Chapter Meeting Abstracts
North Fork Chapter 29
Meets at 7 pm on the 3rd Friday of each month except December, June and July at the Presbyterian Church Education Building,
Corner of Main and White Street
Brookville , PA 15825
Everyone Welcome
Contact ken Burkett
kenburkett@comcast.net
(814) 229-2816
Chapter and
Regional Events Schedule
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Chapter Meeting
Friday, January 16
SHOW & Tell
Bring your old or new artifacts
Please RSVP
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Chapter Meeting
Friday, February 20
Eric Armstrong
The Boy in the Box
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Chapter Meeting
Friday, March 20
Susanne M. Haney
PennDOT Archaeology ____________________________
No Chapter Meeting in April
See you at the State Meeting in Dubois April 10, 11, and 12
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Chapter Meeting
Friday, May 15
TBA
We are hoping to provide info
on a summer project
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No Chapter meeting
June and July
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ELK EXPO 2025
July 25 & 26
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North Fork 29 Artifact Show
Saturday, September 5
Upcoming Program Abstracts
Show and Tell Evening!
Bring your favorite old or new artifacts to show the group. We will be having a snack table and everyone is invited to bring something sweet for desert. PLEASE RSVP CHERYL at cherlburkett@comcast.net if you are planning to attend.
The Boy in the Box
Ten-year-old Harry Helscel disappeared on Sunday, May 12, after leaving his house barefoot in the afternoon. Despite extensive searches by neighbors, Boy Scouts, and local authorities, his body was not found until five days later. An inquest determined he had been strangled, though questions remain about the bizarre concealment of his body and missing evidence from the official investigation. More than 100 years later, this tragic death continues to haunt Jefferson County.
The program draws on research of contemporary newspaper reports, coroner’s records, and community accounts to reconstruct the case, highlighting unanswered questions and theories that have lingered for more than a century.
Doing Archaeology at PennDOT
The largest public sector historic preservation program in every state is in transportation, and this holds true for the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation. Every PennDOT project that has federal or state funding or federal or state permits has to be cleared for archaeological and above ground cultural resources, either through Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act or Title 37 of the Pennsylvania History Code. Most folks do not realize PennDOT has Cultural Resource Professionals (CRPs) who act as cultural resource stewards and navigate the Districts through the cultural resource clearance process with the goal of protecting cultural resources while at the same time advancing the Department’s mission to plan, construct, operate, and maintain a safe and reliable transportation network for both residents and visitors. In this presentation we’ll take a quick look at the program and process, including how PennDOT works with Native American tribes and consulting parties, and you’ll learn about some of the more interesting and unexpected finds.