Notes from Monument Square

Newsletter of the Mifflin County Historical Society

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Volume XX111 Number 4 AUGUST 1997
(Text version of Society News & Notes)
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Office & Research Library,
1 W. Market St., Suite 1
Lewistown, PA 17044-2128
Phone (717) 242-1022
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McCoy House Museum
17 N. Main St., Lewistown
Sunday afternoon
1:30 - 4:00 p.m.
(May thru December)
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Newsletter Editor : Forest K. Fisher
MCHS e-mail: mchistory@acsworld.net
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Society News & Notes

The Editor’s Desk

While traveling to Allensville recently, my wife and I stopped at an especially tempting stand displaying Amish foods. Goodies from the oven. Pies. Berry pies. Crumb pies. Pies are my downfall. (I’m sampling one as a write this.) It’s downright frustrating making that important choice to satisfy ones sweet tooth. So many baked goods...so little time!
I get that same feeling while trying to choose the photos for each newsletter’s Picture Page. The choice is vast, thousands of images are available, many haven’t been seen for literally decades.
The Monument cleaning photo in this issue is one of those. It rested unseen as a 35mm negative for perhaps fifty years. Through the miracle of modern digital computing, that negative, placed in the scanner by my computer, came to life again! A snapshot from an instant sixty years old, one worth sharing. So many pictures...so little time. Oh well, enjoy the picture, I’ll have another piece of pie.

NEW MEMBERS

Memberships are a vital source of income, allowing the historical society to operate the office, research library and museum as well as special programs.
We wish to acknowledge and welcome these new members of the Mifflin County Historical Society:

* William and JoAnn Picketts, Lewistown
* Mr. and Mrs. Hobart B. Nichols, Montoursville, PA
* Willie Breon, Lewistown
* Barbara Jo Brown, Mifflintown
* Mr. and Mrs. Wilbur Edmiston,
Rehrersburg, PA
* C. Paul Nickle, Madeira Beach, FL
* Mr. and Mrs. Michael L. Palm, Lewistown
* Connie Randolph, State College, PA
* Larry Fultz, Jr., Lewistown
* Karen M. Brown, State College

Member Volunteers Support Society

The Mifflin County Historical Society operates primarily through the support of member volunteers. They research all genealogical requests for the library and change and update the exhibits at the McCoy House Museum. They conduct tours of the museum and assist patrons in the library. Volunteers maintain the “open” hours and accommodate special requests for both the library and museum use.
The Mifflin County Historical Society secretary, Karen Aurand, whose office is in the Old Courthouse, coordinates activities of volunteers in the two branches of the society as well as attending to regular society business. Volunteers for both library and museum are always needed. Interested members should contact Karen at the office.

Following are the membership fees in the
Mifflin County Historical Society:

-Individual membership $10
-Family membership $15
-Supporting membership $35
-Civic club membership $50
-Life membership $150

ACQUISITIONS
Georgia Olson, Lewistown Area High School, Manor Dr., Lewistown, PA - 1997 L.H.S. LORE

Gerri L. Aitkins, 3044 Old Stage Rd., Lewistown, PA - Book: Relatives of Gerri L. (Chapman) Aitkin - They Are: Chapman’s, Wagner’s, Spigelmyer’s, Hook’s, Bender’s, Colyer’s, Walter’s & Stoner’s

Mabel B. Eater, 106 Delaware Ave., Lewistown, Pa - Book: The Stonebrakers In America by Dr. Charles L. Eater, Jr., Mabel B. Eater & Charles W. Wagner. c 1992

P. Jean Warner, 233 8th Ave., Burnham,
Janet M. Bratton, 113 2nd Ave., Burnham and
Mary Jane Folk, 221 8th Ave., Burnham - Man’s black wool three piece suit worn by the donors’ father.

Mrs. Max K. Showers, 407 Third St., Pl. Acres, Lewistown, PA - 2 cans, WWII Army rations

Robert Bersinger, P.O. Box 135, Reedsville, PA
Yearbooks: Derry Twp. High School - L’HISTORIE 1943, 1944, 1945, 1946(2), 1947

Mifflin County Board of Commissioners, 20 N. Wayne St., Lewistown, PA - shovel used during the ground breaking ceremonies for the “Missing Link” in Reedsville, May 30, 1997.

Paul G. Cressman, M.D., Park Shore Tower 10-C, 4251 Gulf Shore Blvd. N., Naples, FL 34103-3423 - glass bottle embossed with the words “Frank H. Wentz, Lewistown, PA”

Tom and Joyce Wertz, 110 Fifth St., Highland Park, Lewistown, PA - Book: Family Record of Solomon K. Yoder and Catharine L.(Kurtz) Yoder and Their Descendants 1840 - 1994 Compiled by Rachel D. & Emma D. Wengerd, Belleville c 1994

Also recently acquired:
Indian Valley High School- Vision - 1989, 1990, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1997
Lewistown Area High School - LORE - 1997

Acquisitions
On Exhibit
Shown at left, memorabilia from the Logan Guards displayed in the Military Room at the McCoy House.

QUERIES

MOWERY, MOWRY
(or other spellings)

Seeking information as to parents or siblings of:
Daniel Albert Mowery, believed to be born in either Clinton County or Mifflin County, PA, on April 6, 1850. Married Lucy Ann Kerstetter / Karstetter / Carstetter, daughter of Levi and Mary Ann (Gaugler) Kerstetter on March 23, 1876, at Kelly, by Little Valley Presbyterian Minister. Daniel died March 4, 1914, while residing along the Pike in Burnham, PA. Lucy Ann was born August 21, 1848, Decatur Township or Snyder County, PA. Lucy Ann died December 10, 1930, while residing with her son, Samuel Hoover Mowery, along the Pike. My grandparents were John Levi Mowery and Lydia Sophia (Garis) Mowery, also residing along the Pike. My parents were Victor (Dick) S. and Mildred Minerva (Kline) Mowery.
No records appear for Daniel before his wedding to Lucy Ann.
P. Jean Warner
233 Eight Avenue
Burnham, PA 17009
(717) 248-9734

The McCoy House Museum

The Mifflin County Historical Society’s museum is located at 17 N. Main St., just off Monument Square, in Lewistown. The 1841 house was acquired by the Pennsylvania Historic and Museum Commission and is an example of post-revolutionary architecture. The McCoy House is listed on the National Register of Historic Sites and the Pennsylvania Trail of History. Within the house is the McCoy Memorial Collection, including the Thomas F. McCoy family Victorian Period rooms and memorabilia, plus the collections of the Mifflin County Historical Society.
The doors are open every Sunday from 1:30 to 4:00 p.m. during the summer and fall. Local history is just waiting in the McCoy House to be explored and enjoyed!

McCoy House Hosts Fisher Art Exhibit

Do you own an original Anne Fisher work of art you’d like to share with the community? Your chance will come September 27, 1997 with an exhibit of Fisher’s artwork opening at the McCoy House, 17 N. Main St., Lewistown. Hours that day will be 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., with additional hours, Sundays 1:30 - 4:00 p.m., through October.
Fisher’s early work involved decorated items, such as flat irons, tinware, wooden furniture, and wooden plaques, as well as paintings and sketches. If you have an original Anne K. Fisher painting, sketch, drawing, or decorated piece to loan, contact the Mifflin County Historical Society office at 242-1022 for additional information.
Please give your name, brief description, title and date of the piece, if known, was it a commissioned work, and any anctedote you may remember about the piece. Plan to bring your item to the historical society office in the old court house Tuesday September 23 or Wednesday September 24 from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.

The coffee grinder (left), a commissioned project, was decorated by Anne K. Fisher in 1952 , while the skillet clock (right), made the same year, was for general sale.

Genesis of a Painting - The Art of Anne Fisher

Every artist has a unique approach to their art. Developing an idea or concept to be portrayed can come from observations in nature, personal experiences or even photos. Photography can be an aid to an artist’s memory and for late Reedsville artist Anne K. Fisher, that initial idea often came from her photographic archive.
In 1975, while working on a Bicentennial project that emphasized local history, Fisher was given the photo at right. Taken by A. Franklin Gibboney III, photographer and Belleville native late of Reedsville, it recorded a salvage crew dismantling the Kishacoquillas Valley Railroad following its demise in 1940. Gibboney became an ideal contact for Fisher in her quest for the KV’s background and photos. His ancestral farm contained KVRR’s picnic stop Gibboney Park and he recorded photographically the latter years of that railroad. The lone Amish workman caught Fisher’s attention and Gibboney explained his name was Joe Never-Sweat. Always up for an interesting anecdote, Fisher learned the name came from Joe’s ability to work long and hard and never perspire or break a sweat, thus the name.
Character studies were a Fisher favorite and an 8 by 10 inch pencil sketch based upon the photo resulted, shown below left. The next step was to rough out the canvas, shown at right. Sketching out the facial features with pencil and completing the finish work using acrylics, Fisher’s medium of choice during this period, would usually follow, but the painting remained unfinished, due to the artist’s death in 1977 at age 52.

Publication News

Shontz History Published
SHONTZ FAMILY ROOTS AND BRANCHES
Copyright 1997
By Thomas Shontz

This family history book helps unravel the confusion of the early (TSCHANTZ, SCHANTZ, JOHNS, SHONTZ) families in Lancaster County, PA. It is a two part book centered around Christian SCHONTZ, who was born in 1776 in Lancaster County, PA and who migrated to Huntingdon County in the 1790’s.
The first part of the book covers the ancestors and their families, of the above Christian Schontz. It develops the family from early Mennonite immigrant, Christian Tschantz who immigrated to Lancaster County in 1717. Other families include HUBER and HILDEBRAND.
The second part of the book provides information on over 4,00 descendants of this Huntingdon County Christian Schontz. It includes the following families who married into the Shontz family: BEAVER, BOYER, BRUMBAUGH, DAVIS, DILLING, DONELSON, FOUSE, GARDNER, GATES, GROVE, HAINLEY, HESS, LYNN, McCULLOCH, MOYER, MYERS, NICODEMUS, RUSSELL, SHULTZ, and SMITH among others.
The book contains the genealogy of the above families as they moved from Lancaster to Huntingdon, Clearfield, Mifflin, Centre, Blair, Franklin, Cambria, Allegheny, and Crawford Counties. It has 425 pages with illustrations and an all name index for each part.
The soft cover sells for $35.95 and the hard cover for $43.95, plus $4.00 S&H. The book can be obtained from:

Thomas Shontz
615 Bellwood Ave.
Monroeville, PA 15146
(412) 823-4212
Tomshontz@AOL.com

The Wentz Bottle

The bottle pictured at right, embossed with the words, “Frank H. Wentz, Lewistown, PA” was a recent gift to the Mifflin County Historical Society from Dr. Paul G. Cressman of Naples, Florida. When the bottle arrived at society headquarters, the question arose: Who was Frank Wentz?
Mifflin County Historical Society files revealed Wentz’s obituary in the Democrat Sentinel of Thursday, May 31, 1917. Born in Philadelphia in 1834, Wentz came to Lewistown as a mere boy and learned the cabinet trade with the firm of R. H. McClintic & Bro.

First Defender

Eighteen year old Frank Wentz enlisted in Mifflin County’s Logan Guards, those First Defenders who answered President Lincoln’s call for troops at the start of the Civil War and found himself sworn into service April 17, 1861. After reenlisting, he joined Company F, 107th Pennsylvania Volunteers, serving as orderly sergeant until the winter of 1862-63, when he was commissioned a second lieutenant. Lt. Wentz was wounded July 1, 1863, during the first day of the Battle of Gettysburg, and remained under fire on the battlefield the remaining days of the battle until he could be removed to a hospital.

Wentz “The Pop Man”

Wentz survived the war and returned to Lewistown, gaining a wide reputation as a manufacturer of soft drinks. According to the Democrat Sentinel, “...his brew gained such a reputation for absolute purity that even the agents of the Pennsylvania Pure Food department left him strictly alone. He was known to many as Wentz the Pop Man”

Active Volunteer Fireman

Wentz became active in the Henderson Volunteer Fire Company, No. 1, was elected Chief Engineer in 1878 and served in that capacity until a few years prior to his death, when he was succeeded by his son, George H. Wentz. Both father and son were among the most active members.

Tragic Death

Wentz’s son George, was tragically killed December 28, 1916, when the fire truck on which he was riding skidded on the snow and ice covered intersection at E. Third and Valley Streets and collided with a telegraph pole.
George was survived by his wife and daughter, Miss Mildred Wentz, music instructor at Comb’s Conservatory, Philadelphia. She was home on vacation.
Within five months of the tragedy, the elder Wentz died. According to his obituary, “ ...those who were about him in his latter days knew his death was entirely due to worry over the death of his only son .”
The day Frank died, a letter arrived containing an invitation from the city of Allentown, PA, inviting him to attend a dedication ceremony for a First Defenders Monument erected in West Park of that city.

Visitors Tour McCoy House

The Mifflin County Historical Society’s museum, the McCoy House, is open Sunday afternoons from 1:30 to 4:00 through the summer and fall. The museum register shows that visitors from many parts of the county and state stop by for a self-guided tour.
School-age children bring in their parents to show and explain displays seen while on a class trip or a grandparent might guide the grand kids, sharing childhood memories prompted by an exhibit. Why people stop to tour is varied, yet how does the out-of-towner, the tourist, the traveler find this small museum out of all the other possibilities for a tourist’s time?
On a recent Sunday in July, Mr. and Mrs. Eric Wiley of London, Ontario, Canada stopped by the McCoy House. After touring the museum, the volunteers inquired how they came to find the McCoy House. Commenting how thoroughly they enjoyed the exhibits, Mrs. Wiley explained that the previous day they toured the Gettysburg battlefield and while on the trip home found the McCoy House listed in their travel book, The Canadian Automobile Association Tour Guide!

Thomas Jefferson to Speak at Fall Banquet

The date to remember: September 18, 1997. The event: Mifflin County Historical Society’s Fall Banquet. The guest speaker: Thomas Jefferson.
Cited by Time magazine as the “Man of the Millennium”, Jefferson will be portrayed by historian William D. Barker, whose credentials include performing arts administrator, professional actor and theatre director.
Barker has had a longtime interest in the life and times of Thomas Jefferson, as his southern ancestors were closely associated with the world Jefferson knew.
Barker received a B.A. in history from Villanova University and attended the University of Pennsylvania’s curriculum in American Civilization. Attracted to the theatre at an early age, he became a professional actor soon after college. Barker was cast as Jefferson in the musical 1776, coincidentally matching the height, weight and coloring of the man who had for so long interested him. Barker developed a one-man show in the mid 1980’s in which he portrayed Jefferson. In the years since, he has evolved a series of Jefferson presentations tailored to corporate and government audiences, as well as schools, societies, and festivals. Barker has preformed at the White House and at the Palace of Versailles, as well as throughout the United States and Great Britain.
In 1993, Barker portrayed Jefferson at Colonial Williamsburg and has remained there, assisting in the development of further Jefferson programs for the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation.
The Mifflin County Historical Society invites you to welcome Thomas Jefferson Thursday, September 18, 1997.

Virginia Plantation Tour

Fall Bus Tour - October 10 - 12, 1997

Visit the plantations of the Old Dominion with the Mifflin County Historical Society’s Fall bus tour. The trip begins at 6:00 a.m. October 10, departing Lewistown from the library parking lot. See the Virginia State Capitol Building in Richmond, second oldest working capitol in the United States. That evening enjoy a dinner cruise on the Annabelle Lee.
On October 11, tour Shirley Plantation, Berkeley Plantation, and Sherwood Forest Plantation. Lunch at the restaurant, Indian River Tavern, a converted turn-of-the-century farmhouse. Conclude the day with a dinner and show at Swift Creek Dinner Theatre.
Depart for home October 12, 7:00 a. m. and arrive 5:00 p. m at the Lewistown Library parking lot.

Cost: $255.00 per person double occupancy. Includes: Transportation, 2 nights lodging, guided tour of Richmond, dinner cruise, plantation tour with lunch and dinner theatre.


Payment due when reservations are made. Reservations with payment must be made on or before September 5, 1997.

Act now! Only six seats remain!

Please make reservations with:

Ray C. Allison, Society Program Committee Chairman
34 Grand Parkway North
Lewistown, PA 17044 Phone (717) 248-9321

Editor’s Note:
It’s not a case of rampant inflation that caused the price of the trip to jump from $225 as listed in the last newsletter to $255! I guess I’ll blame it on my bifocals! Sorry, Ray. Please note:

CORRECT PRICE: $255.00