Monthly Archives: February 2012

Staff Memories of “The Pine Street Hotel”

An unidentified man poses at the entrance to the guardhouse, circa 1907 at the Bucks County Prison. Photo taken from James A. Michener Art Museum Archives.

An unidentified man poses at the entrance to the guardhouse, circa 1907 at the Bucks County Prison. Photo taken from James A. Michener Art Museum Archives.

When you think of a museum, what comes to mind? A museum might be a place for you to retreat from the everyday and find solace in works of art. It might be a place that you go to socialize with friends, hear a lecture, or visit for entertainment. In contrast to these ideas, the Michener’s former site was the site of the Bucks County Prison. This brings to mind a very different environment that took place here decades ago.

It’s really ironic that I work today at the Michener. When I was in grade school, I had participated in summer camp across the street at the Mercer Museum. We were making salt boxes in the summer heat, and I remember being bitten by red ants as I sat against their large trees. As we were jumping up and down trying to avoid these persistent and annoying bugs, I looked across the street and noticed that the prisoners from the jail were getting into large trucks. I didn’t think much of it at the time, but the memory stuck with me for years, in addition to the large welts on my legs from those darn ants.

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