The Columns Museum - Books, Art and Photograph Collections
The Pike County Historical Society museum contains a collection of artworks, books and other resources, including historical photographs of life in Pike County during the 19th and 20th centuries.
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The Columns Museum - Books, Art and Photograph Collections
Prominent amongthe works of art on display at The Columns are several outstanding landscapes painted by John Newton Howitt, a local resident and 20th century artist.
Influenced by the Hudson River School, Howitt illustrated stories for popular periodicals, designed covers for book jackets, and painted scenes of the Pike County farms and countryside, as well as the Delaware River.
Also on display at the museum are the bust, "The Painted Lady," by Paul Duboy; numerous water colors which focus upon life in the Delaware Valley; several oil paintings on canvas; and a number of sculpted pieces of Abraham Lincoln.
The Columns Museum - Books, Art and Photograph Collections
In addition to its fine collection of genealogical resources, the Society also maintains a large collection of old and recent newspapers, periodicals, pamphlets, maps, and posters. Also included in the collection are archives of material as well as reels of microfilmed data pertinent to Pike County history and culture.
The Society has over 500 general interest books, and about 400 rare titles. They include a complete set of the works of Zane Grey and several books by Stephen Crane, the author of The Red Badge of Courage, who once camped at Twin Lakes in Shohola. Numerous titles in the collection focus upon Abraham Lincoln and the Civil War, many pertain to the history and culture of Pike County, and a small collection of art books features 19th century artists and the Hudson River School.
In the area of photography, the Society holds a vast collection of photographs, negatives, and slides which depict life in Pike County during the 19th and 20th centuries. In addition, numerous historical photographs of Abraham Lincoln, members of the Gourlay family, and others related to the life and times of Lincoln are also on display in the exhibit areas of the museum.