After a nuclear bomb test conducted far north of the Arctic Circle a 200-foot-long carnivorous dinosaur known as a Rhedosaurus is released from the ice where it had been held in a state of suspended animation for millions of years. Needless to say, havoc follows! But what fun it is.

The Rhedosaurus is an influential and iconic fictional monster who was the inspiration for other historical monsters such as Godzilla.

Join us for dinner and a Creature Feature! THE BEAST FROM 20,000 FATHOMS (1952)

$35 per person includes dinner, drinks, dessert, coffee and the movie.

Reservations please! 570-296-8126 or pikemuse@ptd.net

Madame Peirce’s Cabaret & Tarot Card Party!

Saturday, March 23rd from 6-9pm in the Foundation Room of the Columns Museum

$50 per person includes the show, libation and snacks, and a 10-minute Tarot Card Reading. ( if you like)

Madame Juliette Peirce was the wife of heralded philosopher Charles Saunders Peirce who resided in nearby Westfall Twp. in the home known to them as "Arisbe".  The philosopher had every intention of making the home a place for somewhat of a "think tank" where many of the great minds of the time could meet and discuss theories and philosophies still new and uncharted.  Juliette, Charles' second wife, was a woman of mystery and intrigue.  She supported her husband wholeheartedly until his death and admired him profoundly.  She was cloaked in a shroud of mystery, as no one is clear about where she came from.  She claimed to possess a deck of Tarot cards which were used to foretell the downfall of Napolean; she often did tarot readings for local charities.  In the spirit of Madame Peirce, we offer a celebration that we believe she would have enjoyed!

Show Description

Broadway Favorites- Some Old, Some New!

Collin Maier on piano 

Collin is a Barrymore award-nominated musical director, composer, and singer who has worked in many professional theatres throughout the tri-state area. His original musical, The Bisley Boy had its world premiere in 2023. Patricia and Collin met in 2008 during a production of Blood Brothers where they became good friends and collaborators. 

Patricia Durante may be a familiar face to some PCHS members. She has performed as Mary Todd Lincoln, Laura Keene, Cornelia Pinchot, and more in Lori Strelecki’s historical plays. 

Patricia has been a singer and actor for over 30 years and has traveled the world performing in musicals, comedies, dramas, and even Shakespeare!

She is so pleased to perform this cabaret with her good friend and collaborator, Collin Maier 

Make your reservation now by calling 570-296-8126 or purchasing your tickets below.

*Tickets purchased online - please bring a printed receipt with you to the event.

Jazz Legend Ronny Whyte and Friends to Perform at The Columns Museum with Special Guest Amy London

The Museum and Historical Society are pleased to announce that jazz great Ronny Whyte will once again be making his winter appearance in The Foundation Room of The Columns Museum.  Ronny has been a regular guest, putting on a great show each year for the benefit of the museum.  This year Ronny has been rehearsing some tunes with another jazz great - Amy London, and Amy and Ronny look forward to performing a few duets featuring the compositions of the late Cy Coleman (Witchcraft, The Best is Yet to Come).  Ronny will be accompanied by Boots Maleson on bass, and Sean Harkness on guitar, two talented guys who have also spent many a winter afternoon at The Foundation Room over the years, and are the best of the best when it comes to their craft.

"We are so happy to have them all back!  It's a tradition, and a show everyone looks forward to." 

Tickets to this event are $60 each and include a glass, (or two ), of wine and assorted cheeses.

(PCHS Members may attend the event at a discounted rate of $50. Please call the Museum for a discount code. )

There are only 35 seats available, so make your reservation now by calling 570-296-8126 or purchasing your tickets below.

*Tickets purchased online - please bring a printed receipt with you to the event.

Join us for our next movie in the Creature Features of the 1950's.

The Alligator People, February 28th at 5pm in The Foundation Room of the Columns Museum.

In this 1959 film, we find that newly married nurse Joyce Webster doesn't know what to think when her husband disappears during a train ride. She hires private investigators and eventually tracks him to an old bayou plantation, where the owner insists she's never heard of Paul. Joyce sticks around anyway and soon learns that local doctor Mark Sinclair has been using a life-altering alligator serum on the town's residents, and that Paul is among them. Starring Beverly Garland and Lon Chaney Jr., this film received some great reviews when it opened. Time has only made it more appealing.

Join us for dinner and a movie on February 28th at 5pm.

$35 includes dinner, movie, dessert and coffee.

Reservation please. 570-296-8126

Lincoln’s Birthday Pizza Party and Museum Tour for Students

The Pike County Historical Society and Museum is excited to offer a special program geared for 11–14-year-olds who would like to learn more about the history of Pike County and explore the exhibits in The Columns Museum.  The program is open to 20 children between the ages of 11 and 14 and is free.

On Monday, February 19th from 10am-2pm, the museum will host a special program which will provide for a guided tour of the museum and a fun filled and educational scavenger hunt for history.  Participants will learn about the famed Lincoln Flag as well as the many other people, places and things which make up the history of Pike County.  A guided tour will be followed by a “scavenger hunt for history” for which the students will be divided into teams and challenged to search for the answers to questions about the many exhibits and artifacts housed in the museum.  The program concludes with a pizza party and birthday cake in honor of President Abraham Lincoln’s birthday.

To register for this fun filled day, please contact Liz Steen, President of PCHS at peacegrl62@gmail or call 570-296-8126.

Pike County Historical Society to Host Presentation and Book Signing on Sunday January 21, 2024

Tocks Island: Dammed if You Do by David C. Pierce

The Delaware River dam’s defeat 13 years after its 1962 authorization by Congress and the 70,000-acre site’s conversion to the Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area will be the subject of a free program Sunday, Jan. 21 at The Columns Museum at 3pm in The Foundation Room.

Author David C. Pierce’s presentation is a well-documented journey through the trials and tribulations surrounding the Tocks Island Project.  At the conclusion of the presentation,  the author will happily sign copies of the book - which will be available for purchase.

Pierce, a retired journalist, moved to Stroudsburg in 1969, at age 14, as the contentious, sometimes bizarre, and often heart-wrenching story played out across Pike, Monroe and Northampton counties, Pennsylvania and Sussex and Warren counties, New Jersey. Pierce describes the Tocks Island saga as the most volatile regional news story of the 20th Century.

For his book, Pierce interviewed people who lost their homes and businesses to forced government acquisition, reviewed decades of newspaper and magazine stories, and researched libraries, state and national archives, historical societies, and government property records and reports. He tracked down long-lost federal court documents and deed transfers at the National Archives that were never recorded in the counties where the property acquisitions took place.

Pierce looks forward to describing some of the twists and turns of Tocks Island and answering audience questions.

Invasion of the Saucer-Men! Wednesday, January 17th • 5:00 pm in the Foundation Room You won’t want to miss this one!

Just recently available, we have been waiting patiently to show this 1957 gem! Here is the highly believable plot: A flying saucer lands in the woods. A teenage couple, Johnny and Joan, accidentally run down one of the saucer’s large-headed occupants. A drunken con man stumbles across the alien’s corpse after the teenagers have left to report the incident. Imagining future riches and fame, he plans to keep the body stored for now in his refrigerator. After failing to convince his friend to help him retrieve the alien body, he returns to the scene. Other aliens soon arrive, however, and quickly inject alcohol into his veins via their retractable needle fingernails. Con man Joe, who was already intoxicated, dies from alcohol poisoning. The aliens remove their dead companion from the scene and replace it with Joe’s corpse. Meanwhile, the dead alien’s hand has detached itself from its arm and runs amok in the woods, causing all kinds of trouble.

What more can you ask for in a movie plot?

Tickets are $35 Reservations, please! 570-296-8126

The Pike County Historical Society and Museum is pleased to announce that they will be hosting a lecture focusing on Child Labor on the D&H Canal by Bill Merchant, Canal Historian and Deputy Director for Collections at the Delaware and Hudson Canal Historical Society, on Sunday, December 10th at 3pm.

The lecture will take place in The Foundation Room of the Columns Museum, located at 608 Broad Street in Milford, Pa.

The Delaware & Hudson Canal was an important industrial enterprise in 19th century America, marketing Pennsylvania anthracite coal through its Canal and, later, its extensive railroad network. It relied on the labor of marginalized peoples-immigrants, women, children, and people of color- to construct and operate its Canal. Historian Bill Merchant has conducted extensive research on the plight of the many marginalized people who comprise the vast majority of this workforce. This presentation relates how the labor of children contributed to its immense success, using stories from primary sources along with many period images.

$5 donation is suggested, and cookies and coffee will be served.

SOLD OUT!

Join us for a thrilling movie night on Wednesday, November 15th at 5 PM in The Foundation Room! We're bringing you a classic cult favorite:

Attack of the Giant Leeches (1959)

In the Florida Everglades a pair of larger-than-human, intelligent leeches live in an underwater cave. They begin dragging locals down to their cave, where they slowly feed on them, draining their victims of blood. The local game warden discovers the leeches' underwater cavern and plans to destroy the leeches are set into motion.

The movie was filmed in 8 days, and it shows! There was no budget for costumes and it is rumored the “leeches” wore dark raincoats or even garbage bags.

We can’t wait!

Oh, and it’s Polish Night! Dinner will consist of that delicious kielbasa from Adma's Market - located in the Polish capital of America – Wallington, NJ.   Also, Liz's famous pierogi casserole; and lest we forget the red cabbage and babka!  Pyszny!

Please reserve early by calling 570-296-8126. Tickets are $35/each.

The Pike County Historical Society, Arrowhead SF Foundation/Virginia Kidd House, and Black Bear Film Festival will combine forces and offer a viewing of To Serve Man - the classic episode of the Twilight Zone derived from the story by onetime Milford resident Damon Knight - on Sunday October 15th at 3:00 pm in the Foundation Room of the Columns Museum.

In the 1950s Milford was the place to be if you were a science fiction writer. In fact, it was in Milford, during that time, that one of the most widely accepted methods of critiquing works of literature was conceived. The Milford Writers Conference was co-founded by Knight, James Blish, Virginia Kidd, and Kate Wilhelm.

Knight and Blish made their way to Milford after spending much of their early careers in New York City. Blish married Virginia Kidd and Knight married Kate Wilhelm. They all were writers of the genre originally called Futurians, and all went on to become famous in their own right. Kidd started the Virginia Kidd Literary Agency, which is still operating right here in Milford. Blish, Knight and Wilhelm are heralded authors who boldly led the way for their peers in the early days and influenced generations of Science Fiction writers.

Learn more about these folks, and the roots of Science Fiction in Milford, and watch a great episode of the Twilight Zone.

Admission is free. Cash refreshment bar.

3:00 - 5:00 pm Sunday, October 15

Damon Knight • 1922-2002

To Serve Man

TWILIGHT ZONE

Season 3 • Episode 24

Aired: March 2, 1962

Join us for Tunes Along the Towpath 3 on September 16th.

$30/ticket (15 & under are free) at the door - CASH only

Six Foot Flower Productions proudly presents an afternoon of live music tributes to the Grateful Dead and The Doors

Enjoy music by Feast of Friends & Gratefully Yours

Gates open at 2pm for this family-friendly event

Music starts at 3pm

All proceeds will benefit the Pike County Historical Society.

Come dressed in your best 60’s attire for our Hippie Contest and you could win a CASH prize!

Soft drinks, burgers, hot dogs, and snacks will be available on-site for purchase. CASH Only.

DIY Tye-Dye Table - CASH only.

BYOB, blankets, lawn chairs, and coolers are welcome.

The Pike County Historical Society and American Readers Theatre are proud to announce the newest addition to their living history series of short plays.

Cornelia in Confidence is slated to be performed at the Columns Museum on July 16th at 2pm in the museum's Foundation Room. The multi-talented Patricia Durante will take on the role of Cornelia Pinchot, the outspoken and at times controversial wife of Governor Gifford Pinchot.

The play depicts Cornelia in her later years when she resided in Washington DC and hosted a radio show.  Cornelia will talk about many things, both political and personal, giving the audience a look into the fascinating life of "the lady in red".

This production marks the fourth collaboration of A.R.T. and P.C.H.S., all graciously funded through the Greater Pike Community Foundation and performed each year.  Last year's production Milton Bailey; Letters Home was presented to a standing room only crowd in The Foundation Room of the Museum.  We at P.C.H.S. hope for the same response this year, so we have added an additional date. 

The performance is open to all and free of cost. 

Cornelia in Confidence was written by Lori Strelecki and will be Directed by Jeffrey Stocker. Funding for the project was provided by The Greater Pike Community Foundation.    

The Pike County Historical Society and American Readers Theatre are proud to announce the newest addition to their living history series of short plays.

Cornelia in Confidence  is slated to be performed  at the Columns Museum on July 15th at 4pm and 16th at 2pm in the museum's Foundation Room. The multi-talented Patricia Durante will take on the role of Cornelia Pinchot, the outspoken and at times controversial wife of Governor Gifford Pinchot.

The play depicts Cornelia in her later years when she resided in Washington DC and hosted a radio show.  Cornelia will talk about many things, both political and personal, giving the audience a look into the fascinating life of "the lady in red".

This production marks the fourth collaboration of A.R.T. and P.C.H.S., all graciously funded through the Greater Pike Community Foundation and performed each year.  Last year's production Milton Bailey; Letters Home was presented to a standing room only crowd in The Foundation Room of the Museum.  We at P.C.H.S. hope for the same response this year, so we have added an additional date. 

The performance is open to all and free of cost. 

Cornelia in Confidence was written by Lori Strelecki and will be Directed by Jeffrey Stocker. Funding for the project was provided by The Greater Pike Community Foundation.    

Presented by The Columns Museum and Green Trees Early Learning Center, Inc.

Join us for cocktail hour and hors d’oeuvres, meet and mingle with historic characters, silent auction with unique historical memorabilia.

All proceeds go to the historic preservation of these two buildings.

For more information on this event, please email the Museum’s Director at pikemuse@ptd.net

The Pike County Historical Society and Virginia Kidd Science Fiction Foundation have conspired to once again bring some of the best cult films from the 1950's with particular attention paid to those gems directed by "The King of Cult Film", Roger Corman.

With hundreds of movies to his credit, Roger Corman is one of the most prolific producers in the history of the film medium and one of the most successful.  Corman has been dubbed, among other things, "The King of the Cult Film" and "The Pope of Pop Cinema".  His filmography is packed with hundreds of remarkably entertaining films in addition to dozens of genuine cult classics.  His influence on modern American cinema is most incalculable.  In 2009 he was honored with an Academy Award for Lifetime Achievement.

In honor of Roger's upcoming birthday, we will be showing two movies directed by Corman.

First up is It Conquered the World.  This 1956 marvel concerns an alien creature from the planet Venus that secretly wants to take control of the earth.  The creature makes radio contact with a disillusioned human scientist, who agrees to help because the scientist believes that such an alien intervention will bring peace and save doomed humanity from itself.  The film features Peter Graves. Lee VanCleef  and Beverly Garland - who when she saw the strange looking cucumber-esque monster said: "THAT conquered the world?"  Musician and songwriter Frank Zappa talks about this movie before the song "Cheepniss" on his album "Roxy and Elsewhere" (1973).  As a fan of these types of movies Zappa said "the cheaper the better".  He describes the starring creature as "an inverted ice cream cone with fangs."  Why would anyone not want to see this?  We ask.

The second film is short and anything but sweet!  SORORITY GIRL is a "psycho-thriller" directed by Corman, completed in 5 days, in 1957.  We selected this movie because, well, it's only an hour long, and it stars our two faves from Wasp Woman (Corman 1959) Susan Cabot and Barboura Morris.  That's right!  Susan Cabot stars as a rich girl who joins a sorority and causes nothing but trouble.  Despite the script and the low budget, Cabot turns in a stellar performance as Sabra the misunderstood, friendless, ruthless mean girl.  Why would anyone not want to see this?  We ask again.

During intermission and throughout there will be libation, popcorn, a birthday cake for Mr. Corman and our fabulous Board Member Liz Steen,(both in their 90's!) and soda pop along with our museum's famous Coney Island Dogs and Miss Liz's delightful Cucumber Salad!  Why would anyone not want to eat this?  lol

Tickets are $35 and include movies and munchies!  Reservations are required, please. 

Reserve your place by calling 570-296-8126 or emailing pikemuse@ptd.net

Jazz Legend Ronny Whyte Returns to the Columns Museum

The Ronny Whyte Quartet will perform in the Foundation Room of The Columns Museum on Saturday, February 25th at 4:00pm.

Mr. Whyte is considered a premier interpreter of Classic American Popular Song, an outstanding jazz pianist, and a successful songwriter. As the story goes, Ronny spent his first six years of life in a log cabin that his father built on the outskirts of Seattle, where he would “pet the deer and beavers on his way to the outhouse.” Quite different from Ronny’s world today, as he now lives in a house with indoor plumbing!

Ronny was featured on Marian McPartland’s Piano Jazz on NPR. An ASCAP Award-winning songwriter, his lyric Forget the Woman was recorded by Tony Bennett and his music for The Party Upstairs won the MAC Award for Best Song of 2006. He produces and hosts Midday Jazz Midtown at Saint Peter’s in Manhattan, a weekly concert series.

For two years Ronny appeared Off-Broadway in the hit musical Our Sinatra as well as its two national big band tours which played more than ninety cities. He was featured twice at New York’s JVC Jazz Festival, and there was inducted into the Cabaret Jazz Hall of Fame.

The Museum is pleased to welcome Ronny and his talented players back, however, neither Mr. Whyte nor the Museum staff can accurately say just how many years he has appeared for the benefit of the Museum. “At least nine, but not more than 12.” Said Lori Strelecki, longtime museum director. “We just make up a number every year. We are going with 10 this year.”

Mr. Whyte will be accompanied by some extremely talented “side men” including Boots Maleson on bass, Sean Harkness on guitar and local favorite and self-proclaimed “dust ball” Richard Cantor on drums.

Please join us for a wonderful time for a great cause, and for a song and a smile.

We cannot wait!

Tickets are $40 per person and include the show, wine, and hors d’eouvres.

Join us in partnership with the Virginia Kidd Science Fiction Foundation for our next Creature Feature from the 1950's, THEM!

Them! is a landmark movie about giant radiation-mutated ants that gets better with age and boasts remarkable, Academy Award -nominated special effects. Starring James Whitmore, James Arness and Edmund Gwenn, Them! begins in New Mexico with a child wandering in shock, a ransacked general store -- and a battered corpse full of enough formic acid to kill 20 men. It ends with an epic struggle in the 700 miles of storm drains under Los Angeles, where the insect hordes are beaten. But they're not conquered, because they spawned a generation of films about radioactive creatures. Some approximate the terror, but few have equaled the artistry of Them!

Join us in the Foundation Room on Wednesday, January 18th at 5pm.

$35/ticket includes dinner!

Please reserve your place today! 570-296-8126 or pikemuse@ptd.net or purchase a ticket online!