242 DIRECTORY OF AMERICAN MUSEUMS 



making — ancient lamps, lanterns, and primitive cooking and heating 

 appliances ; Domestic industries — spinning wheels, flax-brakes, hetchets, 

 cards, reels, swingles, rope twisters, samples of flax (raw and partially 

 prepared for weaving), home-made baskets, beehives, etc.; Man and 

 animals — traps, guns of all descriptions, horse gear, curious imple- 

 ments of peace and war, apparel, etc. ; Agriculture — ancient agricultural 

 implements of all kinds; Domestic fabrics — home made linen and wool 

 fabrics; Local pottery; War relics, and miscellaneous local historical 

 material. These collections are fully cataloged and include 2100 

 entries, some of which stand for groups of objects. 



The museum collections began in a small way soon after the organi- 

 zation of the society in 1880, but are principally the result of collec- 

 tions made by Henry C. Mercer during the past twenty years. The 

 society receives annually $100 from endowment, $200 from the county, 

 and about $200 from subscriptions and memberships. The building 

 was erected in 1902 at a cost of $25,000 paid for by donations, lega- 

 cies, and subscription. A library of 2500 bound volumes and several 

 thousand pamphlets, many manuscripts, deeds, etc., and files of local 

 newspapers from 1804. The society has published descriptive cata- 

 logs of various collections in its museum and 3 volumes of papers read 

 at its meetings. 



The museum and library are open free to the public daily from 8 to 

 5, and are visited by several thousand persons annually. 



E ASTON: 



LAFAYETTE COLLEGE. 



The scientific departments maintain teaching collections, includ- 

 ing a large herbarium of the Pennsylvania flora and a general collec- 

 tion of plants; a systematic series of 3000 minerals; 1000 crystals; 

 500 rock specimens with corresponding sections for petrographic 

 study; 2000 specimens, chiefly ore samples, illustrating economic 

 geology; a synoptic zoological collection; and 1000 histological slides. 



ERIE: 



ERIE PUBLIC MUSEUM. 



Staff. Curator, Thomas L. Austin. 



Anthropology. Uncivilized peoples: Archeology, native, 783, 

 foreign, 9; Ethnology, native, 75, foreign, 56. Civilized peoples, 

 modern, 8oo±. 



Art. Prints and engravings. 17; Oil paintings, 3; Ceramics. 40. 



