IT’S FINALLY HERE: On Saturday, the Marilyn Horne Museum and Exhibit Center in Bradford will open to the public.
The facility, located in what had been known for years as the Seneca Building, will showcase Horne, one of the world’s most renowned opera singers, who is a native of Bradford.
The Marilyn Horne Museum and Exhibit Center will feature archives Horne donated to the University of Pittsburgh at Bradford, including musical compositions and recordings, photographs, costumes and posters.
Horne was born in 1934 in Bradford. Her father, Bentz Horne, encouraged his daughter to pursue her musical dreams. She moved with her family to Long Beach, Calif., when she was 11, and made her debut when she was 20 at the Los Angeles Opera Guild. Following her father’s death in 1956, she traveled Europe, performing in many productions and receiving rave reviews.
She sang professionally for more than 40 years, becoming not only a star of the opera world, but also an ambassador to pop culture through appearances on “The Odd Couple,” “The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson,” “Carol Burnett and Friends” and “Sesame Street.”
AND HERE’S A STRANGE STORY OUT OF CAMERON COUNTY: The Cameron County Press and The Daily Commercial documented that, while excavating for B.J. Earl on or about 1872, that the indian Giant Eagle and 16 of his braves were unburied in Sterling Run. Because of the arrangement of the bodies, it was believed that the men died as a result of battle. The skeleton of Giant Eagle was reported to have been 7 feet, 7 inches tall.
The legend states that this giant indian fell in love with Red Fern, the daughter of Thunder Cloud. Thunder Cloud’s tribe and Giant Eagle’s tribes were enemies.
When Red Fern was found missing Thunder Cloud’s tribe prepared for battle. Red Fern and Giant Eagle married and headed back to try to make peace with Thunder cloud’s tribe. Giant Eagle and his tribe were massacred and buried in shallow graves in Sterling Run.
Red Fern was returned to her tribe where she died shortly after … most likely because of a broken heart.
