Greencastle, PA

About a year and a half ago, David Reichard, formerly of Shady Grove, gave to the museum a number of antique barn framing tools – framing chisels, and other chisels used for corners and mortises and gouges, a mallet, and a large wooden vice.  These along with antique woodworking tools from the collections of AAMI member Joe Henson and tin snips and a faucet re-seater from Jim Craig will be displayed.  The tin snips and faucet re-seater were used by Jim’s late father, James H. Craig, Sr. who was a well-known plumber in Greencastle.  Henson’s collection includes handmade wooden planes from the mid 1800’s, rules, squares, protractors, numerous kinds of saws, drawing knives, hand drills, levels as small as three inches to five feet in length, and much more.  Henson is also loaning, for the exhibit, the personal tool chest made by Gen. David Detrich, cabinet maker and undertaker in Greencastle. The late Stanley Koser’s cabinet making chisels and gouges and three wooden vices will also be on display. In addition, the woodworking tools of the late Howard Swisher, will be on loan for the exhibit from his son, Bob Swisher, Greencastle.  Howard retired in 1975 after working for Moller Pipe Organ for 47 years. The consoles for the organs were made by Howard with the tools that will be displayed.  Swisher will, also, be loaning numerous plumbing tools used by his late father-in-law Paul M. Lindsay, who was a plumber in the Greencastle area.

Mathias Peter Moller was born in Denmark in 1854, and apprenticed himself to a carriage maker. He immigrated to America at age 17 and found a woodworking job at the Derrick & Felgemaker Organ Company of Erie, Pa. In 1875 he went into business for himself, and built his first organ for the Swedish Lutheran Church in Warren, PA. In 1877 he moved to Greencastle. He lived at 42 East Franklin Street where he began his organ making business, first producing pump organs. (It is also known that Moller erected a pipe organ in one of the J. B. Crowell buildings.) When Moller was unsuccessful at securing financing from the Greencastle banks to expand his business, he moved to Hagerstown in April 1881.

Originally, Moller was a carriage maker and his interests extended well beyond organ building.  Among numerous other ventures, in 1905, he joined with Robert Crawford to form the Crawford Automobile Co. About 1,500 Crawford touring cars were produced from 1905 to 1924. In 1922, Möller introduced a new car, the Dagmar (named after his wife), which came in a variety of body styles, including a four-passenger version called the Victoria Speedster. Less than a thousand Dagmars were manufactured before production ceased in 1927. Moller's old car factory is still standing on Pope Avenue in south Hagerstown. Part of the building is occupied by - guess! - The Hagerstown Organ Company!  Mr. Moller was also instrumental in establishing the Dagmar Hotel, which also still stands at the corner of Summit Ave. & Antietam Street which is just down the street from Shockey’s (furniture, piano, and organ store) old building. It's (Dagmar Hotel) still being used as a hotel.

Four Greencastle churches have Moller organs in their sanctuaries – Evangelical Lutheran, Trinity Lutheran, Grace United Church of Christ, and Greencastle Presbyterian. 

In January 1880, the Reformed Church (now Grace U.C.C.), 128 East Baltimore Street, began to raise funds to purchase an organ.  M. P. Moller installed an organ in the Reformed Church shortly after that. It was one of the first organs built in Greencastle. The Reformed Church bought the Moller organ for $425.  That first Moller organ was replaced with a newer model in 1902.

After more than a century in business, the Moller Pipe Organ Co. closed its doors in 1992.  Some of the company’s employees started their own organ-related companies in the area which continue to service former Moller Pipe Organ Company customers.  One of those companies is Eastern Organ Pipes, Inc. that operates in part of the old Moller building on North Prospect Street in Hagerstown.

As an added visual for the exhibit, the museum has been given the opportunity to use some rare slides that were taken in 1977 of the Moller Organ factory that show different phases of making an organ by hand, several organs in different states of completion along with some of the workers at that time.  These slides will be shown throughout the open house on the museum’s TV/VCR in the large bedroom upstairs.

Did you know there is currently another organ manufacturing business, Lawless-Johnson Organ Company, in Greencastle?  John Johnson, who formerly worked for the Moller Pipe Organ Company, has kindly agreed to open the doors of his business at 501 South Cedar Lane (only two and half blocks from the museum) to welcome museum visitors to tour his facility during the museum open house times on both Thursday and Sunday.  Johnson will also have new and antique tools on display, all of which are used in the making of organs.  In addition, on display will be a copy of the 50^th anniversary booklet of the Moller Pipe Organ business and a massive book, previously owned by Moller Organ which describes, in depth, the process of making an organ.  Lawless-Johnson is another company in the area, started by one-time Moller employees, which services former Moller Organ customers.  Lawless-Johnson has among their many customers the Greencastle Presbyterian Church and the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C.

Gen. David Detrich was born in Antrim Township on August 26, 1807 to Christian and Susannah (Statler) Detrich.  He began his cabinet making and undertaking business in Greencastle in 1829 after completing his apprenticeship. During his 53 years in business he made or helped to make coffins for 3,830 people.  Detrich through hard work and service to his state, county, and town was well respected and lived comfortably in the community.

After the Revolutionary War, the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania maintained a state militia. Detrich, at the age of 28, was commissioned first lieutenant of the Sixth Company, Twenty-sixth Regiment Pennsylvania Militia.  He continued to receive numerous promotions until 1849 when he was elected and commissioned brigadier-general of the Pennsylvania Volunteers for Franklin County. After 31 years of service he retired from the state military in 1859.

Within the Greencastle-Antrim community his public service included burgess, councilman, and school director among other positions.  He was very involved with the Presbyterian Church beginning in 1826.  Detrich was an elder for 27 years, was choir leader for 40 years, superintendent of the township Union Sunday school for 30 years, served as the superintendent of the Greencastle Presbyterian Sunday school for 27 years, attended 22 meetings of the Synod, and was elected in 1873 to the general assembly of the church which met in Baltimore that year.

Gen. David Detrich and his brother Jeremiah were cabinet makers and undertakers in Greencastle, along with Augustus Shirey. (Please take note of the chest of drawers in the small bedroom upstairs that was made by Augustus Shirey.) Gen. Detrich, being the leading undertaker in the town, buried many of the area’s native sons who were killed during the Civil War. 

In 1860 along with Edwin Emerson and W. H. Davison, Gen. Detrich started a steam sawmill, sash, and door factory.  His ownership in this business venture was bought out by J. B. Crowell. (See the J. B. Crowell exhibit to the right as you enter the dining room.)

Gen. Detrich was married twice:  first to Margaret Cornman in 1831, who died eight years later, and then to Margaret Davison in 1841. He had three children with his first wife.  Only one child, a daughter Ellen, survived who later married Charles Ruthrauff.  He had two daughters and two sons from his second marriage.  Martha married William G. Davison and the fourth child, a daughter, died at age 22.  His son Marshall enlisted as a private in the Civil War at the age of 17 and mustered out at the end of the war as a lieutenant of cavalry.  As the governor’s aid, he returned to active duty during the riots at Williamsport.  Marshall died in 1874 from problems relative to a cold that he contracted while in Williamsport. His third child, son William D., lived at home with his parents. In his later years, Gen. Detrich suffered from blindness caused by cataracts but was, otherwise, in general good health.

Stanley Koser was an expert mechanic in the hosiery business in Greencastle.  He worked for Interwoven Hosiery Company which made men’s and women’s stockings.  Koser was also associated with the Windsor Stocking Company.  He eventually started his own hosiery business, Koser Hosiery Mill (a source for fine silk stockings), in a small brick building behind the home, at that time, of Lillian Young at 301 South Washington Street.  This building still stands today but is used as a garage for the residences of both 301 and 305 South Washington Street.  

Koser also enjoyed woodworking as evidenced by some of his woodworking tools (three wooden vices and cabinet making chisels) that are on display along with two replicas of downtown buildings.

Howard Swisher, a native of Greencastle-Antrim, worked for the M. P. Moller Organ Company for 47 years.  He worked in the department that made the consoles for all the organs.  The tools with which he worked everyday are on display in the large bedroom upstairs.  Swisher also made the tool box which now contains his tools.  He retired from the Moller Company in 1975.

James H. Craig, Sr. and
Paul M. Lindsay were well-known plumbers in the Greencastle-Antrim area.

The Craig business was located at 39 East Baltimore Street from 1922 to 1972.  Craig bought the existing business, which included plumbing, heating, and tinning of roofs, from a Lesher.  In the front part of the store, home heating stoves that burned coal and wood were sold. When Craig retired, he sold his business to Mec Miller, a Greencastle jeweler, for Miller’s sons.  A couple years later the business was again sold to Harry Stephy and Fred Ferry.

Lindsay’s plumbing business was located at 13 South Carlisle Street where Zarger’s Plumbing and Heating is currently (August 2003) located.  Lindsay operated his business during the same time period as Craig.  When he retired, Lindsay sold his business to Ed Zarger and Harry Winger.  The business later became solely owned by Zarger. 

(Before Lindsay’s plumbing business was located at 13 South Carlisle Street, the Phillippy family operated a well-known furniture store on the premises.)

This exhibit of high quality, unique tradesmen’s tools definitely offers insight into the daily lives of trades people from the past.

Compiled by Bonnie A. Shockey
August 3, 2003

Resources:

• When War Passed this Way, W. P. Conrad and Ted Alexander, Beidel Printing House, 1987
• History of Franklin County 1887, Samuel Bates, Unigraphic, Inc., 1975
• Reminiscences of James H. Craig, Jr., Glen Cump, John Johnson, Ada and Roy Leckron, Bob Swisher, Randall Williams

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