Clearfield County Historical Society Museums Open for the Season

PHOTO CAPTION – The Clearfield County Historical Society Museum, the Kerr House is open for the season on Thursdays and Sundays from 1:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. One of this year’s displays is “If These Dolls Could Talk” which includes a cloth doll stuffed with sawdust, porcelain head dolls, bisque and composite dolls, paper dolls and more. (Photo courtesy of the CCHS)

By Julie Rae Rickard

CLEARFIELD – One of the things history buffs look forward to in warmer weather is the opening of the Clearfield County Historical Society’s museums.

The Kerr House Museum, located at 104 E. Pine Street, opened on May 7 for the first time this season. The museum has three floors of items from the county’s history on view in this former Victorian home built between 1879 and 1880.

The Kerr House itself has quite a history. At one point this land belonged to William Bigler who served as both Governor of Pennsylvania and the United States Senate.

The house, built by George S. Young was purchased by Julia B. Kerr in 1881 and she lived there with her husband, James Kerr.

“It was during the lifetime of James Kerr that guests in the house included business and political leaders from far beyond the bounds of Clearfield County. It was, until 1926, the Kerr home to Clearfielders,” according to the CCHS website,

Kerr was elected to Congress and served twice as Chief Clerk of the House of Representatives.

The CCHS acquired the property in 1962 from the heirs of P.T. Davis, who had purchased the home from the Kerr family.

Once you enter this beautifully restored building, you can enjoy a variety of displays which can vary from year to year. One of the featured exhibits this year is called “If These Dolls Could Talk.”

“You can view a variety of dolls on display, each with a historic link to the county of Clearfield,” it says in a recent press release.

“There is a cloth doll stuffed with sawdust, porcelain head dolls, bisque and composite dolls, paper dolls and more. Each of these preserved treasures once held a special place in a little child’s heart.”

The parlor features a painting by the late Willard Dominick, a well known local artist and educator.

“The piece titled On the Road to Madera masterfully captures beauty and familiarity in an everyday scene from the back roads of Clearfield County,” according to the release.

Dominick (1920-2016) served in the U.S. Army in the South Pacific in World War II from 1942-1946. He kept extensive pictorial journals of the experience which he donated to the Army Heritage Education Center and Museum in Carlisle, Pennsylvania, where his work is prominently displayed.

Quilts are the focus of the master bedroom where two signature quilts are being displayed.

“On the bed is a multicolored hand-stitched quilt dated 1930 embroidered with the names of Sunday school members of Turkey Hill Mt. Zion Church. On the small trundle bed is a red and white hand-stitched quilt made in 1906 embroidered with names of Stoneville residents.

“While in the master bedroom, you can check out several very early coverlets on exhibit in the textile closet,” the release notes.

In addition to the Kerr House Museum, the CCHS has displays at the Carriage House, located behind the museum. Admission is free.

If you are unable to visit the museum, a treasure trove of information and photos are on the CCHS website, http://www.clearfield-county-historical-society.net.

You can read up on the latest news about the society, take a “Postcard Tour”, and review a long list of historical books offered by the CCHS.

Among the most interesting new addition to the site is the Negative Photo Project.

Volunteers have been busy scanning old negatives from their archives as well as items from The Progress’s files. These are being posted on the website as well as the CCHS Facebook page where many people are discovering images of their family members and friends from the past.

If you are into genealogy, then you need to visit the William B. Alexander V Genealogical Research Center around the corner at 511 Van Valzah Avenue.

In this building you will find books on local families, history, microfilm reels, records of local cemeteries, obituaries and more. You can do you own research with staff assistance for $5 or have the staff research your family for $25.

All of these buildings are open now through October each Thursday and Sunday from 1:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m.

“Please come visit your local historical museum; you’ll be glad you did”, urges the CCHS.