Education: Forming and Reforming Minds in Harrisburg, 1823 - 2023

During the end of the 19th century and through the majority of the 20th century, Education was an ever-evolving space across the country. The examples in this set give a glimpse into a historical mirror as to how different Education was through the last 120+ years. There is a noticeable change through the decades in what methods, techniques, and settings were being studied and tested as different pedagogy techniques were being developed. As the title of this gallery suggests, Work-Play-Study schools appear sporadically across the country which pivoted the traditional focus of academia from…

In this display case, four published items from between 1876 and 2022 present the often contentious relationship between private Catholic schools and their surroundings. Though Catholics were present and active in the U.S. from its earliest days (the state of Maryland was founded to provide freedom to Catholics fleeing England; one Catholic signed the Declaration of Independence), they were not immune to sometimes violent persecution, as they were often negatively associated with "foreigners" or "immigrants" in early U.S. history and, more recently, are often negatively associated…

In this display case, we will show images from that will show the beginnings of two wealthy businessmen that decided to take their knowledge into the forefront and provide a hand in creating some of the finest education institutions in the country. Each with their own respective interest groups and each of their own with their respective business models. As we progress through history, we will see their humble beginnings, unique momentous highlights, all while ending with where each stands today.

1. Milton Hershey’s Homestead – The Humble Start of The Milton Hershey School

In…

In this exhibit you will see four images illustrating the dark past of children diagnosed with learning disabilities in the 1800s and 1900s. The first public schools in Pennsylvania were opened from 1818 to 1834, but intellectually disabled children were not allowed to attend public school with neurotypical children. Instead, intellectually disabled children were committed to state institutions, sterilized, segregated and sometimes even killed for their harmless differences. It was not until the landmark case of 1972, known as Pennsylvania Association for Retarded Citizens (PARC) v.…

In this display case, four newspapers clip from between 1916 and 1984 represent how Pennsylvania schools struggle for education equity. Educational equity is complex and can take many forms, but it essentially means that each child receives what they need to develop to their full academic and social potential. Today, education funding relies on federal, state, and local government funds. Between 1957 and 1966, Pennsylvania’s funding formula remained unchanged. Education funding was distributed to districts based on districts’ teaching units. Teaching units are the curricular content the…

This display case shows images of schools and the use of uniforms in the Lower Dauphin County dating from the 1900's to 2022. Uniforms can be dated back to 1222 in England, however, school uniforms did not come into the United States until the early 1900's. Uniforms were primarily used in parochial and private schools and hadn't appeared in public schools until the 1980's. Most girls in the 1930's wore dresses or blouses with puffed sleeves and skirts. Boys would wear plain colored shirts with sweaters during the colder seasons, pants, and a tie. By late 1950's, A-line jumpers in navy were…

The Amish religion is filled with stark conservative views involving technology and attire, and their beliefs around schooling and the public are no different. Since they first settled in Pennsylvania in the late 1700s, they have been steadfast in removing their children from school at age 14 to begin training on their farms or in the construction trade. States such as Indiana and Ohio did not agree and started fining Amish fathers for refusing their children to attend state-recognized schools until age 18. The Amish began keeping their children in separate schools and away from public…

In the Mid 1800s, 1900s and beginning of the year 2000, we will view through images the different transportation system along with how children were getting to school. It has been proven and seen that years ago, the most popular transportation method was their legs and feet. Schools were not like the average schools we see today, but schools for children during the 18th and early 19th century were churches, teachers, or student homes. Not all children were able to make it to school due to families not affording to send their children to learn and parents needed their children to help…

A striking image of a group of soldiers' orphans living in a Lutheran Church-run institution was captured in the middle of the 1860s. This moving picture serves as a moving reminder of the difficulties these young people, who lost their parents in the line of duty, had to face. The image not only shows the fortitude and spirit of these kids, but it also throws light on the efforts made by religious institutions to care for and assist its members during a trying time in history.

Background:

The American Civil War, which cost numerous men their lives, raged in the United States…

In this exhibit, we explore the history regarding Harrisburg’s past regarding special needs children and how teachers and schools have been able to assist families in observing signs of a disability as well as connecting them to the appropriate resources. Harrisburg was originally a pioneer regarding their approach to providing quality education. Their first school for special needs was opened in 1910 and growth continued with a second school being built the following year. In addition to the schools, Harrisburg State Hospital, the first hospital in the state for the ill and disabled and…

The origin of these images span the 1900's detailing the changing demographics of children enrolled in the Harrisburg School District. Pictures of Harrisburg High School's yearbook were captured by Amber Johnson, authorized to be taken by Eric Turman, superintendent of the Harrisburg School District, from their archives housed at Cougar Academy.

During the 1900’s quality education was highly sought-after by the residents of Harrisburg, Pa and education reform was on this rise. African American educators were appointed to school boards and Civil rights pioneers worked with…