Image: Dam on Mountain Creek by Jim Bradley

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An initiative of the Cumberland County Historical Society the Elizabeth V. and George F. Gardner Digital Library seeks to fulfill the Society's mission of collecting, engaging, and sharing the stories of Cumberland County.

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Highlighted Stories

Shirley I. Heishman

Interview of Shirley Heishman for the Elizabeth V. and George F. Gardner Digital Library. Heishman discusses her life growing up in Bloserville outside of Newville, Pennsylvania including her experiences working on her parents farm to meeting her husband Don Heishman and their many business ventures from hauling milk, water, and whey to building the Heishman Softball Complex.

E. Jean Bixler

Jean Bixler during interview

Interview of E. Jean Bixler of Boiling Springs, Pennsylvania for the Elizabeth V. and George F. Gardner Digital Library. Bixler discusses growing up in Boiling Springs as well as her family.

Highlighted Entries

Miss Margaret MacDonald (1760-1844)

Margaret MacDonald was born on June 22, 1760, one of Duncan and Sarah MacDonald’s four children.1 Her father, described as “the old Scotch highland piper,”2 likely served in one of the British regiments sent to Carlisle during the French and Indian War.

Susana McMurray Higgs (1794-1877)

Photo of the stone house at corner of Bedford and Louther Streets, operated as the Sign of the Thirteen Stripes tavern.

Daughter of a Carlisle tavernkeeper, wife of an English iron worker, Aunt to a well-known actress, and benefactress to the poor, Susana McMurray Higgs was born, lived much of her life and died on the same property in Carlisle.

Recently Published

Letter: Dr. Samuel Allen McCoskry to his brother, 1817

Dr. Samuel Allen McCoskry (1751-1818) was one of the first children born in Carlisle. He was a physician, Revolutionary War surgeon, member of the Society of the Society of Cincinnati, Trustee of Dickinson College, and son-in-law of its first president Charles Nisbet. He writes to his brother Dr. William McCoskry (1763-1831) that he and his wife are concerned about their son William’s debts and conduct as well as the impaired heath of the family.

Letter: John E. Moore to his mother Mrs. Ann Moore

This letter was written by John E. Moore at Bellefonte, Pennsylvania on a Friday afternoon. Although the letter is not dated, it was written after 1847 and before 1856. He is visiting his sister Augusta (Gus) who married Samuel Linn on December 1, 1847. John describes his trip to Bellefonte in full detail. Note: John wrote three pages without a single paragraph, so they have been inserted for the sake of the reader.

Letter: B. Duffield to Joseph A. Murray, 1833

Letter: B. Duffield to Joseph A. Murray, 1833. The letter is from 12-year-old Divie Bethune Duffield (1821-1891) the son of Rev. George Duffield of the First Presbyterian Church of Carlisle to his friend 18-year-old Joseph Murray. Joseph was brought up a Presbyterian and received his academic training at Henry Duffield’s Carlisle Institute. Joseph went to Pittsburgh to stay with his Denny relatives and to study at the University of Western Pennsylvania.

Railroads

Jim E. Largent Sr.

Image of Jim E. Largent SrLargent discusses his experiences growing up and his time working for a railroad company. Watch Story...

Dillsburg and Mechanicsburg Railroad

“The Dillsburg and Mechanicsburg Railroad was built with the backing of the Cumberland Valley Railroad primarily to haul iron ore from the vast reserves around Dillsburg to furnaces in the Harrisburg region. Read Article...

Hey Ollie, Let's Go Railroading

Reproduced below are a number of the photographs which were displayed at the Cumberland County Historical Society as an exhibit "Hey Ollie, Let's Go Railroading." Over 250 photographs were put on display as a tribute to all the railroaders, both here and gone, who worked in the Cumberland Valley. Read Story...