local planning. Near the end of the film, Maurice Goddard, Secretary of the Pennsylvania Department of Forests and Waters, discusses the unified comprehensive plan, program, and agreed upon compact between the Federal and State governments. The Millersburg ferry is shown at the end of the film.

r012_0036_0001_CloseUpHighwaySafetyCa1955

Close Up: Highway Safety

Governor George M. Leader and Mike Shipley, Director of Highway Safety, discuss traffic safety in this 15-minute "Commonwealth Closeup" program. The 3 E's to highway safety are: Engineering (construction), Education (driver training), and Enforcement (regulation of speed). The Pennsylvania State Police's enforcement role will significantly improve with the use of the "Electro-matic Traffic Actuated Speed Meter" or radar. All neighboring States are already using radar, and Pennsylvania needs legislation to provide the PA State Police the authorization to use radar. In one year without radar, there were 91 fatalities because of speeding on the PA Turnpike. The following year with radar, the number of fatalities decreased to 41. Governor Leader and Mr. Shipley encourage the public to support the use of radar to improve traffic safety and save lives. This film is in black and white, with sound.

Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission - Collection RG-013

r013_0000_0000_PHMCPennsylvaniaStatePolicePart1

PHMC Pennsylvania State Police (Part 1)

This silent and black and white film with intertitle cards explains the formation and history of the Pennsylvania State Police. In 1905, Governor Samual W. Pennypacker and the Pennsylvania legislature authorized the organization of a State Police force with Colonel John C. Groome as superintendent. Originally, the force was charged with cooperating with local city and borough officials; enforcing criminal laws and game, fish, and forestry laws; operating as ex-officio fire wardens; and assisting various State Departments. The remaining part of the film is a dramatization of a new recruit going through the process of becoming a trooper: from physical exams through education, giving first aid, horsemanship, marksmanship, physicality, graduation, and involvement in his first case of a missing boy. Much of the film appears to have been filmed at the State Police School in Hershey, PA. This film is part one of two parts.

r013_0000_0000_PHMCPennsylvaniaStatePolicePart2

PHMC Pennsylvania State Police (Part 2)

This silent and black and white film with intertitle cards continues the story of the State Police searching for a missing boy. The new state police trooper (from part one) is patrolling on horseback and happens to come across the boy on a country road. The officer gives the boy a ride on horseback and returns him to his home and mother. There are other stories dramatized in this film that include two troopers on horseback identifying a stolen vehicle, inspecting a dilapidated building as a fire hazard, and the robbery of the Abbottstown bank with the pursuit and capture of the alleged robber. The film ends with a flag positioned at half-mast in honor of the new trooper, who sustained a fatal injury while in pursuit of the bank robber. This film is part two of two parts.

r013_0000_0000_PHMCPennsylvaniaWeek

PHMC Pennsylvania Week: Governor Duff Asks All to Honor Keystone State

Governor James H. Duff (who served as Governor from 1947 to 1951) and Theodore Roosevelt III promote "Pennsylvania Week" (October 17th to the 24th) by encouraging all Pennsylvanians to learn more about the state in which they live and work. Images of the State Capitol building, Independence Hall, the State Police, a Pennsylvania Turnpike tunnel, farms, universities, a Baldwin locomotive, Pittsburgh's steel mills, and iron and coal mining industries are shown during this three-minute Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission film. This film is black and white with sound.

r013_0070_0000_0001_CornerstoneLaying_19640520

Laying the Cornerstone of the State Museum and Archive Complex

This Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission film documents the laying of the cornerstone of the State Museum and Archive Complex on May 20, 1964. Governor William Scranton and other dignitaries are giving speeches as a crowd looks on. The time capsule is lowered and sealed into the cornerstone. This silent film is in color.

r013_0070_0000_0002_MemHallWyethExhibit_19651000

Memorial Hall and Andrew Wyeth Exhibit

Governor William Scranton and other dignitaries gather under the William Penn statue in the Pennsylvania State Museum in Harrisburg and offer remarks at an exhibit of Wyeth family paintings. This Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission film is dated October 1965. This black and white film is silent.

r013_0070_0000_0003_CornerstoneLaying_19640520

Dedication of William Penn Memorial Museum on Plaza 1X

This Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission film is dated May 20, 1964, and shows Governor William Scranton, other dignitaries, and a large crowd of children and adults outside of the Pennsylvania State Museum complex at a ceremony where a time capsule was sealed into the cornerstone. Governor Scranton and other dignitaries are then shown applying mortar over top of the time capsule to seal it into the cornerstone. This black and white film is silent.

r013_0070_0000_0004_CornerstoneLaying_19640520

Dedication of William Penn Memorial Museum on Plaza 2X

A large crowd of children and adults gather on the terrace of the Pennsylvania State Museum complex to listen to speeches given by dignitaries, including Governor William Scranton, and to seal a time capsule into the cornerstone. The Pennsylvania State Archives tower is present in the background. A group of boys excitedly show off footlong meat sticks they received at the ceremony. This black and white film is silent.

r013_0070_0001_EastBroadTopRR_19640521

East Broad Top Railroad

This Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission film shows a group of people taking an excursion on the East Broad Top (EBT) Railroad passenger train on May 21, 1964. A charter bus arrives at the EBT's Orbisonia Station, in Rockhill Furnace, PA. The group waits to board the train as a freight train, pulled by two steam locomotives (Nos. 14 and 15), leaves the trainyard. Once aboard the train, the people are treated to scenic views of the tracks ahead and behind, and the surrounding countryside. The train stops at a picnic grove, and a group picture is taken with the engine. On the return trip, a dog runs through a field to chase the train. This four-minute, silent film is in color. The EBT Railroad operated from 1871 to 1956, and it is one of the nation's oldest and best-preserved narrow-gauge railroads that was designated as a National Historic Landmark in 1964. The railroad is now preserved for use as a tourist attraction.

r013_0070_0002_HorseshoeCurveTrain_19640425

Altoona Trip, Special Train, Views of Horseshoe Curve

This Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission film is from April 25, 1964. A chartered group boards a passenger train to take a trip on the Horseshoe Curve near Altoona, PA. Along the way, the train passes other freight trains and goes through tunnels, and there are scenic views of the surrounding countryside, nearby railroad tracks, railroad cars, and trainyards. At the Horseshoe Curve, views from the train as it travels along the curve are shown. This silent film is in color.

r013_0095_0001_DonaldCadzowsProperty

Donald Cadzow's Property

This 34-minute, Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission film presents archaeology work and restoration and rebuilding projects at the Daniel Boone Homestead in Birdsboro, PA; Pennsbury Manor Memorial in Morrisville, PA; John Morton Homestead in Prospect Park, PA; Cornwall Furnace in Cornwall, PA; a barn raising; the construction of a miniature fort; the Great Harmony Society and Economy Village in Economy, PA; and the U.S. Brig Niagara in Erie, PA. The film opens at the Daniel Boone homestead, where fencing is installed, laborers dig the site of the farmhouse's foundation walls, and artifacts are discovered and cleaned. Next, at Pennsbury Manor, there is extensive exterior and interior documentation of the reconstruction of the home and outbuildings; detailed shots of bracing, brick work, woodwork, flooring, furniture and other items collected for display; and shots of doors, windows, roofing, brickwork, fencing, landscaping, and gardens and pathways. Next, the camera shows footage of the John Morton homestead and Cornwall Furnace. Next, the film returns to the Daniel Boone homestead for an opening day ceremony, showing large crowds, a school band, a Boy Scout color guard, Boy Scout and Cub Scout troops, frontiersmen, and dignitaries. Next, there are short clips of a barn raising and construction of a miniature roadside fort. The film concludes with the documentation of historical buildings and churches in Economy Village, and lastly, construction and the launching of the U.S. Niagara is shown. This black and white film is silent.

r013_0124_0000_0001_CanoeTrialLaunchA125_19970000

Finishing Dugout Canoe and Trial Launch

This two-hour, color film with sound documents the progress of making a canoe with time-period appropriate tools over several days in October 1997. Several men, one dressed in American Indian clothing, tend to a fire in a log, to hollow out the log and create a dugout canoe. Groups of school children and spectators stop by to observe and listen to an explanation of how to make a canoe. The men split firewood for burning in the log and cook a meal in the fire within the log. They apply mud to areas of the canoe that are to be burned, build a fire, allow the fire to burn out, scrap out the char and repeat this process until the hollowed section of the canoe is ready. After the canoe is hollowed out, the bow and stern of the canoe are formed. Next, the bottom of the canoe is smoothed out. When the canoe is completed, it is launched into the Susquehanna River at Harrisburg, PA, for several trial runs.

r013_0124_0000_0002_EphrataCloisterA128_19910927

Archaeology Presentation at Ephrata Cloister

This Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission film is of a lecture, with slides, given at the Ephrata Cloisters on September 27, 1991. The lecture presents archaeological work, artifacts found, historical pictures of the Cloisters, and how the pictures relate to the history of the Cloisters. This film is in color, with sound.

r013_0124_0000_0003_MakingOfWilliamPennStatueE109

Making of the William Penn Statue

This Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission film documents the creation of the colossal, 18-foot tall, 3200-pound bronze statue of William Penn that resides in the Pennsylvania State Museum lobby in Harrisburg, PA. The film shows the entire process of creating the plaster molds, pouring the bronze, the final assembly, and transporting the statue from the foundry to the State Museum for installation. The sculptor Janet de Coux is shown with her creation throughout the film. This silent film is in color.

r013_0124_0000_0004_PHMCPromoM116

PHMC Promo Video

This Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission and Pennsylvania Trails of History promotional film presents short vignettes of several museum sites throughout Pennsylvania. The film begins at the Lumber Museum with the mill and assorted outbuildings. Next, the camera shows a day at the Somerset Historic Center Mountain Craft Days, a Conestoga wagon, and a wide variety of exhibitors: including quilters, weavers, musicians, and enactors. Next, the film shows the PA Military Museum at Boalsburg, the Flagship Niagara at Erie, and buildings that make up the Landis Valley Museum complex in Lancaster. The film ends with a long section with narration about the Old Economy Village in Ambridge and presents the history and importance of the Harmonist Society to the growth of the community. This film is in color with sound.

r013_0124_0001_Epic_1982

Epic Film Outtakes

This film is a compilation of six short outtakes from a possible feature film. In the first scene, two men are sitting aside an oil drake and begin celebrating when it erupts, after having hit oil. An anguished union civil war soldier cradles a wounded comrade in the heat of a battle in the second scene. In the third scene, an African American rejoices at his newly found freedom. Two frontiersmen traveling at night by canoe along a river are under attack by flaming arrows in the fourth scene. The fifth scene shows General Washington astride a horse and surveying a battle, and Molly Pitcher is helping to load a cannon. In the final scene, a peaceful delegation of American Indians meet with William Penn. This silent film is in color.

r013_0124_0002_PAhistoricalSoundEffects_1982

Epic Film Outtakes (Pytka Productions Dub)

This silent film in color appears to be a compilation of outtakes and scenes from a feature film. There are repeated scenes of General George Washington and his staff riding on horseback, looking through a spyglass, and consulting a map. The film then shows a line of British redcoats aiming and firing their muskets. Next, Molly Pitcher is loading a cannon, and a peaceful delegation of American Indians are entering a colonial home for a meeting.

r013_0194_0000_0001_NCWyeth

N.C. Wyeth

As a young man, N.C. Wyeth came to Chadds Ford, PA, to study art with Harold Pyle. The film emphasizes how important the Brandywine Valley, its buildings, and the surrounding countryside were to the development of Wyeth's art. In the first half of this film, scenes of Wyeth's home, studio, paintings, murals, and book illustrations from "Treasure Island," "Robinhood," "Kidnapped," "Last of the Mohicans," and "The Deerslayer" are shown. He strove for dramatic energy and historical authenticity in his illustrations. In the second half of the film, his daughter Caroline and his son-in-law John McCoy speak with the illustrator Henry Pitz about his experience of studying with Wyeth and Wyeth's knowledge and love of the Brandywine Valley. Caroline shares her memories of her father's dedication to his art, his teaching, and his encouragement of her artistic development. This film with narration is in both black and white and color.

r013_0273_0001_PennsburyManor

Pennsbury Manor

This Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission film has scenes from both Pennsbury Manor and the Daniel Boone Homestead. Pennsbury Manor, William Penn's country home built in 1683-1700 and its outbuildings, is shown, and a group of dignities pose at the manor's main entrance door and then tour the surrounding grounds. Next, families and groups of children are shown walking the grounds of Daniel Boone's homestead. This silent film is in color.

r013_0273_0002_LandisValleyMuseumDedication

Landis Valley Museum Dedication

The Landis Valley Village and Farm Museum is the subject of this short, black and white and silent film. The brothers George and Henry Landis, who founded the museum, are shown in several shots in the film. The two men are in the beginning of the film, posing beside a colonial-style, hand-operated water pump. Exterior shots of several buildings and people strolling the grounds of the museum make up the majority of the film.

r013_0273_0003_AddisonTollHouseFortNecessity

Western Pennsylvania: Addison Toll House, Fort Necessity

Exterior views of Fort Necessity in Fayette County and the Petersburg Tollhouse in Addison, PA, on the National Pike Old Route 40, are shown in this short, silent film in color. At Fort Necessity, a mother and father with their two young children stroll along the path to the stockade's entrance. At the tollhouse, a Pennsylvania Historical Marker and a sign posted with toll rates are shown.

r013_0273_0004_MuseumInteriorAndExterior

Commission Seal, State Museum Interior and Exterior Views

This short, black and white, and silent film opens with the "Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission, 1945, Mercy and Justice" seal. Exterior views of the old Pennsylvania State Museum in the State Capitol building complex and interior views of the main entrance lobby with artwork, statuary, and historical flags are shown.

r013_0273_0005_ChristmasFilmRemainders

Christmas Film, Remainders

A mother shops at an old-time country store (possibly at the Landis Valley Village and Farm Museum) for her Christmas items. Later, at home with her children, she decorates her house with evergreen garlands and the Christmas tree with ornaments and candles. Santa arrives and places toys under the Christmas tree for the children. This silent film is in black and white.

r013_0273_0006_LandisValley

Landis Valley Village and Farm Museum

This film shows exterior scenes of various buildings, wagons, carriages, farming equipment, hand-forged iron implements, and mill stones at the Landis Valley Village and Farm Museum. One of the Landis brothers, co-founders of the museum, is seen in the film. This silent film is in black and white.

r013_0273_0007_CornwallFurnace

Cornwall Furnace

Various exterior views of the Cornwall Furnace in Cornwall, PA, are seen in this short, silent film in color. Both the main building and outbuildings are shown. A group of visitors enter the main building, and a Pennsylvania historical maker and a plaque provide some history of the furnace.

r013_0273_0008_AdmiralPearyParkCresson

Admiral Peary Park

The Admiral Peary Park in Cresson, PA., is the subject of this short, silent film in color. Rear Admiral Robert E. Peary was born near Cresson on May 6, 1856. A Pennsylvania historical marker and monument at the park commemorate his birth and achievements. A statue of Peary with his faithful dog companion is a part of the monument.

r013_0301_0000_0001_WindowsOnOurPast

Windows On Our Past

"Windows On Our Past," presented by the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission, encourages the viewer to understand the past in order to better understand the present. A group of young children tour the Pennsylvania State Museum in Harrisburg, PA, to learn about William Penn, the original Penn Charter, and Pennsylvania's history. The William Penn Museum and Archives are the home of the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission. The roles, responsibilities, and formation of the Commission are then explained in the film. The Commission's historical marker program, mobile museum, and historical properties are also explained in detail. Commission staff, archivists, curators, historians, artisans, and planners are dedicated to accomplishing the Commission's goals and projects. The film travels inside the State Archives, the repository for all state records and valuable historical manuscripts. The Pennsylvania Historical Trail sites that are highlighted in this film include the State Museum and Archive buildings, the Daniel Boone Homestead, Pennsbury Manor, Flagship Niagara, Old Economy Village, Ephrata Cloisters, Landis Valley Village and Farm Museum, Drake Well Museum, Cornwall Furnace, and the Pennsylvania Military Museum. This film is in color with narration.

r013_0301_0000_BeehiveCokeOvenDuplicate_1973

The Beehive Coke Oven: End of an Industrial Era!

"The Beehive Coke Oven: End of an Industrial Era!" presented by The Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission, examines the historical importance of coke production to the iron and steel industries in Pennsylvania. The production of coke is explained. This film also documents the last beehive coke production facility in Shoaf, PA, which was phased out on March 14, 1972. Each step of the coke production process is shown and explained in the film. Historical pictures, contemporary film footage, interviews, and historical towns and ruins are shown throughout the film. This film with narration is in both black and white and color.

r013_0301_0001_TrailOfHistoryCa1960to1970

Pennsylvania Trail of History: Henner's Birthday

The Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission presents "Henner's Birthday," filmed at the Pennsylvania Farm Museum of Landis Valley in Lancaster, PA. It's late February, it's cold, and snow is on the ground. Henner is headed to the country store, and he is worried because no one has mentioned that today is his birthday. The store owner gathers together the items on Henner's mother's list but will not reveal if Henner's mother has bought him a birthday present. Henner follows a six-horse-team Conestoga wagon to his home. Once home, his mother and sister are busy in the kitchen cooking and baking, and there is still no mention of his birthday. Grandma is busy spinning wool, Papa is in the gun shop working on a rifle, and no one has mentioned his birthday. Finally, at the evening meal, each family member gives Henner a birthday present that they have made or bought specially for him. This black and white film is narrated.

r013_0301_0002_OldFashionedChristmasCa1960to1970

Old Fashioned Christmas

"An Old-Fashioned Christmas Eve" is a film that was arranged by the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission and photographed by the Pennsylvania Department of Commerce. The story opens with Ma and Pa picking up their mail and completing their Christmas shopping at the country store (possibly at the Landis Valley Village and Farm Museum). Later at home, Ma bakes Christmas treats as she recites the Christmas story to the children. Before the children go to bed, they hang their stockings above the mantel for Santa to fill with presents. After the children are in bed, Ma and Pa decorate the Christmas tree with blown glass ornaments and real wax candles. While the family sleeps, Santa arrives, fills the stockings with toys, and places presents under the Christmas tree for the children. Before leaving, Santa leaves a Christmas message for the family. This black and white film is narrated.

r013_0301_0003_BeehiveCokeOven_1973

The Beehive Coke Oven: End of an Industrial Era!  (Duplicate)

"The Beehive Coke Oven: End of an Industrial Era!" presented by The Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission, examines the historical importance of coke production to the iron and steel industries in Pennsylvania. The production of coke is explained. This film also documents the last beehive coke production facility in Shoaf, PA, which was phased out on March 14, 1972. Each step of the coke production process is shown and explained in the film. Historical pictures, contemporary film footage, interviews, and historical towns and ruins are shown throughout the film. This film with narration is in both black and white and color.

r013_0301_0004_HennersBirthdayCa1960to1970

Henner's Birthday

The Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission presents "Henner's Birthday," filmed at the Pennsylvania Farm Museum of Landis Valley in Lancaster, PA. It's late February, it's cold, and snow is on the ground. Henner is headed to the country store, and he is worried because no one has mentioned that today is his birthday. The store owner gathers together the items on Henner's mother's list but will not reveal if Henner's mother has bought him a birthday present. Henner follows a six-horse-team Conestoga wagon to his home. Once home, his mother and sister are busy in the kitchen cooking and baking, and there is still no mention of his birthday. Grandma is busy spinning wool, Papa is in the gun shop working on a rifle, and no one has mentioned his birthday. Finally, at the evening meal, each family member gives Henner a birthday present that they have made or bought specially for him. This black and white film is narrated.

r013_0301_0005_FortPittStoryPart1Ca1960to1970

Fort Pitt Story (Part 1)

The "Fort Pitt Story" (Part 1 of 2) is presented by the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission and tells the story of Fort Pitt. Construction of Fort Pitt began in 1759; it was largest, most costly British fort and the farthest western post in British control in early America. Both the French (Fort Duquesne) and British (Fort Pitt) had their forts and laid claim on the Pittsburgh triangle of land over the years. This narrated film in color explains the history of the British and French conflict leading up to the building of Fort Pitt, after the British defeat of the French and the French burned Fort Duquesne.

r013_0301_0006_FortPittStoryPart2Ca1960to1970

Fort Pitt Story (Part 2)

The "Fort Pitt Story" (Part 2 of 2) is presented by the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission and continues the story of Fort Duquesne and Fort Pitt. This narrated film in color explains the British campaign to defeat the French at Fort Duquesne. After the defeat of the French, the triangle of land was renamed Fort Pitt, in honor of the British Prime Minister at the time. Eventually, the British built a larger and stronger fort on the land that is now Point Park in Pittsburgh.

r013_0301_0007_HistoricMarkersCa1960to1970

Historic Markers in Western PA

In this silent film in color, the viewer travels on a trip to see several Pennsylvania historical plaques and sites related to General Braddock's 1754-1755 campaign during the French and Indian War. Included are Bear Camp, Winding Ridge Summit Allegheny Mountains, Braddock Road, Great Crossings, Fort Necessity, Braddock Park, Chestnut Ridge Allegheny Mountains, Braddock Road Rock Fort Camp, and Dunbar's Camp.

r013_0301_0008_ValleyForgeTVSpotCa1976

Valley Forge TV Spot

Washington Crossing and Valley Forge encampment are the subjects of this short, Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission TV spot that invites citizens to visit historical locations near Philadelphia, PA. Exterior and interior shots of Washington's headquarters and views of Valley Forge Park are shown in the film. This film is in color with narration.

r013_0333_0001_WashingtonCrossingDelaware_1976

Washington Crossing the Delaware

This color film is presented by The Department of Forests and Waters of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, with narration by Chet Huntley, and tells the story of Washington crossing the Delaware River on Christmas Day, December 25, 1776. Scenic views of the surrounding countryside, historical buildings, monuments, and parks are shown throughout the film. The film describes the events leading up to and the crossing through the Delaware River by the use of the famous Washington Crossing the Delaware River painting, re-enactors, and period maps.

r013_0371_0001_WorkingTheHerd_191507

Passing of the West, Working the Herd and Wild Mule Race (Reel 1)

Scenes and events at a western rodeo are shown in this "Passing of the West" film (part one of four films). Events included in the film are bull-dogging wild Mexican steers without rope and wrestling them to the ground by their horns, roping and tying wild Mexican cattle by Miss Lucille Mulhall, and wild mule racing. The Champions George Williams, Charles Mulhall, and Jack Miller are shown saluting the crowd of observers. The "Has Beens, " the old-timer frontier boys of 1864, and cowboys eating next to a chuck wagon are also shown. This film is silent and in black and white with intertitle cards.

r013_0371_0002_LucilleMulhall_191507

Lucille Mulhall, Lady Champion, Trick and Fancy Roper of the World (Reel 2)

This is a silent, black and white "Passing of the West" film with intertitle cards. In this second part, we see lasso tricks performed by Lucille Mulhall, trick riding performed by Vera McGinness and Myrtle Cox, horse racing, bucking horse and bull riding, and stagecoach racing. This is part two of four films, circa 1915.

r013_0371_0003_MontanasRoundup_191507

Passing of the West: Montana's Greatest Roundup (Reel 3)

C. D. Revell (Wild Bill), the world's greatest stagecoach driver, and Miss Iva Park of Roundup, Montana (queen of the roundup) are featured in "C. L. Harris presents Passing of the West, Montana's greatest roundup and frontier day celebration, Billings, Montana, July 2-5, 1915." Wild Bill takes us on a stagecoach ride through Yellowstone National Park, navigating steep mountain passes and flat prairie lands. Montana Governor Samuel Vernon Stewart crowns Miss Iva Park the queen of the roundup. The rodeo participants parade through the city on their way to the rodeo grounds. This is part three of four films: the film is silent and in black and white with intertitle cards.

r013_0371_0004_SamGarrett_191507

Trick Roping by Sam Garrett, Champion Rope Spinner of the World (Reel 4)

Sam Garrett, champion rope spinner, and Miss Lucille Mulhall, trick and fancy roper, perform rope tricks in this "Passing of the West" film. Steer roping, the smallest bucking horse in the world, and a re-enactment of a pony express race are also shown in this film. This is part four of four films: the film is silent and in black and white with intertitle cards.

Department of Justice - Collection RG-015

r015_0157_0001_ReelCa1930s

Reel No. 1 [untitled] Daily life and activities of inmates

This silent and black and white film presents the day in the life of a Western State Penitentiary prisoner. The film begins with the initial entry into the prison with a mug shot taken, a haircut, uniform issued, cell assignment, fingerprinting, physical exam, and scholastic exam. Prisoners participate in activities such as food supply preparation and serving; laundry; and construction workshops. The prisoners' personal development activities also include wood working, tie making, model ship building, bead work, taxidermy, leather work, music, and radio control. Other activities include reading in the library, commissary duties, daily recreation, classroom education, typing, printing, and sign painting. This is part one of two parts.

r015_0157_0002_ReelCa1930s

Reel No. 2 [untitled] Health and medical treatments of inmates; "1936: The Story of the License Tag"

This silent and black and white film continues the story of a day in the life of a prisoner in the Western State Penitentiary. Dental health, minor wound treatment, and the hospital ward and operating room are shown. Trigger Alert: an actual operation involving a male occurs. "The Story of the License Tag" begins at about the 7:48 minute mark of this film. This section of the film depicts the entire process from start to finish as to how prisoners manufacture license plates. Also included is the manufacturing of dog and hunting tags, and highway signs. This is part two of two parts.

r015_0168_0001_RedCrossBloodmobile

American Red Cross Bloodmobile

This short, silent film in color begins with a bloodmobile truck parked outside a building where a blood drive is happening. Inside the building, blood donors are queuing up and donors are giving blood.

r015_0168_0002_RepairShop

Automobile Repair Shop

This short, silent film in color shows convicts repairing, cleaning, and polishing cars in an automobile repair shop.

r015_0168_0003_ConstructionSchoolBuildingPart1

Construction of New School Building (Part 1)

This short, silent film in color shows convicts doing masonry work on a construction site. This is part one of two parts.

r015_0168_0004_ConstructionSchoolBuildingPart2

Construction of New School Building (Part 2)

This short, silent film in color shows convicts doing masonry work on a construction site, clearing rocks, and mowing grass. This is part two of two parts.

r015_0168_0005_FarmScenesPart1

Farm scenes: picking potatoes (Part 1)

This short, silent film in color shows a potato farm, farm buildings, and fields. This is part one of two parts.

r015_0168_0006_FarmScenesPart2

Farm scenes: picking potatoes (Part 2)

This short, silent film in color shows convicts working at a potato farm. This is part two of two parts.

r015_0168_0007_FootballMarchingBand

Football and marching band practices, laundry, construction, blood donation, and various prison scenes

This silent film in color is a compilation of short scenes at a prison that show a musical review with a choir and choreography, a football game, marching band, laundry activities, construction work, a blood drive, visiting time, metal working, welding, and masonry work being done by the prisoners.

Department of Labor and Industry - Collection RG-016

r016_0014_0001_YourJobInsurance_1937

Your Job Insurance

The state of Pennsylvania presents "Unemployment Compensation, Your Job Insurance," produced by the Social Security Board, 1937. The film explains the cooperation between industry, labor, and the Federal and State governments to provide job insurance. Unemployment compensation laws were included in the Federal Social Security Act, signed into law on August 14, 1935, by President Franklin D. Roosevelt. Pennsylvania's Governor George H. Earle and Secretary of Labor and Industry Ralph M. Bashore planned for the job insurance payments to Pennsylvania workers to begin in 1938. The film describes how three million employees in Pennsylvania will start contributing to the Social Security Unemployment Trust Fund to support unemployment insurance payments for everyone who is entitled to them. The film shows the eligibility requirements and the process of applying for and receiving payments through a dramatization of an employee who has unexpectedly lost their job. Throughout the film, there are scenes of workers in various industries. This film is black-and-white, with sound.