The "Lancaster's North Museum Comes To Life Story"

It was an ordinary day.  Reading the "Lancaster That Was" column that appears in my Sunday News every Sunday.  Tells of stories that were published 25, 50, 75, and 100 years ago in Lancaster's Sunday News so readers can focus on the events from the county's past that are noteworthy, newsworthy or just plain strange.  Usually takes up half a page of the newspaper, depending upon how much news there might have been on any given date in years gone by.  Seems that 25 years ago The North Museum, a longtime fixture of College Avenue in Lancaster's northwest, was officially separated from Franklin & Marshall College in April 1998.  Due to the change, an admission charge would now be charged.  The North Museum was founded by F&M in 1953.   The museum was named for Hugh North Jr., a local businessman whose estate financed the building's construction.  For 45 years, the museum provided science education aimed at children, all under the auspices of the college.  The North's family trust established a rule that the museum could not charge admission, though "suggested donations" were allowed.  In 1998 the museum wished to separate from the college and begin charging a mandatory $2 fee to enter.  Because of the language of the trust, a judge had to sign off on the changes which Judge James Cullen did on April 8, allowing the museum to operate independently as a charitable nonprofit corporation.  100 years ago, one month after a Hollywood talent hunt came to Lancaster, the results of those efforts would be shown to the public, with two screen stars of the day in attendance.  Lancaster County residents who tried out as part of the star search would be able to see their first test reels on a movie scene at Lancaster's Martin Auditorium before the films were shipped off to California for evaluation.  Generating further excitement for the event were Edward Earle, an established actor of the silent film era, and the up-and-coming starlet Clara Bow, who rose to fame thanks to a similar talent-seeking contest just two years earlier.  (Bow would go on to be one of the top stars of the late 1920s and early 1930s.  Her role in the 1927 silent film "It" established her as a sex symbol - and coined the phrase "the it girl," which has subsequently been applied to many young female actors whose looks and personality help define the fashion of their era.")  The column that was titled "LANCASTER THAT WAS" has been one of my favorite columns to read every Sunday.  A few of my stories on this blog have come from stories in this column.  It's an easy way to locate the history of Lancaster County.  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.