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Historical Society of Mount Lebanon collects ‘Letters and Photos from the Homefront’

By Harry Funk staff Writer hfunk@thealmanac.Net 4 min read
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Historical societies tend to concentrate on preserving life in the past, but the COVID-19 pandemic has prompted some to concentrate on the present.

“We’re living the history, and so let’s keep a record of it right now,” said Jim Wojcik, past president of the Historical Society of Mount Lebanon.

The group is focusing on collecting stories, images and artifacts of what local residents are facing during the unprecedented time of mass closures, social distancing and people staying home far more than they normally would.

“Fifty years from now, somebody’s going to come back and say, ‘Gee, I wonder what that was like. What happened in Mt. Lebanon?'” Wojcik said.

“Letters and Photos from the Homefront,” as the historical society calls the effort, is intended to provide future generations with plenty of documentation to help answer that question.

Mt. Lebanon residents are encouraged to send their personal stories of how the pandemic is impacting their lives. And they can provide multiple submissions with regard to how they’re coping.

“Your emotions could change over time,” Wojcik said. “So it’s OK if they do something now and then two weeks from now they decide, I want to share this, too.”

He and his wife, Peg, have a story to tell.

“We said, ‘Well, we’re going to need to go to the grocery store.’ But we’re in that older category,” he said, and so they opted to try to have a nearby supermarket bring supplies to them. “We placed the order, and then we got to the delivery part. And it was like nine days out or something before they would deliver it. So we said, ‘Maybe we’ll just have them shop, and I’ll pick it up.'”

The wait for that still turned out to be several days.

“That was a surprise,” Wojcik said. “But we’re OK, because we trying to anticipate, well, they might not get to it right away.”

As far as gathering pandemic-related artifacts, letters are going to local businesses.

“When you take your signs down, don’t throw them out,” the letter says. “Consider donating them to the historical society.”

The idea for “Letters and Photos from the Homefront” actually came from Maryland Historical Society. Leah Burman, the Wojciks’ daughter, lives in Annapolis and suggested it as something that could work for Mt. Lebanon.

Her daughter, fourth-grader Casey Burman, sent a letter to the Maryland group.

“The coronavirus makes school way shorter,” her letter said. “My teacher just sends us websites and work to do, and I normally get it done before noon.

“I don’t want to sound like a nerd, but I love school. My teacher makes everything fun. She makes songs to remember the times-tables, and we play games to give our brains a break.

“My brother’s school has way more work. Yesterday, he was working long after dinner. I’m not allowed to distract him, and I get really bored. I’m writing a book, but you can only do that for so long.

“I try to play, but I’m still bored. So bored that I combined Frozen, Barbie, My Little Pony, and doll! Also, I’m 9, so I’m really bored.”

Some folks in Mt. Lebanon may feel sort of like that. Healthcare workers, first responders, teachers, business owners and others who deal more directly with the situation probably have different perspectives.

“Letters and Photos from the Homefront” submissions can be emailed to info@lebohistory.org, with “PANDEMIC 2020” in the subject field.

Submissions can also be mailed to Historical Society of Mount Lebanon, 794 Washington Road, Pittsburgh, Pa. 15228.

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