Charles
Shoemaker, Inc.
Donates
Surveying Equipment
Staff
Writer
In August of this year, Millbrook
was the recipient of a much needed gift to our Archeology Department. Through
the efforts of two of our newest members, Mr. Charles L. Hower and his brother
Mr. William R. Hower, Charles Shoemaker, Inc. Engineers and Surveyors donated a
Surveyors Transit, tripod, and Surveyors Pole to the Society.
Up
until this time, we have used loaned equipment to do all site survey work for
archeology. With this most generous gift, we will now be able to rely on our
own equipment to do this mandatory work. There is also another plus to this. As
this is an old system and most modern survey equipment is different, it will
double as a museum display piece. Millbrook wishes to thank all involved in its
acquisition.
Patt
Shannon
During the summer, Millbrook
members have been very busy. The end of June saw the completion of our
Appalachian Trail Hike in Pennsylvania.
It took us ten years to complete the 228.8 miles. Total miles covered by the
hikers are: Wendy Thompson 228.8 miles, Brian Thompson 179.7 miles, Scott
Shannon 115.1 miles, Mary Porter 114.6 miles and Gerald Ames 75.6. Our drivers:
Patt Shannon hiked 120.4 miles and David Shannon hiked 76 miles.
We
had lots of other hikers over the 10 years, but all hiked under 50 miles.
In
July, several Millbrook members visited Fort
Delaware off the coast of Delaware City, Delaware.
They received a special tour of the fort for a project they are working on.
They met with George Contact to discuss what we could do. The project will be
called the Port Penn Project, and you should be hearing more about this as time
goes by.
We have continued to work at
four different archaeological sites; The Moland House, Peter Wentz Farmstead,
Evans-Mumbower Mill, and Neshaminy-Warwick Presbyterian Church Cemetery, where
we have been digging and putting stone markers to outline the site of William
Tennent’s first church.
In August, we visited Quiet
Valley Living Historical Farm in the Poconos near Stroudsburg. The day of our
visit, sauerkraut was being made. They had a calf (3 weeks old), work horses, a cow, chickens, rabbits, turkeys and geese.
The house on the site was divided into 3 different time periods for us to
visit. The people were in costume and spoke like the period of time they were
representing. It was a very enjoyable day.
Our
final hike on the Appalachian Trail in Pennsylvania
ended at Pen Mar
Park on the Maryland border. The park was built in 1878,
and was one of the most famous parks in the east for about 60 years. It was
owned by the Western Maryland Railway, which ran excursion trains to the park
bringing clubs, Sunday school picnic groups and other organizations for
outings. From an observatory platform at High Rock, you were able to see all
the way to Chambersburg, PA, a distance of 24 miles. The park had a
funhouse, roller coaster, and miniature railroad. Restaurants and resort hotels
were also part of the park. The average attendance of picnics was about 7,000
people. The railroad built the Blue Mountain House Hotel in 1883, which could
accommodate 40 people. A fire destroyed this hotel in 1913. The fire could be
seen as far away as Waynesboro,
PA. The Buena Vista Springs Hotel
was another place to stay in the southern part of Pennsylvania. The park closed in 1943. The
automobile had made the resort park obsolete. Today, it is a park with a great
view and picnic areas and playgrounds.
As we ended our hike and took
in the view, we met a lady that had come to the park when it was an amusement
park with her church group in the 1930s.
She told us about the park back then, and we told her about our ten-year
hike on the Appalachian Trail in Pennsylvania.
The Bell Telephone
Company of Days Gone By
Nancy
C. Beans
The
November 16, 1918 edition of the Hatboro Public Spirit printed the
following: "The great world war is over. A victorious peace is assured for
the Allies with the signing of armistice terms on November 11. Big celebrations
were touched off in Hatboro, Doylestown and other nearby communities. The news
was first received in Hatboro by the telephone operator, Keziah Weaks, at 4:15
a.m. and within a few minutes, the whole town was awakened by the ringing of
church bells, the fire bell, and the bell in the cupola of old Loller Academy,
which had not rung in many a day. The fire company turned out and toured the
surrounding countryside spreading the glad tidings. The celebration continued
all day, winding up with a parade that night. The jubilee lasted around the
clock, and many other celebrations are still being planned."
Keziah
Weaks was my aunt, my father's sister, who lived with us while I was growing up
in Hatboro. For as long as I can remember, she was the night operator--the one
and only. She had been working that shift since 1917.
Known
to most in the town affectionately as Zie, she began her career with the
telephone company in 1905, when the telephone switchboard was located on the
second floor of Jesse Newton Watson's combined post office and general store,
located on York Road
between Byberry and Moreland Avenues. She was one of two operators, so a normal
work shift was 12 hours. Actually, you could work for a day and a half if the
other operator was sick.
Although
phone numbers were in existence early on, most people did not use them. They
asked the operator for the party by name; many by first name only. Long
distance calls were not as we know them today. The operator had to build her
own "trunks” by calling each little community along the path until the
chain reached the desired city. The early switchboard operator required a lot
of patience and know-how.
My
aunt certainly had her share of excitement, as the following will attest:
"On
April 6, 1921,
about 5:30 a.m., the Philadelphia office of the
Reading Railroad called the Hatboro operator. Miss Weaks took the call. The
dispatcher in Philadelphia
asked her if she could get in touch with the Hatboro station agent. A few
minutes previously, Miss Weaks had handled a fire call reporting the Hatboro
railroad bridge on fire. Knowing a train was due to leave Hatboro in about
fifteen minutes and realizing the necessity of reaching the railroad agent, she
called a woman living opposite his home and asked her to get him to come to the
telephone. The neighbor reported back that the agent refused to come to the
telephone, thinking the call to be a practical joke. Miss Weaks then explained
the situation to the neighbor who sent a messenger to the railroad station to
advise the train crew that the bridge was on fire. The train thereupon remained
at Hatboro awaiting further orders. The neighbor returned to the telephone and
notified her what she had done. Miss Weaks in turn reported to the Philadelphia dispatcher
that the train had been halted. The passengers were later forced to leave the
train at Hatboro, as the bridge was unsafe. It is probable that Miss Weaks'
persistent efforts prevented a serious accident with possible loss of
life."
For
her diligent work that night, she became a recipient of the Vail Medal, given
for extraordinary and persistent service in the face of emergency. The Bell Telephone
System presented the medal, named for its former president, Theodore N. Vail.
The above story was later published in a book entitled For Noteworthy Public
Service.
There
were six operators in Hatboro at that time. By the mid '40s, the Hatboro office
boasted an 11-position switchboard, operated by approximately 35 telephone
operators and supervisors, handling daily 8,400 local and toll calls originated
by Hatboro customers. In addition to these calls, 4,600 incoming calls
originated from outside points. The office was under the supervision of Chief
Operator Elizabeth C. Geatrell, who served in that capacity for many years.
Following
in my aunt's footsteps, I worked at the Hatboro office in 1950-51, while living
at the extreme northern end of town. A memorable experience was walking to the
telephone office on Moreland
Avenue, in snowdrifts past my knees. Due to report
for work at 7:00 a.m., but
knowing I would be needed earlier, I had to walk. There were no cars on the
road, nothing was moving, as York
Road was drifted shut. There was only the single
night operator on duty when I arrived, and the boards were lit up. We were
extremely busy, plugging in cords at top speed, until more help arrived. What a
great memory! I wouldn't have missed it!
French and Indian War
Jessie
Anderson
In
June 1755, General Edward Braddock’s army was on the way to fight the French
and Indians at Fort
Duquesne. A wagon train
left Fort Cumberland, Maryland
June 18, heavily loaded with supplies, ammunition, and baggage and accompanied
by Redcoats from England.
The
wagons proceeded so slowly that Braddock pushed ahead with his column, and
Colonel Thomas Dunbar followed with his division. Nineteen-year-old Daniel
Morgan was riding on a wagon near the end of the train. When Braddock crossed
the Monongahela River on July 9, a French and
Indian force that fought from behind trees and bushes attacked him. The proud
English troops were not prepared to fight an unseen enemy and many broke and
ran. Two thirds were wounded or killed. Braddock was wounded but tried to rally
his forces, and in desperation had to withdraw. The men were panic stricken
because of the stories they heard about Indians scalping. The red men did not
pursue the retreating army; they were too busy looting the battlefield and
scalping the wounded.
The
retreating soldiers began to arrive at the Dunbar Camp. Daniel Morgan assisted
in destroying extra supplies and powder so they would not fall into enemy
hands. He also helped to evacuate the wounded. Morgan would always remember
this and was careful to keep his casualty list low.
When
General Braddock died on July 13, George Washington took charge of the burial.
A deep trench was dug in the middle of the road, and the body was wrapped in
blankets and buried. The wagons drove over the grave so Indians could not find
it. Not until 1823, when road repairs were done, were the bones found.
Morgan
returned home to Winchester,
Va. Very little is known about
his birth or family; he was reluctant to talk about it. He was known to be tall
and very strong. Late in life, he told someone that he left home at age 17
after a violent quarrel with his father. In 1776, when returning from Canada,
he gave his age as 40, which would mean he was born in 1736. He was born in
either Durham, Bucks County,
Pennsylvania or across the Delaware River in New Jersey. When he left
home in December 1753, he made his way to Carlisle and found work there for a month
or two, then followed the Old Wagon road into Virginia
and settled in Winchester.
The
town of Winchester
had a reputation for cursing drunkenness and fighting. It is well known that
Morgan participated in all of that, and his name is often found in public
records. Soon after his arrival, he found a job with a farmer. Then he was
hired to drive a wagon delivering farm products to eastern markets. He saved
enough money in two years to purchase his own team and enter the hauling
business. He made trips from Winchester to Fort Cumberland
hauling supplies to Braddock’s advance base. This is how he was pressed into
service along with other frontiersmen to accompany his army.
The Frontiersman
After
the defeat of General Braddock, the Indians became bolder and the frontier
experienced the worst Indian raids ever seen. Morgan was recruited into the
Virginia Rangers commanded by Captain Ashby, in 1756. In one battle, Morgan was
seriously wounded when a musket ball passed through his neck and out his cheek,
taking several teeth. He made his escape on a fast horse and was narrowly
missed by a thrown tomahawk. He had lost much blood and was almost unconscious
when helped off his horse back at the fort. Thanks to his great strength, he
recovered and was not wounded again through all his military service. The
Rangers were disbanded in October, and he returned to wagoning and
farming.
Often
he would be found playing cards with other frontiersmen where there was much
smoking and rum drinking. They also engaged in contests like foot racing,
wrestling, and horse racing. Morgan was an unforgiving opponent with a fierce
temper.
Around
the fall of 1761, he became interested in the daughter of a prosperous Frederick County farmer. Her name was Abigail
Curry, and they made a home together. She bore him two daughters. He bought 255
acres of land from Abigail’s uncle and began improvements. He and Abigail were
married in 1773. By May 1774, he owned 10 slaves and was well respected by
county leaders.
Many
colonists continued to enter into the area and beyond into the fertile Ohio country, which was
forbidden. There were frequent clashes with tribal villages. Morgan spent much
time with militia duties to settle these outbreaks.
The
frontier counties of Virginia
were home to thousands of men who were skilled hunters and marksmen. They used
a rifle that could hit a target the size of an orange at over 200 yards. The
usual weapon for the British and Washington’s
soldiers was the musket, which could not shoot half that far and was not as
accurate.
Patriot Cause
News
of the Boston Tea Party reached Frederick
County, and the people
supported the Patriot cause. Congress voted, on June 14, 1775, to raise 10 companies of expert
riflemen. Frederick
County patriots agreed, and
elected Daniel Morgan captain of the unit. He was very happy to serve. He rode
about the county each morning to appeal for volunteers. Only the best were
taken. Finally, 96 recruits were accepted, each equipped with rifle, tomahawk
and scalping knife. They were garbed in a traditional long hunting shirt of
heavy cotton, leggings and moccasins. They received three weeks preparation and
were then marched by the courthouse with much fanfare.
On
July 15, they set out for Massachusetts.
Through every town along the 600-mile journey, people gathered to see them.
They arrived at Cambridge
on August 6th.
Maine
Washington was organizing an army to invade Canada, and he wanted to include
three rifle companies. Benedict Arnold commanded the expedition from Washington’s camp.
Another expedition under Major General Philip Schuyler advanced north from Lake Champlain. The two were to join together in Quebec, and this would gain Canada as the 14th colony.
Arnold appointed Daniel Morgan to lead the three rifle
companies. On Sept. 11, the riflemen, under Morgan’s direction, left for Newburyport where they were joined with Arnold’s entire force of 1050 men. They
boarded eleven small ships that took them to Gardiner, Maine.
Supplied
with provisions, they began up the Kennebec
River on Sept. 25.
Progress was very difficult. Some men walked along the bank, and others used
heavy boats called Bateaux. Waterfalls were frequently encountered and the
boats had to be carried around. Rain and cold weather caused incredible hardship.
The men only had light clothing. By Oct. 19, there was no bread and little
flour. One very difficult passage was the “Terrible Carrying Place” where they had
to carry everything, including the boats, over a snow covered brushy trail for
4 ½ miles. The shoulders of the men became bloody from the constant rubbing of
the straps used to carry the boats. After that, Morgan loaded the boats and
boarded one, crashed into rocks, and sank into the icy waters, losing food and
much equipment, besides getting soaked. By this time, the men were in very bad
condition. They were eating dog meat or shaving soap, or shot pouches.
Finally,
Arnold’s relief
force brought oatmeal, flour and cattle. The men were so hungry they butchered
the cattle and ate meat raw, not waiting to cook it. Finally, they reached the St. Lawrence River. This 350-mile journey ranks among the
most famous in military history.
Daniel Morgan to be continued in the next issue of Grist.
The Millbrook Society at Twenty
We Become Hatboro’s Historical
Commission, Penn State’s
Abington College
Archaeological Field
School, and the Archaeological
Department of Warwick
Township.
David
T. Shannon Jr.
Our
last installment saw The Millbrook Society evolve into expanded fields of
endeavor. Having located in Hatboro at the Baptist Church
and taking charge of The Amy B. Yerkes Museum, the leadership felt it only
natural to involve the Society in Hatboro’s other historical programs.
Hatboro
had a Historical Society, which was founded in the period just prior to the
national bicentennial. This group later became known as The Hatboro Horsham
Historical Society to broaden its local appeal. They became involved with the
state historic site at Graeme
Park in Horsham, forming
what has now become The Friends of Graeme Park. Gradually, they came to place
all their efforts there and the old Hatboro Horsham Historical Society ceased
operation as an entity. The Millbrook Society felt that Hatboro should have
some organization to fill the need of a historical society for the town and
unofficially took on this charge in 1988. At that time, materials from the
older group were turned over to the Amy
B. Yerkes
Museum for archiving.
There occurred in this action a problem, which has haunted Millbrook since; the
perception by many that Millbrook was just Hatboro’s historical society and not
what it is in truth.
By
1987, the old Hatboro Historical Commission had found it hard to recruit
members. Since many members of Millbrook’s board and membership had been past
members of this commission, the last Historian for Hatboro (under that
commission), Clifford Ocheltree, suggested that Millbrook undertake the duties
of Historical Commission for the Borough. He approached the Borough Council
with the proposal, which was accepted, and Borough Ordinance was changed to
allow it. The Millbrook Society became Hatboro’s Historical Commission, with
the executive director as Borough Historian, in 1989. This, again, added to the
confusion as to whom and what Millbrook is.
Between
1989 and 1996, The Millbrook Society quietly worked toward gaining a reputation
of excellence within the historical community. By 1996, our archeological work
in Paradise Valley had reached its conclusion. At
this time, Dr. James Smith of Penn State’s Abington
College and a resident of Horsham Township had become involved with the
Society. Dr. Smith, who is chair of the American Studies Department at Abington College, showed a great deal of interest
in our work in American History and Archeology. He thought it worthwhile to
involve Millbrook as part of Penn
State’s historical
program and introduced the Society to Dr. Peter Capelotti, a new member of his
teaching staff. Dr. Capelotti is more than a history instructor; he is a
published Archeologist and soon became Chief of Millbrook’s Archeology
Division.
At
the same time Millbrook was becoming involved with Penn State, the Warwick
Township Historical Commission and Historical Society were struggling to save
one of the most valuable local historic treasures; The Moland House, or as it
was and is known, Headquarters Farm. Having knowledge of our reputation in
archeology and early American History, representatives from Warwick Township
contacted Millbrook for guidance. Some of our staff were invited to several meetings
of what was known as The Friends of The Moland House. It was during these
meetings that our relationship with Warwick
Township began. The
Township soon after gained ownership of The Moland House, and in May of 1997,
the Township invited The Millbrook Society to serve as its Archeology
Department with the charge of undertaking the archeological study of The Moland
House and grounds. Millbrook’s work began at The Moland House in June of that
year and is still ongoing. This relationship has proved to be most productive.
Millbrook has gained many new members, begun an Archeological Field
School with Penn State
Abington, and provided many local schools with an opportunity to involve their
students in a program not normally available to them. It has also produced
other opportunities to work with other counties, historical societies and
groups.
Along
with our work in all the various fields of history, Millbrook has also broken
new ground in public awareness of history. During the 1990’s, we helped make available
the video “Life is a Lark at Willow Grove Park”, which is devoted to an early
area amusement park; conducted a seminar on “Women in Uniform”, which was a
study of American Women who served their country in World War II and became the
foundation of a women’s veterans group. Millbrook broke into the publishing
field with our Arcadia
book on Hatboro and became involved with first person colonial interpretation.
The museum and archives continues to grow and with it knowledge of our common
beginnings as a country. So you see, Millbrook is alive, well, and growing.
Aren’t you glad you’re part of it? If so, tell a friend, get a young person
involved in our Student Intern Program.
There is room in Millbrook for everyone.
In our next and last look at The Millbrook
Society at Twenty, we will look to the hopes for the future.
Click HERE to return to the 2004, Volume 20 listing.