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CARLISLE
OLD AND NEW
CARLISLE
OLD AND NEW
BY THE CIVIC CLUB OF
CARLISLE, PENNSYLVANIA
.n*T JUSTITIA
PRINTED BY
J. HORACE McFARLAND COMPANY
HARRISBURG, PENNSYLVANIA
1907
■SHE NI-'V VOBK
354306B
1 Wti
'-AONS
Copyright, 1907
By The Civic Club of Carlisle, Pennsylvania
The Civic Club is indebted to Mr. A. Allen Line, of Carlisle, foi the use of his
valuable negatives of buildings and scenes no longer in existence, and which
would neither have been made nrr preserved except for his spirit of loyalty
to the town. All pictures in this bock are copyrighted with the volume.
CONTENTS
LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS
Foreword, i ; Old Fireplace in the Home of Mr. Joseph Bosler,
I ; Old Street Pump, 3 ; Present Court House Built in
1845-46, 4.
I
Kline's Carlisle Weekly Gazette, 5 ; Mother Cumberland's
Family, 6 ; Believed to be the Oldest Home in Carlisle, 7;
General William Irvine, 14; James Wilson, 15; Where
Molly Pitcher Lived, 16; Grave of Molly Pitcher, 17;
Dr. Nisbet, Dickinson's First President, 18; Elm Tree on
Waggoner's Gap Road, 22; Public Square in 1843, 24.
II
Cumberland Valley Railroad Station, 25 ; Horse-chestnut on
the Lawn of Dr. George L. Shearer, 26; Hanover Street,
Looking Southward, 27; The Old Graveyard, 29; Sesqui-
Centennial Argh, 1901, 30; Old Corner of High and Pitt
Streets, 31 ; Waiting for Passengers, 32; Before the Days
of Rapid Transit, 32 ; Old Tavern on East Lowther Street,
33 ; Public Square and Corner of First Presbyterian Church,
35; Interior of First Presbyterian Church (From 1827 to
1876), 36; St. John's Episcopal Church and Parish House,
CARLISLE OLD AND NEJV
38; Geo. Ross, 39; Cumberland County Jail, 41 ; Soldiers'
Monument, 42; "Bequeathed from bleeding sire to son,"
45; Public Square, i860, 48; Requisition received by
Joseph VV. Ogilby, then Secretary of Town Council, 55;
Old Second Presbyterian Church, torn down in 1870, 58;
The Shelling of Carlisle, 62 ; Bearing the mark of the con-
flict, 65 ; General Lee's " visiting card," 66.
Ill
Winter on the Campus (South Gate), 67; Old West, 68;
" Lovers' Lane," Dickinson Campus, 71 ; The Old Denny
Home, 73 ; The First Denny Hall, 74; Denny Hall, March
4, 1904, 74; Laying Corner-stone of New Denny, 1905, 75 ;
New Denny Hall, 76; The William Clare Allison Memorial
Methodist Episcopal Church and the Warehouse of R. C.
Woodward, Which Formerly Occupied the Corner, 77;
St. Paul's Lutheran Church, 79; The J. Herman Bosler
Memorial Library, 80; School of Miss Becky Weightman,
82 ; Metzger College and Quaint Old Home of Its Founder,
83 ; Drawing Room at Metzger College, 84 ; Indian School
Campus, 85 ; Hessian Guard House, 87 ; St. Patrick's
Rectory and Church, and St. Katherine's Hall. Old Brick
Church of 1806 in Oval, 89; First Evangelical Lutheran
Church, Old Foundry Formerly on Same Site, in Oval, 91 ;
Gen. John Armstrong, 92 ; Grave of General Armstrong,
93; Park of the Manufacturing Company, 94; Lindner
Shoe Factory, 95; Boiling Springs, 96; Scene at Mount
Holly Springs, 97; Old Forge at Boiling Springs (Built in
1762), 97 ; Old Elm on the York Road, 98.
VI
CARLISLE OLD AND NEW
IV
Ancestral Sofa in the Home of Mr. J. W. Henderson, loi ; A
James Wilson Chair, 102 ; General Henry Miller China,
103; "Oakland," Homestead of the Late Colonel William
M. Henderson, 104; Lamps in the Home of A. D. B.
Smead, Esq., 105 ; Doorway of Mr. David Watts' Home,
106; Colonial Mantel in Judge Henderson's Back Office,
107; Mrs. David Watts, 108; A Bridal Gift to Miss
Juliana Watts, who Married General Edward M. Biddle
in 1836, 109; A Blaine Chair, iio; Residence of the Hon.
F. E. Beltzhoover, 112; Hallway in Residence of Hon. F.
E. Beltzhoover, 113; John Bannister Gibson, LL.D., 114;
Old Piano in the Home of A. D. B. Smead, Esq., 117;
Sideboard in the Home of Mrs. Parker J. Moore, 118;
Mantel in the Home of Mrs. William M. Penrose, 120;
Doorway of Judge Hepburn's Home, 121 ; Entrance Hall
of Judge Hepburn's Home, 122; Residence of Mr. John
W. Plank, 123; Residence of the Late John Brown Parker,
Esq., 124; The Hamilton Clock, 125; The Reed Home,
Later the Residence of R. C. Woodward, 128; Colonial
Bedroom in the Home of Hon. Edward W. Biddle, 130;
Professor Spencer Fullerton Baird, 131 ; Major John Mc-
Ginnis, 134; An Invitation from President Washington,
136; A Spinning Outfit, 137; Through High Street, 137;
General and Mrs. Henry Miller, and Invitations from Pres-
ident Washington, 139; The William Penn Chair, 140;
Toledo Blade — in the Home of Commander Colwell, 141 ;
Pompey Jim, 142; Yard at the Residence of A. D. B.
Smead, Esq., 143; Residence of Dr. John C. Long, 144;
Yard at the Residence of Dr. W. Z. Bentz, 145 ; South
College Street, Home of Dr. Morris W. Prince on the
vli
CARLISLE OLD AND NEW
Corner, 146 ; Old Corner of North and West Streets, For-
merly the Shapley Home, 1+7; " Pa-ha-ta," Home of John
VV. Wetzel, Esq., 148; Oil Street Lamp, 148; Residence
of Mr. A. F. Bedford, 149; Gas Street Lamp, 149; South
Hanover Street — a Xasturtium-draped Wall, 150; "Cottage
Hill" and Vine-clad Office of F. C. Bosler, Esq., 151;
" Mooreland," the Johnston Moore Homestead, 152; Resi-
dence of Mr. John Lindner, 153; Residences of the Hon.
Edward W. Biddle and J. Kirk Bosler, Esq., 154; Beetem
Warehouse, which Preceded above Homes, 154; Reception
Hall, in Residence of J. Kirk Bosler, Esq., 155; Franklin
Public School Building and a First-prize Vacant Lot, 158.
V
Civic Club Rooms, 159; High School Assembly Room, Franklin
Building, 161 ; A Vacation Garden, 162 ; The Annual
Flower Show of the Civic Club, 163 ; Carlisle Kindergarten
1906-07, 165; "Sent to calm our feverish brows with
cooling palm," 167; Home of Mrs. Walter Stuart, 169;
Humble yet Beautiful — a Small Boy's Civic Effort, 170;
Young Carlisle, 171 ; afterward, 173.
VMl
CARLISLE
OLD AND NEW
Old Fireplace in the Home of Mr. Joseph Bosler
FOREWORD
^S a venerable dame in reminiscent mood,
/"^W sitting some firelit evening in a circle of
her friends, might gather in her hands a
few pictures of some one whom they greatly love,
and showing first those made in earliest days,
should add to them a little tale, proceeding
thus with word and picture lightly through the
entire life, — so it has been essayed by the Civic
Club of Carlisle to tell with much simplicity, in
this little volume, the life-story of their town.
This idea was the outcome of a desire to pre-
I
CARLISLE OLD AND NEW
serve in permanent form one of the lectures of
their entertainment course. For not content with
working solely for the town's material good, they
have for several years brought some of the cele-
brated entertainers of the day to brighten and
enliven the long winter evenings.
Always included in the number was one of her
own citizens, for loyalty to Carlisle has ever been
a conspicuous trait of those who dwell there.
Then, to show still further this loyalty and devo-
tion, one evening was given entirely to an address
upon the town herself. On a great screen, one of
her most distinguished sons flashed pictures of the
old and new Carlisle, the w4iile he told the story
of her life.
This pictured story the Club wished to pre-
serve; but learning that only the introduction
to the lecture had been committed to writing, and
that the remarks about the pictures had been
drawn on the instant by the speaker from his
richly stored memory of the town's life, the
Club decided to put first within their book his
introduction, and then to write the story for
themselves.
In no sense w^as it intended to write a history.
CARLISLE OLD AND NEW
but rather to follow the example of the fireside
dame in giving a simple pictured outline of Car-
lisle's long life. And so the story is offered, with
the pictures and the lecture's introduction, to all
who know her, in loving memory of old Carlisle.
Old Street Pump
Present Court House Built in 1845-46
Old Court House Built in 1765-66, with Office Annex
Added in 180102. Old Town Hall on the Right
All Destroyed by Fire. March n. 1845
'* » »-< ca M > » S ?-"
iCline's Carliflc \¥€ekly Gazette.
Wedaefday,^ Dvcciubcr j, 1802.
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1
ADDRESS BY THE HON. EDWARD W. BIDDLE
BEFORE speaking of Carlisle Old and New,
it is desirable that I should briefly narrate
how Carlisle happened to be called into
existence in its present location. By virtue of an
act of assembly passed on January 27, 1750, the
western portion of Lancaster county was erected
into a new county called Cumberland, whose
broad limits embraced all the land within the
province of Pennsylvania lying west of the Susque-
hanna River, except that which was in the county
of York, out of which the county of Adams has
since been formed. In connection with the sesqui-
centennial exercises which were held in Carlisle
in the fall of 1901, the late Captain John B. Landis
5
CARLISLE OLD AND NEfV
prepared an instructive diagram showing that,
of the sixty-seven counties in this commonwealth,
forty-eight have been carved out of the territory
which once belonged to Old Mother Cumberland.
COMC TO THC
rAVv\L\ RlUN\OH,
OC-, T 53-24.
790/.
i> ChiloWII.
(O CRuia 't
II CKIM I' <-f <-<-
/ Qnr.AT f rl " CHKtl
^LL ALIV C and.
Prosperinc
^"B^'
iis
Five men were named in the act as trustees,
with authority to purchase a piece of land in some
convenient part of the county, to be approved of by
the Governor, and to build thereon a court-house
and a prison. One of the trustees lived near the
Susquehanna River, one near Shippensburg, two
in the present Franklin County, and the fifth
at a point now unknown.
Prior to 1750, the inhabitants of the new
6
CARLISLE OLD AND NEW
district had been compelled to travel to far-away
Lancaster to transact their legal business, occa-
sioning them much inconvenience and expense.
Therefore, as soon as Cumberland County was
created, the first and most important matter to
be disposed of was the locating of the county seat,
where a court-house and prison would be built.
And here came the rub ! Five different places
were mentioned as desirable sites, each having
its adherents, these being as follows in their order
from east to west: ist, on or near the west bank of
the Susquehanna River; 2d, at Le Tort's Spring,
where we are now assembled ; 3d, at Big Spring,
where Newville has since been developed; 4th, at
Shippensburg ; 5th, at Conococheague Creek, on
the great road to Virginia, about eighteen miles
west of Shippens-
burg.
The location
on or near the
river was never
seriously consid-
ered, because of
its distance from , ^,, „ . ^ ,. ,
Believed to be the Oldest Home in Carlisle
the main body of (Church Alley)
CARLISLE OLD AND NEJV
the county. We have no evidence that there was
any special pressure brought to bear upon the
trustees in behalf of either that point or Le Tort's
Spring or Big Spring ; but there was a vigorous
effort made by the citizens living in and beyond
Shippensburg to have said town or the Conoco-
cheague Creek selected. As a majority of the
trustees lived in that neighborhood, the Conoco-
cheague location was finally decided upon as the
most advantageous, with Shippensburg as second
choice, the other three places being deemed to lie
too far east. If this decision had been accepted,
any town established here would to-day be of
insignificant size and small importance; it would
be destitute of the glorious history and traditions
which are our inalienable heritage; and it would
not be called Carlisle, because that name was
reserved for the county seat.
But Governor James Hamilton, whose approval
was necessary, assumed arbitrarily and firmly the
right to ignore the opinion of the trustees and to
select the site himself, and awarded the coveted
prize to Le Tort's Spring. In a letter to Nicholas
Scull, surveyor-general, dated April i, 175 1, he
gave the reasons for this selection, and directed
8
CARLISLE OLD AND NEIV
him to proceed to the spring, which is about four
miles in length, and in conjunction with Thomas
Cookson., his deputy, to find out "the properest
place for the site of the town." He also directed
the surveyor-general not to fix absolutely or pub-
lish any particular place, but to make a draft of the
site chosen and adjacent country and submit it to
him for the exercise of his own judgment. Messrs.
Scull and Cookson performed the duty imposed
on them with such good judgment that the gov-
ernor ratified their choice of a place, and we are
here to-night in that town of which they made the
original draft in the spring of 1751. Ten descend-
ants of Nicholas Scull are residents of Carlisle at
the present time.
The contention concerning the fixing of the
county seat did not end with the ratification of the
work of the two surveyors. Later in the year 1751,
a petition from the commissioners and assessors of
the county, who claimed to represent "the far
greater part of the inhabitants," was presented to
the general assembly, asking relief from the gov-
ernor's ill-advised course in removing the courts
of justice to LeTort's Spring, "a place almost at
one end of the county." No action was take" on
9
CARLISLE OLD AND NEW
the petition, and the controversy appears to have
then terminated.
Shippensburg at this time was quite a flourish-
ing village, whilst the land selected for the county
town was mere vacant plantation land, somewhat
covered by timber, with a dilapidated stockade on
it and perhaps one or two log cabins. For several
years after its birth it grew very slowly. The only
information we have as to its condition during that
period is gleaned from a letter written from Car-
lisle on May 27, 1753, by John O'Neal to Governor
Hamilton, the former having been sent to Carlisle
on public business. The letter states: "The garri-
son here consists only of twelve men. The stock-
ade originally occupied two acres of ground square,
with a block-house in each corner : these buildings
are now in ruins. As Carlisle has been recently
laid out, and is the established seat of justice, it is
the general opinion that a number of log buildings
will be erected during the ensuing summer on
speculation, in which some accommodation can be
had for the new levies. The number of dwelling-
houses is five. The court is at present held in
a temporary log building on the northeast corner
of the centre square. If the lots were clear of
10
CARLISLE OLD AND ISIEW
brushwood, it would give a different aspect to the
town. The situation, however, is handsome, in the
center of a valley with a mountain bounding it on
the north and south, at a distance of seven miles.
The wood consists principally of oak and hickory.
The limestone will be of great advantage to the
future settlers, being in abundance. A lime-kiln
stands on the centre square, near what is called the
deep quarry, from which is obtained good building
stone.
'^ A large stream of water (Conodoguinet Creek)
runs about two miles from the village, which may
at a future period be rendered navigable. A fine
spring flows to the east, called LeTort, after the
Indian interpreter who settled on its head about
the year 1720. The Indian wigwams in the vicinity
of the great Beaver pond (Bonny Brook) are to
me an object of particular curiosity. A large num-
ber of the Delawares, Shawanese and Tuscaroras
continue in this vicinity ; the greater number have
gone to the west." When O'Neal wrote this let-
ter, little did he think that it would have a per-
manent place in the historical literature of the
town.
Early in October of the same year, a four
II
CARLISLE OLD AND NEW
days' conference with the Indians was held here, —
Richard Peters, Isaac Norris and Benjamin Frank-
Hn representing the Province. Frankhn thus
speaks of it in his autobiography :
"Being commissioned, we went to Carhsle and
met the Indians accordingly. As those people are
extremely apt to get drunk, and when so are very
quarrelsome and disorderly, we strictly forbade the
selling any liquor to them; and when they com-
plained of this restriction, we told them, if they
would continue sober during the treaty, we would
give them plenty of rum when the business was
over. They promised this, and they kept their
promise, because they could get no rum; and the
treaty was conducted very orderly and concluded
to mutual satisfaction. They then claimed and
received the rum; this was in the afternoon. They
were near one hundred men, w^omen and children,
and were lodged in temporary cabins, built in the
form of a square, just without the town. In the
evening, hearing a great noise among them, the
commissioners walked out to see what was the mat-
ter. We found they had made a great bonfire in
the middle of the square ; they were all drunk,
rnen and women quarrelling and fighting. Their
I 2
CARLISLE OLD AND NEW
dark-colored bodies, seen only by the gloomy
light of the bonfire, running after and beating
one another with firebrands, accompanied by their
horrid yellings, formed a scene the most resem-
bling our ideas of an inferno that could well be
imagined." He concludes that '^if it be the
design of Providence to extirpate these savages
in order to make room for the cultivators of the
earth, it seems not impossible that rum may be
the appointed means. It has already annihilated
all the tribes who formerly inhabited the sea-
coast."
There is not time this evening to go into detail
concerning Carlisle in the first century of its life,
or to refer specifically to its most prominent citi-
zens or principal events. One general fact is patent,
namely, that the town owes not only its existence,
but its subsequent growth and prosperity, to the
circumstance that it was constituted the county
seat. By reason thereof it was made at the outstart
a military base, as well as the place at which the
courts must sit, and jurymen, parties litigant, law-
yers and witnesses periodically assemble ; and
naturally the United States barracks was established
here later, the initial labor on which (according to
13
CARLISLE OLD AND NEW
tradition) was done by Hessian prisoners, who
were captured at Trenton on the morning of
December 26, 1776. It by degrees became so
prominent that the pubhc-spirited men who de-
cided in 1783 to found a college west of the Sus-
quehanna River had
no difficulty in select-
ing Carlisle as the
most suitable location
for it.
It is a remarkable
coincidence that at
practically the same
time, about the begin-
ning of 1769, two per-
sons should have taken
up their residence in
Carlisle who w^ere des-
General William Irvine ^'j^^J ^^ bcCOmC thc
most famous citizens we have ever had. They were
absolutely unlike in every respect. One was James
Wilson, a brilliant and highly educated Scotch-
man, who came in to practice law at the age of
twenty-six ; the other was Mary Ludwig, afterward
renowned as '^ Molly Pitcher," who arrived from
14
CARLISLE OLD AND NEH
New Jersey as a domestic servant at the age of four-
teen. The former, forceful, learned and ambitious,
became distin-
guished because
of his great ability
and the import-
ant services he
rendered to his
adopted country ;
the latter, because
of a mere incident
which would have
passed \\' i t h o u t
notice if the actor
Where Molly Pitcher Lived ^^d been a man.
In 1776, at the age of thirty-three, Wilson was
one of the Immortals who signed the Declaration
of Independence ; two years later Mary Ludw ig,
twenty-three years of age, gained undying fame
at the battle of Monmouth (New Jersey) by car-
rying water to the thirsty soldiers in a pitcher,
whence her sobriquet of "Molly Pitcher," and also
by acting as gunner in a battery. She is represented
in bronze, on the base of the battlefield monument
at Monmouth, in the act of charging a cannon.
16
CARLISLE OLD AND NEff
'r
To-day the remains of Wilson lie in the grave-
yard of Christ Church, Philadelphia, in which they
were reinterred by the side of his wife on Novem-
ber 22, 1906, with great ceremonial, having been
brought from North Carolina for that purpose by
a grateful people. The remains of humble Molly
Pitcher rest in the old graveyard in Carlisle,
where they were
originally buried,
the spot being
marked by a
gravestone which
was erected by
the citizens of this
county on July 4,
1876, and by a
cannon and flag-
staff which were
placed there with
imposing exer-
cises on June 28,
1905, by the Patri- Grave of Molly Pitcher
otic Order of Sons of. America. Peace to the ashes
of both !
The Rev. Charles Nisbet, D.D., the first pres-
17
CARLISLE OLD AND NEM^
ident of Dickinson College, gave a very doleful
account, in his letters to Scotland, of the character
of the people here. Writing from Carlisle in 1790,
he said :
■ ■ We h a \' e no
men of learning nor
taste, & of religious
people the fewest of
all. Every thing here
is on a dead level, &
there is no distinc-
tion except wealth,
which few people
possess here, tho'
many live in luxury.
Dr. Nisbet, Dickinson's First President I CannOt hear of a
man who is rich enough to pay his debts or to
keep his engagements. All characters are equal:
No degree of vice can make a man infamous, nor
could the highest degree of virtue & piety procure
any respect to its owner. . . . As to doctrine,
every one preaches what he pleases; & if he speaks
loud enough & does not meddle with morality, his
hearers will bear with him, — at least till they have
got three or four years' salary in his debt, and then
18
CARLISLE OLD AND NEW
they will use him like a dog till he is obliged to
seek another congregation."
This is but a sample of the general tenor of
the correspondence of the good doctor, who
was unable to discover much that was admir-
able in the habits or modes of life of those
around him.
In 1786 an act of assembly was adopted, reduc-
ing the extreme severity of the system of punish-
ments which had prevailed since the foundation of
the Province. Until that year there stood in Car-
lisle, — probably in the centre square near the court-
house, — a whipping-post, a pillory and a stocks,
similar to those used in England. One of the most
frequently perpetrated crimes is larceny, and prior
to 1786 part of the penalty therefor was public
whipping. The law provided that for the first
ofTence of that kind the culprit should be publicly
whipped on his bare back, with stripes well laid on,
not exceeding twenty-one ; for the second offence
the number of stripes should be not less than twenty-
one nor more than forty, and for the third offence
not less than thirty-nine nor more than fifty. The
most serious transgressions, such as murder, rob-
bery, burglary and arson, and what some people
19
CARLISLE OLD AND NEW
regiirded as the especially grave one of witchcraft,
were punishable by death.
The county records disclose that, down to the
year 1785 inclusive, at which time the public whip-
pings ceased, one hundred and fifty-three convicts
were sent to the whipping-post in Carlisle and
received lashes varying in number from five to
thirty-nine, the average being twenty. Of these
criminals, seventeen were further sentenced to
stand in the pillory for one hour, and six of them
had to pay the additional penalty of having both
ears cut of? and nailed to the pillory. The latter
punishment could not be inflicted for simple
larceny, but was imposed on those convicted of
horse-stealing or passing counterfeit money, the
counterfeiter himself being subject to the death
penalty. The frequent commission of these two
crimes at that period, often involving much loss
to innocent persons, made it incumbent on the
assembly to adopt drastic measures for their sup-
pression. The following sentence, pronounced
October 18, 1785, on a man who was convicted
of stealing a horse, will serve as an illustration
of the way in which offenders were compelled
to do penance :
20
CARLISLE OLD AND NEW
"Judgment that the prisoner, Daniel Clayton,
be taken from hence to the jail and from thence
on Wednesday, the 30th of November next,
between the hours of 8 and 10 o'clock, A.M., be
taken to the common whipping-post, that he stand
in the pillory one hour, have both his ears cut ofip
and nailed to the pillory, and then and there
receive thirty-nine lashes on his back well laid
on, restore the horse stolen to the owner, if
not already done, or the value thereof, pay a
like value to the President of the State for sup-
port of Government, pay costs of prosecution
and stand committed until the whole be complied
with."
These statistics on the subject of corporal pun-
ishment in old Carlisle have never before been
compiled or made public, and I am able to supple-
ment them with some information concerning the
capital punishments at that early time, which has
also laid hidden until now. Undoubtedly there
were a great many executions here before and
during the Revolution ; but as the law required
at least one member of the supreme court to
preside at trials where the penalty involved was
death, the records were kept in that court, and
21
CARLISLE OLD AND NEW
there is not even a memorandum of them in the
court below. I succeeded in finding in the
supreme court-rooms in Philadelphia a criminal
docket commencing in 1778, — the older dockets
not being there, — which shows that for the nine
years from 1779 to 1787, inclusive, eleven men
and two women were sentenced in this town to
be hanged. One of the women was a slave,
designated in the indictment as "Negroe Suckey."
Three of the con-
demned had been
found guilty of
murder, three of
robbery, two of
burglary, two of
counte rf citing,
oneof rape, oneof
arson, and one of
an unmentionable
offence.
The mention of
Elm Tree on Waggoner's Gap Road NcgrOC Suckcy
recalls the fact that there used to be quite a num-
ber of slaves in Carlisle. A statute was adopted in
1780 providing for the gradual abolition of slavery
22
CARLISLE OLD AND NEW
in this Commonwealth, but in 1800 there were still
228 in this county, and there was one as late as
1842.
It is a singular fact, not generally known, that
the early judges of this state, with the exception
of the members of the supreme court, were not
lawyers. Our county judges were selected from
farmers and other laymen and were known as
justices of the peace, — the statute requiring that
at least three of them should preside at trials.
Further, the number holding office at the same
time was not controlled by a fixed rule ; for
instance, in 1750 eleven were appointed; in 1764,
nineteen; in 1770, twenty-nine; in 1771, twenty-
three. Occasionally about a dozen were on the
bench at one time, although this was rare, and
accomplished advocates were compelled to address
their legal arguments to judges who had never
read a law-book. For forty-one years after the
erection of Cumberland County this strange con-
dition of afifairs continued, until finally an act of
assembly was passed on April 13, 1791, providing
that the president judge in each district should be
"a person of knowledge and integrity, skilled in
the laws."" Since that date, the county has had
23
CARLISLE OLD AND NEJF
thirteen president judges, two of whom have been
commissioned twice ; the longest term being that
of the Hon. James H. Graham, — from December,
i85i,to December, 1871, — and the shortest, that
of the Hon. Charles Smith, — from March 27, 1819,
to April 27, 1820, — exactly thirteen months.
This narrative liaving proceeded from Genesis
to Judges, it devolves upon other pens to continue
the story that will revive memories of the old
Carlisle, and strengthen interest in the New.
Public Square in 1843
24
Cumberland Valley Railroad Station
c
II
lARLISLE Old and New '^ — the words
wake to music the chords of memory in
countless hearts the wide world over.
Many there are, not only of those that still dwell
within its borders but of those that have gone
elsewhere, who would unhesitatingly name this
ancient borough the ''spot of earth supremely
blest, a dearer, sweeter spot than all the rest."
Happy the mother who has such a rich heritage of
love and loyalty in the hearts of her children !
If those who have not had the good fortune to
be sons of Carlisle by birth or adoption, or to taste
of its hospitality, would know its whereabouts, let
them study a map of the Keystone State, and there
not far from Mason and Dixon's line, in the fruit-
25
CJRLISLE OLD AND NEW
'/
ful valley of Cumberland, they will find it. Moun
tains, spurs of the Blue Ridge chain, stretch their
protecting arms nearly around it ; and yet the val-
ley, like the far-ofif vale of Rasselas, is wide enough
at this point so that one feels like throwing
back his shoulders and breathing deep and free.
Low-lying hills, which bear heavy burdens of
wheat and corn,
lend unwonted
variety to the
landscape ; many a
grand old maple,
oak, chestnut and
elm still of^er shel-
ter from sum-
mer's heat and
winter's blast;
while "apple and
peach tree fruited
deep" tell of
«homes of thrift
and plenty. In the
days of '63, when the suns of June had made hill
and valley glow with the mellow tinge of harvest,
the region looked a veritable Garden of the Lord to
26
Horse-chestnut on the Lawn of
Dr. George L. Shearer
Hanover Street, Looking Southward
CARLISLE OLD AND NEW
the tramping squadrons of the Southhind, which
then came sweeping through field and town. Nor
should we fail to notice, as we study the landscape,
the gleaming silver of the gliding streams. Small
wonder that they are in no haste to join the wait-
ing Susquehanna, so pleasant is the land they saun-
ter through, one listless stream idling along until
it quadruples the distance it needs to travel.
Carlisle was once the frontier tow^n of an advanc-
ing civilization. In those far-of^ days. Fort Low-
ther, standing on High street not far from the
Public Square, was the place of refuge for the har-
assed pioneer when the Indian sought redress for
his wrongs. Though at this time and subsequently
Carlisle showed its desire to deal justly with the
men of the forest and to live in peace with them, in
time of war its sons proved themselves men in
whose veins ran the red blood of courage. The
hostile Indians that met Colonel John Armstrong
and his band of men, whom Carlisle had sent to
the relief of distressed Kittanning, found foes
dauntless and irresistible.
From these early days on to the present, the
story of Carlisle is a web of many colors. History
has been made here ; romance and poetry have been
28
CARLISLE OLD AND NEIV
lived here. In fact, the rich variety of Hfe that has
always characterized the old town and kept it out
of the meshes of the commonplace may, in part,
account for the subtle charm that has often brought
back to it those children who have traveled far
afield. "If you drink of the old town pump, you
will wish to live and die in Carlisle," is a local prov-
erb with more than a modicum of truth. Many
of those who have sought larger fields of action
have come back in later days
" To husband out life's taper at the close,
And keep the flame from wasting, by repose."
The Old Graveyard
29
CARLISLE OLD A\D MJr
Others, whose hfe's sun has set elsewhere, have
asked that they might sleep their last sleep beneath
the quiet shades of the Old Graveyard or of
Ashland.
It is impossible to say when the Old ends and
the New begins, in that process of gradual evolu-
tion of a slow-growing community that feels at
once a reverence for the past and a pride in the
present. A few years ago, the citizens of this
borough decided to commemorate its anniversary
of a life of one hundred and fifty years. Since that
date, — October 23-24, 1901, — when avast amount
of local enthusiasm was developed, they have been
at the same time looking backward and looking
Sescjui-Ctriitennial Arch, 1901
30
Old Corner of High and Pitt Streets
forward, with renewed pleasure in both reminis-
cence and anticipation.
A work of ingenuity in honor of that occasion
was a map WTOught by Captain J. B. Landis, which
he named Mother Cumberhind's Family, and to
which he appended an invitation to come to the
family reunion. The unique merit of this diagram
was at once recognized by those in charge of the
sesqui- centennial celebration, who promptly had
it lithographed and distributed large numbers of
copies.
In response to the promised welcome, hun-
dreds, during those autumn days, entered the
31
CJRLISLE OLD .L\ D AEf/
town through its modern gateway, the handsome
brownstone structure now occupying the corner
of West High and
North Pitt streets.
This building was
erected by the Cum-
berland \^ alley Rail-
road, in 1 89 1, on the
spot that will at once Waiting for Passengers
be familiar to old friends when recalled by the
picture of the previous buildings. Even the
grease spots from the heads of loafers have been
preserved to posterity by the photographer's art.
No adequate idea of this locality could be con-
veyed without including Peter Cooke, with his
"City Bus", w'ho years ago was accorded a recog-
nized part in the local passenger service, invalu-
able to the present day.
Ample provision was afforded
the temporal wants of visitors on
that occasion in pri-
vate homes and in the
hostelries with which
Carlisle has a 1 w a y s
Before the Days of Rapid Transit been amplv equipped,
32
CARLISLE OLD AND NEIF
provision far different from that afforded by the
hotels of early days. One of these ancient inns,
though no longer put to that use, still stands, a
reminder of that far-off time when the traveling
public did not come via railroad, trolley line, or
automobile, but in the lumbering old coach of
days agone. This
imposing struc-
ture bore the
proud name of
the Eagle and
Harp. In 1799 it
was conducted by
Charles McManus
and had previously
been a hotel for
many years. The
mark of the old
bar is still to be
seen \X\ a corner O'^ Tavern on East Lowther Street
of the entrance room on the first floor.
No part of Carlisle is richer in historic associ-
ation, more suggestive of a venerable past and of
a prosperous present, than the Public Square, the
very heart of the town's life. Standing upon it —
33
CARLISLE OLD AND NEIV
above which stretched for a few short weeks the
double span of the sesqui-centennial arch — one
cannot look north, south, east or west without his
eyes resting on some spot notable because of the
famous men whose feet have trodden it, and be-
cause of events of local and even national import.
The observer easily judges Carlisle to be what it
indeed is, a home of churches, two corners of the
Square being occupied by houses of worship.
On the northwest corner, bearing the burden of
its years with all grace and dignity, is the First
Presbyterian Church, whose walls were built before
America declared her independence, and whose
fine proportions still command admiration. Gen-
eral John Armstrong, a trustee and elder in the
church, aided in the work. In the pastor's study
still hangs a charter granted by Thomas and John
Penn, nephews of the great William. When the
fires of love for a new country began to glow upon
American altars, nowhere did they leap higher
than in Carlisle. Here, in this church dedicated to
the God of Nations, the flame was fed. On a Julv
day following fresh acts of oppression enacted by
the mother country against the refractory Massa-
chusetts Bay Colony, a meeting of the influential
34
Public Square and Corner of First Presbyterian Church
CARLISLE OLD J.MJ A'£//^
men of the county was held, and resolutions were
passed which show that already the spirit was alive
that in two more years found utterance in the
Interior of First Presliyterian ("Inirch. From 1827 to 1876
immortal Declaration. On the committee then
appointed "to cooperate in every proper measure
conducing to the general welfare of British Amer-
36
CARLISLE OLD AND NEfV
ica" we find the names of James Wilson and Wil-
liam Irvine, men "on Fame's eternal beadroll
worthy to be filed." Venerable is any church in
which George Washington worshiped. The First
Presbyterian Church of Carlisle bears this proud
distinction ; for in the days of the Whiskey Insur-
rection, while Washington and Hamilton were on
their way to quell the disturbance, they tarried
several days in Carlisle and attended divine service
here, listening to that eminent scholar, Robert
Davidson, D.D. Another preacher who once occu-
pied the quaint old pulpit, and whose tones received
new resonance from the sounding-board pendent
above his head, was the eminent scholar, albeit at
times irascible and unwilling citizen, Dr. Charles
Nisbet, president of Dickinson college. In the
minds of many of the present generation, this church
is inseparably associated with the gentle, cultured
Dr. Conway P. Wing, who for more than forty
years went in and out among the people, the friend
of all, and the champion of those who had been
held in bondage. Like afterglow at end of day, he
lives again in lives made better by his presence.
Face to face with the First Presbyterian, stands
St. John's Episcopal Church. Though the present
37
St. John's Episcopal C luiixli aiul l'ari>li House
edifice has not yet reached the century mark,
it was preceded on the same site by one which
dated its beginning back to the earhest days of
the town, it being among the first phices of wor-
ship within the present hiiiits of the borough. A
bell sent from Carlisle, P>ngland, as a gift to the
38
CARLISLE OLD AND NEW
infant parish, being unaccommodated at St. John's,
was placed in the tower of the court-house, and at
its sound people of all faiths made their way to
their various church homes, until the building was
destroyed by fire and its tongue was silenced for-
ever. If we may credit a certain legend, the tones
of the bell were indeed silvery, the members of
the Penn family stipulating that the silver in which
their subscription of
thirty pounds was
paid, should be fluxed
with the coarser ele-
ments composing the
bell. St. John's can
boast the rare honor
of numbering among
its former attendants
two signers of the
Declaration of Inde-
pendence, George
Ross and James Wil-
son. Perhaps had the
latter, with his multiple fame of signer of the
Declaration and framer and defender of the Con-
stitution, been able to voice his preference in these
39
f ^^^/^_
CJRIJSLE 01. 1) jyn NEJF
recent davs, he would have asked to be borne to
his hist resting-place, not from any sister church
in the Quaker city, but from beneath the modest
arch of St. John's. Another name that not only
Carlisle but the entire Commonwealth and coun-
try are proud to claim is also associated with this
church — that of John Bannister Gibson, Chief
Justice of Pennsylvania.
Diagonally opposite, once stood the old court-
house, erected in 1765-66. The interior was
wholly occupied by the court-room and galleries,
no rooms having been provided for of^cials. This
made necessary the annex, constructed in 1801-02;
in this were deposited court books and papers.
The town hall faced High street, not more than
fifteen feet away. The apparatuses of the three
fire companies occupied the first floor, while the
borough council-chamber occupied the second.
About one o'clock on the morning of Monday,
March 24, 1845, this building was fired by an
incendiary, and was destroyed with all its contents,
involving the very serious loss of the town records.
The engines and hose-carriages had been tied
together and could not be drawn out. The fire
spread to the court-house and annex, destroying
40
CARLISLE OLD AND NEW
both, but not before the county books and papers
had been removed to a safe place.
The present court-house was erected the fol-
lowing year on the same site, and already is
regarded as one of the town's landmarks. The fine
Cumberland County Jail
Corinthian pillars at the front of the building
command admiration, though they have suffered
violence in both peace and war. One of them
bears a scar received from a shell in '63, and all
four, in some moment of mistaken zeal for civic
improvement, were treated to a coat of whitewash,
41
CARLISLE OLD AND NFjr
••'•^'^
w h i c h soon gave way to
more e n d u r i n g paint !
When we remember that
the pillars are of solid
sandstone, these acts seem
akin to painting the lilv or
throwing a perfume on the
violet !
From this building, too,
many a culprit has walked
to his temporary home — or,
in some cases, his doom —
in the brownstone structure
not far away. But such un-
fortunates find themselves
in no mean dwelling, the
walls b e i n g
among the
Soldier!.' Monimieiit
handsomest in town, built
in fine architectural style
in 1854, at a cost of more
than fifty thousand dollars.
Close to the court-house
stands the soldiers' monu-
ment, erected in memory
of the sons of Cumberland
42
CARLISLE OLD AND NEJF
County who fell in defence of the Union. It was
a prompt tribute to these noble dead, who number
seventeen officers and three hundred and twenty-
five private soldiers, having been erected only six
years after the close of the war.
This reminder of days of strife stands exposed
to the storms of every passing season. Not so
those other relics of civil and international strife
seen in the following picture. Torn to shreds by
the dogs of war, they are guarded now as price-
less treasures. In 1817, at the time of rejoicing
that again "the British yoke was urged upon our
sons in vain," the Carlisle Guards, a company
which had aided in the protection of Philadelphia
during the war, assembled on the Public Square to
help in the general rejoicing. After the usual mili-
tary evolutions, they were drawn up by Captain
Joseph Halbert to receive the "Standard of Col-
ours" seen at the center of the illustration, a gift
from the women of Carlisle. The background is
of richest blue silk, the various devices on it
bespeaking two qualities for which Carlisle's
daughters of every generation have been dis-
tinguished, — skilful fingers and loyal hearts. The
gift was accepted in the following fitting words : " I
43
CARLISLE OLD JXD NEJr
receive this standard, the offspring and evidence of
female taste and patriotism, and shall trust its
preservation to that native gallantry and disci-
plined valor which will he marshaled around it."
Its almost perfect condition, after nearly a century,
speaks in loudest terms of this "gallantry and
valor." At the right of this is a veteran of two
wars. In the days when Carlisle was sending forth
troops for the preservation of the Union — four full
companies made up her noble offering — its silken
folds were fashioned by Mrs. Alexander, wife of
General Samuel Alexander, and fastened to a stafY
which had seen service among Carlisle troops in
the days of the Revolution. Thus mounted, it was
presented to Company A, of which the late Judge
Robert M. Henderson was the undaunted captain.
Each broken thread, could we make of it a tongue,
could tell sad tales of Baltimore streets stained
with Massachusetts blood, for this was the first
banner to be carried there after the mob had done
its work; it could tell also of Bull Run, of South
Mountain, of the Wilderness. But the story of this
flag, however fully told, is of soldiers who fought
with faces ever to the foe. It is still the palladium
of its same old company, and is in the care of the
44
"Bequeathed from bleeding sire to son"
CARLISLE OLD AND XEJV
gallant Captain John I. Fallen. Oddly enough, it
was photographed for the present sketch in the
home in which it was made, that of Mr. W illiam
M. Henderson, North Hanover street, grandson
of Mrs. Alexander. From the flag at the left the
blue field has gone, save just enough to hold the
one star remaining of the many that once studded
it. This banner belonged to one of the two com-
panies of cavalry furnished by Cumberland County
— the Big Spring Adamantine Guards. The cap-
tain of this company being mustered out after a
year's service, his place was filled by Captain \\\\-
liam E. Miller, of Carlisle, the present custodian
of the flag, a man in whose keeping the American
colors are always safe.
Returning to the Square, we find its remaining
corner occupied, unfortunately, by the market-
house, — unfortunately, for the place is thus over-
crowded and lacking the beauty of the ideal park-
way of a colonial town. The first market-house
of which we have any record was built in 1802,
and must have been a frail structure, since it was
blown down in a windstorm. Its successor was
built in 1836 and did service for forty-two years.
The pictures of it are interesting, as showing not
46
CARLISLE OLD AND NEW
only the location of the building, but as being a
study of buyers and sellers at the Carlisle market
forty years ago.
But the old Square itself is redolent, every foot
of it, with the memories of generations. Here has
stood in public shame the pilloried culprit, with
what thoughts of remorse or of revenge, who
can tell? When the time was fast approaching
for the American people "to assume, among the
Powers of the earth, the separate and equal station
to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God
entitle them," men from all over the Cumberland
valley assembled here to confer upon the great
events with which the air was rife. Then was
written a chapter in the Square's history that
makes one's blood quicken, as when he reads of
Pizarro and his sword line in the tropical sand.
In the one case as in the other the command
was, "Choose you this day whom ye will serve."
Those that would fight for freedom were bidden
come to the northern side of the Square ; those
that would still bear the British yoke, to the south-
ern side. To the undying honor of the sons of
Cumberland, it is told that the southern side at
that hour was empty; three or four, hesitant, went
47 ""
CARLISLE OLD AND NEPF
neither way ; and the northern part held every soul
besides. Nor did their zeal slacken when the time
for action came. Company after company from
Carlisle went to their country's defense, until it
was finally feared that there would not be suf^-
cient men remaining to guard the safety of the
inhabitants. Not only did this spot resound to the
tread of the patriots' feet in these days, but not
a few of the British also marched across it when
sent here as prisoners of war. Among these were
the ill-fated Major Andre and Lieutenant Despard.
The ashes of the former find an honored resting-
place in Westminster Abbey, while the latter lived
to go back to England only to die as a traitor
because of the democratic ideas he had imbibed
in America. As the house assigned them was but
a block away, on the corner of South Hanover
street and Church alley, and they were allowed on
parole throughout the town, the Square must have
been often enlivened by their gay uniforms.
In the days following the framing of the Con-
stitution, while its adoption by the necessary
number of states was still pending. Federalist and
Anti-Federalist celebrated on the Square many a
barren victory. Even James Wilson, now proudly
49
CARLISLE OLD AND NEfF
claimed as a son of Carlisle, was burned in effigy,
together with Chief Justice McKean, another
defender of the Constitution.
During the Whiskey Rebellion, this spot was
outraged by the erection upon it of a liberty
pole bearing the illuminated inscription, "Liberty
and No Excise, O Whiskey!" Though this was
promptly cut down, it was followed by another
with the Gallic sentiment of those times, '^Liberty
and Equality.'" These were sorry days for the old
Square. Rioting and deeds of violence profaned it,
insurgents patrolled across it, and now and then
the air rang to the sound of bullets. It was at this
time that Colonel Ephraim Blaine, great-grand-
father of the distinguished statesman of our own
times, was fired upon because so staunch a friend
of good government, but happily escaped injury.
On the other hand, how proudly the Square wel-
comed the coming of the Father of His Country!
Four thousand men accompanied him, together
with his cabinet. Crowds gathered to do him
honor. However profound their enthusiasm, it is
said that their admiration was silent. Ihe presi-
dent's home while on this visit was but a stone^s
throw away, as he was the guest of Colonel Blaine,
50
CARLISLE OLD AND NEW
who was then Hving but a half block distant.
Everything during this visit was done by the towns-
people in a way befitting the presence in their
midst of '^the best of great men and greatest of
good men."
Though the Square has never seen the imperial
purple, it has witnessed the coming of one who
afterward was adorned with it. While exiled from
France and traveling incognito from New York to
New Orleans, Louis Philippe, accompanied by two
brothers, passed through Carlisle. During their
tarry here, one of the brothers, the Duke de
Montpensier, had the misfortune to be upset in
a runaway, but was not so seriously injured as to
be unable to minister to his own needs. This he
did by robbing himself of some of his own royal
blood at the tavern where the party was enter-
tained. So impressed were the spectators by such
a manifestation of knowledge and skill that he was
at once urged to become a permanent practitioner
in their midst.
Decade after decade now passes away. The
Square sees growing up around itself a typical
Pennsylvania town of culture and refinement.
Some of the most delightful families in the country
51
CARLISLE OLD AND NEJV
made their homes here ; which fact, added to the
existence of Dickinson college, and for many years
of a military post, combined to characterize Carlisle
as an educational and social center. It is not strange,
then, that the town is so well known, lior that her
children should have become distinguished in the
service and council of both state and nation. Those
who attended the college and those who came to
and went from the military post were widely scat-
tered ; the descendants of many of our old citi-
zens are in many places. "Go where you will,
you will meet some one from Carlisle," has become
a proverb among us. When Peary returned from
his recent Arctic expedition, his experience was
under discussion in a Carlisle home, whereupon
a wit remarked, "Well, if any one ever does suc-
ceed in reaching the North Pole, he will find a
man from Carlisle sitting with his feet cocked up
on the pole." The following illustrates the truth
of the proverb. A man from Carlisle, who is now
living in New York, was climbing the Andes.
While seated under a ledge of rocks, he whistled
the air of an American S(Hig, and another traveler,
attracted by the familiar strains, approached, and
the two fell into conversation. The first traveler
52
CARLISLE OLD AND NEW
presently said to the second: "I don't know where
you came from, but you talk like a Pennsylvanian."
The second replied, "I live in Carlisle, Pennsyl-
vania; who the devil are you?" "Why, I was born
in the old town myself forty years ago," was the
quick response.
Late in June, more than a generation ago, the
Square was startled by the sudden consciousness
that a danger often dreaded was close at hand.
Every year after the beginning of the civil strife,
whenever the pleasant weather of summer made
the movement of the armies a matter of compara-
tive ease, and the ripe harvest fields drew foragers
to a land famed for its abundance, the tremors
of a possible invasion had run through Carlisle.
Now word was brought by scouts that the unwel-
come men of the South were at the door. With
only a few cavalrymen at the barracks, the town
must look for protection at this trying hour to its
own men. It did not look in vain. Old and young,
patrician, and plebeian, pastor and people, all
formed themselves into companies of militia for the
defence of those otherwise defenceless. The air
was charged with suppressed excitement. Mer-
chants began to send their goods to Philadelphia,
S7>
CARLISLE OLD AM) NEfF
or to secrete them in the most secure places.
The diplomas of Dickinson graduates were awarded
without ceremony. Special trains rumbled across
the Square, bearin*^ those that dared no longer
delay. Herds of horses and cows were driven over
it by farmers who sought to hide their stock in the
woods of Perry County, or beyond the w^aters of
the Susquehanna. Family silver and valuable papers
were buried or hidden, perhaps, in the dark
recesses of some furnace chamber. Yet, as the
hours passed, and no enemy appeared, the more
sanguine still ventured to hope.
On the morning of that never-to-be-forgotten
Saturday, June 27, '63, a lieutenant in the Union
cavalry rode into town and dismounted at the
Mansion House.
"Why are you fellows falling back?" was asked
by one of the citizens.
"Lee's army is about to pay you a visit; his
advance is just out yonder," was the reply.
"I will bet fifty dollars there isn't a rebel north
of the Potomac."
"Keep your cash and your confidence, for you
may need both."
A few hours later four hundred Confederate
54
[
"Upil^,
'^
r-
'X^t<h/>^^i^ ^2fefi-
11
-C'~r>usL^
^ ' -z^^^^
^^£y^^
Requisition received by Joseph W. Ogilby, then Secretary of Town
Council. Owned by J. Webster Hendersc^n, Esq.
CARLISLE OLD JND NEir
Ciivalrv under General Jenkins entered town and
immediately demanded fifteen hundred rations.
In less than an hour the stalls of the market
house were richly stored, and man and beast
were fed and filled. Now the strains of "Dixie"
were heard, and looking out Pitt street, to the
Walnut Bottom road, one saw nothing but march-
ing men. On they came, many ragged, shoeless,
hatless, and all begrimed and bedraggled by the
twenty-mile march covered that June day. Little
they looked like "the flower of the southern army!"
Shoulder to shoulder with many a master in these
ranks marched his negro servant, ready to share
whatever the fortune of war might bring. General
Ewell, who before the war had been stationed at
the barracks, entered at the head of these troops
and occupied the tow^n. Fortunately Carlisle still
held her niche in his heart, and this affection now
stood the imperiled tovv-n in good stead, though
his demand for supplies was too extravagant to be
complied with. No violence or outrage was per-
mitted, no buildings were destroyed, and after his
departure scarcely a sign of occupation by a hostile
force remained. Many of the soldiers, too, had
been Dickinson students before the war. These
56
CARLISLE OLD AND NEW
«
took pleasure in renewing old friendships and in
repaying old favors. At one prominent home the
family had retired that anxious Saturday night,
only to be aroused by a ring at the bell. On asking
who wished entrance and receiving a well-known
name in reply, the ladies timidly said, "Do you
come as friend or as foe?" "Always as friend to
this house," was the quick response.
Two churches on the following morning opened
their doors alike to the Blue and the Gray — the
Second Presbyterian and the First Lutheran. As
word had been passed through town that the stores
and shops would be searched at this time, it is not
strange that most of the accustomed worshipers
were obeying elsewhere the command, "Watch."
Dr. Fry, the Lutheran pastor, chose as his Scripture
lesson the One Hundred and Thirty-ninth Psalm.
When too late to retract, he remembered that it
contains the command, " Depart from me, therefore,
ye bloody men." As over half of the sixty present
were Confederate officers, he politely refrained
from giving the words a personal touch, passing
over them as lightly as possible. On the campus,
where troops were quartered, and at the garrison,,
services were held by the chaplains in charge.
57
Old Second Presbyterian Church, torn ilown in 1870
CARLISLE OLD AND NEfV
The following day escape from town was ren-
dered still more difficult by the destruction of the
railroad bridge, east of the Square. Fires were
made of the ties, and the rails, heated and softened
in these, were twisted around the telegraph poles.
Grim jokes enlivened the work. "You Yanks
wanted us back in the Union pretty badly. Well,
here we are. How do you like it?"
Tuesday morning music sweeter than any the
town had ever heard, sounded through the air.
"Away down South in Dixie Land, Away, Away,"
— soldier feet were keeping step to the notes, while
from the barracks and from the college campus,
over the Square, out of the town passed the invad-
ing troops. Hour after hour went by and still
sounded the tread of marching feet. Tramping
horses and rumbling wagons furnished a deep,
strange accompaniment for the notes of fife and
drum. "Oh, my darling Nellie Gray, they have
taken her away," — many a soldier boy then marched
to the familiar strain who a little later was lying
stark on Gettysburg's field. "Maryland, My Mary-
land" and "The Old Kentucky Shore" wait in vain
for their return.
At last the old Square breathed freely once
59
CARLISLE OLD AND NEIV
again. Horse and foot had disappeared on the
road to Holly Gap; the dreaded danger was past,
and life and home were safe. The following morn-
ing, dusty, travel-stained men rode into town and
halted on the Square. Their regimentals were
blue! Cheers rent the air at the welcome sight,
and men and women came flocking from all quar-
ters to hear the news so long kept from the
beleaguered town, and not less to minister to the
wants of these hungry men. Throughout the after-
noon of that first day of July, Union troops kept
arriving until the Square overflowed into the
adjoining streets. The light of day fades; but, as
cool evening comes on, the entire town empties
itself into the streets. Women and children are
chatting gayly, relieved from the strain of more
than a week of suspense. Carlisle's fair daughters,
in the dainty white gowns and bright ribbons
which are theirs by birthright, bring pitchers of
hot coffee, loaves of freshly baked bread, and other
substantial to the welcome visitors. Suddenly,
without a word of warning or demand for sur-
render, batteries open fire. The consternation is
indescribable. Women shriek and laugh hysteri-
cally, children weep and cling to their parents, the
60
CARLISLE OLD AND NEW
soldiers rush to disentangle their arms, the horses
of the cavalrymen leap and plunge while saddles
are strapped. Shells shriek through the air and
fall to explode in the streets. Meanwhile, the
militia are making preparations for resistance.
Large shade-trees are sacrificed to form a barri-
cade against a cavalry charge. Soldiers get into
position to shoot from the roofs of houses, when
the Confederates shall come marching up the
streets. Half an hour — though time can not now
be measured by minutes — and an officer comes
from General Fitzhugh Lee, under a flag of truce,
to demand the surrender of the town, with a threat
that the shelling will be resumed should the
ofifer be rejected; but, between the puf¥s of his
cigar. General Smith coolly replies, "Shell away
and be damned."
"Fifteen minutes for non-combatants to leave
the town," was the word quickly passed through
street and alley. The sight that followed happily
has no parallel in Carlisle's history. The blazing
gas-works and lumber-yards furnished a hideous
illumination, by the light of which flight was made
from town. Rich and poor wended their way
together on foot to farmhouses, barns, school-
6i
CARLISLE OLD AND NEIV
houses — anywhere beyond the shriek of the
deadly shells. Some withdrew to their cellars, too
terrified to venture into the streets raked by grape
and canister. One old lady, who was walking down
High street, heard the shriek of a shell and pres-
ently saw all the soldiers prone on the ground,
where they had thrown themselves to escape the
effect of the explosion. "Oh, God be praised for
his mercy ! " she exclaimed. "And am I the only
one saved?" Amusing sights added comedy to the
night's tragedy. One woman fled as rapidly as
possible, encumbered as she was by a feather-bed
which she carried to ward off the shells. One
hugged a new bonnet as her dearest treasure, an-
other a gilt-framed mirror, while the route of a
third was marked by silver spoons, which dropped
from the pillow-case she was grasping by the
wrong end. During that terrible night the sky
was again lit up by the dread glare of a confla-
gration. The barracks and garrison had been
fired. But another light soon flashed out near
Holly Gap, whose language General Lee could
read. It was a signal-light, and at this summons his
guns were silenced, and the next morning it was
found that his entire force had been withdrawn.
63
CARLISLE OLD ASD NEIF
Graduallv atiiiirs calmed down, and the Square
and the town resumed their tjuiet and content,
save for a feehng of awe as the reverberations of
the Gettysburg cannon were heard echoing in hill
and valley. In the midst of the deluge of rain that
washed the town clean of the filth of occupation,
two days afterward, the wounded began to arrive
and were cared for in the improvised hospital at
the college. No thought then as to the flag under
which these men had fought — stars and bars or
stars and stripes, what matter? Cruel wounds and
fevered brain — what can be done for them? The
story of those July days, of the devotion on one side
when reward was impossible, of the thankful looks
and yet more eloquent silences on the other — these
are among the unwritten chapters in the story
beautiful of Carlisle.
War's dread alarms are past. When northern
general or southern general comes into our midst
now, he comes as a welcome friend. If you glance
up a half block from the Square you may see in the
brick wall of the home of the late J. Herman Bos-
ler a small white tablet. On it you will find the
words "July i, 1863." On the occasion of a visit to
town several years ago, General Fitzhugh Lee,
64
CARLISLE OLD AND NEH
'r
•^^^^Hm
while calling at Mr. Hosier's office, casually in-
quired, "What is that mark on your house yonder?"
"General, that is the card you left the last time you
called," was the signif-
icant reply. Had he
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ entered another home
not far away, he would
have found there a re-
minder of those self-
same days. A table,
handed down from
Revolutionary times.
Bearing the mark of the conflict waS Standing in the
hallway of the home of Mr. James Wilson Hen-
derson, when a Confederate ball came spinning
through a window and plowed its way into the
heart of this mahogany. At the time of this visit.
General Lee and General O. O. Howard found
themselves shoulder to shoulder as they sat on a
platform at the Indian School. Foes no longer,
brothers rather, these white-haired veterans recog-
nized that each had fought for the right as he had
seen the right, and above their heads was draped
the flag of a reunited country.
The old Square — we leave it now to glance at
65
CARLISLE OLD AND NEtV
other places that Old Carlisle has bequeathed to
New Carlisle, and that Carlisle of to-day will pass
on to coming years. Peace and war, buying and
selling and getting gain, mirth and mourning,
the murderer's frown and the benediction of the
good man's presence — it can say of these, "All of
them I saw, and a great part of them I was."
Before turning our backs upon it, we lift to our
lips the tin cup at the market-house fountain and
say, "Flere's to your health, and the health of vour
family; long may you live and be happy."
ULY i. fe
General Lee's "visiting card"
66
Ill
OTHER places
besides the
Public Square
are points around
which the life and his-
tory of Carlisle have
crystallized. Conspic-
uous among these is
Dickinson College.
In its service learned
men have spent their
lives and have left an
impress both intellec-
tual and spiritual upon
the entire community.
Winter on the Campus (South Gate) Within itS Walls have
been trained men who have attained national fame
as they have gone forth to fulfil their destinies.
The existence of Dickinson College has, perhaps,
more than any other one thing, maintained for
Carlisle a continuous connection with the move-
ments of the outside world.
67
CARLISLE OLD AND NEW
Of the twelve buildings which with their con-
tents make up the material equipment of the col-
lege, the one richest in memories and historic asso-
ciations is Old West, "scion of a hundred years." It
is one of the most charming examples of academic
colonial architecture in the country, having about
itself an air of distinction as of one well born and
well bred. When the original building was almost
completed, a misfortune occurred that was regarded
as a national calamity. A fire, originating in some
ashes near the building, consumed it on February
3, 1803. Not only did the trustees of the college
and the people of Carlisle generously respond in
that hour of need, but the President of the United
States, Thomas Jefferson, members of Congress,
and many others in public life, sent liberal contri-
butions for the rehabilitation of the building. The
donation of President Jefferson was one hundred
dollars. Be it remembered that in those days
money was not plentiful; nevertheless, the present
building was opened for occupancy in the fall of
1805. Up the brownstone steps, carved with the
names of some above whom now rests the mossy
marble, beneath the high portal surmounted with
that many-paned half-circle, were carried the
69
CARLISLE OLD JAD NEIF
wounded from Gettysburg, Here they were nursed
back to life, or went to meet the reward of brave
soldiers. On tlie walls of the principal room hang
portraits of many of the former presidents of the
college, one of them in the powdered wig of far-ofY
days. These many pairs of eyes, some keen and
some kindly, seem to be still keeping watch over
the welfare of their former kingd(Mn. Venerable
also among the buildings of alma mater are Old East
and Old South. To these three halls, which for
many years were the only ones of the college, in the
days before the war came many sons of the South,
as well as of the North, When the coming tempest
was betokened, the blood of these often waxed
hot in debate, two fiery patriots, on one occasion,
going out to the edge of the town to settle there
by the bullet the dispute begun in forensic halls.
Time has laid its hand on all these buildings, but
with no ungentle touch. They have found a place
in song and story, and in the lives of the many
hundreds of graduates who are scattered so widely
that Dickinson can say, "The sun never sets on
my domain,"
In 1798, seven and one-third acres of ground,
an entire square, were purchased by the college
70
CARLISLE OLD AND NEPF
authorities for a campus. Previously this land had
been an open lot which, it was claimed by some,
had been promised by the proprietaries as "com-
mons," or a free pasture for cattle. Quite different
was the part that this ground was destined to play
in the drama of the town. Long ago the campus
won for itself a warm place in the af^fections of
college and community. With seats here and
there, walks broad
and well kept, a
wealth of verdure
overhead and under
foot, it is a spot which
one feels in no haste
to leave. Several
hundred trees of
great variety are scat-
tered over it, and
many a person pauses
in the long days of
midsummer to enjoy
this shelter from the
fierce noontide. Un-
consciously, the
beauty of the spot, "Lovers' Lane," Dickinson Campus
71
CARLISLE OLD AND NEJF
the equal of which few universities in our country
can furnish, enters into the Hfe fiber of college and
town, and many an absent son and daughter of
Carlisle, as well as of Dickinson, heart-hungry and
world-weary, has longed for the sight of the old
campus and the sound of the college bell.
In recent times, the James W. Rosier Memorial
Hall, the gift of the family of the late James \V.
Bosler, and the Jacob Tome Scientific Building
have added their pleasing proportions to the
campus group.
Across the street from the southeastern corner
of the campus, stood for many years the Denny
home. This was built shortly after the Revolution,
and was occupied in its early days by Simon Bard,
who had married a sister of Major Ebenezer
Denny. It remained in the Denny family until it
was donated to Dickinson College, in 1895, at
which time the old home was torn down. The tra-
dition is accepted that Washington stood under the
old locust tree at the corner to review the troops
as they passed through Carlisle en route to quell
the Whiskey Insurrection. On this site was built
Denny Hall, which was opened for college uses in
1896. In March, 1904, a horror-stricken crowd
72
CARLISLE OLD AND NEIV
gathered to find this beautiful building a mass of
hopeless flame. Fast and furious was the work of
destruction, even the college records which were
in the building not being rescued. Never before
The Old Denny Home
or since has Bosler Hall Chapel held so sad a
gathering of faculty and students as met there the
following morning for the accustomed worship.
But the president of the college, Dr. George
Edward Reed, through whose eflforts Denny Hall
73
Tlie First Denny Hall
I'liiiiv ll.ili, March ;, i<;o4
CARLISLE OLD AND NEW
had been built, is a man of faith as well as of
works. Raising his right hand in a gesture more
of promise than prophecy, he said, in ringing tones
that infused courage into the listeners, "Denny
shall rise again." These words became the slogan
Laying Corner-stone of New Denny, 1905
in a campaign for funds among the student body
and friends of the college, marked by rare zeal
and self-sacrifice. One brief year, and the promise
found fulfilment. A new Denny Hall, larger, more
beautiful than the former, stood with open doors,
ready for its work. Thus it stands, one of many
75
C.IRI.ISI.E Oil) ,L\I) NEJV
lastin^i; tcslinionies to the courage and energy of
the man who has given to Carlisle a new Dickin-
son. C'arxed in stone above the main entrance is
tliis record: "Re-erected through the generous
New I^fiiiu' Hall
aid of the trustees, faculties, students, alumni and
friends of the college, and particularly of public-
spirited citizens of Carlisle."
As an illustration of the growth of Carlisle, one
has but to look at the changes which ha\e taken
76
The William Clare Allison Memorial Methodist Episcopal Church and the
Warehouse of R. C. Woodward, Which Formerly Occupied the Corner
CJR/JSLK OLD AM) NEIV
place within a comparativelv short time on two
corners adjacent to the Dickinson campus. One
of these is at the southwestern corner of \W'st and
High streets, a spot occupied for many years by
the Woodward warehouse. The location was long
regarded as on the outskirts, West street being
originally the borough limit in that direction. At
length, however, the town had so expanded that
the old warehouse became an anachronism. It was
accordingly removed, and in 1890 a Methodist
Episcopal Church, the William Clare Allison
Memorial, was built on its site. The church is in
the Gothic style, graceful in every line. It is often
called "The College Church," most of the faculty
and student body worshiping here. A noteworthy
feature of the interior is the stained-glass windows,
every ray of light that falls through them reveal-
ing a beautiful harmony of color.
Near by is the building formerly occupied by
this congregation, but now used as the home of
the Dickinson School of Law. This traces its
beginning back to one of the earliest schools of
law established in the United States.
Opposite another corner of the campus is
St. Paul's Lutheran Church, dedicated in the
78
St. Paul's Lutheran Church
The J. Herman Rosier Memorial Library
spring of 1907. Beautiful, spacious, and adnrirably
equipped, the building is the product of such zeal
and devotion as are at once an example and an
inspiration. It is built of natural limestone and is
rarely equaled for architectural symmetry.
Almost opposite Denny Hall stands the J. Her-
man Rosier Memorial Library, erected and liberally
endowed by the family of the late J. Herman Bosler.
Approaching it, one feels that he is about to enter
a Greek temple, so purely classic are its white
80
CARLISLE OLD AND NEW
marble lines. There is no feeling of disappoint-
ment as one finds himself in the lobby, surrounded
by busts of the world's great poets. Looking
farther on, he sees pictures of masterpieces in
painting and sculpture hanging on the wainscoted
oak walls, while the light on the main book-room
falls through the rich colors of a memorial window,
designed from Burne-Jones' painting, "Hope." In
this quiet and beautiful spot, rich and poor
meet together, and come into close touch with the
world's best books. Schoolboy and college student,
children of toil and of ease, all may be found in
the reading room, book or magazine in hand. For
nearly ten years Carlisle has counted this library
among the most powerful of those influences that
make for civic righteousness.
Before leaving this section of Carlisle, we walk
a half square beyond the campus on the west, and
there we find an imposing structure, one of the
largest buildings in Carlisle. This is the prepara-
tory department of Dickinson College. Through
the influence of Dr. Reed, the building was pre-
sented by Mr. Andrew Carnegie with the wish
that it should be named for his friend of many
years, Dr. Moncure D. Conway, one of the oldest
8i
CARLISLE OLD A.\D NEIV
of Dickinson's alumni; the school is accordingly
known as Conway Hall. The distinguished Doc-
tor died in Paris on the night of November 14,
1907, and was
cremated at Pere
Lachaise Ceme-
tery.
Carlisle m?y be
called the home
of schools as well
as of churches.
Besides those al-
ready referred
to, there is also
a college devoted
Sclioul of Miss Becky Weigiitiiian Pvrllisivplv tO
young ladies — Metzger College. This school was
founded and endowed by the late Hon. George
Metzger, who died after rounding out nearly a full
century, and whose memory is not sufifered to fade,
''Founder's Day" being annually celebrated at
the school. The building, w^ith its broad verandas
and abundant setting of well-kept lawn, attracts
our attention. Ascending the wide flight of steps,
we enter, and believe ourselves not in a building
82
CARLISLE OLD AND NEW
devoted to school purposes, but in a well-ordered,
cultured home. Nor is this feeling dissipated if
our stay is prolonged. In the spacious parlor, with
its rare mahogany furnishings, at table, or in the
recitation room, where we see pupil and teacher
in close touch with each other, always we feel that
Metzger College and Quaint Old Home of Its Founder
here is indeed a "home school," where social as
well as intellectual culture may be attained, and
where not only lessons from books are taught, but
also those higher lessons to be learned only by
close contact with noble lives.
More than twenty-five years ago, Carlisle was
electrified by the coming of an army officer who
83
CARLISLE OLD JM) N FJr
had not before been at the military post. lie was
attended by a retinue, but not of United States
soldiers. He came to work out a great purpose —
that of "ci\'ilizin<r the Indian wards of our Lroxeni-
ment by bringing them into civilization."" He
Drawinor Room at Metzjrer Collefje
came as Captain Pratt, and established under gov-
ernment care the Carlisle Indian Industrial School,
with one hundred and thirty-six pupils. He left
after a quarter of a century as General Pratt, and
his world-famed school contained one thousand
students. During that period there was nothing
connected with Carlisle that brought the town into
84
o
3
a.
E
rS
O
"o
o
J=
o
CO
c
'•3
a
CARLISLE OLD J\D NEJV
so great prominence as the interesting and magnif-
icent work of the Indian School. People from
other states and other lands came to visit the won-
derful institution that had been evolved under the
personal supervision of its founder. Around the
old barracks, which were turned over by the gov-
ernment for his use, grew up a small village of
buildings devoted to the many purposes requisite
to the development of physical and moral manhood
and womanhood. Not only the "three r's" but
many higher branches are taught here, together
with arts and crafts that enable these dependents of
Uncle Sam to become self-supporting, self-respect-
ing men and women. Through one of the distinc-
tive features of the school, the Outing System,
several hundred of them every year are inducted
into the ways of farm, shop and home in various
parts of the United States. Even a hasty survey of
the boys' quarters and girls' quarters shows rooms
clean, orderly, and suggestive of deftness and taste
in the occupants. The Indians as athletes are
known from Boston to the Golden Gate, no foot-
ball games being watched with greater interest than
those in which they have a part. Under the present
administration new features have been added, and
86
CARLISLE OLD AND NEW
the Indian School continues to be a source of local
pride and the leading institution of its kind in the
country.
At one of the entrance gates stands the old
Guard House, one of the historic buildings of
Pennsylvania. It is said to have been built by Hes-
sian soldiers captured by General Washington at
Hessian Guard House
the battle of Trenton^ and sent to this place as
prisoners of war. The building is also associated
with one of the residents of Carlisle who enjoys,
if shades still enjoy earthly honors, a national repu-
tation — Molly Pitcher. After the war was over in
which Molly won her name and her fame, she is
said to have spent many a day within these thick
87
CARLISLE OLD AND NEW
and gloomy walls, washing and cooking for the
soldiers.
One does not take frequent walks about town
without seeing the face of a citizen long an essen-
tial part of the town's life and of its strivings after
things unseen and eternal. This is Dr. George
Norcross, pastor of the Second Presbyterian
Church. On the heads of one generation his hands
have been laid in baptismal blessing. These have
grown to manhood and womanhood. They have
plighted their troths before him, and have brought
their children to be baptized by him. The occa-
sion of Dr. Norcross' thirtieth anniversary, in his
present pastorate, in 1899, was a memorable one,
when not only his own people, but representatives
of many of the other Protestant churches of town,
united in expressions of appreciation and good will.
" Honor and reverence and the good repute
That follows faithful service as its fruit,
Be unto him, whom living we salute."
The first edifice built by the congregation now
presided over by this good man, was erected in
1833. It is still dear to the memory of many, who
carry a mental picture of its fine exterior, with the
Ionic portico raised somewhat above the level of
88
St. Patrick's Rectory and Church, and St. Katherine's Hall
Old Brick Church of 1806 in Oval
the street, as if in consciousness of its classic design.
After almost two score years, this building was
found inadequate to the demands of the church,
and was accordingly replaced by the present Gothic
structure.
A few blocks away is St. Patrick's Church. The
parish was organized in 1779, and is chronologi-
cally the sixth Catholic parish established in
89
V
CARLISLE OLD AND NEIF
Pennsylvania. There was then no other Cathohc
Church between Carhsle and St. Louis. A log
chapel was its first place of worship, and in 1806
the old brick church was built by the Rev. Louis
de Barth, a German nobleman. The present hand-
some structure was completed in 1893 by the Rev.
H. G. Ganss, at a cost of $30,000, and is by
general consent admitted to be the most artistic of
the smaller Catholic churches of the state. For this
building, the congregation, consisting of thirty-six
families, raised $30,000 in twenty-eight months,
freeing the church from debt. It was consecrated
on the 114th anniversary of the foundation of the
parish. St. Katherine's Hall was built by Mother
Katherine Drexel, and is occupied by six sisters
of the order she founded for work among the
Indians and negroes.
In approaching Carlisle from almost any point,
one tall, massive tower attracts and holds attention.
This is the tower of the First Lutheran Church,
erected on the site of the old foundry. The stone-
cut words, ''A Mighty Fortress is Our God," seem
fitly written above the triple entrance. The build-
ing is of metropolitan proportions, and is fortunate
enough to have its lines set of? by well-kept turf.
90
First Evangelical Lutheran Church. Old Foundry Formerly
on Same Site, in oval
CARLISLE OLD AXD NFJf
Every pillar of tlic fine interior, every window and
furnishini^, as well as each accessory demanded by
a workinj^ church, speaks of the unflagging devo-
tion of a people
not "at ease in
Zion."
"We bargain
for the graves we
lie in," is not of
necessity true of
any child of Car-
lisle, the Old
Graveyard, as old
as the borough it-
self, saving even
the poorest from
the potter's field.
In this quiet spot,
overshadowed by
Cicii. Jolin Armstrong tTCCS that SCCm iu
Strange keeping with the place, not only "the rude
forefathers of the hamlet sleep," but also men of
wealth and culture and fame. An elaborate Latin
inscription sets forth the virtues of the renow^ned
and cultured Dr. Nisbet. Under a near-by stone
92
CARLISLE OLD JND NEIF
rests the Christian soldier, Gen, John Armstrong.
Emigrating to this country from Ireland with his
wife, he chose the infant town of Carlisle as his
home, and continued to live here until his death,
nearly a half century later. A colonel in the French
and Indian war, in which he won lasting fame at
Kittanning ; a general in the Revolutionary war; a
councilor in times of peace, whose practical wis-
dom was sought by the authorities of state and
nation; the trusted friend of General Washington;
and a man "living habitually in the fear of the Lord,
though fearing not the face of man," General Arm-
Grave of General Armstrong
93
CARLISLE OLD AND NEW
strong is a son whom Carlisle delights to honor. If
we tarry in this secluded spot, we find that here
Old Carlisle and New Carlisle are met together.
Some of the stones bear dates that carrv us back a
full century and a half, while close by may be seen
the heaving turf of a new-made mound. Here and
there we are interested to read the inscriptions,
"Homely phrases, but each letter
Full of hope and yet of heartbreak,
Full of all the tender pathos
Of the Here and the Hereafter."
The varying interest that Carlisle awakens in us
does not lessen as we reach the edges of the town.
If ''the beautiful is the touchstone of human prog-
P.uk ut the ManulactiiMiiL: (."luiii-aiiy
94
CARLISLE OLD AND NEJf
'r
ress," two of these
places closely as-
sociated with Car-
lisle's business
interests call for
attention. At the
western extremity
are the buildings
of the Lindner
Shoe Company,
vine-clad and at-
tractive. The sur-
rounding space,,
notably Liadner
Park, has within
Lindner Shoe Factory a fcW yCarS liter-
ally been made to blossom and be glad. The
grounds of the Carlisle Manufacturing Company,
under the direction of the public-spirited presi-
dent, John Hays, Esq., are at the opposite end of
the town. With their beauty of flower and turf,
they delight the eye of Carlisle's sons, and give to
many a stranger who glances at them from the car
window a hint that he is approaching a town in
whose heart dwells civic pride.
95
CJRI.ISLE OLD JND NEJr
On tlu' northern extremity is a building to
which gown and town have recourse when
"nature's sweet bells are jangled, out of tune."
Todd Hospital, established by Mrs. Sarah Todd,
was opened for use in 1R96, and is looked upon as
one of the indispensable institutions of Carlisle.
Trolley connections aflford Carlisle every oppor-
tunity for reaching many of its beautiful environs,
Boiling Springs and Mount Holly Springs being
favorite resorts for hours of ease. At the former
we find one of the natural curiosities of Cumber-
Boiliiif:; Springs
96
*^R^^' -■ •*■'
tj^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Scene at Mount Holly Springs
land County. In not one place only but in many
places the water boils and bubbles as if in a
witches' cauldron. Yet a draught is delightfully
cooling. Around
the springs has
grown up a pleasure
park, visited during
the summer months
by crowds from city
and country-side.
Not far away is the
Old Forge, whose
history stretches old Forge at Boiling Springs. Built in 1762
97
CJRIJSLE OLD AND NEir
JHc
back to colonial days. Here tlie blister-steel of that
time was manufactured, and bullets and cannon
were cast that took the lite of many a redcoat.
Under the shadow of South mountain lies beau-
tiful Holly, which we may also reach by a ride
past wood and hill and valley, where "ill thoughts
die and good are born." The natural charms
of the place have been enhanced by landscape
art until it is one of earth's choicest spots.
Hawthorne might
have written of
Holly: "Lakes
opened their blue
eyes in its face,
reflecting heaven,
lest mortals should
forget that better
land, when they
beheld the earth
so beautiful."
Old Elm on the York Road LoVcW indeed
is the fringe upon the garment of Carlisle ! To
the places mentioned must be added the Conodo-
guinet, too lovely to be told of in dull prose. Let us
see it through the poet eyes of a son of Carlisle :
98
ON THE CONODOGUINET
By BENNETT BELLMAN
When the birds are in the bushes and the sun is in the sky,
Where the golden song of thrush is, when the fleecy clouds are
high,
In the balmy air of Springtime, when the blossoms bloom in May,
I take my boat and row and float, far from the world away.
Between blue distant mountains are fair Cumberland's green
hills,
With sunshine on her fields afar and ripples on her rills,
With the blossoms on her branches all ablooming in the May,
In a world that hath no sorrow, in the sunshine of to-day.
Here old Conodoguinet widens with reflections of its trees
That show within its crystal depth unruffled by the breeze,
In its bosom holding fondly there a glimpse of azure sky
Which doth bend, a dome above me, but below me, too, doth lie.
With Nature healthful, pure and sweet, now in her smiling
mood,
I fain would lay me at her feet, into her courts intrude,
Learn the deep wisdom here that dwells amid her silent hills
In song of bird in leafy dells, in ripple of her rills,
99
354306B
CARLISLE OLD ASD NEir
On yonder looming limestone bluff o'er which the sky doth
shine,
I see the oak and elm trees, I see the darker pine,
Whose sweet balsamic odor is now wafted on the breeze
Sweeter than perfumed air that blows among Arabian trees.
Within a sylvan scene like this, what soul could e'er repine ?
To drink the sunlight here is bliss, like old Olympian wine,
For in the sun and wood and stream, I feel the throbbing heart
Of the great Mother who doth hold us all of her a part.
Her "still small voice" one moment fills the vast) vague
immense.
One moment with her pulse I thrill through every wakened
sense.
She kindly looks upon me, so ! — my heart hath once beguiled.
And though she turn and leave me, lo! I know she once hath
smiled.
So, floating on the stream to-day, I have this lesson learned —
Like to a wandering prodigal to her I have returned,
And fain would let men fight for fame, or learning of the
books.
If I mav stav with Nature here, beside lier running brooks.
lOO
Ancestral Sofa in tlie Home of Mr. J. \V. Henderson
IV
WHILE the early settlers were naturally
content with the utmost simplicity of life
and dress, later times, bringing here to
an unusual degree an element of wealth and cul-
ture, demanded an observance of such social re-
quirements, habits of living, and style of dress as
were de rigueur in English life of the best type.
Passing from the days when coarse materials of
domestic manufacture sufficed for the garments of
both men and women, one reaches those prosper-
ous times when the style of dress of people of
fashion was here, as elsewhere, a distinguishing
indication of the line drawn between classes. One
enjoys to picture the little town when "men wore
lOI
CARLISLE OLD J\I) SKJf
three-quarter or cocked hats and wigs; coats with
large cuffs and big skirts lined and stiffened with
buckram ; breeches closely fitted, thickly lined and
reaching to the knee, made of broadcloth for win-
ter, or silk for summer; silk hose and sih'cr shoe-
buckles." \Mien the w^omen wore the fullest of
skirts expanded by enormous hoops, high-heeled
shoes, white silk stockings, elaborate coiffures sur-
mounted by large and elegantly trimmed bonnets,
soft laces and great jeweled ear-rings.
People sigh for the days that are gone, regret-
ting that modern conditions have
[limmed the glamour of the aristo-
cratic life of earlier times which
eave so marked an individuality to
the place. The gay whirl
of society was comprised
of the tow^n and garrison,
as the intellectual atmos-
phere of the college did
not blend with the dash-
ing life of a cavalry bar-
racks community. The
officers were usually
West Pointers, who
I02
A James Wilson Chair
Heirloom in the Family of Colonel William
M. Henderson
CARLISLE OLD AND NEIV
sought the homes of the social leaders in the little
town, and who of themselves materially contri-
buted to the pomp and ceremony of a society so
exclusive as to become pro-
verbial, and which was per-
haps as brilliant as could be
found anywhere in the
country. Carlisle style and
hospitality were recognized
and enjoyed by many from
far beyond its limits.
Those w4io were fortu-
nate enough to be invited
to the right houses had the
pleasure of partaking of
such collations as were not
surpassed nor more grace-
fully served anywhere, while ^^"*^'^' "^"^>" ^^'"^'' ^'^'"^
the wit and beauty of the handsomely gowned
women and the talents of the highly educated
men, formed a fitting accompaniment for occa-
sions that are traditional in our annals.
We have no pictures that can reconstruct these
scenes, but be it understood that the refined and
accomplished women who presided over the
103
"Oakland," Homestead of the Late Colonel William M. Henderson
homes were versatile enough to meet all the
demands that the exigencies of the day made upon
them. They were famous housekeepers, and as
the negro employees were not numerous, the
domestics came chiefly from the genteel white
population.
There were no caterers, no pastry-shops, and
all edihlcs had to be prepared at home; but, never-
theless, the most elaborate menus were successfully
evolved from Carlisle kitchens, while the exquisite
104
CARLISLE OLD AND NEIF
home-made garnishings of fruits and vegetables
that were prepared for the boned turkey, hams
and game, were the admiration and despair of
less-accomphshed housekeepers.
The gowns of the women, often imported, were
as elegant as those
worn in the draw-
ing rooms of Phil-
adelphia. Illu-
mination was fur-
nish e d by lard
lamps supple-
mented with can-
dles. In addition
to the use of can-
delabra, painted
boards were often
fitted to the tops
of doors and win-
dows, containing Lamps m the Home of A. D. B. Smead, Esq.
rows of holes for candles, which, when filled, gave
a very beautiful effect to the spacious rooms and
hallways, the soft light shedding its own luster on
the satins and brocades of the women and the gold-
embroidered uniforms worn by some of the men.
105
CARLISLE OLD JND NLJf'
DurinLT the investiture of the town bv General
Ewell, he issued a request to the women of CarHsle
tliat in attendin*^ churcli or appearin<^ in the street,
they should go forth phunly garbed, in order that
his soldiers might not become enraged at the sight
of so much luxury,
while destitution
was oppressing
the women of
their own south-
ern land.
The charming
colonial doorways
of some of the
handsome homes
led to interiorslux-
uriously furnished
and often contain-
ing wood-work as
exquisite as could
be found any-
where in the state
of Pennsylvania.
A delightful
Doorway of Mr. Da%'id Watts' Home ^^ ^.j^^ homC
Built by Colonel Ephraim Blaine *• J F
I 06
CARLISLE OLD AND NEM
7'
of its period was that built by Colonel Ephraim
Blaine, between 1792 and '97, for his son, Robert
Blaine, to whom he conveyed the property. Being
afterward pur-
chased by David
Watts, Esq., a
prominent lawyer,
it was owned and
occupied by his
family until his
son, Judge Fred-
erick Watts, sold
it, in 1871, to
Judge Robert M.
Henderson, that
courtly gentle-
man of the "old
school," whose
name Carlisle
holds in tender
memory. The ex-
quisite mantel in
the apartment that
for man V years ^, , ■ , .^ , • t 4 u .
•^ Colonial Mantel in Judge Henderson s
was his back office Back office
107
CJRIJSLE OLD J.\D NEM^
is indiciitive of the architectural charm of the
entire house. It is an interesting fact that the
paper that was put upon the walls more than one
huncired years a_<i;o has ne\'er heen removed from
behind the bookcases. It was imported from
France by Mr. Watts,
a similar paper having
^^_^^^ been brought over at
the same time for the
home of the French
minister at \\ ashing-
ton. It was made in
pieces eighteen inches
square and printed
from stone blocks,
being a style of wall
decoration that w^as
necessarilv confined to
luxurious homes.
Mrs. Watts, whose
interesting picture is here reproduced, was the wife
of David Watts, Esq., and daughter of General
Henry Miller. She continued to reside in the
home after her husband's death, passing altogether
seventy years of her life under its roof.
1 08
Mrs. David W^atts
CARLISLE OLD AND NEW
It is a matter of great regret that there is no
portrait extant of Colonel Ephraim Blaine, distin-
guished son of Carlisle, an eminent citizen and
a devoted patriot. A child of wealth, born in
1741, he was in the full flower of his manhood
when the newly declared free and independent
A Bridal Gift to Miss Juliana Watts, who Married
General Edward M. Biddie in 1836
States of America, being in imminent peril,
needed and received that magnanimous support
of personal service and private wealth that is
indelibly associated with his name. It is stated
that after saving the army from starvation in the
awful winter of 1777-78, he was made commissary-
general of the entire continental army, on the
personal recommendation of his military chief
and warm friend, General Washington. These
patriotic financial sacrifices greatly impaired his
estate. The mansion at his beautiful country seat
109
CARLISLE OLD J\D AE/r
on the Conodoguinet, near the cave, has been
destroyed bv hre. It was here that he spent the
closing years of his hfe, and here he died at the
age of sixty-three. Strangely enough, no memorial
can be found to mark the
final resting-place of Eph-
raim Blaine, illustrious
officer in the Reyolution-
ary army.
When the Blaine home
was dismantled, some of its
splendid furniture was
purchased by Mr. Michael
Ege at private sale, and has
been since then in the
continuous possession of
the Ege family. The
charming chair in the illus-
tration represents one of a ^ ^'^'"^ c'^^'"'
dozen that glorify the rooms in which they stand,
along \yith other furniture and portraits of their
own beautiful period.
More or less interest has always centered about
the stately home that is now owned and occupied
by Hon. F. E. Beltzhoover. It is one of the most
I lO
CARLISLE OLD AND NEW
charming residences in Carlisle, and was erected
in 1815 by Stephen Duncan, a son of Supreme
Court Justice, Thomas Duncan. Mr. and Mrs.
Duncan moved into their home before it was
entirely finished, and upon the day when the mar-
ble for the front steps was delivered at the house,
occurred the sudden and untimely death of the
young wife. Mr. Duncan immediately sold the
property to his brother-in-law, Benjamin Stiles,
and sadly left Carlisle. Mr. Stiles moved into the
house at once, and resided there with his family
for twenty-four years.
The next purchaser of this interesting mansion
was the Rev. John F. E. Thorn, an Episcopal
clergyman, whose death left the property in the
hands of his childless widow, a daughter of Judge
Hamilton. Mrs. Thorn was a clever but eccentric
woman, whose original sayings and doings are asso-
ciated in the minds of people still living with the
home in which she dwelt through the closing years
of her life. Among local legends, we find that she
was occupied in her old age in making quaint doll
effigies of the celebrities of the day, or in painting
their miniature portraits, and one of her expressed
ambitions was to "see the devil just long enough
III
CARLISLE OLD AXD NFJr
Residence ot the Hon. F. E. Belt/.liuo\er
112
to get his da-
guerreotype."
Her partici-
pation in social
life was uniijue
in the story of
a t o w n t h a t
prided itself
upon its hospi-
tality, her hours
being early, her
collations sim-
ple, and the
music furnished
by herself. One
of her special-
ties was the
singing of the
Lord's Prayer
with an ac-
companiment
played on lier
spinet, which,
it was said, "she
played as if the
CARLISLE OLD AND NEW
keys were red
hot." Upon one
o ccasion
in
receiving her
guests, she in-
dicated the
hour at which
they were to
leave by saying,
''I don't wish
you to say that I
close my house
at eight o'clock,
for I will be
glad to have you
remain until
half-past eight
tO-nip'ht " Hallway in Residence of Hon. F. E. Beltzhoover
One of the singular accidents of the war period
occurred in Mrs. Thorn's drawing-room during
the shelling of the town. A ball, having pierced
the wall of the house, passed through a large
mirror, cutting a hole in the glass with cleanest
edges, and shattered the sofa on the opposite side
of the room.
113
CARLISLE OLD JND NEW
A near neighbor was Chief Justice Gibson, one
of the most distinguished men who ever Hved in
CarHsle. He came first into the town as a voung
student from Perry C(;unty, adding to his collegiate
course the study of medi-
cine in the office of Dr.
Samuel A. McCoskry. In
later life, he prided him-
self upon his knowledge of
this profession almost as
much as upon what he
knew of jurisprudence. In
the house adjoining that
now occupied by the Car-
lisle Club he lived, and in
John Bannister Oibson, LL.D. it his children WCrC bom,
and from it he was carried to his last resting-place
in the Old Graveyard, in May, 1853. One of his
characteristics was a profound love of music, and
as an amateur violinist he was perhaps not excelled
in the United States. He was never known to leave
home without his violin. Whether starting on his
circuit on horseback, or in later years traveling
by railroad, he might perhaps forget a legal
document or an article of clothing, but never his
114
CARLISLE OLD AND NEIV
musical companion. He was accustomed to rely
upon its strains for help in solving knotty prob-
lems, and often laid down the pen to reach for the
violin, — its sweet melody floating through the
house as he walked up and down his room, fram-
ing the legal opinions that have ever been treas-
ured as marvels of judicial learning.
On one occasion Judge Gibson attended a
banquet in Boston at which Daniel Webster was
present. The latter left the feast early, and in-
advertently took Judge Gibson's hat with him.
When the party broke up, the judge put on Mr.
Webster's hat, unaware that it was not his own
since it fitted him perfectly, and the mistake was
not discovered until the next day. Each of these
celebrated men had an unusually large head, about
twenty-four inches in circumference. Judge Gib-
son's being slightly the larger of the two.
The following beautiful epitaph on his tomb-
stone was written by Justice Jeremiah S. Black:
"In the various knowledge which forms the
perfect scholar, he had no superior. Independent,
upright and able, he had all the highest qualities
of a great judge. In the difficult science of juris-
prudence he mastered every department, discussed
115
CARLISLE OLD JND NEW
almost every question, and touched no subject
which he did not adorn. He won in earlv man-
hood, and retained to the close of a loni^ lite, the
affection of his brethren on the bench, the respect
of the bar, and the confidence of the people/'
Judge Gibson's witwas inherited by his children,
and they, with his charming and dignified wife,
always social and hospitable, made of the Gibson
home a gay rendezvous for the young people of
the town and officers of the garrison. Mrs. Gibson
was a daughter of Major Andrew Galbraith, and
one of six sisters remarkable for their beauty,
whose home was on the corner of North Hanover
street, opposite the Presbyterian square. Its fine
colonial doorway, similar to that of the adjacent
Watts home, faced the square, the drawing-room
occupying the entire front of the house. Evidence
of the handsome woodwork on these premises may
still be seen on the second floor, in the offices of
the Bell Telephone Company.
Mrs. Gibson was one of those who, in the lan-
guage of early Presbyterianism, was "read out of
the church" for permitting worldly amusements in
her home. Afterward attending the Episcopal
Church, it was said th;it she carried along many
ii6
CARLISLE OLD AND NEW
of her Presbyterian notions, which proved to be
very trying to her new pastor. This wilHngness to
worship either as a Presbyterian or an Episcopahan
is interesting, as indicative of the double ascend-
Old Piano in the Home of A. D. B. Smead, Esq.
ency of the two churches which were the controll-
ing influence here in earlier years. It was not
more uncommon then than now to find members
of one household attending both places of worship.
That handsome colonial mansion, with great
117
CARLISLE OLD JND NE/r
halls, solid mahogany doors and spacious rooms,
lying northeast of Carlisle, that for these many
vears has been known as "the county home," was
built by Mr. Edward Stiles as his country seat,
Sideboani in the Home of Mrs. Parker J. Moore
and was named "Claremont." Selling this home,
Mr. Stiles bought the twin house on East High
street, adjoining Judge Gibson's, the two families
always being intimate friends. After some years,
removing to Philadelphia, Mr. Stiles sold his Car-
ii8
CARLISLE OLD AND NEJV
lisle home to Mr. Coleman Hall, whose family-
occupied it until they also sought the City of
Brotherly Love, when Judge Frederick Watts pur-
chased the property, using it as a residence until
his children sold it to the Carlisle Club. Notwith-
standing these changing occupants it continued to
be one of the favorite social centers of Carlisle,
an open-handed hospitality being ever dispensed
within its walls. Its great side yard, which ex-
tended to the present Penrose home, was divided
from the street by a high brick wall and contained
a number of splendid fruit trees in addition to the
shrubbery and flowers that graced its walks. It was
as the guest of Judge Watts that General Taylor,
President of the United States, was entertained at
this house. An evidence of the fact that the spirit
of reverence for those in authority, so manifest in
the Old World, had not become extinct in the
breasts of those who dwelt in the New, was found
in the eagerness of the people to see their Presi-
dent. Not content alone with the sight of him,
some asked for a memento, even if it were "only
the water in which he had washed his hands."
Upon the statement being made that the President
was suffering from a slight indisposition, such gifts
119
CARLISLE OLD AND NEIV
were sent to him as to cause the remark that he
had now enough brandy to drown him.
Upon stepping
into the home of
Mrs. William M.
Penrose, but a few
paces distant, one
is charmed with
the number of rich
and beautiful fur-
nishings that have
adorned it through
the lives of more
than one genera-
tion. An exquisite
Italian mantel is
among the gems of
the house, ha\ing
been imported,
with two replicas,
many years ago
from F 1 o r e n c e ,
Italy. One of these is in a home on Washington
Square, New York, and the other in a public
museum.
1 20
Mantel in the Home of Mrs. William
M. I'cnrose
CARLISLE OLD AND NEW
Just across the street there stood the Brisbane
home built by Mrs. Brisbane, who afterward
married Dr. Henry Duffield, and whose daughter,
Miss Kate Brisbane, was a great belle in her day.
The picture of the doorway leading into the beauti-
ful hall beyond indicates at once both the wealth
and the taste of the family who erected this man-
sion. It has been
familiar to the past
generation as the
home of Judge
Hepburn, whose
charming personal
appearance is asso-
ciated particularly
with the front steps
where he was wont
to sit. His family
sold the property
a few years ago
to Mr. John W.
Plank, who erected
upon the lot his
handsome modern
dwelling. Doorway of Judge Hepburn's Home
121
CARLISLE OLD JND NEfV
Further up town, on tlic northern side of Hi<^h
street, between I^itt and West streets, stands a
home that is one ot the architectural treasures of
Carhsle. Its entrance door is Hanked bv curxin^
steps on either side, and from the moment the
interior is reached, the beautiful woodwork of the
liall and charmin<^
proportions of the
spacious apart-
ments are mani-
fest. This deliglit-
ful old mansion
was completed by
Isaac B. Parker,
Esq., in 1820, the
general features
having been
p 1 a n n e d I') y his
wife, who was a
southerner. Mr.
Entrance Hall nf Judjje Hepburn's Home Parker W a S a
wealthy man, his taxes being proportionately large.
Taking exception to a certain assessment for
school taxes, and failing in his ef^(^rt to obtain an
adjustment he asked from the board of directors,
122
CARLISLE OLD AND NEJF
t:
'a
he decided to change his residence, and in 1842
removed his family to Burlington, New Jersey, evi-
dently having determined to go to a state where the
obnoxious school
taxes were not
then imposed. His
son, John Brown ,
Parker, Esq.,
whose first wife
was Miss Marga-
ret Brisbane, es-
tablished his resi-
dence in the Car-
lisle home which
is still owned by
his family.
The story of
Carlisle is pecu-
liarly interwoven
with that of the
iudiciarv In its Residence of Mr. John W. Plank
Old Graveyard lie the remains of three former mem-
bers of the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania who
were citizens of the borough, and with the excep-
tion of three years during the term of Hon. Benja-
123
rr
"Y'
■Residence of the Late John Brown Parker, Esq.
min F. Junkin, Carlisle has continuously numbered
a president judge among its citizens since that
office was created in 1791.
Somewhat more than a hundred years have
passed since James Hamilton, an aristocratic cit-
izen, a learned and dignified lawyer, was appointed
to the office of president judge of this district.
Always observant of the ceremonials of life, he
124
CARLISLE OLD AND NEW
required the sheriff and tipstaves of the court, car-
rying a mace, to precede him as he walked in
wig and gown on official business, between the
court house and his home on West High street.
From this home came the splendid Hamilton
clock, now the property of Captain William E.
Miller, who purchased it at the executors' sale of
the effects of James Hamilton, Esq., the donor
to Carlisle of the Hamilton Library
Fund. J. Herwick, the local maker
of this ancient timepiece, was one of
the most successful and well-known
clock-makers in the colonies. The
builder of the clock has gone where
time is not measured ; the eminent
family whose hours it marked has no
living representative in Carlisle to-
day, but the clock itself
Through days of sorrow and of mirth,
Through days of death and days of birth,
Through every swift vicissitude
Of changeful time, unchanged has stood."
A brilliant bar practiced under
Judge Hamilton, two of its acknowl-
edged leaders having been Thomas
125
■?W»S3S«5
The Hamilton Clock
CARLISLE OLD JAD NEH^
Duncan ami David Watts, Esqs., those two of
whom the following is a favorite local anecdote.
It seems that Mr. Duncan was of very small
stature, while Mr. Watts was a lari^e man. On one
occasion, durin*^ a heated legal argument in court,
Mr. Watts made a personal allusion to Mr. Dun-
can's size, saying contemptuously that he could
put him in his pocket. "If you do," replied Mr.
Duncan, "you will have more law in your pocket
than you have in your head."
One also recalls to mind the name of another
conspicuous resident of early days who wore the
ermine, the Hon. Hugh Henry Brackenridge,
who was appointed a justice of the Supreme
Court in 1799, and shortly thereafter removed to
Carlisle from Pittsburg. He lived in a house on
High street immediately west of "White Hall,"
which was then the home and place of business of
Archibald Loudon, the prominent book publisher,
and is now the location of W. F. Horn's drug-
store. He was an eccentric man of much learning
and, having an almost total disregard for appear-
ances, furnished a strange contrast to his con-
temporary of the lower court. Judge Hamilton. It
is said to have been no unusual thing for him to
126
CARLISLE OLD AND NEPF
preside at circuit trials in his shirt-sleeves, with
his shoeless feet cocked up on the judge's desk.
His matrimonial venture is suggestive of a certain
well-known poem, wherein a young girl "raked
the meadow sweet with hay." It is said that in
the genial summer time
"The Judge rode slowly down the lane,
Smoothing his horse's chestnut mane.
He drew his bridle in the shade
Of the apple trees, to greet the maid.
But the lawyers smiled that afternoon,
When he hummed in court an old love tune ;
And the young girl mused beside the well
Till the rain on the unraked clover fell."
He was so impressed with her beauty and sim-
plicity, that a different fate from that of Maud
MuUer was hers, since he sent her to school to be
educated to the standard of her future position,
then made her Mrs. Brackenridge. So many fair
young women dwelt in the same block into which
he brought his handsome wife that it became cur-
rently known as "Cupid's Row," where, if tradition
may be credited, no security could be guaranteed
for even the most adamantine of hearts. Judge
127
CARLISLE OLD AND NEJV
Brae ken ridge died in 1816 and was buried in the
Old Graveyard, leaving a book called '^Modern
Chivalrv," the first novel written west of the Alle-
gheny mountains, as well as many miscellaneous
writings and judicial opinions, to perpetuate his
name.
On West High street there stood yet another
judicial residence, a unique and beautiful home,
The Reed Home; Later the Residence of R. C. Woodward
surrounded by large grounds, built by Judge John
Reed. It was on the corner now occupied by the
Methodist church, by the home of the president of
the college, and by the Phi Kappa Psi fraternity
house. The architectural eflfect of the Reed home
128
CARLISLE OLD AND NEW
was very charming, the house being large and
low, with basement floor. The drawing-room
floor was approached by long, curving flights of
steps on either side of the house, which were a
delight to the artistic eye. The property was later
bought by Mr. R. C. Woodward, whose family
occupied the home during a long period of years,
finally selling it to Dickinson College to be used as
a home for the President, Dr. George Edward
Reed, for whom it was enlarged and materially
changed in appearance.
Opposite the Hamilton home was that of Mrs.
William M. Biddle, the widowed daughter of a
prominent Presbyterian divine, Elihu Spencer.
Coming to Carlisle from Philadelphia in 1827, she
erected the spacious house on West High street
which until recently has always been occupied by
some of her descendants. She was a woman of rare
charm of manner, and possessed of much culture
and wit; with the result that her house became
a center for the exclusive life of the times, attain-
ing then a social distinction which it never lost
until it was turned into a commercial building in
1904. Her children, Mrs. Samuel Baird, Mrs.
Charles B. Penrose, William M. Biddle, Esq.,
129
Colonial Bedroom in the Home of Hon. Edward W. Biddle
Mrs. George Blaney and General Edward M.
Biddle, and their descendants, form a truly remark-
able group of talented men and women. Many of
them have passed their lives in other and larger
places, but not one has failed to evince a close
attachment for the town in which the old home-
stead was built eighty years ago.
Dr. George Duffield, pastor of the First Presby-
terian Church, once cautioned Mrs. Biddle against
a continuance of dancing and card-playing in her
130
CARLISLE OLD AND NEW
house, at the same time threatening dismissal from
the church. The lady informed the pastor that her
views differed from his on these points, and that
she could be entirely satisfied to worship in the
Episcopal Church across the way. Later, when a
division of his congregation occurred and the
Second Presbyterian Church was dedicated, it was
said that no one walked
up its aisles with a firmer
tread than that of Mrs.
William M. Biddle.
Carlisle is indebted to
one of her granddaugh-
ters, Mrs. Henry J. Bid-
die, of Philadelphia, for
the gifts of the J. Wil-
liams Biddle Memorial
Mission Chapel and the
Lydia Baird Home for
Aged Women.
One of her grandsons Professor Spencer Fullerton Baird
was Professor Spencer Fullerton Baird, whom
Carlisle loves to place upon its loftiest record of
distinguished sons. He was born in Reading, but
early in life was brought here by his widowed
131
CARLISLE OLD AND NEir
mother, who bought the home on West High
street recently made vacant by the death of Miss
Rebecca P. Baird, the hist member of her family.
Having been graduated from Dickinson College in
1840, and in 1845 made professor of natural history
of that institution, he really did not enter upon his
life-work until five years later, when he was made
assistant secretary of the Smithsonian Institution,
at Washington. Here he was put in charge of the
department of explorations, which under him led
to the formation of the National Museum. In 1878,
upon the death of Professor Joseph Henry, Mr.
Baird was chosen secretary, and to his remarkable
administration of the affairs of his office is due the
expansion of the institution. As a prolific writer
and editor of scientific publications, his name is
known throughout the world; his distinguished
ability and services have been recognized bv
numerous leading governments in the bestowal
upon him of medals and orders of distinction,
as well as honorary membership in scientific
societies.
As a Carlisle boy he was a familiar figure to
neighboring farmers, finding his greatest pleasure
in tramping through the country with his gun on
132
CARLISLE OLD AND NEW
his shoulder. His return home in the evening was
something to be dreaded by the family, as there
was no telling what kind of living, crawling crea-
tures would emerge from his pockets. The birds
he shot in these tramps through Cumberland
County he prepared and mounted with his own
hands, and later in life presented them to the
Smithsonian Institution, where they continue to
form its finest local collection of birds. One
of his theories was that there exists no natural
antipathy to snakes in human na-ture, that such
feeling is merely the result of foolish teaching. In
support of this conviction, he allowed his own
small daughter to have a blacksnake as a plaything.
He died in Washington in 1887.
It is a remarkable fact that while Professor
Baird was at the head of the Smithsonian Institu-
tion, another Carlisle man. Judge Frederick Watts,
was filling an equally important federal office as
Commissioner of Agriculture. Does one wonder
at the proverbial pride of Carlisle in her own, at
the self-satisfaction that has always been one of her
characteristics? An amusing illustration of this
attitude seems to have been of long standing, if
one may credit the story that Noah ofifered to take
133
CARLISLE OLD AND NEJV
i
1
1
■■
i
i
1
a couple of Carlislers into the ark and received the
reply, "No thank you, we have one of our own."
No pen-picture of life in Carlisle a generation
back would be complete without mention of him
who figured as the "court physician," Dr. David
N. Mahon. He wel-
comed the advent
of the coming, and
when his skill no
longer availed to
succor, he soothed
the closing hours of
the departing. Not
only in the capacity
of physician was
Doctor Mahon
sought, but being a
man of unusual in-
tellectual attain-
ments and social
graces, a brilliant
conversationalist, a delightful vocalist and a man of
never-failing wit, he was a welcome guest at every
social function in Carlisle, and at many abroad.
Upon one occasion, while dining in Washington,
134
Major Jolin McGiiinis
Who, according to tradition, was Treasurer of the
United States for the period of one day, under Presi-
dent William Henry Harrison.
CARLISLE OLD AND NEW
Doctor Mahon's wit and culture so impressed the
Secretary of State then present, that rising from
the table, he passed to the back of Doctor Mahon's
chair and placing his hand on the doctor's head,
said, "I must feel the development of the head
from which scintillates such remarkable brilliancy."
Doctor Mahon at once removed his wig, saying in
his courtliest tone, "Allow me to facilitate the
carrying out of your flattering desire."
A brother of Doctor Mahon, and a man quite
as brilliant, was John D. Mahon, a member of
the Cumberland County Bar for seventeen years.
In 1833 he removed to Pittsburg, spending the
remainder of his life as one of the most prominent
lawyers of the smoky city.
Doctor R. L. Sibbet, in writing of the medical
profession in Cumberland County, says, "In view
of the number and character of the military per-
sonages furnished by Carlisle in the olden times,
it has been justly called the 'nursery of brave offi-
cers,' and among these we place Doctor George
Stevenson." The son of an intellectual and patri-
otic father, whose full name he bore and whose
talents and principles he inherited. Doctor Steven-
son rendered distinguished service in the role of
135
CARLISLE OLD AND NEW
both private citizen and soldier. As one of the
early trustees of Dickinson College, as a skilful
physician of Carlisle for many years, and as a Rev-
olutionary ofHcer who won the commendation and
personal friendship of Washington, his name is
placed on that
.j^;.; roll of honor that
is one of Carlisle's
priceless posses-
sions. The quaint
old invitation card
received from
Washington, bid-
ding Doctor Ste-
venson to dinner
^ The Prcfidcnt picfcnts his Compli- ^
mcuts to ^r^'
Vy//^r^
and rec]iiefls the favor oF A 1 1 .
Company at Dinner, on /o^et.tc^a^
next, at ^ o'clock. ^
r>f^^'
-a: '4" y-
An Invitation from President Washinjjfon
at the president's home, is one of many historic
relics of a bygone age in the possession of the Ste-
venson family, which is still represented in Carlisle.
While the men were thus helping with the
world's work, the women were not idling through
hours of leisure. The interesting picture of a spin-
ning outfit recently presented to the Hamilton
Library Association by the family of the hite Levi
Zeigler, whose property it had been through scn-
eral generations, calls to mind that age of gentle
136
CARLISLE OLD AND NEW
industry when quilt-making, embroidery, exquisite
needle-work, spinning and weaving were among
the feminine occupations of quiet days that were
A Spinning Outfit
lived in strange contrast to those of the present
time. Life was not strenuous when intercourse
with the outside world was only made possible
through the use of
heavy carriages, two-
wheeled chaises, or
horse-back riding over
bad roads; nor yet
after 1837 when one
train steamed each
morning out of Carlisle
Through High Street
CARLISLE OLD AND NEir
on the Cumberland \'allcv Railroad, leaving Ilar-
rishurg on its return trip in the evening "when-
ever the train from l^hiladelphia happened to
arrive there." When the mail was brought into
town but once a week by postal messenger — the
newspapers published weekly in Philadelphia some-
times arriving here a fortnight after their issue —
when books were not plentiful, then women with
skilful fingers wrought such beautiful things in
their leisure hours as to be the wonder and admi-
ration of their less accomplished successors of
today.
General Henry Miller, although a York County
man, was living in Carlisle at the time of his death
and was buried with military honors in the Old
Graveyard in 1824. His active and gallant Revolu-
tionary War services have placed his name high
among the patriots of that period. The pictures of
General and Mrs. Miller, with a copy of invitations
received by them attached, one being in Wash-
ington's own handwriting, form a group that is
delightfully quaint and interesting. A daughter of
General Miller married David Watts, Esq., and a
number of their descendants are living now in
Carlisle and its vicinity.
138
■ J-'f /
'jrm rff/csf/>ry-r:f n/icni
.sm/rt:
, ;,;; ■ :. ,- . -i," ../^/^h- ■
, .',,/,.,„.;■
-„y,.-/
^
••
^ 't''-/i/^. ,U O ■ ' ■
F .i-..ijnai«««ji.. ■ .
^ t
:4
General aiui Mrs. Henry Miller and Invitations from President Wasliinjjjton
Perhaps the most royal hospitahty of all, dis-
pensed at any residence in the county, was that of
the Peter Ege family, who lived at Pine Grove.
Connected by ties of blood and friendship with
Carlisle and its people, Mr. Ege and his wife —
a Miss Arthur, of Virginia — have left many tradi-
tions of their princely manner of entertaining. In
later years, the spirit of hospitality was fully sus-
tained by William M. Watts, Esq., who succeeded
Mr. Ege in the ownership of this place of delight-
139
CARLISLE OLD J\D NEPr
ful nicniories, so picturcsijucly located on the
sloping sides of the South Mountain, and so inter-
woven with tlie social life of the town as to have
been practically a part of it.
The first brick house erected in Philadelphia,
and consequently the oldest of its kind in the
state of Pennsylvania, was built in preparation for
the coming of the proprietary of the
province, William Penn. The furnish-
ngs were not so modest as the little
home itself, if one may judge from the
charmin.g and elegant chair that once
stood in c o m p a n y with
others of its kind in that
abode where were often
held the provincial councils.
One rejoices to think that
this chair is more than two
^^^^^^ggp: hundred and twenty-live
years old, and that it has
been preserved in all its
The William Penn Chair
In the Home of the late Mr. Jacob Scncr dlguitV aud bcaUty, while
through many years it has been one of the cher-
ished possessions of a Carlisle home.
Of the fate of the fort planted by Columbus on
140
CARLISLE OLD AND NEU
'r
the coast of San Domingo there is no assurance.
Its very site had been forgotten when in 1906
chance led to its re-discovery. In clearing ground
for the erection of a sugar-mill, a San Domingan
planter unexpectedly struck upon old foundations
and found embedded in the soil, wedged between
logs where it had lain concealed for centuries, this
Toledo blade. The sword was pre-
sented by the owner of the planta-
Toledo Blade — in the Home of Commander Colwell
tion on which it was found to Commander John
C. Colwell, of the United States Navy, and was
brought by him to his home \n Carlisle. There it
hangs upon the walls, a picturesque souvenir of
that memorable date, 1492, when it found its
way across the sea on board one of the three little
caravels that sailed into the west on the most
momentous voyage of discovery ever made.
"Old Sword! Whose fingers clasped thee
Around thy carved hilt ?
And with that hand which grasped thee
What heroes' blood was spilt?"
141
CARLISLE OLD AND NEIF
Old James Powell, familiarly known as "Pom-
pey Jim," was a local character unii]ue in the
annals of his day and generation, being the boot-
black and pa\cment sweeper for a certain number
of gentlemen of the town, and extremely partic-
ular about the social stand-
ing of his patrons. With
his half-witted son John
as assistant, he made reg-
ular matutinal calls at the
houses of his customers to
black the boots of the male
members of the house-
holds. His little bent form
and grizzled beard are
remembered by many now
living. But it was on
funeral occasions that Jim
Pompey Jim appeared resplendent in
carefully brushed clothes and high hat, always
walking immediately behind the hearse, some-
times with his hands folded behind his back and
carrying his cherished hat. He was as particular
about the funerals he attended as about the boots
he blacked, honoring no family with either his
142
Yard at the Residence of A. D. B. Smead, Esq.
services or attention that could not meet Jim's own
particular ideas of ''quality." A wit of the time
laughingly said to her son one day, "Do give an
occasional quarter to Jim. I am so afraid that he
will not come to my funeral, and I don't wish my
family's social standing to suffer."
What days of laughter and happiness were the
old ones! What amusing stories are heard among
the many echoes of the years that are past ! Car-
lisle delights yet in that son of its soil who was
ambitious to be considered "in society," and who,
143
CARLISLE OLD AND NEir
being unmercifully snubbed by a party of officers,
said wratbfullv to a friend, "Tbey are notbing but
a lot of damned asymptotes, anyhow," the first
KcMilciii c ut 1)|. |i)lui C'. l.olij;'
syllable of tbe geometrical term having evidently
struck the speaker as appropriate to the occasion.
And what a conversational delight was our own
Mrs. Malaprop, who pronounced a certain pea-
cock's tail to be "the most beautiful foliage" she
144
CARLISLE OLD AND NEW
had ever seen, and who was so charmed with a
man who called to see her husband on business,
that she declared him to be "a perfect gentleman,
because he held his hat ajar the whole time he was
L_
Yard at the Residence of Dr. W. Z. Bentz
talking to me." She was authority, .too, for the
wise statement that, '''to have a successful party, you
must invite people who congeal," and she deplored
the death of a rising young physician "just when
his business was getting so complicated."
145
South C()llcj;c Street. Home of Dr. Morris W. Prince on tlie Corner
During the Civil War period the approach of
the southern army caused the temporary departure
of a number of citizens. One of these, desiring
information, telegraphed to a friend in Carlisle,
"Is the Rebels went?" Almost instantly there
flashed back the answer, "They is." "Is them
Ginny cleepers flagrant?" referred to a beautiful
Virginia creeper twining its graceful course over
the home of an acciuaintance of the querist.
Whilst our most prominent local poet was usu-
ally oblivious to the demands of a careful toilet, at
times he astonished his companions by appearing
in something fresh and striking. Once upon a
146
CARLISLE OLD JND NEW
summer day he sauntered under the trees, wearing
a new straw hat around which was a broad blue
silk band, and upon the blue there ran a narrower
red one. "What do you think of my new hat?"
he asked one of his cronies. "Well, Bellman, you
seem to be dressed today with a great deal of
ahandon^''^ was the ready retort.
Here is one of recent date: A Carlisle man, his
wife and a married woman friend were in warm
discussion. Talk waxing earnest, the wife, turn-
ing to her friend and indicating her husband,
Old Corner of North and West Streets. Formerly the Shapley Home
Oil Street
Lamp
"Pa-ha-ta." Home of John \V . Wet/el, E^q.
said, "Did you ever know any one so persistent
and unrelenting in driving home a point?" "My
sakes, didn't I marry one myself?" was the
unexpected reply.
It is not what one has or is, but what one
does, that expresses the worth of an inciivid-
ual to a community. If we reflect but for a
moment, we will realize that among Carlisle's
priceless possessions are hearts that feel and
hands that give, and that to an unusual degree
there prevails here an animating principle
of steady and lasting interest in the wel-
fare of the people.
Of this fact a splendid evidence has
very recently been made manifest. With
deep gratitude it is learned that a son of
148
Residence of Mr. A. F. Bedford
Carlisle, who had flown from the home-nest to
spend his life as a lawyer in larger places, has
made a magnificent bequest of more than one
hundred thousand dollars for the mainte-
nance of an industrial training-school in his
native town. This school will be of the New
Carlisle, and will perpetuate in a noble way
the honored family name of the donor, Charles
L. Lamberton, Esq., the while it radiates its
beneficent influences throughout the years to
come.
As all blessings are sweetened if shared
with others, so do we rejoice in the gener-
ous gift to the neighboring borough of
Mount Holly Springs, of the Amelia S.
Givin Free Library, which stands as a
149
Gas Street
Lamp
CARLISLE OLD JM) N EfV
memorial of the deep interest of a Carlisle woman
111 th.U industrial town.
And thus t)iic might ramhlc on indclinitcU'
througli the (]uaint old town, ijucstioning, recall-
ing, and gleaning from a storehouse that is fairh
bursting with its treasure of history and anecdote.
South Hanover Street — a NasturtiuDi-iirapcd Wall
One would see, too, that with the passing years Car-
lisle has not lost that which it has always claimed
for its own — delightful homes, "life's best rewards
and best defences." North, south, east and west,
they stand in continuous and ever-increasing evi-
dence of the prosperity and happiness of its people.
150
CARLISLE OLD AND NEJV
Northward are seen the colonial homestead
of the Hendersons, surrounded by its fine old
trees, that has long been one of Carlisle's land-
marks; the spacious place of Judge Henderson's
"Cottage Hill" and Vine-clad Office of F. C. Bosler, Esq.
family; the handsome residence of John W.
Wetzel, Esq.; the beautiful homes of the Misses
Colwell, Mrs. Ellen A. Parker, Mrs. Mary J.
Rose, John Hays, Esq., and others, all set on
fair lawns with trees and flowers and vines
151
iimVSSr
" Moorelaiul," the Johnston Moore Homestead
adding their individual charm to each phue.
Southward block after block of attractive homes,
with surrounding sward and dividing hedge,
lead to the beautiful residences of the Bedford
families and Mr. John V. Harris. Eastward
stands "Cottage Hill/' the splendid place of the
late James W. Bosler, now occupied by his fam-
152
CARLISLE OLD AND NEW
ily; while the adjoining office of F. C. Bosler,
Esq., presents an excellent example of the
possibilities of beautifying a business place. West-
ward lies the favorite residential locality of the
members of the College faculty, many of whom
have built here their own lovely homes, while
Residence of Mr. John Lindner
further on stands "Mooreland," the family estate
of the late Johnston Moore. This place fairly
luxuriates in trees, the while a herd of beautiful
deer roams at will through the private park.
Nearby are the handsome residences of Hon.
Edward W. Biddle and J. Kirk Bosler, Esq., with
the fine corner place of Mr. John Lindner in
153
Residences of the Hon. Edward VV. Biddle and
J. Kirk Bosler, Esq.
close proximity. And up and down the streets one
sees homes — some old, some new, while some,
alas! that have
been cherished for
generations, whose
firesides have been
associated with the
past, and around
whicli hang ten-
derest memories of
Bcrtrm Warehouse, which Preceded above Homes
CARLISLE OLD AND NEW
those who made Carhsle what it has been, have
given way to the increasing business needs of
modern times.
An almost singular love of the town, ancestral
Reception Hall ia Residence of J. Kirk Bosier, Esq.
and dear, an immeasurable tenderness that has
ever characterized its sons and daughters, has
been charmingly typified by Bennett Bellman in
155
CARLISLE OLD AND NEfV
THE BELLS OF OLD CARLISLE
In the sweetest of our valleys,
Where the sunshine {fleams and dallies
Over fields all j^reen or golden with their waving weij^ht
of {^rain ;
There, afar in sunshine gleaminj^,
Like a vision seen in tireaniin^.
Lies a little town of old upon the plain.
Upon this wild frontier.
Where the hardy pioneer
Worshiped God in rudest temples, with rites simple
and sincere,
Oft came the solemn spell,
As he heard the Sabbath hell
Ring silvery through the silence, keen and clear.
And again, in later times.
It may be its mellow chimes
Called our fathers from their homes within the valley to
the town,
Where, strong in right forever,
They protested they would never
Submit unto Great Britain, or bow down.
But since that long ago,
Swinging slowly to and fro.
The younger bells, outringing, threw their voices 'gainst
the sky —
The church and college bells,
With their mellow, magic spells,
\n many a silent summer, now gone by.
156
CARLISLE OLD AND NEPF
As some happy past appears,
When our eyes are wet with tears,
As memory forever, like the moonUght, casts its spells;
So, youth and beauty fled.
And the dreams of youth, ail dead.
Come back to me with memory of its bells.
As some wanderer, weary, laden.
Sees a glimpse of distant Aiden,
And from heaven hears the music thro' its golden gates
ajar ;
Or a wanderer, weary, lying
In a distant land and dying.
Hears the mournful, mellow music of the bells he loved
afar;
Thus in solemn silence, oft
I can hear the mellow, soft
Dim music, sounding ever of the distant bells, erstwhile;
For a magic memory dwells
In that tangled tune of bells
That ring from out the past in Old Carlisle.
157
J
:m.
k'**
* rilj-'i 1
'-
*■ ■'.^^'
*, *-.
•«
.1
-
Franklm Public School Building and a First-Pii/e Vacant Lot
Civic Club Rooms
V
LOVE for the past has perhaps made easier
J enthusiasm for the present. However this
may be, certain it is that when there swept
over our broad land in recent years a great wave of
appeal for civic improvement — a call to organize
for the public good — Carlisle was as in the days of
long ago among the first to respond, viewing the
request as a national summons and at the same
159
CARLISLE OLD AND NEJV
time as a local necessity. Quickly the realization
seemed to dawn tiiat she stood in need of some-
thing more from iier citizens than the paying of
taxes and the obeying of laws. It was the heart-
service from her children that she had come to
lack — a service that they are in duty bound to
render so long as they live within her sheltering
arms. And so an association was formed whose
purpose was to increase interest in the town of to-
day and in all matters relating to good citizenship.
This organization has become widely known as the
Civic Club of Carlisle, and is a strong and impor-
tant factor in the community life; with its constantly
increasing membership numbering now more than
three hundred men and women, it stands com-
mitted to w^hatever w^ill conduce to the betterment
of civic conditions. This tends to create and
maintain a splendid sentiment in favor of public
beauty, cleanliness, sanitation, morality, education,
esthetic cultivation and patriotism, such as shall
uphold the standard of high ideals set so long ago.
Naturally, in both its direct and indirect influ-
ence, the Civic Club has been one of the potent
factors in the development of the Carlisle of to-
day — a Carlisle that is abreast of the movements
1 60
CARLISLE OLD AND NEW
of the times in those broad civic hnes which
will inevitably be counted in history as among
the interesting and valuable developments of the
period in which we live.
The Club has organized the school children of
the borough into an active League of Good Citizen-
High School Assembly Room, Franklin Building
i6i
CARLISLE OLD ,L\ D SEIV
ship, whose aim is a clean town, clean homes and
clean lives; it has expended many hundreds of
dollars in carefully selected, well-framed pictures,
which have been presented from time to time to
the public schools, and which are developing a dis-
criminating taste and judgment among the voung;
it has held for some years an annual picture exhibit,
and has encouraged
a love of flowers by
the distribution of
flower-seeds among
the school children,
requesting reports
of the result of the
planting. That an
A Vacation Garden interest in trCCS
might be stimulated, premiums have been repeat-
edly offered for both shade and fruit trees and
awarded one year after the planting, many hun-
dreds of children having competed for these prizes.
Rewards have also been ottered annually for well-
kept vacant lots, for floral boxes, and for the plant-
ing of vines, the Club having set an example in
such public beautifying by the placing of vines,
shrubbery and hedges upon the well-kept lawns of
162
CARLISLE OLD AND NEIF
the public schools. An annual flower show was
conducted for four years, which was not surpassed
in Pennsylvania except by the exhibits of Philadel-
phia and Pittsburg. Carlisle is fortunate in the
^7' ^^ ' ^^-H^^l
■
^^1
s\\^-X.''mFy't •^•--*
w ^^^S^m
^m ^Ss'^m^ l^-'y^ S
Hii^' .J2k jio . ...^aBSI^^KSl^l
^^^^V -^.JkaH^^^H^^ElW . jHauHV') ' ^Ks
MiPW^-'«
w-^^^
^^^^^^IHr^^^^^E'* ^^I^^^^^^^^^^^P - ^^^^^F^^
^'W^
The Annual Flower Show of the Civic Club
existence of her exquisite private greenhouses,
and the public-spirited owners of these cordially
united with the professional growers in exhibiting
the best results of the florist's art for the pleasure
and benefit of the public. Musical entertainments,
163
CARLISLE OLD ASD NEir
too, have been given both
indoors and out, always of
such a nature as to be of
permanent vahie.
Knowing full well that the
public school children of
Carlisle could not have ade-
quate advantages w^ith the
school tax at the low rate
that had prevailed, the Civic
Club recently laid before
the board of directors the
unique petition that local
taxation be increased. This
request has been granted.
During a persistent and continuous efifort for
clean streets, the Club has presented to the town
thirty- five waste-
paper receptacles
and has kept them in
repair, has paid for
the clearing away of
street litter w^hen
needed, and owns
and operates a street
CARLISLE OLD AND NEW
sprinkler. Naturally the organization has registered
unceasing protests against bill-boards, public dumps,
unsightly business signs, unsanitary conditions, and
careless disregard of existing laws and ordinances ;
while the cleanliness of the market-house, the
Carlisle Kindergarten 1906-C7
enaction of an anti-expectoration ordinance, the
protection of food supplies from street dust and
flies, suitable legislation for protection against
mosquitoes, and extension of water-pipes into the
homes of the poor, are all matters of public wel-
fare, concerning which the local authorities have
been importuned from the beginning of this civic
awakening. The story of civic work elsewhere,
165
CARLISLE OLD AXD AE/r
together with information regarding local needs
and progress, were brought before the public for
more than a year, by conducting a weekly column
in one of the town papers.
Amonii the Club's recent u;ifts to the town are
SiftST HIGH ST.;
artistic street
markers made
after a special
design, and the
ee]uipment of a
schoolroom for a kindergarten. A woman's ex-
change has been maintained in the Civic Club
building for several years, and fills the niche pecu-
liar to these institutions. It is in just such a place
that one so often finds the "ordinary thing done
in an extraordinary way."
Perhaps one of the most practical benefits to the
community was the establishment, at a time when
there was no savings-bank in Carlisle, of a savings-
department wherein deposits were received of any
sum from one cent up. This was conducted for
almost four years, during which time thousands of
dollars were cared for, until the opening of a
savings-department in the town banks made a con-
tinuance of the work no longer necessary.
166
CARLISLE OLD AND NEW
The best gift of all, however, is the trained
visiting nurse, who is maintained for the solace of
the aged and for the alleviation of the sufferings of
the sick poor, ministering to those who otherwise
" Sent to calm
Our feverish brows with cooling palm."
could not have the comfort of skilled nursing, "I
was sick and ye visited me."
In small communities one almost invariably
finds a dearth of high-grade public entertainments,
since usually as a financial proposition expensive
attractions cannot be made to pay. The unfortu-
nate result is a series of ordinary or worse than
ordinary shows, which become a matter of grave
167
CARLISLE OLD AND NEW
concern to thinking people, for it is a well-known
fact that a large majority of juvenile court cases
have been the direct result of immoral entertain-
ments. Feeling that distinct uplift and safeguard
are given to any town into which the best procur-
able talent is brought, the Civic Club successfullv
maintains lyceum courses of a grade that is beyond
criticism, as is plainly indicated by the following
list of those who have appeared here and who are
now booked :
CHARLES EMORY SMITH
JACOB A. RHS
F. HOPKINSON SMITH
DR. GEORGE EDWARD REED
BERTHA KUNZ BAKER
DR. JOHN WATSON (Ian Maclaren)
J. HORACE McFARLAND
LEON C. PRINCE
MADAME KRONOLD
EDWARD BARROW
WILLIAM HARPER
THE KNEISEL QUARTETTE
DR. C. T. WINCHESTER
JUDGE EDWARD W. BIDDLE
GEORGE NEVIN BRANDON
NEWELL DWIGHT HILLIS
ELLEN BEACH YAW
MAUD BALLINGTON BOOTH
MAJOR JAMES EVELYN PILCHER
SENATOR J. P. DOLLIVER
This work is planned solely for the literary, musi-
cal and civic benefit of the people, to whom it is
i68
CARLISLE OLD AND NEIV
a manifest advantage, and it may be said to the
credit of the town that the best things invariably
have the largest
audiences.
As a propagan-
dist the Carlisle
Civic Club may
be found in, per-
haps, one of its
most important
roles. Not only
from Pennsyl-
vania, but from
many other states,
have come nu-
1
m e ro us letters
asking for advice
and information
touching matters
of publicimprove-
ment, or perhaps
kindly expressing appreciation of the inspiration
received from the work done in this community.
A continually strengthening sentiment for mu-
nicipal progress in Carlisle is everywhere in evi-
169
Home of Mrs. Walter Stuart
Winner of several prizes for exterior window-box
decoration
CARLISLE OLD ASD NEJV
dence, both on the part of individuals and of the
broad-minded bodies of men into whose hands have
been committed the administration of its atifairs.
"He who adds beauty to the world adds joy," is
a thought that has been fully grasped by many
present-day citizens of the town. They find delight
in the broad streets and open squares that were
SKtHj^ - ■'^fff'^t^,,^., 'f^W*
Humble yet Beautiful — a Small Boy's Civic Effort
bestowed upon their forefathers by the heirs of
William Penn and in the splendid old colonial
landmarks that are their heritage. They also
rejoice in the fact that the handsome modern
homes, the churches, the schools, the indus-
trial buildings with their park-like surroundings,
that are of this later period, are carrying their
170
CARLISLE OLD AND NEW
own messages to such as are willing to receive
them.
Thus Carlisle has come again to its own. Not
forgetting altogether the example and teachings of
those who served in the past, its citizens of the New
unite in spirit with those of the Old in recognizing
that "the noblest motive is the public good."
Young Carlisle
171
AFTERWORD
THE tale, although imperfectly told, is fin-
ished. Its omissions and exclusions are
such that many will sigh for a pen that
could have written in a more acceptable manner
the history of Carlisle, — the narrative of its tradi-
tions, events and local legends.
There is no pretense in these pages to literary
merit. They have been prepared, and the pictures
have been gathered, in a spirit of tender loyalty
which will somewhat atone for the shortcomings
of the work.
As the little volume starts upon its journey to
the homes and hearts of the people of Carlisle
and of its friends abroad, may it be accorded a
kindly welcome and a gentle judgment.
173
