The "Swamp Memories" Story

It was an ordinary day.  Sitting in front of my computer with my friend Jerry looking at a 1949 aerial photo of the Dillerville Swamp.

The 1940 aerial of the Dillerville Swamp. On the far left is an oval which was the track at the Lancaster Fairgrounds which no longer remains.  The dark lines coming from it are railroad tracks and to the right of that in what looks like a patchwork pattern is part of the Dillerville swamp. Slightly farther right you will see a
baseball field.  That field is along what is known as the Fruitville Pike and at times the swamp is
referred to as the Fruitville swamp.  The swamp lies between the railroad and the Fruitville Pike.

The aerial photo is bringing back memories from the 1950's when Jerry and I were in elementary school together at Brecht Elementary along the Lititz Pike in Lancaster, PA.  Jerry and I lived about two blocks away from each other during childhood, but never knew each other until we entered elementary school in 1949.  We were both in Mrs. Good's 1st grade class as well as being in most other classes throughout elementary school.  But, we never played together except in school, since I had friends in my neighborhood like Kenny, Bill and Dave while Jerry had his next door neighbor Larry, Choo-Choo and his next-door neighbor Johnny.  

The Dillerville swamp as it appears today.

While sitting in front of my computer Jerry began to tell the story of he and Johnny heading to the swamp to catch snapping turtles.  Seems that Armstrong Cork Company, a few blocks from Jerry's house on Manheim Ave., would dump some of their debris in a field close to the swamp.  Jerry and Johnny would sort through the debris and find pieces of cork which they would attach to pieces of wood to make a raft suitable for floating on the swamp.

Another photo of the swamp as it appears today.

They would float across the two-foot deep swamp and jab a wooden pole into the soft dirt below the raft.  When they would strike something hard they knew they had struck a turtle resting in the mud at the bottom of the swamp.  They would pry the turtle loose and get it to come to the surface and would wrap baling wire around the legs or head of the turtle.  Eventually they would pull the turtle onto the raft and secure it so they could search for more.  After getting four turtles they would work their way back to the edge of the swamp and fasten the turtles to their poles which they would place over their shoulders with a turtle attached to either end.  Jerry doesn't remember how large they might have been, but for a 10 or 12 year-old boy they were immense.  

I worked my way deeper into the swamp
and found an old tire tied to a branch
which was probably used for swinging.

They would climb the Armstrong metal bridge over the Pennsylvania Railroad tracks and walk a few blocks to Adelphia Seafood store where they would collect the large sum of 50 cents per turtle.  Big money for boys in elementary school.  I could see the excitement in Jerry's eyes as he described the swamp memories from his past.  I felt like I had missed out on so much excitement from my youth by not having a come-back swamp story, but my mom wouldn't allow me to visit the Dillerville swamp let along fashion a raft from sticks and cork and catch snapping turtles.  Almost sounds like a Tom Sawyer adventure doesn't it.  Well, we studied the image on my computer and determined where the swamp used to be.  Today it has been decreased in size by roads and industrial development, but it still remains and will always remain, since it has been protected by the local government.  I took a trip to what remains of the swamp to document what it looks like today.  As I was taking my photos I began to imagine a floating raft with two young boys working their way through the swamp, searching for snapping turtles and hoping one might be me.  Oh, the memories of past years!  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.