Gwen Phillips
Interview of Gwen Phillips by Stone Hockenberry for the Elizabeth V. and George F. Gardner Digital Library.
Interview of Gwen Phillips by Stone Hockenberry for the Elizabeth V. and George F. Gardner Digital Library.
Penn Township was erected 23 October 1860 when the western half of Dickinson Township was made into a separate political and territorial body. Its creation was the result of a continuing effort lasting for at least twenty years. This subdivision was but one in a series of similar moves begun at the settlement of the Province and continued in Cumberland County until 1929.
Dr. Silas C. Swallow had already established a widely circulated reputation for being a determined fighter against the evils of strong drink and drugs before he became a resident of Cumberland County. The good Doctor of Divinity had other lesser-known qualities of character which were revealed during the ten years he lived in Camp Hill.
The early history of Pennsylvania is sprinkled with the exploits of daring, energetic, and forceful individuals. One of the most fearless and dedicated, yet least remembered of these personalities, was Christian Frederick Post. A humble man of God, he spent over forty years among the Indians and Whites of colonial America, spreading the Gospel and working for peace. He passed some of this time traveling through or living within the present borders of Cumberland County.
The state Highway Department historical marker erected in the 1920's at the east end of town states that Mechanicsburg, settled in the 1790's and incorporated in 1828, is "named for a settlement of mechanics." Legend states that pioneers traveling along the Trindle and Simpson Ferry roads on their way west stopped here to repair wagons damaged during the crossing of the Susquehanna river which flows east of the settlement.
The first question that a frightened world asked about Three Mile Island on 28 March 1979 was how long the place could be expected to stay on the map. As fear subsided enough to suggest that it might be there for a long time, the question shifted to the more curious, "How did the place get its unusual name?" That question is not simply answered; six years of curiosity and research have yielded more conjectures than proofs.
When considering those things of cultural significance in our heritage, one rarely, if ever, thinks of tombstones. Yet pre-1850 stones and their art offer valuable insight into how our ancestors viewed death and life after death, and also reflect changes in the perception of death and rebirth.
Ten rural religious societies of Presbyterians evolved in the Cumberland Valley of Pennsylvania prior to 1745. This account of the chain of self-starting societies in the seventy-mile Valley is drawn principally from the Minutes of the Presbytery of Donegal, which exercised rigid control over ecclesiastical activity, including such matters as scheduling each Sabbath of sermons until such time as a resident preacher was in place.
On April 12, 1973, ten residents of Upper Allen Township gathered in the municipal building in response to a call by the Commissioners for people interested in planning for the nation's bicentennial celebration. Several weeks later, on May 7, these same residents, along with two new recruits, formed the Upper Allen Heritage Committee, having as its stated purpose the preservation of the "natural and historical heritage of Upper Allen Township."
In recent years, researchers seeking to interpret history have increasingly recognized the value of photographic collections. Such images provide us with important information often available nowhere else. Visually accurate, they often have the power to evoke a time long since lost.