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    Dr. James McMahon, Jr. Appointed Site Administrator at Landis Valley Village and Farm Museum

    May 31, 2017

    ​Harrisburg, PA – The Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission (PHMC) today announced the appointment of Dr. James McMahon, Jr. to the position of site administrator at Landis Valley Village and Farm Museum.  McMahon succeeds James Lewars, who retired after 40 years of state service.

    “Jim’s extensive administrative experience, along with his background in exhibits, community relations, and fundraising make him the ideal choice for this position,” said Brenda Reigle, Director of PHMC’s Bureau of Historic Sites and Museums. “He also comes to us with a significant knowledge of Pennsylvania German collections, which is a focus of Landis Valley Village and Farm Museum.”

    Before coming to Landis Valley, McMahon served as the inaugural director of the Department of School History and curator at High Point Mansion (the home of Milton and Catherine Hershey) for the Milton Hershey School in Hershey, PA. He also spent time as both director and senior curator at the Hershey Museum, now operating as The Hershey Story.

    McMahon has 29 years of professional museum experience. He is the author of three books about Hershey, as well as numerous articles on various aspects of Hershey history and Pennsylvania German culture.

    A graduate of Manheim Township High School, McMahon received a bachelor’s degree in history from Franklin and Marshall College, a master’s degree in American Studies from Penn State Harrisburg and a doctorate in American Studies from Penn State Harrisburg.  He is a past Residential Research Fellow at the Winterthur Museum and a graduate of the Museum Management Institute at the University of Colorado at Boulder.

    Situated on 100 acres in Lancaster County, Landis Valley Village and Farm Museum is a living history village that collects, preserves, and interprets the history and material culture of the Pennsylvania German community from 1740 to 1940.  The museum is administered by the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission with the active support of the Landis Valley Associates. 

    For more information on Landis Valley Village and Farm Museum, visit www.landisvalleymuseum.org.

    Media Contact: Howard Pollman, 717-705-8639​