The early years of the twentieth century were marked by a tremendous shift in population from the farm and small community to the city. Extreme hardships befell many families trying to obtain work and establish new roots. Social work was in its infancy and was provided primarily by charitable institutions and private foundations.
Tiny Carlisle, with perhaps half a hundred males of fighting age, contributed no fewer than eight colonels or generals to the War of the Revolution. None of these, from Armstrong to Watts, made quite the contribution to victory that Ephraim Blaine did.
The Hoge family of America is of pure Scottish ancestry. Their ancestors came from the heart of Scotland, near Edinburgh, where they lived until religious and political difficulties drove them away.
William and Lydia Longsdorf raised an exceptional brood. Their children, one in particular, literally, caused bells to ring and lights to go out. The Longsdorfs erased tradition when it stood between them and their legitimate goals.
Since the end of WWII Lower Allen Township has experienced a great growth in population and an accompanying change in character from rural to urban and suburban. There is concern in many quarters that continual growth will result, inexorably, in the destruction of part of its cultural heritage, that is, its old houses, mills, barns, and other structures which now dot the countryside.
One mission of Cumberland County History is to make available to a wider audience than might otherwise see them documents pertaining to Cumberland County.
The number and variety of crimes committed by members of a society, the types of crimes occupying the attention of that society's law enforcement personnel, and the degree of enthusiasm and skill that they and their fellow citizens exhibit in punishing offenders reveal much about that community.
Agricultural fairs of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries contributed significantly to the dynamics of American rural life. Of such fairs the one held at Williams Grove annually from 1873 through 1916 was among the most important not only regionally but nationally as well.
Aaron William Mountz was a laborer, a carpenter, a well-driller, and a lifelong resident of Cumberland County – and he was a woodcarver. While his work had started to be appreciated by private collectors toward the end of his life, he died not knowing that his hobby of carving small wood animals would make him known in the art world nationwide, with his work held in museums such as the Philadelphia Museum of Art and the Abby Aldrich Rockefeller Museum of Folk Art.
Ice skating parks were very popular in the United States from the 1860s to the 1890s. They were not just places to skate, but places to socialize during the dark days of winter. In 1870, Mrs.