Slate Belt Heritage Center

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SLATE BELT HERITAGE CENTER GRAND OPENING MAY 19, 1-4 PM

The Slate Belt Heritage Center will hold its 2013 GRAND OPENING on Sunday, May 19, 2013 between the hours of 1pm-4pm. The SBHC has undergone a complete facelift and will be presenting brand new exhibits, room displays and several new surprises. The history, traditions and artifacts of the Slate Belt have not changed, but the presentation is new and exciting.

A furnace accident forced the Heritage Center to close its season early in 2012. Volunteers from the community helped dismantle every display, clean every artifact, and reinstall each exhibit. “No one wanted the puff-back to happen,” said Cathy Heard, SBHC volunteer, “but it gives the Center an opportunity to refresh exhibits and tell more Slate Belt stories.”

Since its founding in 1999, the Slate Belt community has donated treasured artifacts, rare photographs, family genealogies, and oral histories, and the Heritage Center published six books about ethnic groups in the Slate Belt. The new installation will include more of this material as well as hands-on displays, like a working model of a gristmill.

Admission is free and open to the public; light refreshments will be served. Due to the opening, the Heritage Center will not hold an additional program in May. Please join us for the start of our 2013 season at 30 N. First Street in Bangor on May 19.



Monthly Lecture Series


Summer lectures are the 2nd Thursday of the month from April to November at 7:00 pm.

Winter lectures are the 2nd Sunday of the month at 2:00 pm.

Check the schedule often as lectures may change.





Current Collections


Our collections are constantly changing. The next collections include:



See Photo Gallery of Past Exhibits

Attractions


Hours of Operation

Saturday 12 p.m. to 3 p.m.
Sunday 12 p.m. to 3 p.m.
April - October

30 North First Street
Bangor, PA 18013
610.588.8615
Email us

Welcome


Old Town Hall The Slate Belt Heritage Center was built in 1907 and originally served as the town hall, council chambers, borough offices, and fire department for the town of Bangor, Pennsylvania. In 1998, a group of determined citizens decided to save the deteriorating building and use it to house local heritage.

In February 1999, the Bangor Town Council was approached regarding leasing this historic structure in order to restore it to its original state. Many volunteers enthusiastically began the arduous task of refurbishing the center from its hardwood floors to the tower housing the old town clock.

One of the highlights is a mural that covers the entire wall of the staircase painted by art students from Bangor High School depicting the history of Bangor from its beginning to the end of the 20th century.

In 2000, the Slate Belt Heritage Center opened its doors to the public in order to serve as a tribute to the early Slate Belt settlers and showcase their unique blend of ethnic cultures. The center contains two floors of self-guided exhibits.

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