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Vol. 6, Issue 1 From the President’s Desk In 2003, the Pennsylvania State Archives will celebrate its 100th anniversary. Never in the history of man has access to historic archives been so easy. Without leaving home or by visiting the local library, anyone can access a sampling of Pennsylvania’s historic documents from Benjamin Chambers’ (a Quaker Friend) 1685 map indicating the land from the Delaware to the Susquehanna to Pennsylvania’s first Constitution - 1776, written after the beginning of the Revolutionary War, to Pennsylvania’s canal transportation system to the accident at Three Mile Island in modern times. These documents can be found at “Doc (document) Heritage” on the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission (PHMC) Web site (hwww.phmc.state.pa.us). At the same Web site, under ARIAS (Archives Records Information Access System), alphabetically listed military records from the Revolutionary, Civil, Spanish-American, Mexican Border, and WWI wars can be found. Another Web site under construction that will open on March 17, 2003 is ExplorePAHistory.com. Using the very familiar blue and gold Pennsylvania historical markers (1,900 throughout Pennsylvania) as a basis, visitors will be able to “travel” through Pennsylvania’s history. The written accounts about people, places, and events will be enhanced with digital images of documents and other archival pieces from the State Archives. For the more traditional segment of the population, Pennsylvania: A History of the Commonwealth, the first comprehensive book since 1973 on our state’s history, was published this fall by Penn State Press and the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission. Leading scholars contributed seven essays that cover the topics of major time periods in Pennsylvania’s history. Numerous illustrations and maps are included along with a section that gives readers suggestions for other resources (photography, art, oral history, etc.) through which they can also study our state’s history. The Pennsylvania Department of Education has adopted new academic standards for teaching our students state history. Presently, state history in the GASD is taught in third grade and touched upon again at the high school level and may be mentioned when it’s relevant to local, U. S., or world history when it’s being taught. Under the new guidelines, some time during every three grades (1-3, 4-6, 7-9, 10-12), specific periods of Pennsylvania history will have to be taught. This will require the rewriting of the current curriculum for history before the new standards can be initiated in the classrooms. Although the primary purpose of Allison-Antrim Museum focuses on the history of Greencastle and Antrim Township, the scope widens to also include items of special interest that will serve to complement the primary purpose and offer a more thorough understanding of the history of the Borough of Greencastle and Antrim Township in relationship to the history of the Cumberland Valley, Pennsylvania and the United States. AAMI’s Pennsylvania Governors’ Signatures collection falls within the parameters of the secondary purpose. I’m proud to say that, since 2000 when the Signatures collection was first exhibited, Allison-Antrim Museum has been on the cutting edge of the Internet technology within the museum community. Through its Web site, anyone with Internet access has been able to view the signatures in the collection as well as see a picture of each Governor and read about his contribution to Pennsylvania’s history. With the recent election of a new Governor for Pennsylvania and his inauguration on Tuesday, January 21, 2003, it seemed very apropos for the museum’s Signatures collection to be exhibited for the second time, during the January open houses. About six additional signatures have been added to the collection since its inaugural exhibit in January 2000. The collection now totals 48 signatures of the 100 men who so far have served as Governor of Pennsylvania from the Colonial time up to the present, including Governor-elect Ed Rendell’s signature. For me, Christmas comes throughout the year at the museum. I am pleasantly surprised many times during the year when the U.S. mail arrives, or someone emails the museum, or calls and lets a message. On November 30, 2002 an autographed photo of Governor-elect Rendell arrived. There was no note of explanation how he may have heard about the museum’s collection, but I will keep you informed when I hear back from him in response to my thank you letter. Representative Patrick Fleagle and Senator Terry Punt will be invited to the January 12, 2003 opening. The third grade teachers, and the middle and high school history departments have been informed of the exhibit. It is my hope that they can find the time to visit the museum with their students or encourage their students to visit the museum with their parents to see the collection. You are cordially invited to visit the museum during the January open houses to view this historic collection which was given to AAMI by Tom Brumbaugh at the end of July 1998 just before we opened the doors. January Membership Meeting On January 9, AAMI member John Ambrosio will be the speaker for the evening. The topic of his presentation will focus on the German and Italian prisoners of war at the Michaux State Forest and Letterkenny Army Depot. Included will be a look at the construction of the Letterkenny chapel by the Italian POW’s. Ambrosio is a history teacher at the Chambersburg Area High School and his presentation is based on original research on the German and Italian POW’s in Franklin County during World War II. See “Calendar of Events” for meeting details.
Of Interest While going through the boxes of material given to us by Glen Cump, I found a copy of “The Chas. B. Carl Formulary”, the contents of which were compiled for him by Charles W. Parsons, Ph. C., editor of Practical Druggist, New York. Parsons, among other positions, was Chemist for U. S. Department of Agriculture, Washington, D. C. and was a professor of Practical Pharmacy and Analytical Chemistry in College of Pharmacy of City of New York. According to Frank Ervin, current proprietor of Carl’s Drug Store, the ingredients in the 175 different formulas would have worked. The remedies covered everything you can think of from fingernail bleach, nursery powder, rose lip salve, wash for teeth and gums, charcoal tooth powder, tan and sunburn, perspiration powder, eczema, poison oak eruption, ring worm, bedbug poison, and fleas on the body to, yes, even vanity formulas for baldness and hair restoration and creams for preventing and removing wrinkles. Or, perhaps one might need to remove iron rust or ink stains from linen or cotton or a dressing for a razor strop or the carriage top may be needed. Among the ingredients for incense were Myrrh and oil of cinnamon. Of course, the cattle, horses, hogs, poultry and dogs were not forgotten. Treatments are given for, among other things, spasmodic colic, saddle or harness sores, hog cholera, mange, fever, jaundice, powder to make hens lay, gout in chickens, distemper in dogs, and fleas on dogs.
What’s Been Happening Because of space limitations in the September newsletter the first two items had to be postponed for printing till now. · Marty Zimmerman represented Allison-Antrim Museum by manning an information table at the Festival of the Arts event at Renfrew, which for the first time included the promotion of Franklin County’s museums and historical organizations. · Ted Alexander spoke at the Fort McCord Ceremony of Remembrance of 27 people taken by the Indians on April 1, 1756. Those individuals were either killed or held prisoner. Jim McCord emailed with a request for someone from AAMI to attend the McCord family reunion and speak on the Scot-Irish. Ted consented to be our representative. Mr. McCord has a wealth of McCord genealogy information with ties to the Allison family. Mr. McCord and his wife have since joined as members of AAMI. · Jim Craig conducted a tour of the museum for AAMI member, Betty Gayman’s farm women’s organization on November 6. · The potatoes, turnips, parsnips, and carrots from the November exhibit were donated to Shank’s Personal Care Home which is located south of Greencastle. · Bonnie Bingaman and Bonnie Shockey, each, made trips to the Franklin County Court House to do research in the tax records. We are searching for what kind of and how many out buildings were constructed when Irwin built his “Walnut Hill’ home in 1860. If you have or know anyone who has photographs of the property when Cletus and Putter Zimmerman owned the property, before the school district purchased land, please contact the museum at 717.597.9010. We are specifically looking for pictures of the barn. · The holiday decorating committee (Cyndi Carbaugh, and AAMI members Jenine Grove, Nancy Pensinger, Joanne Thomas, and Bonnie Shockey) made short order of the task of decorating and brought the museum house back to the Civil War era at Christmastime. · Steve Divelbiss hung the original four-panel, mortised and tenoned wood doors on the entrances to the kitchen and hallway from the dining room. Original knobs and hardware were available which keeps these doors true to the 1860 time period. The original doors, which were kept in the basement all these years, replace the glass paneled French doors that were hanging when the house was purchased in 1998. The doors need to be scraped and painted.
Web Site Inquiries · Information was sought on the Shelby family name, from the late 1700’s-early 1800’s. · A question as to whether and where microfilm or hard copies of the “Franklin Ledger” might be found. The obituary notice for B. B. Bonner who died on January 9, 1860 was being sought. · From Louisiana, a question from someone who grew up in Hagerstown, but now lives near New Orleans, as to where the Conococheague Settlement was located. Research is being done for a descendant of Rebecca Walter who was taken captive by the Indians at Rankin’s Mill. The mill was located one mile northwest of Greencastle on Williamson Road. The story was found in a paper written by AAMI’s former historian, Glen Cump. · From the United Kingdom, an avid collector of WWII U.S. women’s uniforms discovered our Web site and requested photographs of Lorraine Pensinger Phillip’s WWII uniforms that she wore as a nurse. The uniforms were on display during the 2001 November and December exhibits that honored Greencastle-Antrim veterans. Close-up digital photos showing details of the inside and outside of the uniforms were emailed to England. · Information was requested on Leonard Metz, a weaver, during the 1830’s-1840’s, of jacquard coverlets in Norristown Township, Montgomery County, Pennsylvania. One of Metz’s coverlets was passed down through the family of one of Metz’s customers. The owner of the coverlet now resides in Colorado.
Recent Acquisitions
Taking a Second Look
Calendar of Events Thursday, January 9, 7 p.m., Evangelical
Lutheran Church: Sunday, January 12, 1 – 4 p.m. and
Thursday, January 16, noon – 3 p.m.: Thursday, February 6, noon – 3 p.m. and
Sunday, February 9, 1 – 4 p.m.: Thursday, February 13, 7 p.m.,
Evangelical Lutheran Church: |