Conococheague Pioneer Times
The Newsletter of the Conococheague Institute
October 2012
Volume 18, Issue 4
Board of Directors:
Dr. John C. Stauffer, President
Tom Finucane, Vice President
Shirley Shatzer, Treasurer
Dr. Joan M. McKean, Secretary
Calvin Bricker, Historian
Jim Rogers
John Munday
Leighton Wolffe
John R. Stoner
Rev. Dr. Lawrence Jones
PRESIDENT’S REPORT
By John C. Stauffer
First be sure that you have the date of the
annual membership meeting, October 13, on
your calendar and see the details on it below.
This year we have been honored by having a
number of people and businesses provide items
for our auction.
The Colonial Faire was a well-received event
this year with the visitors participating in many
of the events and sticking it out even during the
thunder storms that passed over both days. The
Board is in the process of making an assessment
of the strengths and weaknesses of this year’s
event. Feedback from those who attended is
much appreciated, so if you have any comments,
please let us know your thoughts. This, of
course, is most helpful in planning for future
events. It seemed to be well organized and ran
smoothly thanks to the hard work of our
director, Heather Wade.
In looking back over the past year since
Staff:
Heather A. Wade, Executive Director
Nancy Rice, Administrative Assistant
Mary S. Hartman, Collections Manager
and Resident Caretaker of Rock Hill Farm
Dr. Joan M. McKean, Librarian
Gary Salvatto, Library Assistant
Advisory Board:
Merle S. Elliott
Dr. Terry Musselman
Dr. Doris Armstrong-Goldman
Peggie Potts
Roger Swartz
Martha E. Stauffer, MD
Gay Buchanan
The Conococheague Institute’s Annual
Membership Meeting will be held on
Saturday, Oct. 13 at the Welsh Barrens
Visitors Center. Please RSVP at 717-3283467 or [email protected] if
you plan to attend. Participants are asked
to bring a covered dish for a potluck
luncheon. The day’s schedule:
11-1 Silent Auction*; 12-1 Lunch; 1-2
Annual Business Meeting;
2:30-5:00 Guest speakers on the theme of
“The Life and Times of James Smith”
including JB High School student Mikayla
Barnhart, Linda Ries of the PA State
Archives, and
Dr. William Pencak of Penn State
Mailing Address:
12995 Bain Road
Mercersburg, PA 17236
Phone: (717) 328-3467
Fax: (717) 328-2800
conococheague.org
[email protected]
https://www.facebook.com/#!/conococheaguei
nstitute
*See Page 2 for a complete listing of items up for bid!
1
Heather took charge, many changes have
occurred. With Heather’s background she came
with experience in organizing our collections,
book and objects, and in updating and spelling
out our policies and procedures. To some this
may not be noticeable, but is the basis of an
effective organization. Work on cataloging is
proceeding, albeit at what seems like a slow pace
and should pick up with practice. All of this is
entered using the Past Perfect software that is a
standard tool among small museums.
Looking ahead, there are two important needs
of C.I. First, we need to increase our pool of
volunteers to help us with our many needs. The
volunteers form the basis of our workforce
covering such aspects as helping people doing
genealogy work, helping with school groups and
visitors, taking on responsibility for grounds and
building maintenance, and various other
projects. Members, please consider how you
might help us directly or how to find other
volunteers. Please see what you can do.
Second, we must build the financial security of
C.I. Heather promptly addressed this need after
she arrived, analyzing expenditures and
identifying ways to save money and grow wealth.
She proceeded to work on an application for a
matching grant from the National Endowment of
the Humanities. Now, the challenge is for C.I. to
ensure its future. The Board is taking on this
challenge but we need all the help possible.
We are thrilled that twenty percent of our
members have already donated funds toward
our Annual Campaign. Thank you for your
generosity! If you haven’t already given,
remember that any amount, large or small, will
make a difference.
A Silent Auction
to Benefit General Operations at
The Conococheague Institute
Come to the Annual Meeting on October 13
to place your bid in person before 1 p.m.,
OR phone or e-mail your bid no later than 5
p.m. on October 12!!
The History Hippies request your input:
Lot 1
One pound of coffee from
Greencastle Coffee Roasters
Lot 2
Alpaca cardigan, size M, in twotone brown, from Pam Knepper at
Humming Brook Farm
Lot 3
Square woven silk tablecloth, in
blue and chartreuse, 4’ 4” from
Gisela Rice
Lot 4
18” silver necklace with dark blue
beads from Snider’s Jewelry,
Mercersburg
Lot 5
Winterling China coffee or dessert
service for 6; 24 pieces, white with
single red rosebud and gold trim
from Gisela Rice
Lot 6
1 night’s stay at Mercersburg Inn,
Standard room, Sunday-Thursday,
from Lisa and Jim
Lot 7
Rosenthal Coffee Service for 12,
white with gold rim; circa 1946. 44
pieces, from Gisela Rice
Lot 8
1 night’s stay at Fox’s Jus-Em-
Moldboard Plows that were designed to be pulled by
horses roll the sod to the left. Plows that were designed
to be pulled by tractors roll the sod to the right. Why?
Tyme Bed and Breakfast, from Ed
and Sue
Lot 9
James McCullough’s 1750’s diary states that during a
threat of Indian attacks he would put utensils in a gurne
and bury it from Indians. What is a gurne?
1 Hand-sewn, soft-bound leather
journal in the Medieval style by
Barb Peshkin
Thank you to each business and individual
that donated items for the Silent Auction!
We anticipate a few additional lots to be
added before October 13.
What were early tombstones made of and how were
they carved? We know that some of the stones were
marble. Are some made of sandstone? Did they mine
the stones locally?
2
Calvin Bricker
Dakota Bricker
Dr. Martha Stauffer
Trump & Darlene Vanderau
Lynn & Rich Ross
Allen, Angie and Ashley Piper
Jay & Pam Chamberlain
Lyn Norris
Shirley Shatzer
Brian Failor
Tina Archambault
Dan Guzy
Isabelle Waddelow
Students of Mercersburg Academy
Joe Lubozynski
Barb Gift
Roger and Deborah “Turtle” Swartz
The Rutherford Rangers
The Kittatiny Associators
John & Susan Bortniak
Gary & Marie Salvatto
Dawn Hoffman
Billy Wible
Reb Staup
Susan Matson
Barb Peshkin
Cynthia Lawrence-Fink
Ed & Pat Beard
Jim & Janet Rogers
Lisa Lambert
Phil Gilson
Sally Haver
Peggie Potts
Rich and Pam Blaha
Pam Knepper
Paul & Elissa Parish
Larry & Joanne Klase
Darlene and “Bear” Little
Tad Miller
David Hornbaker
Beth Skroban
Dr. Joan McKean
Marty and Dawn Boscolo, Blare and Grace
Students of JB High School’s Life Skills Class
Jerry Proctor and MPMW
Mary Bock
Tom & Susan Finucane
Anita Pfeuffer
Bonnie Rose Hudson
Larry Jones
Marcus Spangler
The Southeast Indian Loyalist Confederacy/Shelby’s
C.I. offers special thanks to the following who
have contributed time, advice, materials, skills
and equipment toward improving the
appearance of the Rock Hill Farm this year:
Trayers Farm & Greenhouse
Martin Niswander
Calvin Bricker
Dakota Bricker
Bob Miller
John Stoner
Eby’s Lawn and Garden
Van Adams
Bud Marshall
Students of Mercersburg Academy
Rev. Dr. Larry Jones
David Bell
Students of JB High School’s Life Skills Class
Mrs. Chris Shelley
Mrs. Sally Haver
Chad Miller
Mary Hartman
Larry Hartman
Brian Failor
Tina Archambault
Leda Werner
Cynthia Lawrence-Fink
Grace Boscolo
Ken May
Dr. Doris Goldman
Lauren McVaugh
David McVaugh, Jr.
David McVaugh, Sr.
Bricker’s Lumber
Gish Logging
Trump Vandreau
Darlene Vandreau
Sue Bell
Richard Bell
Karen Thatcher
Dale Thatcher
Marcus Spangler
Gay Buchanan
Sheri Morgan
Gary Salvatto
Nancy Rice
Ushers of the McVaugh Wedding Party
Jeremy Martin
Isabelle Waddelow
Dr. Joan McKean
We also thank everyone who made the 8th
Annual Colonial Fair possible, including:
Any omissions are the fault of human memory
and in no way reduce the feelings of gratitude
that we have for our dedicated volunteers.
Bill Weaver
Carol Zehosky
Audie Maines
3
The 8th Annual Colonial Fair took place September 8-9,
2012, in spite of scattered showers and high winds that
whisked many a loose item across Bain Road and
threatened to topple the glassblower’s tent. Highlights
of the weekend included re-enactments; a skirmish; craft
demonstrations; shopping; lectures by Dr. Walter Powell,
Debra “Turtle” Swartz, and Roger G. Swartz; and the
debut of three fictional stories based on the lives of the
children who grew up on the Conococheague Frontier.
The stories, "Lena's Feast," "Fearless Fillmore," and
"Eliab's Tale" were read by their author, Bonnie Rose
Hudson, both days of the event. The stories and related
learning activities can be found on-line at:
http://writebonnierose.com/news/Conococheague.html
Find more photos from Colonial Fair on C.I.’s Facebook
page!
https://www.facebook.com/#!/conococheagueinstitute
Above: Children playing Tad Miller’s Early
American Games; Calvin Bricker enlists helpers to
pound corn; Reb Staup demonstrates
blacksmithing. Left: Glass blower Phil Gilson
carves a glass mold. Above, right: Mouse Foot
explains the traditional weaving of wampum goods;
Paul Parrish demonstrates colonial-era surveying;
a scene from the Native American encampment;
Dr. Walter Powell lectures on the Conococheague
during the War of 1812; and Turtle teaches children
about the Eastern Woodland Indians.
4
Hessians Prisoners in Franklin County
By Dan Guzy
these separate German states sold their armies
to Great Britain, and were paid further as their
soldiers were captured or killed.
Some make the point that the Hessian soldiers
were not mercenaries but instead “auxiliaries to
the British Crown.” That is, they were drafted
into service and commanded by officers of their
own states. They did not individually hire on as
soldiers of fortune. Knowing that many, if not
most, of these Germans were forced into a war
they would rather not fight, the American
government offered 50 acres of land as an
enticement for them to desert. Many did,
particularly those who could escape into
German-speaking communities.
American victories at Trenton in 1776 and
Saratoga in 1777 resulted in the respective
capture of 900 and 2,400 Hessians. Hessians
troops also were a significant percentage of the
British force of 7,000 that surrendered at
Yorktown in 1781. The Americans moved
Hessian prisoners around to several sites
including Lancaster, Lebanon, York, and Reading
in Pennsylvania; Frederick in Maryland; and
Charlottesville and Winchester in Virginia.
Captured Hessians were often hired out to
work on farms or in trades owned by GermanAmericans. The farmer or tradesman would be
responsible for a captive’s shelter and food, and
would be fined if the captive escaped.
When war ended with the 1783 Treaty of
Paris, Hessians could pay a ransom to remain in
this country. The money was often advanced by
employers who arranged for the men to work
off their debt. Several historians agreed that
about 5,000 Hessians stayed in America after
the Revolution, compared with roughly 8,000
who died from combat, accident and disease,
and 17,000 who returned home to Germany.
However, M. H. Volm claimed that almost 7,000
remained here; half of whom had been
prisoners. Most of the former Hessian soldiers
who stayed in the newly formed United States
married and settled into the large GermanAmerican population.
So were there Hessians in Franklin County?
First, we should understand there were no
Revolutionary War battles or British campaigns
Hessian soldiers of the Revolutionary War are
legendary figures. There is Washington Irving’s
galloping ghost of a Hessian trooper
decapitated by a cannon ball. There are those
German party boys at Trenton who were too
drunk or hung over after Christmas to compete
with George Washington’s frostbitten patriots.
(David Hackett Fischer’s recent Washington
Crossing attempts to dispel that legend.) And
then there are many stories of Hessian soldiers
and prisoners blending into the GermanAmerican society during and after the war.
Hessian Soldiers
Conococheague Institute’s History Hippies
meetings typically cover many topics in the
course of discussion. One conversation item
during the very first meeting this year was
whether Franklin County held Hessian
prisoners. This article will expand upon that
topic.
There were almost 30,000 German soldiers
fighting for Great Britain in the Revolutionary
War, comprising a quarter to a third of the
British fighting force in America. They were
generically called “Hessians” because almost
20,000 of them came from Hesse-Cassel or
Hesse-Hanau, but the others were from
Brunswick, Anspach-Bayreuth, Waldeck, and
Anhalt-Zebst. The princes, dukes and counts of
5
in this area. Secondly, despite some
misconceptions, there were no forts in the
immediate area that held imprisoned Hessians.
Fort Loudoun was abandoned before the
Revolutionary War. Several older books claim
that Hessians were imprisoned at Fort Frederick
(in Washington County, Md.) and hired out to
nearby farmers. However, historian Allan
Powell wrote in the May 14, 2010, Hagerstown
Herald Mail that after several years of research
he could not find any reliable evidence to
support this.
Bob Study, Fort Frederick’s park ranger, noted
this year:
. . . Upon one occasion on one of his raids in
New Jersey, opposite Philadelphia, he
[McCalmont] captured about a dozen Hessian
soldiers. Having no convenient way to dispose
of them, he marched them to [Upper]
Strasburg and induced them to settle there; to
one he gave a few acres of land, to another a
tannery and to another a tavern stand and for
the others he made provisions in manner
suitable to their several capacities. According
to "Men of Mark," the United States Barracks
erected at Carlisle in 1777 were built by the
Hessian soldiers captured on this occasion. Of
the Hessians brought to [Upper] Strasburg, a
few of their descendants still remain and are
among the respected citizens of that locality.
They were, however, considered just a little
different from other people.
Although it has been long held that German
prisoners were at Fort Frederick during the
American Revolution, at this point we have
found no documentation that they were in fact
at the fort. It is evident that British prisoners
were brought to the fort after Saratoga and
Yorktown while the Germans captured at those
battles are sent to Winchester, VA, Reading, PA
and Frederick, MD. [George] Washington even
order[ed] German prisoners from Yorktown sent
to Fort Frederick but they [were] diverted to
Frederick, MD when they reach[ed] the VirginiaMaryland border by the Commissary in Charge
of Prisoners.
This tale seems too good to be true in regards
to the generous treatment of the prisoners.
However, in the July 31, 1987, Fort Loudon
News, historian Charles Stoner repeated
Burgner’s story with slight variations. Stoner
said McCalmont brought ten Hessians back to
his home and “gave them land on his large
holdings near Upper Strasburg close to North
Mountain.” One was a blacksmith, another
became a farmer, and McCalmont “apparently
located others with businesses or families
throughout the county.” Stoner also noted
there were two Hessian cemeteries in Franklin
County and an additional writer in that article
said there were three.
The Hessian Cemetery in Horse Valley was a
related topic at the first History Hippies
meeting. Harry Foreman, in his 1950 A History
of Horse Valley, stated: “The Hessian Burial
Ground is on the place known as the John
Gilbert place. All persons buried here were not
Hessians.” Foreman was apparently saying that
some buried there were former Hessian
soldiers.
Pennsylvania Game Lands 235 now includes
this cemetery. There is a sign for it, but the
cemetery is difficult to find without good
directions. This writer learned of its exact
location from a fellow on Upper Horse Valley
Nevertheless, some people in Franklin County
have traced their ancestry to Hessian soldiers.
Stories vary as to how they came to the county.
The 1887 History of Franklin County,
Pennsylvania noted without much explanation
that some Hessian prisoners from the Battle of
Trenton “found their way to this vicinity, settled
here, and became useful citizens, and their
descendants are among some of the most
respectable people.”
In his 1920 paper to the Kittochtinny
Historical Society, M.K. Burgner attributed the
arrival of Hessians to Major James McCalmont
(1737–1809) of Upper Strasburg. In 1777,
while the British occupied Philadelphia,
McCalmont
commanded
a
troop of
Pennsylvania rangers that raided and harassed
the enemy. Burgner said:
6
Road who annually tends the cemetery. An
employee of the Game Commission confirmed
its location as being on the east side of a
wooded knoll, with iron stakes being its most
notable landmark.
Further Reading:
Edward Jackson Lowell, The Hessians and the
Other German Auxiliaries of Great Britain in the
Revolutionary War, first published 1884,
republished 1970
M. H. Volm, The Hessian Prisoners in the
American War of Independence and their Life in
Captivity, 1937
Mark A. Schwalm, The Hessians – Auxiliaries to
the British Crown in the Revolutionary War,
1984
M.K. Burgner, “Major James McCalmont,”
Papers of the Kittochtinny Historical Society,
Volume IX, Chambersburg Pa., 1923, pages
371–396
Stone marker at Horse Valley Hessian Cemetery
To visit this Hessian Cemetery, drive to and
park at the game lands gate blocking the
southern end of Upper Horse Valley Road. A
pleasant 1.25 mile hike along the road from the
gate takes you to a fork in the road with a sign
for the cemetery. Take a right at the fork and
then a right on a path about 50 yards past the
fork. If you reach a quarry, you have gone too
far on the fork. When you reach the edge of the
knoll, look for the iron stakes. The
accompanying aerial photo shows this location.
Those with GPS will find the stakes at N39o
58.402’, W077o 51.814’.
Standing near the iron stakes, one can
eventually make out twenty to thirty stones
that may be grave markers, a few of which are
still upright. These worn stones, along with
scant recollections and local family trees, seem
all that remain to remind us of Hessian soldiers
in Horse Valley, and in the other sleepy hollows
of Franklin County.
Hessian Cemetery off southern extension of Upper Horse
Valley Road
We offer condolences to the loved
ones of members and friends whom we
have recently lost:
Mrs. Elsie Secrest
Mr. Paul Shockey
Mrs. Annie McLucas
7
Recollections from the Rock Hill Farm, 19271940: An Oral History
Interview with Esther Hawbaker
By Dr. John C. Stauffer
the barnyard wall. Esther remembers sometimes
horses were driven through, as well. (The tunnel
was demolished in the late 1980’s when Bain
Road was widened for milk trucks. The rocks
were used to fill in along the east side of Bain
Road). There was no electricity at this time and
no milk house. The milk cans were kept cool by
placing them in water baths in the spring house.
The family obtained their household water at this
well, carrying by hand to the kitchen. But there
was a gasoline powered pump that pumped
water for livestock up to a trough at the barn. On
one occasion brother Earl got his hand caught in
the gears, which injured his hand for life. Milking
started at 4 AM with several family members
doing hand milking. They had to be ready for
milk pick up at 6 AM. The milk was strained into
big cans which were set in the spring house.
And in hot weather it would be necessary to add
ice to the vats to keep the milk cool enough. It
was then picked up and taken to a milk company
in Mercersburg.
A stone walkway connected the Rock Hill
house to the barn by crossing the small stream
that comes across Bain Road to the east. A
large old willow tree shaded this section of the
stream to the east of the path. The mailbox was
attached to a white oak tree that stood at the
east end of the driveway very near the road. The
tree had been planted by Bess Niswander
Brewer when she was a young girl and had just
moved into the Rock Hill house. This tree was
cut down at the time the road was widened, but
the redbud that was about 10 feet behind to the
west was left standing. The path over to the barn
passed several structures. There was a pigpen,
a horse stable and a chicken coop on the right
side near the barnyard stone wall to the right
and on the left on a leveled area stood a log
blacksmith shop. Horses were shoed annually.
Harnesses were hung on the walls of the
blacksmith shop. Metal buckles were made for
the harnesses and the harnesses were regularly
greased. The blacksmith shop was too small to
accommodate wagons of the day. In the fall of
1929 a fire which seemed to start in the hay
mow, destroyed the barn, including the hay and
the stored wheat, and all the adjacent structures.
The barn was promptly rebuilt, as well as other
needed structures. There was a house for
chickens, duck, and geese. The new hog pen
housed several hogs. The hogs were fed corn
and leftover slop from the kitchen. Straw from
the thrashing was baled and not blown into the
barnyard for a haystack. Some hay bales were
stored in the barn and some stacked in the
Notes from visits on April 4 and June 20, 2012
Here is a summary of notes taken from these
visits to obtain oral history from Esther
Hawbaker about her memories of the Rock Hill
farm during the time her family lived there from
1927 to 1942. This is part of our effort to record
as much as possible about the history of this
farm over the years from 1737 to the present.
Gay Buchanan and John Stauffer were present
for the oral history interviews.
The Family
Father –
Mother –
Children –
David Jones
Nellie Robinson Jones
Dorothy, Stanley, Verdie, Carl,
Claire, Esther, one younger
brother, Earl
Esther was Born 9 Dec 1921. The family
moved onto the Rock Hill Farm in March 1927.
There was a sharecrop arrangement with John
O. Craig and his wife, Bess Brewer Craig, the
owners. Calvin Jones brought his livestock and
farm machinery of the time. The grain crops
were split 50/50. In the wagon shed one side
granary was for the Jones and the other was for
the Craig portion. The wheat crop was also split
50/50. Each owner made the decision on the
disposal or sale of their portions. All the farming
was done with horses as they had no tractor at
first. Also when the family moved into the Rock
Hill house they had no automobile, instead using
an older buggy. Later they got a car which they
kept in the wagon shed
The dairy operation was not big, but the cows
could graze on the rocky hillside near the barn
and on the other side of Bain Road. There was a
bull on the farm that attacked Esther’s mother
and caused some fractured ribs. An apple
orchard occupied the hillside between the Rock
Hill School and the barn with several varieties
including York Imperial and a yellow summer
apple. The supply of apples made lots of apple
butter which was cooked in a large copper kettle
in the fireplace of the washhouse.
For the cattle to graze in the meadow on the
east side of Bain Road they would pass through
a stone arched tunnel going under the road. This
was a well-built tunnel with stone work similar to
8
barnyard. Luther Hawbaker brought his
threshing machine for threshing the wheat.
The remains of another log structure were
standing at the time Esther’s family moved in,
and that had been used as some sort of a mill. It
stood up the stream opposite the driveway
entrance. Esther remembers that the roof had
fallen in. She does not remember what was
inside. Calvin Jones would dig the streambed
deeper to keep the house yard from being a
wetlands. This seems to have been a continuing
process from the time the Davies settled on the
site at which time there were several branches
of the stream crossing the road. Esther
remembers that the Keefer and Friese families
lived on the farm upstream where the stream
originated at a spring on their property.
Between the west end of the house and the
stone springhouse stood a log summer kitchen.
Esther does not remember using it for cooking
but they used it for butchering and making apple
butter. There was a fireplace on the west wall of
the kitchen for cooking. Later tenants also used
the summer kitchen building for butchering up
until the 1960’s. The Jones’s used the building
close to the kitchen door as a wash house. The
adjacent stuccoed 12 foot square log building
was then used for a smokehouse where hams
were hung for curing. In the back there was a
large enclosed yard including the smokehouse
and the springhouse, enclosing gardens. The
outhouse stood on the south side of this yard,
being close to the kitchen door.
There was another fenced yard on the east
side of the Rock Hill house toward the Road. On
the south side were several rows of Concord
grape vines that were utilized in making canned
grape juice for the winter and grape butter. This
yard produced various vegetables including
potatoes and sweet potatoes. The potatoes
were piled into a bin in the cellar. Sweet
potatoes needed more attention for keeping and
had to be wrapped in paper before going into the
bin.
Some distance down a farm field lane to the
east of the barn stood a stone lime kiln that had
apparently been used regularly for making lime.
There was a generous supply of rocks for use.
However Calvin Jones used the kiln on only one
occasion, then afterwards obtained the lime for
his fields from somewhere else.
Esther attended Rock Hill School beginning at
first grade in 1927. She can remember her
teachers. For first grade the school teacher was
Karen Fisher; for second and third grades Edith
Myers Smith, for fourth and fifth grades was
Rachel Seltzer, and for sixth, seventh and eighth
grades was Margaret Dietrick. Esther recalls that
a family yellow cat “babe” would follow her to
school and lingering in the classroom on warm
days.
Esther recalls walking to Sunday School at the
Robert Kennedy Memorial Presbyterian Church
where the lessons were given by the church
minister, Rev. Densmore. When she stayed for
worship service, her next door neighbor, Dorothy
Royer (later Seibert), would play the organ. And
then all would stay for a Sunday dinner at
church. Esther’s grandfather, Elmer, attended
the Welsh Run Church of the Brethren and
cultivated a very long beard.
Esther married Luther Hawbaker in 1940, and
soon moved away from Rock Hill. The remaining
family then moved on from Rock Hill farm in
1942. There is a gap in our knowledge of who
occupied the house during the 1940’s. In the
1950’s up until 1968 the Daniel Byers family
rented and farmed the Rock Hill property.
Esther remembers that her father would like to
entertain the children by telling ghost stories and
would take his children to the cemetery to have
them hide as a game. The lane passed by the
Negley house. However it seems they did not
visit there. In 1927 a widow lived in the Negley
House. Then a Mrs. Sanders moved in in 1929.
A few years later there were Frank and Nellie
Draper. In the latter part of the 1930’s the house
was occupied by a family with many children,
the Fred and Bertha Koser family. Several of
their children attended the Rock Hill school at
the same time as Esther. In 1940 the Todd
family moved into this Negley house. There was
also an Ambrose family that lived in the Negley
house in the 1940’s. The fathers of these
families were hired hands to help with the
farming duties on the Rock Hill Farm.
We thank Esther for sharing these memories
from so long ago with us. Esther is presently
residing at Mennohaven on Scotland Road in
Chambersburg. She lost her husband, Luther,
two years ago.
Thank you, Dr. Martha Stauffer, for
funding the honoraria for our three
lecturers at the 8th Annual Colonial
Fair, and for your continuing
leadership toward ensuring a
permanent endowment to generate
income dedicated to scholarly
humanities research, exhibit
development, and a world-class
speaker series at C.I.
9
LIBRARY NEWS
By Dr. Joan M. McKean
Schutz, Walter, How to Attract, House and
Feed Birds. 1970.
Doris Goldman, long-time friend and
supporter of the Institute, has contributed a
comprehensive listing of BIRDS OF ROCK HILL
FARM (CONOCOCHEAGUE INSTITUTE). There
are more than 100 birds identified in bold type
as regularly seen and light type is rarely seen. If
you have a secret yen to start bird watching as a
hobby or to return to it after years of neglect,
please visit the library to pick up a copy of
Doris’s List and to browse through Dewey
classification 598.2, where 40 books await your
inspection.
And, especially for the young and young in
heart:
All Color Book of Birds, “all the most beautiful,
interesting and unusual species”, 1972.
Cooper, Ann C., Owls on Silent Wings. 1994.
Bonforte, Lisa, Fifty Favorite Birds Coloring
Book. 1982.
You guessed right: our mission is to make a
bird watcher out of you, or, a more
enthusiastic one!
Titles include:
Audubon, John James, Birds of America, (1937
facsimile of the original 1827-30 edition).
REMINDER: Sidetracks of History Book Club
meets on Thursday, October 18, to discuss THE
FIRST FRONTIER, by Pennsylvania historian and
naturalist, Scott Weidensaul, published in 2012.
Bring your appetite. Lunch will be provided.
R.S.V.P. to Nancy via e-mail or by phone, 717328-3467.
Cleary, Margot Keam, John James Audobon
(2004: selected prints and biographical
information)
John Gould’s Birds, a biography and prints of
this famous English Bird Man, 1801-1881.
Coming up…
10/9 – History Hippies (7-8:30 pm)
10/13 – Annual Membership Meeting with
potluck, silent auction and F&I War
Seminar on The Life and Times of James
Smith (11 am – 5 pm)
10/18 – Sidetracks of History Book Club (1-2:30
pm)
10/20 – Penn Trails French & Indian War Bike Tour
10/27-28 – C.I. Bake Sale at Whitetail Outdoor
Festival (10 am-5 pm both days)
11/10 – F&I War Seminar, Springhouses (tba)
11/13 - History Hippies (7-8:30 pm)
11/14 – Volunteer Appreciation Potluck Luncheon
(12-2 pm)
11/15 – Sidetracks of History Book Club (1-2:30
pm)
11/22-23 – Closed for Thanksgiving
12/11 – History Hippies (7-8:30 pm)
12/15 – Christmas Open House (1-4 pm)
12/20 – Sidetracks of History Book Club (1-2:30
pm)
12/24-25 – Closed for Christmas
12/31-1/1 - Closed for New Year’s 2013!
Birds of America, (reference book, 289 pages),
1936.
Chapman, Frank M.,Our Winter Birds; How to
Know and How to Attract Them, 1919.
Pettingill, Olin Sewall, Jr., A Guide to Bird
Finding East of the Mississippi, Second Edition,
1977.
Simpson, Marcus B., Jr., Birds of the Blue Ridge
Mountains. 1992.
Geffen, Alice M., A Birdwatcher’s Guide to the
Eastern United States. 1978.
Erickson, Laura, Bird Watching Answer Book;
Everything You Need to Know to Enjoy Birds in
Your Backyard and Beyond. 2009.
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