Pa. Maple Museum open for the 2024 Maple Tour

Sandra Lepley
·4 min read

SOMERSET ― The Historical and Genealogical Society of Somerset County offers an educational site during the annual Maple Taste and Tour.

Mark Ware, executive director of the Somerset Historical Center, stands in the new Pa. Maple Museum during the 2024 Maple Tour last weekend. The museum will be officially opened at the end of June but will once again be a part of the tour for this upcoming weekend.
Mark Ware, executive director of the Somerset Historical Center, stands in the new Pa. Maple Museum during the 2024 Maple Tour last weekend. The museum will be officially opened at the end of June but will once again be a part of the tour for this upcoming weekend.

And, while it may get overlooked because it isn't an actual maple camp, this site takes tourists back in time to where it all began – with simple equipment like wooden keelers and finishing pans among a host of other local artifacts.

The tour continues this Saturday and Sunday at 23 different locations throughout Somerset County and into Cambria, Fayette and Bedford counties.

While the new Pennsylvania Maple Museum at Hoffman Hall on the Somerset Historical Center grounds north of Somerset on Somerset Pike isn't officially finished yet, it is open for this tour and showcases some of Somerset County's earliest maple history. The official opening is set for June 29.

More: Maple Taste and Tour set for next two weekends

"The maple industry in Somerset County started out in these ways and progressed to the technology of today," said Mark Ware, executive director of the historical center. "This museum will attract people from all over because it tells the story of Pennsylvania's rich maple heritage."

Bob Shively, a volunteer for the Historical and Genealogical Society of Somerset County, shows Alex and Becky Hartos of Pittsburgh and their children, Elizabeth, 12, and Katelynn, 10, the 1860s maple camp on the grounds of the society during last weekend's Maple Tour.
Bob Shively, a volunteer for the Historical and Genealogical Society of Somerset County, shows Alex and Becky Hartos of Pittsburgh and their children, Elizabeth, 12, and Katelynn, 10, the 1860s maple camp on the grounds of the society during last weekend's Maple Tour.

There are six maple-producing regions in Pennsylvania, including Northwest, Northeast, Endless Mountain, Potter-Tioga, Somerset County and the newest addition River Valley in Juniata County, but not all have a Maple Weekend. Somerset County is the biggest producer of maple syrup in the state.

Open during maple tour weekend

This past weekend during the tour, Jacob Miller, curator for the historical society, reported the site had about 200 people visiting each day of the two-day weekend event. He demonstrated coopering at one of the inside stations and explained how the first keelers, a term known only in Somerset County, were put together without nails or glue and yet were water-tight.

From left, Ambree Whaley of Markleton and sisters Adeline and Alivia Hay of Somerset learned how many gallons of sap it takes to make one gallon of maple syrup at a learning station at the Pa. Maple Museum during the Maple Tour this past weekend. The tour is open again this weekend at 23 different sites.
From left, Ambree Whaley of Markleton and sisters Adeline and Alivia Hay of Somerset learned how many gallons of sap it takes to make one gallon of maple syrup at a learning station at the Pa. Maple Museum during the Maple Tour this past weekend. The tour is open again this weekend at 23 different sites.

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For tourists Andrea Hay of Somerset and her children, Adeline, 6, and Alivia, 5, and their friends, Hillary Whaley with daughter Ambree, 4, this was the perfect way to study history. They are all involved in a local Somerset homeschooling group and at St. Paul's Presbyterian Church. The young students are reading Laura Ingalls Wilder's book "Little House on the Prairie" and the new museum brings the maple sugaring part of the book alive for the family.

"We are even tapping our own trees on our farm and boiling to make some maple syrup," said Andrea Hay. "The museum has done a great job of making everything understandable for all ages."

Bill Blough of Jenner Township watches Jacob Miller, curator for the historical society, as he demonstrates coopering in the new Pa. Maple Museum at Hoffman Hall on the grounds of the Somerset Historical Center.
Bill Blough of Jenner Township watches Jacob Miller, curator for the historical society, as he demonstrates coopering in the new Pa. Maple Museum at Hoffman Hall on the grounds of the Somerset Historical Center.

Likewise, visitors Alex and Becky Hartos of Pittsburgh and their children, Elizabeth, 12, and Katelynn, 10, found the 1860s sugar camp near the museum to be educational and enlightening.

"This is our first time to visit Somerset County for the tour," said Becky Hartos. "We saw a brochure a few years ago at a craft show in Washington County and thought this may be a great day trip. My husband and I love maple syrup so this was the perfect family outing and delicious at the same time because of all the samples."

Coopering was a big part of the maple industry in the early years in order for buckets to be watertight. Here, many coopered buckets are on display in the Pa. Maple Museum.
Coopering was a big part of the maple industry in the early years in order for buckets to be watertight. Here, many coopered buckets are on display in the Pa. Maple Museum.

Why a maple museum?

The idea of a maple museum dedicated to Pennsylvania's maple industry was discussed a few years ago by individual maple producers and state maple associations. They provided seed money and that alongside the society's research as well as a sizable donation of maple artifacts put the wheels in motion. The society decided to establish the museum in a redesigned Hoffman Hall.

More: Tree tapping officially kicks off maple season in Somerset County

The Pa. Maple Museum, located at Hoffman Hall on the Historical and Genealogical Society of Somerset grounds, is open during the Maple Tour this weekend and will be officially opened at the end of June.
The Pa. Maple Museum, located at Hoffman Hall on the Historical and Genealogical Society of Somerset grounds, is open during the Maple Tour this weekend and will be officially opened at the end of June.

For the past six months, the staff has been creating exhibit panels, cleaning artifacts and mounting the exhibits to put things in place. However, the staff is now working on exhibit graphics and labels to finish the site by the grand opening.

Bill Blough of Jenner Township, who was touring with his wife, Janie, on Sunday at the maple museum, believes the maple tour is a good experience for everyone.

"We usually go to a few maple camps and then stop by here at the historical society," said Blough, who volunteers for Mountain Craft Days at the center every September. "Coming here is an educational experience and with the new museum, there is so much more to see and learn about in the history of the maple industry. It is a worthwhile trip."

This article originally appeared on The Daily American: Pa. Maple Museum open for the 2024 Maple Tour