Regular
Yearly Membership: $20 per year
Corporate
membership is available at a $500 yearly rate.

ATMS
c/o Jay
Sexton
1120
Pine Grove Road
Gardners,
PA 17324
Phone:
717 486-8126
Progress
Report 2011
Continued Growth
The Appalachian Trail Museum continues to grow, exceeding
everyones modest hopes of only a couple of years
ago. New exhibits are being made ready to occupy the
planned new physical space as it becomes available.
Publicity is spreading the word about the Museum, attracting
an international audience. The challenge now is to maintain
a growth rate in funding that meets the Museums
ambitious needs.
New Exhibits
AT Hall of Fame. An Appalachian Trail Hall of Fame was
established, and at a banquet held June 17 in the Allenberry
Resort, and attended by 150 people the first class of
six was an-nounced: Benton MacKaye, Earl Shaffer, Myron
Avery, Arthur Perkins, Gene Espy, and Ed Gar-vey. A
special award was given to Thurston Griggs, who died
a few months later at age 95.
Traveling Exhibit. The Museums new traveling
exhibit was unveiled this March at the Mathers Museum
of World Cultures in Bloomington, Indiana. It then traveled
to Trail Days, the ATC Biennial Meeting, and the Museum
Festival in June among other venues. It will continue
traveling through the summer of 2012 to several youth-oriented
nonprofits in Maine. The traveling exhibit was funded
by a grant from the Quimby Foundation.
Sign Exhibit. In the spring the Museum opened a
historical sign exhibit which included a sign that had
braved the weather at Katahdin for ten years; a sign
showing the distance from Wallace Gap to Mt. Oglethorpe
(the original southern terminus of the AT); a replica
of the original Springer Mountain sign; and the original
Center Point Knob plaque.
Deans Gap Shelter. In late summer volunteers began
the difficult task of disassembling the stone Deans
Gap Shelter in Pennsylvania, which was built by Earl
Shaffer. Work was discontin-ued before the start of
the states hunting season, and will resume in
the spring. Eventually this historic shelter will be
reassembled on the Museums grounds.
Virginia CCC Shelter. Preliminary discussions are
underway regarding the possibility of saving a Civilian
Conservation Corps (CCC) shelter in Virginia.
Polaroid Project.With the launching last spring
of the <athikerpictures org> web site, the Po-laroid
Project was brought to a successful conclusion. This
involved the digitizing of nearly 30 years worth of
Polaroid pictures of through-hikers that had been taken
at Harpers Ferry. A Quimby grant also funded this project.
Events
Hammock Hang. Among an extensive schedule of programs
presented throughout the 2011
season perhaps the most unusual was a hammock
hang, which was a display of many different
styles of hammocks and their potential use by hikers.
Building and Grounds
Park of the Year. Pine Grove Furnace State Park
was designated Park of the Year, thanks
in
no small measure to the success and popularity of the
Appalachian Trail Museum.
New Construction. The Museum Societys architect
expects to have final plans completed and
submitted to the state this winter, in time for construction
of outside ramps to be started by late
spring and completed by a year from now as required
by terms of the South Mountain grant.
New Exhibit Areas. In addition to new exhibits
planned for the 2012 season, our hope is to
open the basement exhibit area by Memorial Day 2013
and the upper floor by a year later, at
which time the upper level will provide the main entrance.
Lease Extension. The Museums lease was extended
to 25 years, allowing us to proceed with
our future building plans.
Information Kiosk. Volunteers from the Norfolk Southern
Railway built a kiosk outside the
Museum for the display of information relating to the
Museum, the park, and the AT.
Public Services
Visitors. The years total of visitors came
in at about 7,500 which included a contingent of hikers
from Germany who had learned about the Museum from German
television.
Open Every Day but Two. A remarkable achievement in
the Museums two-year history is that
its doors were open every scheduled day but two: one
because of Hurricane Irene and the other
the result of a premature October snowstorm. This record
is owing in no small part to the dedication
of 50 volunteer docents, including one who came from
California to serve for a full
month. These volunteers gave us a total of 1,589 hours
during the 2011 season.
Funding
Two Major Grants. Major new funding was provided this
year, including $30,000 from the
South Mountain Partnership, $10,000 from the Hershey
Corporation, and a $50,000 challenge
grant from an anonymous donor.
Future Needs. Although 2011 was the Museums
most successful fund-raising year thus far, the
awesome cost of our plans for the future is dauntingnotwithstanding
the tireless efforts of our
dozens of volunteers. More than ever we will be depending
on our members and friends for as
much financial support as they can provide.
Thank you for your help,
Larry Luxenberg
President, ATMS
Katahdin
Art Project

There
is now another way to donate to the A.T. Museum. It
is called the Katahdin Art Project and is a collaboration
between the Earl Shaffer Foundation and Crest Photography
Inc. It combines Earl Shaffers poetry and Bart
Smiths photography to create a moving and lasting
tribute to Mount Katahdin. It includes a picture of
Mount Katahdin along with a poem composed by Earl.
The
poem "Katahdin" came to Earl upon waking from
a dream in the wee hours of the morning of his final
ascent up Katahdin. He wrote it while still in his sleeping
bag using light from his head lamp.
Bart
photographed Mount Katahdin from the Appalachian Trail
along Abol Bridge in the latter half of October 1998.
The previous day a passing storm yielded thunder, lightning,
rainbows and the years first snow on Mount Katahdin.
The dawn broke, sparkling clear with wisps of clouds,
and it was captured by Bart in the above photo.
We
believe you will appreciate the scope of this endeavor.
The Katahdin Art Project is a lasting tribute to the
mountain that represents the northern terminus of the
Appalachian Trail and to Earl Shaffer. If you are excited
about the artistry of the Katahdin Art Project, as well
as the concept of win, win, win fundraising please tell
a friend, so the word can spread. It is a one of a kind
gift which will be treasured through out the years.
Best of all, your purchase will help carry on the spirit
of Earl Shaffers legacy, a man who gave so much
to the Appalachian Trail.
Follow
the link:
katahdinartproject.com
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