Harrisburg, PA - A permanent exhibit at The State Museum of Pennsylvania featuring the history of the Pennsylvania Turnpike has earned national recognition.
The Leadership in History committee of the American Association for State and Local History (AASLH) has selected The State Museum as its 2017 Award of Merit winner. The honor specifically recognizes the Museum’s exhibit, The Pennsylvania Turnpike: America’s First Superhighway.
“We are so pleased to receive this special recognition for the turnpike exhibit,” said Beth Hager, director of The State Museum of Pennsylvania. “The AASLH award underscores the positive new standard we are setting to revive and enhance presentations and programs throughout The State Museum.”
Based in Nashville, Tenn., AASLH is a not-for-profit professional organization working to preserve and promote history.
The AASLH Leadership in History Awards is the most prestigious recognition for achievement in the preservation and interpretation of state and local history. The Leadership in History Awards Program was initiated in 1945 to build standards of excellence in the collection, preservation and interpretation of state and local history throughout America.
AASLH will present the award to The State Museum at a special banquet on September 8 in Austin, Texas.
Dr. Curt Miner, a senior curator at The State Museum who headed the exhibit, will accept the award.
“Our partnership with The State Museum began as way to commemorate our 75th anniversary,” said Mark Compton, CEO of the PA Turnpike Commission. “It is an honor to be showcased in this exhibit and we are gratified to see the State Museum recognized for their meticulous work. Dr. Miner and his curatorial team crafted an exhibit that tells the Turnpike story in a compelling and meaningful way.”
Opened on October 2, 2015 to coincide with the 75th anniversary of the Pennsylvania Turnpike, The Pennsylvania Turnpike: America’s First Superhighway exhibit highlights the ongoing quest to improve the state’s transportation infrastructure. By tunneling through the mountains rather than routing over or around them, and maintaining uniform design and construction standards across its entire length, the original 160-mile section of roadway cut travel time between Harrisburg and Pittsburgh by nearly half.
The exhibit is the first in a series of modular upgrades to the Museum’s popular second-floor Transportation and Industry gallery.
Since opening, the exhibit has drawn first-time and repeat visitors to the museum. A first-generation tollbooth that once stood at the Irwin Interchange of the Pennsylvania Turnpike greets visitors as they journey through the exhibit. Interactive videos, hands-on displays and images illustrate the history of Pennsylvania’s main transportation artery.
The State Museum of Pennsylvania, adjacent to the State Capitol in Harrisburg, is one of 24 historic sites and museums administered by the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission as part of the Pennsylvania Trails of History. With exhibits examining the dawn of geologic time, the Native American experience, the colonial and revolutionary era, a pivotal Civil War battleground, and the commonwealth's vast industrial age, The State Museum demonstrates that Pennsylvania's story is America’s story.
For more information about the museum, visit www.statemuseumpa.org.
Media Contact: Howard Pollman, 717-705-8639
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