LGBT History Project: LGBT-097 Kirsten Backhaus-Smith Collection

Number of Pages
3
Date
1966-2020
Kirsten Backhaus-Smith, the daughter of Gunter Backhaus, served as the manager of The Loft and Tally Ho Tavern. The Tally-Ho Tavern, located at 201 W. Orange St., in Lancaster, Pennsylvania was bought by George Centini in 1966, but did not begin operating as a LGBTQ+ bar until 1968 when the Village Night Club closed. The bar became a target of anti-LGBTQ+ rhetoric in mid-1980s as people began to complain about the noise and people gathering outside of the establishment. The bar and restaurant were sold by Centini in 1987 to Gunter Backhaus, a chef who had previously worked as the executive chef at the Grove Park Inn in Asheville, North Carolina and Host Farm Resort in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. The tavern continued to operate throughout the 1990s, in 2008, the after-party for Lancaster’s inaugural Pride even took place at the Tally Ho. It remained in operation as a LGBTQ+ bar until 2020 with the onset of the COVID-
Year
Origin
Gift of Kirsten Backhaus-Smith
Location
LGBT-097 Kirsten Backhaus-Smith Collection

LGBT History Project: LGBT-101 Terrence Dragovan and Thomas F. Grubic

Number of Pages
3
Date
1975-1996
Terrence Dragovan and Thomas F. Grubic were a married couple in Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania. Thomas Grubic passed away in 2022. Grubic graduated from Bishop McDevitt High School in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania in 1967. Dragovan, a native of Steelton, Pennsylvania, also graduated from Bishop McDevitt High School and later Marshall University in 1984.
Year
Origin
Gift of Terrence Dragovan and Thomas F. Grubic
Location
LGBT-101 Terrence Dragovan and Thomas F. Grubic

The Pride Newsletter - May/June 1994

Number of Pages
7
Date
May/June 1994

The Pride Festival of Central PA is an annual event celebrating the LGBTQ+ community in the Central Pennsylvania region. Founded in 1992, the festival takes place every year on the last Saturday of July in the city of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. Each July, approximately 5,000 individuals travel to downtown Harrisburg and attend the Pride Festival. It is the largest Pride celebration between Philadelphia and Pittsburgh.

This was the offical newsletter for the Central PA Pride Festival. 

Year
Time Period
Format
Origin
Gift of Barry Loveland
Collection
Location
LGBT-014 Barry Loveland Collection

LGBT Oral History 142: Sabrina Dare-Bledsoe

Number of Pages
19
Date
March 6, 2021

Sabrina Dare-Bledsoe was born in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania in 1960. She grew up in a large family of entrepreneurs and bar owners, whom she worked alongside as a child and teenager. Her father, Stuart Withero Dare, inherited and ran The Clock Bar from his father George Dare. Her mother, Maureen Goodman, was from England, and lived above The Clock Bar before she met and married Stuart. In this interview, Sabrina talks about The Clock Bar, as well as the many other queer bars and restaurants her family owned, including the Commerce Diner, City Line Diner, The White Elephant, The 400 Club, The Golden Coach, Orpheus, The Rose Garden, and The Candy Shop. She describes the homophobia of her peers and teachers at school and the welcoming environment her family cultivated at work and at home. She tells the story of The Clock Bar’s 1965 raid and the jazz scene her family participated in. Sabrina shares the stories of some of her family’s close friends who frequented the bars and restaurants, many of whom have since passed away.

Year
Time Period
Origin
Gift of Sabrina Dare-Bledsoe
Collection
Location
LGBT Oral History - Dare-Bledsoe, Sabrina - 142

LGBT History Project: LGBT-010 Larry Wilson Collection

Number of Pages
4
Date
1972 - 2013

These materials document several LGBTQ+ bars that operated in the Harrisburg, PA area, namely The Archives Nightclub and Restaurant (1983), La Rose Rouge (1978-1992), Neptune’s Lounge (1972), and the Shadows bar (1980-1984). These items take the form of bar memorabilia, photographs, and video recordings.

This collection also includes trophies, plaques, and buttons highlighting the Harrisburg Hustler’s volleyball team, which Larry Wilson sponsored from 1981-1987. In addition, it includes an anniversary pin from The Pennsmen Inc., an organization for LGBTQ+ individuals with an interest in the leather/rubber/fetish lifestyle and was founded in South Central PA in 1977, and a scrapbook featuring Pennsmen events.

The beginning pages of the Pennsman scrapbook also includes pictures of Benedict A. “Wesley” Trautwein, a drag performer known as Francis Parker. Wesley was a part of the The Jewel Box Revue, a troupe of drag performers who traveled around the country from 1939 to 1969, which made many stops in Pennsylvania. After departing the Revue, he moved back to Harrisburg and continued preforming at local bars and clubs, such as The Neptune Lounge.

Origin
Gift of Larry Wilson
Collection
Location
LGBT-010 Larry Wilson Collection

LGBT History Project: LGBT-006 Anonymous Collection

Number of Pages
2
Date
1995 - 2005

This collection contains material related to the establishment of the LGBT Center of Central PA and the activities of the AIDS Community Alliance. It also includes a 1995-1996 Gay and Lesbian Switchboard of Harrisburg directory, a flyer for the FAB Fall Achievement Benefit in 1996, documents from a 1999 LGBT rights program, and three matchbooks from gay bars once in Harrisburg, PA.

Year
Time Period
Origin
Gift of Anonymous
Location
LGBT-006 Anonymous Collection

LGBT History Project: LGBT-057 Central PA Gay and Lesbian Chamber of Commerce Collection

Number of Pages
4
Date
1997 - 2012

The Central Pennsylvania Gay & Lesbian Chamber of Commerce (CPGLCC) was established in 2007. It grew out of The Business Association of Gays and Lesbians (BAGAL), which was established in the 1990s by Dan Miller. Miller wanted to create an association that brought together professionals of the LGBTQ+ community to network. After Miller stepped down from leadership, the group evolved into more of a social network over the years. In 2007, new leadership reshaped BAGAL with the rebrand to CPGLCC. A business affiliate of the National Gay and Lesbian Chamber of Commerce, CPGLCC began building partnerships between gay-owned and gay-friendly businesses, professionals, and students of business. Today, their mission is to “support diversity and assist Central Pennsylvania’s business community in pursuit of an ideal workplace, marketplace, industry, and region.”

People
Year
Origin
Gift of Central PA Gay and Lesbian Chamber of Commerce
Location
LGBT-057 Central PA Gay and Lesbian Chamber of Commerce

LGBT Oral History 069: Harry Long

Number of Pages
29
Date
August 6, 2017

Harry Long was born in Lebanon, Pennsylvania in 1951 and attended Lebanon High School. After attending Millersville State College, now Millersville University, and becoming involved with an underground newspaper, Harry began his career of working for newspapers; in addition to doing freelance artwork. In the early 1980s, Harry came out publicly as gay. In this interview, he discusses the struggles and joys of his experience affected by his sexuality, throughout his careers. Growing up in a fairly traditional family, it was a “long time coming” to be open about his sexuality to his parents. He discusses the challenges he faced in building up several successful newspapers and the relationships he made being a part of several gay rights organizations. Harry elaborates upon the importance of close friends and navigating through different jobs to find how one can be most accommodating in society. In this interview, Harry also touches on his experiences of being involved in politics and the changes (and similarities) that he has witnessed in Lebanon, Pennsylvania over the years.

Year
Time Period
Origin
Gift of Harry Long
Collection
Location
LGBT Oral History - Long, Harry - 069

LGBT Oral History 015: George Centini and Gary Hufford

Number of Pages
25
Date
January 30, 2017

Gary Hufford (born 1952) and George Centini (born March 11, 1937) are a married couple living in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. In this interview, George and Gary recount their time in the gay bar and restaurant business. Both grew up in the restaurant business and became business partners together. As successful restauranteurs, they provide insight in the running of their business, the Tally-Ho and the Loft, as well as other local gay bars. They also speak about employing family and friends as workers and employing both gay and straight workers. They also speak about how both of their families were supportive of their relationship and are both part of the other’s family. They liken Lancaster to a “bubble” where many outside problems did not affect them strongly. Even so, they speak about the impact of the AIDS crisis on the young people who often visited their bars and the loss of many in the gay community in Lancaster. Additionally, they talk about their annual trips to Key West in order to live the “gay lifestyle.” Finally, they speak about their choice to finally marry after many years together.

Year
Time Period
Origin
Gift of George Centini and Gary Hufford
Collection
Location
LGBT Oral History - Centini, George and Hufford, Gary - 015

Rainbow Mountain Resort Information for Pride '82 - 1982

Number of Pages
6
Date
1982

Publicity materials for the Rainbow Mountain Resort where Pride '82 was hosted. 

General Subjects
Year
Time Period
Origin
Gift of Joseph W. Burns
Collection
Location
LGBT-001 Joseph W. Burns

Pride '82 Exhibit Information Form - August 27 - 29, 1982

Number of Pages
2
Date
August 27 - 29, 1982

Exhibit Booth registraion form for Pride '82, a statewide gay rights conference. 

Year
Time Period
Origin
Gift of Joseph W. Burns
Collection
Location
LGBT-001 Joseph W. Burns Collection

Pride '79 Exhibit and Sponsorship Forms - October 19 - 21, 1979

Number of Pages
3
Date
October 19 - 21, 1979

Exhibit Booth and Program Sponsor reservation forms for Pride '79, a statewide gay rights conference.  

Year
Time Period
Origin
LGBT-001 Joseph W. Burns
Collection
Location
LGBT-001 Joseph W. Burns Collection

LGBT History Project: LGBT-025 Shaashawn Dial Collection

Number of Pages
7
Date
2000-2014

Shaashawn Dial is as a poet, radio broadcaster, educator, author, and businesswoman. Kown as Shaashawn “The Voyce” Dial, and she released her debut spoken word album, Voycemail, after that nickname. Dial became the program director of 1400 THE TOUCH in 2003, and then in 2006 became the creator/hostess of The Shaashawn Dial Show: A Dial Movement. She was an educattion coordinator and adjunct faculty member, published two books of poetry, and as a businesswoman was a magazine editor, manager, and founder of Voycetress Media, LLC.

Dial has also been active within the LGBTQ+ community of Central PA. She was the Director of Equity and Affirmative Action and the Staff Liaison to the Harrisburg Relations Commission for the city of Harrisburg. She served as the inaugural co-chair of PA Governor Tom Wolf’s Commission on the LGBTQ Affairs. She was also on the Board of Directors of the LGBT Center of Central PA for seven years, during which time she completed a term as president.

Year
Time Period
Origin
Gift of Shaashawn Dial
Collection
Location
LGBT-025 Shaashawn Dial Collection

LGBT Oral History 106: Jude Sharp

Number of Pages
19
Date
August 22, 2016

Jude Sharp was born in November of 1947 in East Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania and graduated from the Philadelphia High School for Girls. She then attended the Tyler College of Art and studied the art of making jewelry. When she was 21, Jude married her first husband and moved to Denver, Colorado, where she opened her first jewelry shop. Upon ending her relationship, Jude moved back to Lancaster where she met her first girlfriend. Jude has been working with jewelry for nearly 50 years since, and currently has her own business, J. A. Sharp Custom Jeweler. In this interview, Jude discusses the roles her relationships and artistic visions have played in her life. In her childhood, she and her family frequently moved from town to town as her father, a Methodist minister, was transferred to different churches. She speaks of a pervading feeling of ostracism that was assuaged when she came out as lesbian, finally being able to be true to herself. Jude marvels at the changes her community has seen, and laments at the continuing problems with drug and alcohol abuse that face many LGBT individuals today, relating to her own experience. She reflects upon her desire to put creativity to a good purpose and form relationships with others through the medium of crafting personalized jewelry. Additionally, Jude discusses how her own sexuality has played a role throughout the rise of her career.

People
Year
Time Period
Origin
Gift of Jude Sharp
Collection
Location
LGBT Oral History - Sharp, Jude - 106

LGBT Oral History 062: David Leas

Number of Pages
36
Date
June 1, 2017

David Leas was born in 1955 in Columbia, Pennsylvania. He comes from a working class family and described the sense of independence he got from his first job as busboy for the Accomac Inn. This job lead to a foray into the restaurant business, starting with opening the Railroad House in Marietta with his partner Marlon. David then went on to be an evening manager at Isaac’s and then transitioned into a higher up management job within the restaurant. Due to his pull at Isaac’s, he was able to convince the restaurant and other local restaurants to raise funds and collaborate with the Lancaster AIDS Project and SCAAN. David was also one of the original members of Gays United Lancaster and The Rural Gay Caucus, an organization formed in reaction to the urban focus of the Council of Sexual Minorities, formed by Governor Shapp. He also was one of the main driving forces behind the newsletter, Gay Era, often spearheading the publication of it. He remarks on how many of his friends, such as Bari Weaver, had to move due to the extreme harassment they faced for being openly gay. He then touches on the evolution of gay bars in the area and how he met his partner, Ben, who he has been living with in Elizabethtown for around twenty years.

People
Year
Time Period
Origin
Gift of David Leas
Collection
Location
LGBT Oral History - Leas, David - 062

LGBT Oral History 047: Nancy Helm

Number of Pages
23
Date
January 16, 2016

Nancy Helm was born in Lancaster Pennsylvania and graduated from Manheim Township High School in 1981. After graduating she worked for a printing company and did other odd jobs before opening a hair salon with her partner. Not long after that she opened a book store across the street called The Closet. She opened the bookstore as an outlet for the gay community of Lancaster so they could meet and hang out and shop. But, the bookstore was eventually the target of anti-gay crime in the 1990s. It was bombed twice and received multiple threats, including from the KKK. In this emotional interview Nancy gives her story about how she dealt with this and how it affected her life as well as the life of the gay community.

People
Year
Time Period
Origin
Gift of Nancy Helm
Collection
Location
LGBT Oral History - Helm, Nancy - 047

LGBT Oral History 026: Tammy del Sol

Number of Pages
19
Date
April 20, 2017

Tammy del Sol was born in 1963. In this oral history, she discusses her college experience at several institutions, playing racquetball, her father’s (now her own) dental practice, her close-knit family, her artistic side, her relationships with different girlfriends, and her continuing friendship with her ex Jen. Tammy also talks about her relationship with their three children who were conceived through several different sperm donors, all of whom were friends of the couple.  Tammy discusses the importance of the extended LGBT family that includes friendship and relationships with exes and how this network has helped her and her former partner raise their children. Tammy identifies as a “New Ager,” someone who enjoys many aspects of different religions, but who primarily is drawn to spiritualism. Though she has run a dental practice for 22 years, she would like to pursue other business ventures after the next five or six years, which may include screenwriting. Tammy also hopes that her business will become a “home” for people in the LGBT community who otherwise would not find a place where they could feel safe. The interview also touches on current politics and the future of social justice under the Trump administration.

Topics
Year
Time Period
Origin
Gift of Tammy del Sol
Collection
Location
LGBT Oral History - del Sol, Tammy - 026

LGBT Oral History 022: Ray Davis

Number of Pages
14
Date
April 15, 2015

Ray Davis was born on April 30th, 1954 in Bethlehem, PA. After attending Catholic school, Ray went on to earn a bachelor’s degree in ornamental horticulture from Delaware Valley College in Doylestown, PA. After moving to Harrisburg in 1986, Ray acquired his real estate license, serving a variety of clientele including many from the gay community. In this interview, Ray discusses the consequences of coming out to his Catholic parents, the success of his real estate business, and social life in Harrisburg during the late 1980s. He also explains his involvement in the economic development of Harrisburg and briefly about his personal relationships as well as the changes he has witnessed in the Central PA gay community over the years. Ray comments on the different experiences of gay youth today in comparison to his own and others’ experience in the 1970s. Additionally, Ray touches on his perception of the 1990s AIDS Crisis and fondly remembers volunteering as a buddy for the South Central AIDS Assistance Network [SCAAN]. Ray credits the support of the LGBT community as well as the strength of his personal network in Harrisburg for the success of his business.

Topics
People
Year
Time Period
Origin
Gift of Ray Davis
Collection
Location
LGBT Oral History - Davis, Ray - 022

LGBT Oral History 010: James ''Jim'' Bortzfield

Number of Pages
20
Date
October 13, 2014

James “Jim” Bortzfield was born in Lancaster, PA in 1934. He received his undergraduate degree from Elizabethtown College as a business major. Upon graduation, Jim moved to Harrisburg to work as a buyer for Pomeroy’s, but after several years he switched careers and purchased a beer distribution facility in Hershey, PA. After this successful business endeavor, Jim was searching for a new opportunity and decided to purchase The Neptune Bar, a local gay bar in Harrisburg. In this interview, Jim talks about his upbringing, especially talking about his knowledge of being gay at a very young age, but still being able to find companionship among his peers. Jim states that for him it wasn’t too difficult for him to be out. Jim also discusses his two earlier careers paths and why he made those career shifts. On discussing his last major business endeavor, owning The Neptune Bar, Jim recounts anecdotes of being the bar owner and his overall experience. Since selling the bar in 1984/85, Jim discusses his retirement life and having moved to Ft. Lauderdale, FL.

Year
Time Period
Origin
Gift of James Bortzfield
Collection
Location
LGBT Oral History - Bortzfield, James - 010

Lavender Letter (Harrisburg, PA) - August 1990

Number of Pages
5
Date
August 1990

Created by Lorraine Kujawa, Cindy Mitzel, Mary Nancarrow, and several others in 1983, the Lavender Letter Newsletter was a calendar of events for, by, and about lesbian women to create community in the Central Pennsylvania area. The newsletter was distributed monthly until the mid-2000s

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Year
Time Period
Format
Origin
Gift of Lorraine Kujawa
Location
LGBT-009 Lavender Letter Collection

"Lily White and Company and positively hiv, inc." Brochure - circa 1990

Number of Pages
6
Date
1990

Advertising brochure from the partnership of Lily White and Company and positively hiv, inc. Advertises items to be bought from the HIVnALIVE gift shop, sponsored by positively hiv, inc. Proceeds to go to Lily White and Company.

Topics
General Subjects
Year
Time Period
Origin
Gift of Paul Foltz
Location
LGBT-043 Lily White & Company

"Miss Lily Wants You" flyers - 1992

Number of Pages
4
Date
1992

Flyer advertisement asking people to become involved in the company. Ways to be involved include: Publicity, Fundraising, Performing, Added to Mailing List, Administrative Volunteer, and Backstage Crew.

Organizations
Year
Time Period
Origin
Gift of Paul Foltz
Location
LGBT-043 Lily White & Company

Lily White and Company "Tips for Success" - undated

Number of Pages
2
Date
undated

Tips on how to fundraise successfully created by Lily White and C0mpany. Suggestions include: Dinner/Theater Shows, Favorite Bartender Contests, Lily Bucks, Program Booklets, Underwriter and Patron Seating, and Brochures. 

Organizations
Year
Time Period
Format
Origin
Gift of Paul Foltz
Location
LGBT-043 Lily White & Company

Gay Era (Lancaster, PA) - September 27, 1977

Number of Pages
3
Date
September 27, 1977

Letter from Gay Era editors informing readers that the September and October issues will not be availible due to printing issues.

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General Subjects
Year
Time Period
Format
Origin
Gift of Joseph W. Burns
Location
LGBT-001 Joseph W. Burns Periodicals Collection