Do We have an Identity Crisis? What Should BMHS be Called?
The Baltzer Meyer Historical Society, like Fort Allen Elementary, Harrold Middle, and Hempfield Area High Schools, sits in the center of Hempfield Township, and we need to establish our identity. Baltzer Meyer Historical Society, BMHS, has a Greensburg address, yet is not just Greensburg, but we are also Hempfield.
Residents of Fort Allen pass the Harrold School #8 and the old church building housing our genealogical library and museum frequently without realizing that a working volunteer organization meets monthly, has events several times yearly, and could use more volunteers as well as donations to grow and maintain our structures and our collections. Should we call ourselves The Hempfield Baltzer Meyer Historical Society? That name gives us a clearer identity for the place that we live in. We could call ourselves the Baltzer Meyer Historical Society of Fort Allen, yet we collect family histories from much of the area including Greensburg.
We have a Westmoreland County Historical Society, a Jeannette Historical Society, a Mount Pleasant Historical Society, a Latrobe Historical Society, a Rostraver Historical Society, and others working to preserve and pass on an accurate as possible story of our lives and that of our ancestors of what is today one small part of Southwestern Pennsylvania.
The Baltzer Meyer Historical Society Library sits behind the Old Zion Lutheran Church which faces Baltzer Meyer Pike. The building is open Wednesday evenings from 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m., Thursdays from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m., the first and third Saturdays of the month from 10:00 a.m. until 2:00 p.m., and by appointment.
