September 2006, Volume 9, Issue 5

From the President’s Desk

September 11, 2006 marks the fifth anniversary of the horrific events of September 11, 2001; the day which changed the world forever.  When I now see a date with a year, nine times out of ten, I consciously say to myself, “That was before September 11,” or “That was after September 11.”    If the date was before September 11, I remember how incredibly naive I was, along with millions of others in the United States and around the world.  It is still difficult to think about that day, but we must think about it and remember it so that the 2,973 innocent individuals who died that day did not die in vain.

Two movies have recently been released about September 11.  Many have said that it's too soon to look back through the eyes of the movie cameras.  Too soon, why?  It’s too soon because the emotions are still very close to the surface for all of us and it still hurts too much?  It’s too soon because we haven’t had time to analyze it and assimilate it and wrap our brains around it to make some kind of sense out of it? Was it too soon for 2,973 innocent people to lose their lives at the hands of radical religious terrorists?  Yes, of course, it was.  Then how can it be too soon to remember that day – the Caribbean blue, cloudless sky; the images of the planes crumbling buildings and crashing into a field; “You ready? Ok. Let’s roll;” the smoke; the fire; the dust; the ceaseless chirping of distress signals; people jumping from buildings; the collapse of buildings; the rubble; the empty gurneys lined up in triage centers; the silent skies; the heroes and the innocents; the firemen and paramedics; the 2,973 ordinary individuals like you and me caught in an all too real, surreal day; the survivors and the families of the 2,973 individuals.  Remember each face.  Remember each name. Remember September 11, 2001.

Images of America Greencastle-Antrim Revisited

Images of America Greencastle-Antrim Revisited will be published in 2007 and ready for store shelves about July 2007, just in time for Old Home Week 2007.

Antrim Township and Greencastle will be revisited with old photographs which had to be edited from the 2004 pictorial history book and “new” old photographs, which have been given to the museum since the first book was published. 

We are still looking for more pictures, which are out there.  Included will be photographs of the five Greencastle-Antrim area young men who died in Viet Nam.  We want to include photographs of WWI veterans.  During WWII, there was a Roll of Honor, which was displayed in the Holstein store window.  Does anyone have a photograph of it?   There was also a Roll of Honor displayed in the State Line area.  We have a photograph of it, but it is a distant shot.  Is there a better photograph of it?  The plans are to give additional focus to the 1940s, 1950s, and 1960s. We want to include photographs of downtown businesses and storefronts, as well as township businesses from that time period – the Corner Drug Store, the Cubbie Hole, Barkdoll’s Market, the News Agency, Belle’s Dry Goods, Zarger’s, Hoch’s Atlantic, Bock Oil car wash, Greenpoint, Hillcrest, Adam’s garage, Greencastle Dry Cleaning, Crist’s Furniture, A. G. Crunkleton, Bowder’s and Seller’s Abattoir, Zip Oil, Pittman’s Western Wear, and more.  We do not know if you have or others have such photos.  If you have, or know of anyone who has old photographs, please contact Ken or me as soon as possible at 717.597.9325. 

Annual Membership Renewal

Thank you to those of you who have already returned your membership applications for the 2006-2007 membership year.  Your continuing support is greatly appreciated.  Allison-Antrim Museum exists for you, your family, and the Greencastle-Antrim community-at-large; but, conversely it cannot exist without the support of you, your family, and friends.  With Antrim Township’s rapidly growing population, it is more important than ever before that Greencastle-Antrim’s history and heritage is preserved for succeeding generations.

If you have not already returned your membership, please take a minute right now and complete and mail the application form, which has been included in this mailing for your convenience.  There's no time like the present  You are a valued member and the board of directors looks forward to again having you as member for the coming membership year.

Barn Raising

Please watch the newspapers for details on the barn raising, the date of which, at the time of writing this newsletter, has not been determined.  According to our timber framer, Glenn James, it will likely be a three-day event, which will conclude on a Saturday.  Visitors are encouraged to stop by anytime to observe the process.  On the final day, the Rescue Hose Company food wagon will be on the premises, which will include their famous HOCO burgers.  Members of the board of directors will be “manning” a blueprint table, where visitors can contribute to the project by “buying” a shingle for $10, a brick for $15, siding boards at $25 each , a limestone for $50, individual bents for $75,  a corner stone for $100,  and a purlin for $250.  A donation for any combination of construction items may be made or a complete "package" of all items will be $500.  As partners in the barn raising project, donors will be invited to sign the blueprints for posterity.  Allison-Antrim Museum is a 501(c)(3) organization and all donations are tax deductible.

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September Open House Exhibit

To mark the fifth anniversary of September 11^th and to celebrate the freedom that form the backbone of our nation, the open house exhibit will be comprised of a large scrapbook of newspaper articles that chronicle the timeline of events beginning September 11, 2001 through September 2002 and a second scrapbook, which includes articles about the repercussions over the next four years.  There are articles from local newspapers and city newspapers.  Visitors can spend as much time as they want looking at and reading the collection.  There will also be five books that have been purchased or donated to the museum for the visitors to leaf through.  One of the books, Portraits, is a compilation of the New York Times’ Portraits of Grief column in which they featured several of the September 11^th victims each day.  A photograph and 200 word essay that captured the essence of each person was the Times’ way of honoring each victim and allowing the world to put a face and meaning with each life – they are no longer just a number between one and three thousand. 

Framed prints of Norman Rockwell’s Four Freedoms – Freedom from Want and Fear and Freedom of Worship and Speech, purchased by AAMI in 2002, will be on display.  The original canvasses, which toured the country for the War Bond effort, were inspired by Franklin Roosevelt’s Four Freedoms speech.  $133 million dollars worth of bonds were sold!!

Artwork created by GAHS students in the fall of 2001 and artwork done in 2002, with their retrospective thoughts, will be on display.  Photographs of how people and businesses in the Greencastle-Antrim area responded will also be exhibited.  Former NYC Mayor Rudolph Giuliani donated an autographed New York Fire Department fireman’s cap. Among other items on exhibit will be a leather New Yorker Firefighter’s helmet, on loan from Ben Thomas Jr.

Visitors will have an opportunity to write down either their retrospective thoughts on the events of September 11, 2001, or their comments on America’s freedoms in a journal provided by the museum.

You are cordially invited to visit Allison-Antrim Museum for this very special exhibit.

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October Open House Exhibit

 “Made in Greencastle or Antrim Township” is the focus of the October open house exhibit.  A number of items made in Greencastle or Antrim Township are already part of the permanent exhibits.  They include the clover header; a Henry S. Walck grain cradle; cast iron stove made by J. B. Crowell; a chest of drawers with mirror made by Augustus Shirey, a cabinet maker and undertaker in the 1800s in Greencastle; a very early Moller organ (on loan) made in Greencastle, prior to the company moving the business to Hagerstown; blueprints (on loan) from the Greencastle Geiser plant; a flat-belt driven buck saw made by the Flinchbaugh Manufacturing Co. circa 1910; and molds from the Greencastle Landis Tool plant. Objects made by more modern day craftsmen include a nursing rocker made by the late Pearl Conrad’s father Bruce Angel; handcrafted in his shop, a tall mantel clock made by David Warren.  In addition, other objects made by local craftsmen will also be exhibited, such as Frank Feather carvings; a lap dulcimer and baby cradle made by Earl Harbaugh; and a scale model of one of Rescue Hose’s fire engines made by C. Robert Swisher.  This exhibit co-insides with the TAH seminar on October 14.  See Calendar of Events for dates and time.

September Monthly Meeting

Clyde Stair of Greencastle is a member of the local Greencastle chapter of the National Association of Atomic Veterans (NAAV).  He will share some of his stories about his experiences with early atomic testing by our government during the Cold War era. 

Atomic testing was performed from 1945 to 1962.  The men and women who were in the military or were civilians, working for the government, and were involved with the testing were sworn to secrecy for 30 years after the testing of atomic weapons was completed; and now they may speak aloud, about what went on and how they were chosen for the duties which they performed.  

The 30-year time period was shortened, due to the Freedom of Information Act, which was passed in 1975. The act allowed the government to have a buffer of five years until information could be obtained by citizens, or in this instance, those involved could talk aloud about their experiences.   The NAAV and the local chapter were then established in 1979 and 1980.  Within the first year, the membership of the national organization grew from 2,000 members to 8,000 members.  Locally, the Greencastle chapter began with 21 veterans; presently, there are only nine members remaining – an indication of the aging of the Greatest Generation.

Each person chosen for the very secretive nuclear testing programs during the postwar years were chosen because each one had multiple M.O.S. job titles. Stair was 21 and held the rank of Sergeant in the Army, when he was tapped in June 1950 for Operation Greenhouse, the fourth postwar atmospheric nuclear weapon testing program.  When 67 members in Stair’s unit were alerted to go to California, they thought they were going to Korea. Instead, they spent 10 days training in the desert and then they were put on a ship (destination unknown) and ended up at the new Pacific Proving Ground at Enewetak Atoll.  The first order of business was building an airstrip, which began in September and ended before Christmas 1950.  The scientists came in after Christmas and were ready to set off the first test named Dog on April 8, 1951.  It was followed by Easy on April 21, George on May 9, and the last and most powerful test called Item on May 25, 1951.  Operation Greenhouse involved between 5,000 – 7,000 personnel from beginning to end.

What’s Been Happening

• AAMI member Justin Wenger, a senior at Messiah College, completed his internship at Allison-Antrim Museum this summer by contributing 120 hours of work.  He cataloged and photographed all of the 2003 acquisitions and entered all the information, including a digital photograph of each item, into the Past Perfect computer program.
• On June 15, Heritage Roofing began replacing the museum house’s 60 something year old interlocking shingles and the original slate roof, upon which the shingles were nailed.  The 12” wide 1860s boards, which were used as underlayment for the slate, were not removed.  The new shingles are “architectural” and give the appearance of slate shingles.  They come with a 50-year warranty.
• The drive shaft for the ink cartridge and the feed dogs for the top paper feeder on the photocopier broke in two separate instances causing a delay in getting annual membership letters out.  Both problems were fixed under warranty.
• Bonnie spoke to the Greencastle-Antrim Rotary Club on Monday, July 31.

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Recent Acquisitions

• From AAMI member Ed Smith, a framed picture of the Martin’s Mill Covered Bridge, which was featured on the May page of the 1969 TWA calendar.
• The last remaining possessions of Katherine R. Carl’s estate were given to the museum.  The items include a set of six ivory-handled surgical instruments which belonged to Dr. George D. Carl, the only child of Dr. Adam Carl to become a medical doctor.  The surgical instruments are in mahogany case.  A set of six graduated, tortoiseshell measuring scoops, an ivory letter opener with an alligator carved on top of the handle, and numerous papers were the remaining artifacts in this most recent gift.
• From AAMI member Mike Burger, a Western Auto catalog which would have come in the daily mail; one sales receipt from J. Lesher & Son (tinning, stoves, and plumbing); on heavy tag board, one Hostettter’s advertising card; and one dedication program for the Greencastle Post Office on April 28, 1960.
• One cane, handcrafted from a piece of salvaged wood from the Town Hall with the names, burned into the cane, of 38 men and women of the G-A area who were instrumental in this community’s history.  There is room for several more names.  A gift from AAMI member Joe Snyder.
• From the estate of the late Alice Bartholomew: photographs and copies of newspaper articles; a copy of “More or Less Personal;” two hand-crocheted lady’s camisoles; one white, lightweight linen 1920s dress with white appliqués; one cotton toddler’s slip and one cotton toddler’s dress; and one pair of black and white little girl’s shoes with three buttons each.

Web Site Inquiries

• Inquiries and information was sought on top hats, hat pins, and the museum’s John Penn documents.
• From New Zealand, the owner of an Edison Fireside Phonograph was searching for a date or time period in which it was made.  The question was forwarded to an AAMI member, who is a collector of phonographs.  His answer from the description given was circa 1910.
• A descendant of William D. Lechler, the well-known 19^th century portrait painter and artist from the Waynesboro and Smithsburg area, contacted the museum from Wyoming.  He was looking for any genealogy information on Lechler and was interested in seeing photographs of his paintings. 

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