With Tyrone’s first ever Victorian Christmas right around the corner, residents are making plans for Saturday’s events.
With the many participants and activities planned, there surely won’t be a shortage of things to do this weekend.
One special event scheduled all day Saturday is a free lantern and light exhibit that will be set up in the Tyrone History Museum at the Rail Park.
Rudolph Hershey will bring over 100 pieces from his extensive collection from Dover, Pa to share with Tyrone residents. The lanterns and lights will decorate a room in the History Museum with a Christmas theme. There will also be a table dedicated to different railroad related lanterns since this area is so rich with railroad history.
Hershey has been collecting lanterns and lights for 35 years. In those years his collection has grown to almost 400 pieces. He also enjoys collecting other bits of history like old tools.
Many of the pieces in Hershey’s collection come from antique malls or public sales. He has put displays up every year at different places and tries to make them different each time. However, this is his first showing in two years and he’s excited to share his treasures with the community.
“Tyrone was doing something extra special for Christmas so we wanted to bring something extra special to the event,” Hershey said.
Some of Hershey’s lanterns date back to the 1800s. The collection also holds candle lanterns that date back prior to 1850 and kerosene lamps from the 1850s and 1860s.
The oldest piece in Hershey’s collection is a Rush light that dates to the late 1700s. He explained that the Rush light is made of cattails soaked in grease and lit. That created a house full of smoke, so the Rush lights will remain unlit during the display. However, several of the lanterns will be lit to show off their beauty.
Hershey also plans to bring old kerosene street lamps from the late 1800s to the early 1900s. During that time, he explained, someone actually had to walk around to each street lamp to light them individually.
As a part of the railroad display, Hershey explained there were lanterns with different colored glass, like green and amber, that were used as a form of communication. Workers on the train could convey different messages, depending on which color of lantern they waved.
Hershey said there will be someone on hand throughout the day to answer any questions regarding the exhibit.
Also, Hershey will bring along some of the winter scene prints he collects from the late 1800s and early 1900s.
Individuals are encouraged to visit this unique display of early lighting, kerosene lamps and lanterns celebrating the holiday season which promises to be as educational as it is enjoyable.
