Journal of California and Great Basin Anthropology

In western Pennsylvania the last ice age left its indelible tracks. There is the Slippery Rock Creek Gorge and, nearby, McConnel's Mills (now a state park) and Moraine State Park. In the same area, not far from the town of Portersville and about fifty miles north of Pittsburgh, is the Kennedy Mill Farm. Located on an unpaved country road, it has a sturdy farmhouse and miscellaneous buildings, including poultry barns no longer used. Superficially, the farm provides no incentive for a passerby to stop and enter the gate. The most prominent feature of the place, however, is a striking windowless modern structure which has nothing to identify it. The casual visitor is not likely to guess that it is a museum, possibly unique in the United States. Museums are normally expected to be located where the interested public can find them readily accessible. But this stark edifice houses an exhibit not intended for the general public and therefore lacks an exterior tablet or plaque to indicate its contents or purpose. Within is a superb private collection of American Indian baskets.