Notes from Monument Square
Newsletter of the Mifflin County Historical Society
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Volume XXIV Number 1 JANUARY 1998
(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
NEW MEMBERS
We wish to acknowledge and welcome these new members of the Mifflin County Historical Society:
Mrs. Robert Kips, Oakland Park, Kan.
Stephen R. Kips, Kingsville, Md.
Mary Lou Sunderland, McVeytown, Pa.
Beverly S. Manbeck, York, Pa.
Denise Fowler, Newport, Pa.
Daniel C. Cretors, Des Moines, Iowa
New Life Member
Paul A. Lantz, , Selinsgrove, Pa.
Time to renew your 1998 membership!
It’s membership renewal time again. Memberships are a vital source of income, allowing the historical society to operate the office, research library and museum as well as special programs. Following are the membership fees:
-Individual membership $10
-Family membership $15
-Supporting membership $35
-Civic club membership $50
-Life membership $150
Society morns loss of two long time members
Within the last month, the Mifflin County Historical Society lost two ardent supporters and long time members. Lewistown resident R. Lee Ziegler died December 26, 1997 and Garver M. McNitt of Reedsville died January 16, 1998. Both had served on the board of directors of the historical society and each served terms as board president.
The officers and directors of the Mifflin County Historical Society join with all society members in this shared loss and express sincere sympathy to the bereaved families.
R. Lee Ziegler
(1923 - 1997)
R. Lee Ziegler was elected to the board of directors in 1982. He was elected first vice-president of the board at the 1983 annual dinner meeting. In April, 1984 he was elected society president and was reelected to that office in 1985, serving two years as board president. He retired from the board in 1991. At the August 25, 1994 meeting of the board of directors, Ziegler was elected director emeritus, a position he held at the time of his death. He was a life member.
Garver M. McNitt
(1910 - 1998)
Garver M. McNitt was elected to the board of directors in 1950. He served as recording secretary for the board in 1952 and thirteen years as society president, 1957 through 1970. His tenure as a board member spanned almost three decades, and was involved with the Fort Granville Bicentennial and the McCoy House renovation. He retired from the board of directors in December, 1977.
McCoy House Report
Museum Committee Chairman, Fran Mackneer, reports that Home Town Christmas was a huge success with over 600 people attending. All the rooms at the McCoy House were decorated, which brought the house alive for the holidays! Many thanks are extended to the Mifflin County Garden Club members for their decorations and to our members who served as hosts and hostesses.
Although the McCoy House is closed for the season, that doesn’t mean that work isn’t continuing. Cataloging and arranging displays are two projects that will continue this winter. Volunteers are needed to help. If you are interested please call society secretary Karen Aurand at 242 - 1022.
Plans for the spring include an exhibit of wood carvings, with members of Mifflin County’s Wood Carving Club providing demonstrations. If you have wood carvings that you would be willing to exhibit, please contact the society office to make the necessary arrangements.
Society receives county records dating from 1789
Thanks to Charles “Yogi” Laub, now retired Mifflin County Register and Recorder, the historical society has microfiche copies of several hundred volumes of county record books. The volumes, dating from 1789, cover mortgages, marriage licenses, orphans court records, and deeds. The originals are in storage at the Mifflin County Courthouse. The microfiche will also be available in the Register and Recorder’s office in the county courthouse.
Laub presented the copies to the society last December, during the closing days of his long service to the county as Register and Recorder. Noting that his office often referred genealogical requests from the public to the society, Laub felt these donated records will make the research process much easier.
Directors meeting scheduled
The board of directors of the Mifflin County Historical Society will meet in the Society Library - Old Courthouse on March 19, 1998 at 7:30 p.m. Directors are invited to stop by the warehouse prior to the meeting to inspect the progress of the renovation.
Acquisitions
The Mifflin County Historical Society wishes to acknowledge and thank the following donors for their generosity:
Jean Madill Metzger, Lewistown - Framed citation to Mildred Babcock Olskey by the Mifflin County Garden Club in 1976. Variety of news clippings relating to the large murals painted by Yar Chomicky.
Randy Crowder, Lewistown - Token from the Lewistown Transportation C. - Good for one zone fare.
Estate of Anna Marie Schroyer, Lewistown - Extensive key chain collection.
Donald M. Limes, Lewistown - Civil Defense Helmet worn by “Air Raid Wardens” during World War II.
Elsie P. Rittenhouse, Lewistown - Black top hat worn by donor’s father, Rufus Elder Garrett, in the Old Home Week Parade, 1925.
Eugene C. Hughes, Lewistown - Four minute books - three from the Burnham School District (earliest date Apr., 1914) and one from the Burnham School P.T.A.
Leo Gyswyt, Netherlands - Book, Geisweid: Summary of Early Lines in Pennsylvania of Geistweit and related families in the Central PA Counties i.a. Centre, Clinton, Mifflin, Snyder and Union Counties collected by Dale R. Geisweidt, Maryland, Mary Ruth Wagner, Milroy, PA, Kurt F. Martin, Shippensburg, PA Compiled by the donor.
Lois Dunmire, McVeytown, Pa. - One-half gallon milk bottle from Dunmire Dairy, McVeytown.
Parke V. Middleswarth, Jr., Milroy, Pa. - Flight jacket, gloves and a “Mae West” life jacket.
Society Purchases
Books purchased by the society are located in the research library on Monument Square. The following book is now
part of the library:
1860 Pennsylvania Census Index
for Central Pennsylvania
Tour opportunity for members!
CIVIL WAR
IN VIRGINIA
September 13 - 19
Mark Auker, Manager of the Lewistown office of Gateway Travel Center, has announced a tour, Great American Civil War Battlefields of Virginia, September 13 through 19, 1998. The tour will be limited to 30 participants. Cost is $459.00 per person.
Auker reports that the primary focus of this tour is narrow, the Civil War in Virginia. It was specifically designed for people with more than just casual interest in the subject, but the novice is more than welcome. The tour will include discussions on Civil War topics - the war, the battles, and the men who fought. A war related library of over one hundred titles is to be available on the bus. A good pair of walking shoes is recommended, since some walking will be involved and be sure to dress for comfort.
Included Features:
**Deluxe air conditioned motorcoach transportation throughout the itinerary. Coach is equipped
with rest room facilities and VCR.
**Hotel Accommodations for 6 nights, based on double occupancy. Econolodge, Fredericksburg, Va.; Linden Row Inn, Richmond, Va.; Best
Western, Petersburg, Va.; Ramada Inn,
Lexington, Va.
**Extensive list of battlefields included on the tour, plus all National Battlefield Park
Visitor Centers per itinerary.
**An evening Dinner Cruise on the James River aboard the paddlewheeler Annabel Lee.
**Gateway Travel Center resident Civil War Enthusiast and Escort: Marc Auker.
Cost is $459.00 per person.
Contact:
Gateway Travel Center, Inc.
17 S. Dorcas St.
Lewistown, Pa. 17044
(717) 242-1465
A non-refundable deposit of $100.00 per
person is required at time of reservation.
The balance is due by July 13, 1998.
Society members who present their
membership card will receive a $5.00 discount.
Society’s own Web Page
www.com. How many times have you heard this phrase? It’s become a common ending for many commercials, advertisements and news broadcasts on television, radio, and the printed media. At the October meeting of the board of directors, the go-ahead was given for the Mifflin County Historical Society to have its own official page on the World Wide Web.
As a community service, Barb Musial, co-owner of Village Square Web Writers of Lewistown, will be developing and giving web space for a society page at no cost. Musial’s company already provides this service for the Friends of the Embassy Theatre.
One concern being addressed by this move is the use of society publications by unofficial web sites. Publications appearing on-line for research use, though not illegal, deprives the society of potential sales. Having an official site gives some protection to what is posted there and gives the society a degree of control over that material.
Adjacent societies in Huntingdon and Juniata Counties have listings on the Internet already, giving basic information about their operations, such as hours and services provided, publications for sale, and standard request forms. The society’s page would contain similar information. A January start-up date is anticipated.
Society part of PAGenWeb Project
On a related topic, the Mifflin County Historical Society has provided society information to the PAGenWeb Project. This project is a series of World Wide Web sites, one for each of the state’s sixty-seven counties, developed expressly for the purpose of furthering genealogical research in Pennsylvania. The Mifflin County location is at http://www.rootsweb.com/~pamiffli/ and has been visited over sixteen hundred times since November 3, 1997. In fact, as a result of this web site, society secretary Karen Aurand reported the first inquiry and sale occurred November 4!
The society’s page on the PAGenWeb Project includes location, library and museum hours, available society publications and pricing, plus the membership structure and fees.
Purpose of the PAGenWeb Project
In June, 1996, the USGenWeb Project helped organize the Pennsylvania Comprehensive Genealogy Database Project (PAGenWeb). The idea was to provide a single entry point for all counties in Pennsylvania, where genealogical data about each county could be easily found. In addition, the data on all county sites would be indexed and cross-linked, so that a single search in the master index could locate all references to a given surname across all pages and databases associated with the project.
At the same time, volunteers were found who were willing to coordinate the collection of data and generally oversee the contents of each web page. Contact the volunteer shown on the appropriate county page if you would like to contribute in some way to the project. Or you can send email to the PAGenWeb state coordinator at gencap@libertynet.org.
Some of the information available includes:
Genealogical organizations in Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania genealogical events
Newspapers in Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania maps
Pennsylvania books for sale
Pennsylvania mailing lists
Colleges & Universities in Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania Recorders of Deeds
Pennsylvania in the Civil War
Pennsylvania genealogists/researchers for hire
Warehouse renovation: Progress continues!
Starting last December, Juniata-Mifflin Vo-Tech students from Lee MacKneer’s Building Trades class have been working on the society’s warehouse renovation as part of a community project. Interior work continues, while preparation for a new rolling steel door, donated by The Overhead Door Corp., is also in the project plans. Mackneer received a Mifflin County - 2000 Educator grant to cover transportation costs to and from the Vo-Tech School.
Publication News
These recently published books may be of interest to members and friends of the Mifflin County Historical Society. Although included, pricing is subject to change. Please contact the the publishers directly to confirm price and ordering instructions.
Pennsylvania Fireside Tales - Old-time Legends and Folktales From the Pennsylvania Mountains
(167 pages)
Legends and folktales of the Good Old Days are not so easy to find anymore in Pennsylvania, but the author began collecting them in 1970, when there were still many people around who had grown up in the age of the horse-and-buggy. Included in this volume are their stories - the legends and tales of ghosts, witches, Indians, panthers, wolves, highwaymen, moonshiners, and other interesting types who were once commonplace characters here amongst the beautiful Allegheny and Appalachian ridges of Pennsylvania. The old tales are a window to the past, and they make enjoyable reading. They are also worth preserving for future generations, and this book is an attempt to do just that.
PA. Residents: $8.45 per volume
Non-PA. Residents: $7.95 per volume
Prices include s & h costs and 6% sales tax
for Pennsylvania residents
Call (717) 898-2348 or
Send check to: Jeffrey Frazier,
3142 Randy Road,
Lancaster, PA 17601
Popularizing Pennsylvania
Henry Shoemaker and the Progressive Uses of Folklore and History
Simon J. Bronner
Few regions have had as energetic and influential a promoter as Henry W. Shoemaker (1880-1958). His memory lives on in the legends he helped promote, such as that of the Indian princess "Nita-Nee," for whom Central Pennsylvania's Nittany Mountain is supposedly named. He was also instrumental in creating Pennsylvania's noted system of parks and forests and the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission. He authored hundreds of pamphlets and books on nature, history, and folklore. He was publisher of several influential newspapers in Pennsylvania, including the Altoona Tribune and the Reading Eagle.
For this book, the first full-length biography of Shoemaker, Simon Bronner has located never-before-available private papers and
interviewed many people who knew Shoemaker. Included are rare photographs and a sampler of Shoemaker stories.
ISBN 0-271-01486-5 / cloth: $45.00
ISBN 0-271-01487-3 / paper: $17.50
$3.00 S & H + PA Sales Tax
Penn State University Press
820 North University Drive
University Support Building 1, Suite C
University Park, PA 16802-1408
Phone: 814-865-1327
FAX: 814-863-1408
Toll Free Order: 800-326-9180
EDITOR’S DESK
We touch the lives of those around us in ways we can hardly imagine. That, of course, is the lesson learned by Jimmie Stewart’s character, George Bailey,
in the now classic holiday movie, It’s a Wonderful Life.
I was reflecting on this thought and my work for the society, as I pondered the recent passing of members Lee Ziegler and Garver McNitt. Both men touched literally hundreds of lives in the community, Lee through his many years as lawyer and judge and Garver in both teaching and civic activities. Garver’s life touched mine.
I had the opportunity to know Garver.
As a childhood friend of Garver and Faith McNitt’s son David, I remember spending many fond hours at the McNitt’s home on Pearl Street in Reedsville. My early interest in local history was fostered in that house. Garver’s stories of the Logan Guards and the settlement of Reedsville still ring in my memory. He also served as my first role model for the career I eventually became involved in, now for close to twenty-five years, teaching elementary school.
With our society’s motto in mind, “Preserving the past for the future,” I think in many ways it’s the perfect blend, history and teaching. Young minds are interested in the ways of the past, with the teacher’s challenge - to make it real and interesting for them! Lasting tributes are hard to come by for our departed loved ones, but if I can inspire my students as Garver McNitt inspired me to teach, it will have been a wonderful life! Thank you, Garver.