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Image: Dam on Mountain Creek by Jim Bradley
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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      Sylvia A. WatersInterview of Sylvia A. Waters for the Elizabeth V. and George F. Gardner Digital Library Memory Bank. Waters discusses the history of her families connection to Cumberland County, PA including her father's family in Newville. Waters then talks about growing up on B Street in Carlisle and attending the old Wilson and Lamberton Schools.
The following is a machine generated transcript:

      Shirley I. HeishmanInterview 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.

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      Emma Louise Thompson McGowanEmma Louise Thompson McGowan was born in Winchester, Virginia in 1876. When she was thirteen years old, McGowan moved with her family from Winchester, Virginia to Carlisle, Pennsylvania escaping the devastation of the South and seeking a new life in the North.

      The Tavernkeeper’s Wife: Elizabeth PopeBeing the wife of a tavernkeeper meant that Elizabeth helped with the running of the tavern as well as taking care of her family. Washing, cleaning, cooking in a hot kitchen over a fire for hours as well as helping in the barroom was hard work.

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      Letters: John and William Holmes of Carlisle to Philadelphia merchant John Mitchell,1775, 1776
      
The 60-foot by 33-foot, two-story stone building on High Street, just east of St. John’s Episcopal Church, is where several generations of merchants operated their businesses.
Read more about Letters: John and William Holmes of Carlisle to Philadelphia merchant John Mitchell,1775, 1776

      Letters: From Merchant Ephraim Steele to Philadelphia Merchant John Mitchell, 1775, 1776Ephraim Steele was one of several Carlisle merchants who did business with Philadelphia merchant John Mitchell. The method of doing business and the kind of goods ordered are revealed in these three letters written in 1775 and 1776.
Read more about Letters: From Merchant Ephraim Steele to Philadelphia Merchant John Mitchell, 1775, 1776

      Letter: From the Committee of Correspondence to Philadelphia merchant John Mitchell, 1775We have been favoured with your letter of the 14th of this month; and look upon ourselves and this county to be much obliged to you for the trouble you have been kind enough to take in purchasing ammunition for us.
Read more about Letter: From the Committee of Correspondence to Philadelphia merchant John Mitchell, 1775

    Railroads
  
Jim E. Largent Sr.Largent 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 RailroadingReproduced 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...