Thursday, May 9, 2019: Boal Museum Tour and Cookout
For our May Second Thursdays meeting, don’t look for us at Mt Nittany Residences – we’ll be at the Columbus Chapel & Boal Mansion Museum in Boalsburg for a tour of this historical treasure in our own backyard. Afterwards, we’ll picnic on the Museum grounds. Our grill masters will serve up hamburgers and hot dogs with lots of yummy side dishes.
The tour will be conducted by Museum docents and we’ll be accompanied by audio describers from the Sight-Loss Support Group. As we tour the Mansion, the Chapel, and the new Columbus exhibit, chairs will be available in each room. Golf carts will also be available for anyone who prefers to ride rather than walk between various buildings and then to the picnic area.
If you’ve never visited the Boal Museum before, prepare yourself for a rare treat. A visit to the Georgian-style home is a fascinating walk through American history, told through eight generations of the Boal family who lived in the mansion for over 200 years. The house and its rich collections of original furnishings, beautiful artwork, and unusual artifacts tell a rags-to-riches story of the Boal family, from the humble beginnings in 1809 of a Scottish-Irish pioneer to a prominent, influential family. The Boals had ties to Spain, France, U.S. presidents, and Christopher Columbus, and yet they were rooted in central Pennsylvania, founding and growing Boalsburg Village, and being instrumental in the founding of Penn State University. But there’s always more to the story, especially at the Boal Museum. To find out what an authentic Renaissance European chapel is doing on the grounds of the Museum, join us for this memorable tour on May 9th.
Reservations are needed for the tour and cookout, so please RSVP as soon as possible (if you have not already done so) by calling the Sight-Loss Support Group at 814-238-0132. You are welcome to bring a companion. Please arrive at the Museum’s Visitor Center, 163A Boal Estate Drive, Boalsburg, PA 16827 (formerly 300 Old Boalsburg Rd) by 9:45 am. Tours will be starting promptly at 10:00 am. The picnic will conclude around 1:30 pm.