Recently in Lewis Miller Category

As I have pointed out before, York County, Pennsylvania wasn't as isolated a century or two ago as some might imagine. Early roads, and then railroads, made travel relatively easy to Baltimore, Philadelphia and beyond. York County people go where they wanted, and visitors found it just as easy to get here.

York was a regular stop on the entertainment circuit. Yorkers seemed to have always been a good market for performances and exhibitions from menageries to balloon ascensions to internationally know personalities, such as the diminutive Tom Thumb.

Lewis Miller drawing of Tannenberg and his last organ.

Many of us are familiar with the beautiful 1804 Tannenberg organ at the York County Heritage Trust. Free public concerts are given on the organ each year during July and August on Fridays from 12:15 p.m. to 12:45 p.m. It is amazing to me to hear the different sounds each talented local organist draws from the 200-year-old instrument.

Only nine of the 42 known organs built by David Tannenberg still exist, so we are lucky that this last of his organs, built for Christ Lutheran Church, has survived. It did some moving around the last two centuries. It was first installed in Christ's stone church. When that was torn down and the brick church built 1812-14, it was installed in the north gallery, where it was used continuously until 1893, until a new and larger pipe organ was donated.

The Tannenberg was moved to their "beehive" chapel in the summer of 1905 and painted a dark color. The organ was given by the church to the Historical Society of York County in 1945 and removed by Frederick J. Furst. The organ, however, could not be reconstructed until the historical society moved to larger quarters at 250 East Market Street in 1959. At that time Mr. Furst was engaged to put it together again and restore it to playable order. It was moved from the second floor of the historical society building to its present first floor location in 1988. Since that time, there has been additional restoration and more to be done in the future as funds are raised.

To read more about the Tannenberg organ and its builder, see my recent York Sunday News column below.

Lewis Miller drawing of the Confederate invasion of York, June 1863.

Cassandra Small's vivid letters to cousin Lissie Latimer, describing the Confederate invasion of York during the end of June 1863, are often quoted. Cassandra was the daughter of Philip A. Small, a leading businessman or York at the time, and his wife, Sarah Bartow Latimer.

In one letter Cassandra relates: "George Latimer was with General Gordon's Division; happily we didn't see him, as we should not have spoken to him. Some of his Copperhead friends shook hands with him, and he begged them not to tell us, but they couldn't keep it to themselves. We all respect him a great deal more than we do them."

Cassandra's first cousin, James William Latimer of York, wrote to his brother Bartow Latimer that, during the occupation, "Most ladies had sense to stay home. Men went about freely. I spoke to one of the Rebs once. Others talked and questioned them, but I did not feel like it. Heard nothing of Geo. Latimer or Tom."

Who were George and Tom?

Lewis Miller drawing--Dr. Kennedy waxenate (vaccinate) 1799.

Concern about the recent "Swine" N1H1 flu, and the precautions taken against it remind us of the days before many once virulent diseases were tamed by vaccines. About the only way to try to halt an epidemic was strict rule of quarantine.

As the notice below, which is from an 1872 York newspaper, shows that municipalities often stepped in to with ordinances to protect their citizens:

Lewis Miller Drawing of the California Company

Gold was discovered in California in early 1848. By the beginning of 1849, more adventurers from York County than you might think were headed for the gold fields, never mind the grueling voyage by sea around the tip of South America. The January 23, 1849 Democratic Press reports:

"Our young townsman, Mr. Joseph McAleer, son of Thomas McAleer, Esq., left this place yesterday for the "Gold Diggings" in California. He intends joining a party which is to set sail in a vessel from New York during the present week, consisting of one hundred persons. Each member has advanced $160.00, and they go supplied with necessities to last them for two years. They are accompanied by a physician, and well provided with rifles, fowling pieces, &c. We understand the route they intend taking is by way of Cape Horn, which is a distance of nineteen thousand miles to San Francisco. They will be gone six or seven months on their way"

The article goes on to say that McAleer has promised to write back to the paper about his voyage and sojourn in California. George Laumaster of Burlington, N.J., son of Jacob Laumaster is said to also be a member of the party.

By April 1849, sixteen other York County professionals and craftsmen had organized themselves into "The California Company" and were equipped and ready to sail on the ship Andalusia from Baltimore. For more on their voyage, see my recent York Sunday News column below:

Lewis Miller drawing of a 600 pound York hog.

Shooting matches have been popular in York County for many years. The prizes have changed somewhat--I don't think anyone gives a live big fat pig like they did in the 1892 article below. That would be fun to haul home.

If you are interested in participating in an upcoming clay shoot, it's not too late. As a member of the Board of Directors of the Farm and Natural Lands Trust of York County, I am pleased that the Leadership York 2009 Class is holding a clay shoot fundraiser on April 3 to benefit FNLT. The Leadership York class has extended the registration deadline. Click here for registration information.

See below for the news from the February 13, 1892 York Gazette.

York Young People Warned about Sleighing Parties

Lewis Miller drawing of a sleighing party.

You think our great-great-great-grandparents just sat around and played checkers? Yeah, right!

The article below, from the January 22, 1850 York Peoples' Advocate, gives you an idea as to what they were really doing.

Lewis Miller Drawing of "Some Wicked Boys at the Market House, 1804"

Folk artist and chronicler Lewis Miller doesn't say if the prank illustrated above occurred on Halloween or not, but it certainly would have been a fitting one for the tricky holiday.

Some young Yorkers had some time on their hands in 1804 and put themselves to work taking apart and reconstructing a wagon in its new location.

Miller's caption reads:

Lewis Miller drawing of 1840 W.H.Harrison campaign headquarters.
In 1840 Democrats derisively campaigned that the Whig candidate for President, William Henry Harrison, would be more at home in a log cabin. The Whigs seized the idea and used it as a symbol, giving the idea that Harrison was one of the common people.

That wasn't exactly correct, seeing that Harrison was the son of a Virginia planter, college educated and a career army officer before he got into politics.

The log cabin image was so striking, however, that Whigs all over the country built log cabins to use as campaign headquarters. Did York?

John Hetrick's Strawberry Surprise

Ice cream and oysters have each enjoyed a long popularity in York County eateries. A recent post quoted an 1845 ad announcing the grand opening of Gray's ice cream parlor, and ads for oysters abound. Click here for the ice cream post.

York folk artist Lewis Miller illustrated nineteenth century York County in detail. His drawing above catches a local citizen about to make a culinary mistake at Gray's restaurant. Miller accompanies the illustration with the following explanation: