Shippensburg Historical Society

Beginning on Saturday, December 12, the Shippensburg Historical Society will suspend all operations to the public. We will reevaluate going back to our Reservation Only System in January of 2021. Until then, we just want to thank the community and our partners for their support during this time.

In our collection, we have this really dashing Santa Claus suit from the 1930s. The Santa Claus jacket is made from red corduroy material and is embellished with several bells attached to fake white fur on the cuffs. The jacket has hook and eyes located on the inside so that it can be closed. The trousers are made from red corduroy and uses a drawstring in order for the trousers to be snug on the wearer's hips. The belt is made from fake white fur and the buckle is made from cardboard with glitter glued to the frame. The hat is also made from red corduroy and has two bells attached to the top of the pompom. The beard and hair are made of fake white hair.

A great history lesson by our friends over at Renfrew Museum and Park. So Happy Poinsettia Day!

Here are examples of Christmas advertisements from the News-Chronicle published on December 23, 1947. These are from the first 11 pages.

More Christmas postcards from our collection. These date to the early 1900's.

Tin wind-up toys were very popular during the early 1900s. Photographed here, is one from our collection that was made by Ferdinand Strauss. This awesome tin toy was made during the mid-1920s, with two patent dates being issued. The first was on Oct. 18, 1921, and the second was on Dec. 11, 1923. The sleigh itself has a beautiful lithograph depiction of Santa Claus reaching into his sack and placing presents under the Christmas tree. This image can be seen on both sides of the sleigh. It also features two galloping reindeer with a bell attached under their heads, although one bell is missing. To see Santa in action, all you had to do was take the wind-up key and wind it up and place it on a smooth surface to watch Santa and his reindeer move into action.

When it comes to party supplies or decorations for any holiday, many of us from Shippensburg might think of the Beistle Company. The Beistle Company was founded in 1900 near Pittsburgh, PA. A few years later, and after outgrowing their facility, the Beistle Company would eventually make its headquarters in Shippensburg. For the last 120 years, the Beistle Company has been producing party supplies or decorations such as these that are in our collection.