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By: Dylan Bowman, HAHS Board Member April 11, 2025 Miller Brothers Dairy in 1957. Front Row (standing):  Mark H. Miller ; Lamar Snyder ; William Zerby ; Mabel Bishop ; Ruth Matter ; Joseph Muggio ; George Szires Jr. Back Row (standing):  Donald L. Miller ; Robert Troutman ; Charles M. Teter ; Earl Bishop ; Marlin Keefer ; Fred Matter . Employees Not in Photo:  Elmer Walborn ; Harry Miller Jr. ; Robert S. Grimm ; Earl Wert Jr. ; Vernon Keefer . Photograph from: Lykens Valley:

By: Dylan Bowman, HAHS Board Member April 7, 2026 Photograph from Wix archives. Recently, I have had several personal conversations with friends about history...several of them stated that they did not care for it, and upon further investigation, they revealed it was mainly to do with how they were taught; the forced study and regurgitation of dates, names, numbers and events that seemed so far from home, both in place and time. But that's when I told them they were thinking

By: Dylan Bowman, HAHS Board Member March 31, 2026 The Saksek Family at the March Program night. Photograph by Dylan Bowman. Growing the Future Did you know that many herbal remedies and pharmaceutical medicines have been around since about 3000 BC, spanning all the way back to the ancient Egyptians and Mesopotamians? According to Wikipedia, Sumerian cuneiform tablets recorded prescriptions for medicine. Ancient Egyptian pharmacological knowledge was recorded in various papy

By: HAHS President Ryan Bowman and the Board of Directors February 2026   This is something I’d rather not write. The delay and conversations about this topic are in part responsible for the newsletter reaching you so late this quarter. Our apologies for that. If you've been following the Society for any amount of time, none of this will come as a surprise. Since I became president in July of 2022, we've consistently invited members to join the board. Unfortunately, few have

By: Ryan Bowman, HAHS President January 3, 2026 Utensil ( noun ) uten·​sil  yu̇-ˈten(t)-səl    1:  an implement, instrument, or vessel used in a household and especially in a kitchen 2:  a useful tool or implement   From the president: I am curious. How old are your utensils? That may seem too personal an inquiry, but in my overactive (and in what I am certain very few consider normal)  mind, therein lies a nugget of historical intrigue. And last week, as 2025 rolled over to

By: Dylan Bowman, HAHS Board Member March 9, 2026 Pack members gather around the HAHS Cub Scout, Boy Scout, and Girl Scout exhibit for a group photo with their organization's history. Photograph by Dylan Bowman. Boys of Today. In today's world, getting youth interested in their community and the families and histories that made it what it is can be quite the challenge. And of course it is...the rest of the world seems to be working to make sure we are all kept starring at our

By: Ryan Bowman, HAHS President October 1, 2025 The original outhouses at the Taylor's One Room Schoolhouse can be seen in this photograph, circa 1920. Photograph procured from HAHS Archives. From the president: I think it is safe to say that history lovers see the world a bit differently than most do. My years of observation and interaction with those such as myself have proven time and time again that those who appreciate the past and our roots tend to see things positively

By: Dylan Bowman, HAHS Board Member & Ryan Bowman, HAHS President December 13, 2025 During a tense moment for those nearby, Halifax Mayor Jeff Enders faces off with the Belsnickel at the parade held annually in the small town to honor the fur-clad legend. Photograph by Dylan Bowman. A Town's Hero On December 6 of this year, a large group of attendees at the Halifax Area Historical Society’s Annual Belsnickel Holiday Parade and Festival inadvertently found themselves near a h

By: Dylan Bowman, HAHS Board Member December 11, 2025 Visitors to the 22nd Annual Belsnickel Parade & Festival get their photo with the Belsnickel. Photograph by Emma Bowman. Selfies and Stories During the Belsnickel Parade & Festivities, I noticed (as with every year), a great number of individuals and families capturing EPIC photos with the grand old Belsnickel himself. As usual, there were even some photos captured with him disciplining the impish to the sheer delight of t

By: Dylan Bowman, HAHS Board Member December 11, 2025 HAHS Board Member Judy Vallier purchases some festive kettle corn from BFD's Snack Wagon at the 22nd Annual Belsnickel Parade & Festival. Photographs by Dylan Bowman. Feasting in the Valley As the 22nd Annual Belsnickel Parade had been nearing, the HAHS Belsnickel Committee had been planning for some time, and asking the essential question: "How can we have amazing food and level up without causing so many volunteers to be

By: Dylan Bowman, HAHS Board Member December 10, 2025 HAHS volunteers make a third batch of hot chocolate. Photograph by Dylan Bowman. To Those in the Trenches The 22nd Annual Belsnickel Parade & Festival was a massive success. But it would never have even got off the ground without the volunteers and many other helping hands that made everything move like clockwork. Making hot chocolate (over and over and over again). Parking cars in the cold. Directing traffic. Participatin

By: Dylan Bowman, HAHS Board Member December 10, 2025 All Eyes on the Mountain Eyes turned to the mountain on December 6th, as all in the Halifax region knew that the Belsnickel was again descending to their town...and bringing with him, judgement . With the Halifax Area Historical Society at the helm, the Halifax Youth Center was again transformed into a place of holiday magic. Christmas tunes rolled over the Valley from the loudspeakers there, Christmas lights were strung,

By: Dylan Bowman, HAHS Board Member December 2, 2025 HAHS Board Member and November presenter, Danean Walker, stands with some of her favorite Halifax history artifacts, including Halifax's old U.S. Post Office sign due to her husband being a USPS worker. Photograph by Dylan Bowman. What This Town is Made Of Halifax has a long and what some would even consider complex history. But then again, what history isn't complex? Every single addition, demolition, rebuilding, restorati

By: Dylan Bowman, HAHS Board Member & Ryan Bowman, HAHS President October 1, 2025 HAHS School Marm, "Miss" Danean Walker stands outside the Taylor's One-Room Schoolhouse to summon her students to the 1st Annual "Good Ol' School Days" Event. Photograph by Dylan Bowman. Living History With Fall in full swing and school having begun a few weeks ago, it feels only right that the Halifax Area Historical Society treat the community to a living history experience...one that touches

By: Dylan Bowman, HAHS Board Member August 6, 2025 James Irvin Hoffman, Sergeant in the CWS, 1912. Photograph provided by Hoffman Family....

By: Dylan Bowman, HAHS Board Member August 3, 2025 Dan Bellis and Lou Leeper happily display their purchases from the HAHS Annual Yard...

By: Ryan Bowman, HAHS President July 5, 2025 An Eastman Kodak advertisement from the early 1900’s featuring the “Kodak Girl.” Note the...

By: Dylan Bowman, HAHS Board Member June 26, 2025 HAHS President Ryan Bowman (left) and 1st Vice President Austin Enders (right) pose in...

By: Dylan Bowman, HAHS Board Member May 28, 2025 Halifaxians look on as Mark Zimmerman stuns the crowd with a Broadway tune. Photograph...

By: Dylan Bowman, HAHS Board Member May 27, 2025 HAHS Vice President Austin Enders and Enders Family Association Secretary and...