By Heather Cass, Publications Manager, Penn State Behrend
Ernst and Mary Behrend, whose Glenhill farm property formed the core of Penn State Behrend in 1948, were avid world travelers.
“It was a very important part of their lives,” said Jane Ingold, reference librarian and archivist at the college’s Lilley Library. “We have many photos and postcards that they collected while on their frequent trips abroad. We even have some film of them visiting the locks at the Panama Canal.”
Thanks to the eagle eye of a Behrend food service staff member and the generosity of Steve Miller, associate director of Housing and Food Services, Ingold has another treasure to add to the Behrend collection: one of Ernst’s travel trunks.
“One of my employees mentioned that they saw an old steamer trunk that had ‘E. Behrend’ stamped on it on a photo posted on social media by One-Eighty Consignment and Thrift Shoppe in Albion,” Miller said. “I knew as soon as I saw it that it belonged in Behrend’s archives.”
When Miller drove to Albion to see the trunk, he was surprised at its condition.
“Normally, the leather handles on this type of steamer trunk deteriorate over time, but the handles on this trunk had not,” Miller said. “It appears to have been stored fairly well for some time.”
Behrend Blog talked with Miller, a history buff, to learn more about the trunk, which he purchased and donated to the Behrend archives.
Do you know where the trunk came from?
The best the store could gather was that the man who sent it to the store for consignment sale had received it from his wife’s uncle. Who that is or why he had the trunk is unknown.
How do you know it belonged to Ernst Behrend?
It has a brass identification plaque reading “E.R. Behrend Erie PA, U.S.A.” and “E.R. Behrend, Erie, PA” is written in white paint on the front.
Does it have any other identifying marks?
It has a shipping sticker from the American Express Railway Company (AERC). The AERC was formed in 1917 from an amalgamation of three express companies: First Express Company, Pony Express, and Wells Fargo Express. This was an effort to streamline shipping to aid in the war effort as the U.S. was involved in World War I at the time. The AERC was sold in 1929, so this dates the trunk to the 1917–1929-time frame.
It appears the trunk was shipped either to or from Newport, Rhode Island, which makes sense as the Behrend’s had a summer home there in 1913.
The sticker also has the abbreviation “N.Y.N.H. & H.” This is a reference to the New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad. Service from this railroad ran from eastern New York state through Connecticut, Rhode Island, and Massachusetts. The shipping sticker places the value of the trunk at $300, which is approximately $4,800 in today’s dollars.
Were trunks commonly used by travelers then?
Steamer trunks or cabin trunks, which were named after their ability to be stored in the cabin of a steam ship, became popular in the 1880-1920 time period. They had a lower profile than typical shipping trunks to fit under berths in trains and steam ships. The trunks were typically identified with the name or initials of the owner. In addition, they carried notations to identify the contents of the trunk for appropriate storage. In the case of the Behrend trunk, a painted circle with “B” in the center.
You suspect this was one of many trunks the Behrends used?
Yes. Wealthy families typically traveled with many trunks to store their belongings for a long journey. The trunks were typically prepared by the house staff (maids, butlers, etc.) and shipped with a courier service to be placed in a steam liner berth or a train cabin.
Plans for the trunk
Ingold displayed the trunk with a few other Behrend family travel artifacts in the Glenhill Farmhouse during last month’s Parents, Families, and Alumni Weekend at Behrend. This summer, she plans to create a larger display about Ernst and Mary’s travels centered around the trunk that will be on display in the fall 2025 semester.
“It’s in remarkably good condition,” Ingold said. “But things were built to last back then.”
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