On Thursday, March 3oth, at 7pm, the Luzerne County Historical Society is proud to present Ms. Andrea Lowery as she presents the lecture: “Ellen Webster Palmer and the Breaker Boys of Wyoming Valley”. Join Andrea as she discusses both the life and work of Ellen Webster Palmer, and her own personal connection to her as well. Ellen Webster Palmer was a teacher and wife of PA Attorney General Henry Palmer. Ellen became renowned for founding the Boys Industrial Association (BIA) an organization fighting against child labor, particularly that in the coal mines, and an organization with the goal to educate, entertain and prepare the children for life outside the mines.

Andrea Lowery is the Executive Director of the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission.  She oversees operations of the State Museum of Pennsylvania, the Pennsylvania State Archives, the State Historic Preservation Office, and a number of sites and museums across the commonwealth, including Anthracite Heritage Museum and Eckley Miners’ Village.  As an architect, Andrea has been involved in the preservation of a number of historic buildings including President Lincoln’s Summer White House (Washington, DC), the Virginia State Capitol, and the U.S. Capitol.  She did her undergraduate work at Bryn Mawr College in art history and received her M. Arch from Ohio State University.  Andrea, like many Americans, traces her roots to Pennsylvania; Ellen Webster Palmer is her great great grandmother.

The lecture will be held at the Society’s Museum building, behind the Osterhout Library at 69 South Franklin Street Wilkes-Barre at 7pm on March 3oth. Doors will open at 6pm and seating will be available on a first-come, first-serve basis.

The lecture is sponsored by Lewis, Litwinsky & Associates,  Wells Fargo Advisors Financial Network, Wilkes-Barre PA.

Founded in 1858, the Luzerne County Historical Society is Pennsylvania’s oldest county historical society.  LCHS preserves and promotes the collective history and heritage of Luzerne County, Pennsylvania, at the Bishop Library and the Museum in Wilkes-Barre, the Denison House in Forty Fort and the Swetland Homestead in Wyoming.  For more information, visit our website, www.luzernehistory.org.  Follow us on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/luzernehistory/.