The "History Coming Back To Life In A Medal" Story

Drawing by Mike Abel showing
what the medallooked like from 1919.

It was an ordinary day.  Looking at a drawing of the 1919 Lancaster, Pennsylvania "Welcome Home Medal" that was awarded to everyone who returned home from overseas during World War I.  The medal was made of bronze and attached to a blue and white ribbon.  It weighed 18.15 grams and measured 1.5 inches at its widest point and 3 inches from bottom to top.  The medal hung from a "V" shaped ribbon which was dark blue on the left side and white on the right side.  Two bronze rings connected the ribbon to the medal.  The medal was shaped like a five-armed cross with the arms being equally spaced around the exterior.  Each arm on the medal looked like the cross-section of a mushroom which when folded looked like a rose petal.  In the center of the medal was a crest of Lancaster, Pennsylvania, which looks very much like the crest of Lancaster, England.  The English crest had a ship on the top, a plow in the middle and a sheaf of wheat at the bottom.  The Lancaster, Pennsylvania crest had a few changes with a Conestoga Wagon replacing the ship, three round balls from the Penn family coat of arms instead of the plow and three sheaves of wheat on the bottom.  The crest has a "crown" at the tip with a design that also includes the Penn Family arms.  The House of Lancaster in England had a red rose as its symbol and the new medal features a rose with the new crest in the middle of the rose.  Above the crest are the words "WELCOME HOME" while "LANCASTER PA is below the crest.  On either side is the number 19 for the year 1919.  On the rear is the initials of the manufacturer, JFA (J. Francis Apple) which at one time stood at 336 South West End Avenue.  The medal was made by using a steel die and stamped into the medal.  The medal was produced to give to returning service men and women who resided in Lancaster, PA.  I found a story about the medal in a 1995 Lancaster County Historical Society Journal telling about the medal and saying that the medal was awarded by the city of Lancaster and not the United States Army.  The story was written by Carl J. Tishler and featured a piece of artwork showing the medal which was drawn by Mike Abel.  The medal was given out to all who had earned it without charge.  Mr. Tishler tried to locate a copy of the medal by visiting antique dealers in the Lancaster area, but without luck.  Many other states and cities produced medals to give to returning servicemen and servicewomen.  

The seal of Lancaster, Pennsylvania.

It was thought that since the crest of the city of Lancaster, PA was only 12 years old at the time, it would be a good way to show off the crest and to honor the troops.  And, the medal was meant to tell the story of civic pride and patriotism in Lancaster.  I did find the seal of the City of Lancaster on a building in downtown Lancaster which resembles the drawing I found in the Historical Society book.  The interior of the seal resembles the drawing made by Mike Abel.  Mementos such as this bring history back to life.  I only wish I could have found one and perhaps matted and framed it for the owner.  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.