Mary Wheeler King was born on December 24, 1901 in Newville.1 After graduating from Carlisle High School in the spring of 1919, King moved away to continue her education at Wilson College in Chambersburg. Upon graduation in 1923, King began her teaching career in Mercersburg.2 After teaching at a few different schools, King married J. McLain King, a teacher at Woodmere Academy, where King was also teaching at the time.3
King was very involved in her community of Carlisle. She was involved in many organizations, such as the Carlisle Garden Club and the Carlisle travel club, as well as at her church, the First Presbyterian Church. She was also a board member for the John Graham Library of Newville and the Harrisburg Symphony Orchestra. She served as the first woman board member of the Cumberland County Historical Society, and was an active participant in the local chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution.4 King was also heavily involved with her alma mater, Wilson College. King served in a variety of roles such as president of Wilson College Club, Alumnae Trustee, College Trustee, and chairman of the Centennial Committee. Her involvement led to her being given an honorary Doctor of Human Letters degree in 1974.5
As an active member in the community, King would often entertain at her home, the Two Mile House. King would often host a variety of parties there, including annual New Year’s Eve parties and frequent summer picnics over each holiday. This house became a staple in the community. She was quick to volunteer to host showers of all kinds for her friends and family. Even days before her death, King hosted a party at the Two Mile House. In her will, King willed the house to the Cumberland County Historical Society, in order to preserve her house for the community and protect it from any structural changes.6
After a full life, King died in 1992 at 90 years old. Her service was held at the First Presbyterian Church. The volume of people in the church that day exemplifies how King was well-known and loved by her community. Her legacy continues to live on, especially in her home, the Two Mile House. The Two Mile House has been preserved as a “community and historical resource” which continues to be a staple in the community, as it was when King was alive.7
Lenore E. Flower, notable genealogist and suffragette, was born on November 8th, 1883. The daughter of Mary Elizabeth Dunbar and Milton Embick, Lenore grew up in Boiling Springs. She studied writing and history at Irving College, an all-girls college located in Mechanicsburg.
[1] Hoffer, Ann Kramer, “My friend Mary Wheeler King”, Cumberland County History vol. 11 n. 2 (1994), 69-76.
[2] Ibid, 71.
[3] Ibid, 72.
[4] Ibid, 73.
[5] Ibid.
[6] Ibid, 75-76.
[7] Ibid 76