On October 14th, 2001 the Central PA section, along with the Susquehanna Valley and Lehigh Valley sections, gathered in Northumberland, PA for the Diamond Anniversary of a "Golden Jubilee". This 125th anniversary of the ACS included a reenactment of the "Great Train Ride" of the ACS as well as a formal ceremony at the Joseph Priestley House. The events were open to ACS members as well as the general public.

Arrangements were made for two historic cars to travel round trip on the scenic North Shore Railroad from Northumberland to Danville. The entire trip took approximately 1 hour and 15 minutes.

The Priestley House was staffed by individuals in costume of the era. ACS Members were encouraged to explore the rooms, labs and exhibits.

The old Priestley Museum (Pond Building) was also open, and a short video of of the 1926 train ride and ceremony were shown. In this video were scenes of the 1974 celebration, which included a recreation of the 1926 "Parade of the Red Roses" at the Priestley gravesite. Some members returned to the Priestley gravesite in 2001 for a short ceremony.

The Nittany Chemical Society provided a chemistry magic show and hands on events for the kids.

Please see the November 5, 2001 C&EN issue online here for more information. A link to the Joseph Priestley site is here. Below are some picture taken by Shawn R. Wyatt (Central PA Webmaster) and Kevin MacDermott (C&EN). Click on a thumbnail for a larger picture.

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