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-111 Bradley "Brad" Gebhart Collection

Number of Pages
2
Date
2008-2023
Bradley “Brad” Gebhart, an active member in the arts scene in central Pennsylvania, serves on the board of the LGBT Center of Central PA as the Events Chair. In addition to his various roles in the community and professional work, Gebhart provided original cartoon drawings for the Central Voice.
Year
Origin
Gift of Bradley Gebhart
Collection
Location
LGBT-111 Bradley "Brad" Gebhart Collection

LGBT History Project: LGBT-106 Jeremy S. Boorum Collection

Number of Pages
7
Date
2006-2023
Jeremy S. Boorum was born in 1997 in Rochester, New York. After completing his undergraduate education at Elmira College, Boorum briefly relocated to Central Pennsylvania in 2019 to begin a master’s degree in American studies at Penn State Harrisburg, and later returned in 2021 to pursue a doctoral education in the same department. As a doctoral student, Boorum became involved in the local LGBTQ+ community. During the Spring 2022 semester, Boorum led efforts to relaunch Pride at Penn State Harrisburg, the campus’s LGBTQ+ student organization, and served as the group’s president. Following his work with Pride, Boorum taught an undergraduate course about LGBTQ+ identity, culture, and the arts. Additionally, Boorum contributed to the LGBT Center of Central PA History Project and worked with the project’s archival collections at Dickinson College for two summers. Boorum continues to serve on the project’s steering committee.
Year
Origin
Gift of Jeremy Boorum
Collection
Location
LGBT-106 Jeremy S. Boorum Collection

LGBT History Project: LGBT-105 Richard Schlegel Historical Marker Collection

Number of Pages
2
Date
2020-2022
Richard Lamar Schlegel was born in 1927 in Berrysburg, PA, a small borough in Dauphin County, Pennsylvania. In 1949, he moved to Washington, D.C. where he pursued a master’s degree and later took a job in the federal government. His career ended in 1961 when he was fired for “immoral and indecent conduct” after being followed by secret investigators who investigated his personal life. Schlegel appealed his case, Schlegel vs. the United States, which went all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court but was refused a hearing. LGBTQ+ activists and community members have repeatedly attempted to get Schlegel the recognition he deserves as a LGBTQ+ rights pioneer. In 2020, Schlegel was nominated for a Historical Marker in Pennsylvania to mark the historic event of Schlegel taking his case all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court. The marker was approved and installed in Harrisburg near the Pennsylvania capitol, outside Schlegel’s former home, in October 2021. After receiving complaints, chiefly from State Senator John DiSanto, the Pennsylvania Historical Museum Commission voted to remove the marker on June 1, 2022, less than a year after its placement.
Year
Time Period
Origin
Gift of Anonymous Donor
Location
LGBT-105 Richard Schlegel Historical Marker Collection

LGBT History Project: LGBT-112 Borough of Carlisle Collection

Number of Pages
2
Date
2016-2021
Carlisle Borough, located in south-central Pennsylvania in Cumberland County, was founded in 1751 and incorporated as a borough in 1782. Carlisle serves as the county seat of Cumberland County. It is home to the U.S. Army War College, Dickinson College, and Penn State Dickinson School of Law. Carlisle Borough hosted its first official Pride Week celebration in 2019. The Carlisle Anti-Discrimination Ordinance, also known as the Borough of Carlisle Human Relations Ordinance, was passed in December 2016. This ordinance established a Human Relations Commission and protection of LGBTQ+ community in the Borough, specifically when it comes to sexual orientation, gender identity, and gender expression.
Places
General Subjects
Year
Time Period
Origin
Gift of Carlisle Borough
Location
LGBT-112 Borough of Carlisle Collection

Central PA Womyn’s Chorus “Simply Sondheim” Program - May 14 & 15, 2022

Number of Pages
17
Date
May 14 and 15, 2022
Founded in 1994, the Central PA Womyn’s Chorus “brings together a diverse group of women, united by the joy of singing, to celebrate and empower women and to affirm a positive image of lesbians and feminists.” This event program is from the Central PA Womyn's Chorus' spring 2022 concert "Simply Sondheim," a celebration of Stephen Sondheim's music performed on May 14th at Heroes Grove Amphitheater in Harrisburg and on May 15th at St. Paul's United Church of Christ in Mechanicsburg. The chorus dedicated this performance to honor the memory of chorus member Charlene Bojalad.
General Subjects
Year
Time Period
Origin
Gift of Mary Nancarrow
Location
LGBT-102 Central PA Womyn's Chorus Collection

Central PA Womyn’s Chorus “Kaleidoscope” Program - November 20, 2021

Number of Pages
17
Date
November 20, 2021
Founded in 1994, the Central PA Womyn’s Chorus “brings together a diverse group of women, united by the joy of singing, to celebrate and empower women and to affirm a positive image of lesbians and feminists.” This event program is from the Central PA Womyn's Chorus' fall 2021 concert "Kaleidoscope," performed on November 20th at Market Square Presbyterian Church in Harrisburg. On November 21st, viewers could stream the performance via Facebook.
General Subjects
Year
Time Period
Origin
Gift of Mary Nancarrow
Location
LGBT-102 Central PA Womyn's Chorus Collection

LGBT History Project: LGBT-102 Central PA Womyn's Chorus Collection

Number of Pages
4
Date
1998-2022

The Central PA Womyn’s Chorus is an all-women’s chorus group that performs concerts throughout the Central Pennsylvania region. Founded in 1994, the chorus made its debut at the Pride Festival of Central PA in Harrisburg. The chorus continues to perform concerts throughout the area which raise awareness about feminist and LGBTQ+ issues.

This collection contains eight series: Concert Programs; Concert Flyers; General Publicity; Gala Choruses VIIE Festival International, Montreal, Canada 2004; Articles; Miscellaneous; Posters; and Artifacts.

Concert Programs features an assortment of programs from the chorus group’s concerts between 1998 and 2022. Concert Flyers includes a series of flyers promoting the chorus group’s concerts between 2014 and 2019. General Publicity includes inserts, a postcard, and a membership brochure to raise awareness about the chorus group. The Gala Choruses VIIE Festival International, Montreal, Canada 2004 includes a booklet and a program from the festival at which the group performed. Articles features news stories documenting the work of the chorus group in the community. Miscellaneous includes music lyrics, notes, and a music catalog used by members of the chorus group. Posters features an assortment of the chorus group’s promotional concert posters. Artifacts include a chorus group polo shirt and t-shirt.

General Subjects
Year
Origin
Gift of Mary Nancarrow
Location
LGBT-102 Central PA Womyn's Chorus Collection

LGBT History Project: LGBT-088 TransCentral PA Collection

Number of Pages
6
Date
2007 - 2019

TransCentral PA is a nonprofit 501c3 organization which serves the transgender, non-binary, and gender nonconforming community in central Pennsylvania. It was originally formed in 1989 as the Lower Susquehanna Valley chapter of the national trans organization, Renaissance Education Association. The group separated from the Renaissance in 2006. This collection contains administrative materials and monthly newsletters from 2007-2021.

Organizations
General Subjects
Year
Origin
Downloaded from TransCentral PA website by Malinda Triller-Doran and Sarah Wakefield
Location
LGBT-088 TransCentral PA 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 Oral History 141: Marie DiFava

Number of Pages
20
Date
January 14, 2020

Marie DiFava was born in Lebanon County in 1953 and grew up in a troubled Italian home. She graduated from high school and attended nursing school, but after burning out from her job and schooling, she dropped out, married, and had three children with her husband. During her marriage and after her divorce, Marie volunteered as an EMT and worked for the United States Postal Service as a mail carrier. In this interview, she discusses going to a doctor and being referred to therapy which gave her the tools to live a healthy life despite the violence and instability of her childhood. Her therapist pushed her to come out so she told her children. After her youngest daughter informed the entire neighborhood of her sexuality though, Marie looked for gay organizations to join. She travelled to groups across Central Pennsylvania, but she grew frustrated with the lack of community in Lebanon, so she started her own group, Lebanon County Lesbians. The group met in her home for five or six years and ended when Marie started to let transwomen join and other members disagreed. Finally, she discusses the challenges facing her and other older LGBT people, the love her children gave her, and her pride in being able to donate the newsletters and activities letters from her organization to the History Project.

Video footage of this interview is unavailable at this time. Please contact archives@dickinson.edu for more information.

People
Places
Year
Time Period
Origin
Gift of Marie DiFava
Collection
Location
LGBT Oral History - DiFava, Marie - 141

LGBT History Project: LGBT-021 LGBT Center of Central PA Collection

Number of Pages
11
Date
1990 - present

The LGBT Center of Central PA, housed in Harrisburg, PA, provides services, programs, and community space for the LGBT community in the region. These materials represent these initiatives, including the Common Roads program for youth and young adults, its predecessor BiGLYAH, and FAB (Fall Achievement Benefit). This collection also contains materials regarding the founding of the Center, publications produced by the Center and other regional LGBT initiatives (such as Central Alternative, Out and About in Central PA, and the @ The Center newsletter), news clippings regarding local LGBT issues, and other documentation of LGBT organizations and programming in Central PA.

Year
Origin
Gift of LGBT Center of Central PA
Location
LGBT-021 LGBT Center of Central PA Collection