The "A True Scholar Tries To Explain Luther And His Writings To Me" Story

Foreword:  I have written a few thousand stories over the past ten years for the blog you are reading, but my story today is one that I'm not sure I am qualified to write.  The minister whom I had visited recently to talk about Bibles and book binding has intelligence that I can only dream about having.  Rev. Adam Morton received me with enthusiasm and was very interested in the family Bible I handed him, but the knowledge he possesses about Martin Luther and his writings, the German language, bookbinding and Christianity in general left me behind as if I had never studied any of the topics before.  He is an amazing young man who made me feel part of the conversation as well as asking me a few times about a variety of topics.  But, I was mostly lost in the dust as we talked!  Therefore, I'm not sure I can do him justice with the following story, but the tale I have to tell might at least make you interested in the topics they will cover.  Let's see...

The family pages on which you can report births
and deaths.  I had found a carnation as well as a
clipping from the newspaper when I first viewed it.

It was an ordinary day.  Just pulled out my old family Bible to see if Adam could help me understand a bit more about the history of the "German Die Bibel" which was printed in 1846 in Philadelphia, PA.  And, why would I ask this associate pastor at Trinity Lutheran Church in Lancaster, Pennsylvania?  Well, he holds several Master's degrees as well as a start on a Doctorate in Theology, and a recent newspaper article about him made me think he would be the person to answer my questions.  Adam Morton is a very refined young gentleman who appears to be much younger than his reported 40 years of age, but he is a whiz with history and knowledge of Martin Luther and any publications associated with him.  He was able to give me a fair guess at a date for my Bible (I hadn't told him the date inside my Bible cover) by the style and usage of the German used in the Bible.  

Rev. Adam Morton holding a 1518 collection
of writings by Martin Luther.  The book on
his desk is an illustrated collection of
writings about Lutheranism from 1571.
Photo was taken by LNP photographer
Dan Marschka.

I initially called Adam after reading about him in Lancaster's newspaper's "The Scribbler" column written by Jack Brubaker in the August 14, 2019 newspaper.  Jack has been writing stories about Lancaster County and its residents for years in his "The Scribbler" column and when he posted his article about Adam, I knew I just had to make a visit.  Two books which were part of Trinity's archives were featured and after seeing photos taken by staff photographer Dan Marschka, I wanted to see them for myself to see how they may have been bound years ago.  One of the classes I taught in high school included book binding in which my classes made their own marbled paper for the end sheets of the book they folded and bound by sewing the paper signatures by hand with linen thread.  I was hoping to see how these two sixteenth century books had been bound. Well, when Adam and I finished examining my Bible, he pulled out the church's 1518 collection of writings by Martin Luther that they had just gotten back from a local bookbinder.  

The new binding on the right and the old cover that
he had taken off on the left.

The bookbinder did a very nice job of rebinding, but I personally would have chosen a different material and color for the cover of the book.  The book contained some of the very early writings by Luther including "Ad LeonemX", "Pontificem Maximun" and Martin Luther's "Ninety-five Theses."  Wow, just to hold this manuscript in my hands was remarkable.  How many scholars had opened these pages in the past few hundred years.  Rev. Morton found another one of the two volumes on his desk one morning when he came to work at Trinity Lutheran Church in center city Lancaster, Pennsylvania.  

This is the 1571 rare illustrated collection
of writings about Lutheranism.  It was
donated by D. Mellinger Swarr in 1885.

The book had been brought to his office by a church archivist.  It was titled "Corpus Doctrinae Christianae" and was a collection of early Lutheran writings.  It was published in Germany in 1571 which was 25 years after the death of Martin Luther.  In the book was a note dated 1885 which explained that the book was a gift from a Mr. D.M. Swarr.  Adam became interested in the book and began a search of the church's archives and found five more rare books that chronicled the early years of Lutheranism.  The majority of the books he had found were in a box labeled "Luther."  Another book contained the first-ever published collection of writings by Luther.  "Ad Leonem X, Pontificem Maximum" (To Pope Leo X) contained the famed "Ninety-five Theses."  Everything was in Latin and published in 1518 by Johann Frozen.  The book is one of only 15 known to exist.  

You may be able to read what was written in the book
that was donated by Mr. Swarr on February 6, 1985.

Most copies were ordered destroyed when Luther was declared a heretic and excommu- nicated.  Across the end of the book is written in Latin, "Beware."  Just to hold this manuscript was amazing.  A letter that accompanied the book told how Mr. Swarr had ordered the book from Berlin, Germany and had given it to his church in 1883, the 400th anniversary of Luther's birth.  The other books Adam had found were also donations from Swarr.  Seems that Mr. D. Mellinger Swarr was a Mennonite who had limited formal education.  He did know enough to realize the importance of the books he had in his possession.  

These are two illustrated pages of the Ten Commandments.

One of the books, a 1455 book that consisted of an oration of Aeneus Silvius, who later became Pope, was "stagger- ingly rare" according to Adam.  Mr. Swarr died in the early 20th century at the Lancaster County Home and is buried in Quarryville, PA.  So, why and how did this man donate these rather rare and beautiful books to his church.  Maybe Adam will be the one to eventually find the answer to that question.  Adam and I shared a few more stories about bookbinding and after a grateful "Thank-You" to Adam, I departed, relishing the time I had spent with this religious scholar.  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.
  
Postscript:  My notes from my visit are lengthy, but as I began to write, I realized how much I didn't know and understand that Adam had shared with me.  Therefore, my story is limited to what I was sure were correct facts and not just nonsense that might alter history. 

The "Fishing Around For A Good Laugh!" Story

It was an ordinary day.  Just came back from the grocery store known as Stauffer's of Kissel Hill which is between the town of Lititz and city of Lancaster, Pennsylvania.  A full-service grocery store, which my wife and I enjoy visiting weekly to purchase home-made items we can't find in other stores.  Though we don't purchase many items, it gives my wife, Carol, and myself a chance to get out and mingle and talk with the neighbors.  Carol used to comment about how my parents would go one day to this store and the next day to another store and the following day to yet another store.  She would tell me she hopes we don't act like that when we get old.  Guess what?   Sound familiar to those over 65, retired and reading this?  

Well, why I really enjoy going to Stuaffer's is to pick up the latest copy of the free publication known as "The Fishwrapper."  The publication is a 16 page, 8 1/2"x11" newspaper printed on nice white paper which is published bi-weekly.  They tell you that their objective is to bring positive news, inspirational articles and information everyone can use.  It got's it name from a practice done long ago when folks wrapped their fish in newspaper and the term caught on and became a slant at the newspaper itself.  One reason I enjoy it is that it is printed in 12 point type, and at times 14 pt. type which makes it easy to read.  Poetry, jokes, comics, puzzles, brain twisters, words-of-wisdom and plenty of advertisements accompany the half-dozen inspirational stories in the newspaper.  Takes about half-an-hour to read every page!  I have never before written about the paper, but today that will change after reading a 1/4 page story called "Chair Philosophy." Just have to share it with you to see if you think it to be as hilarious as I did.  So, here goes...in about the same size it was published...

An eccentric philosophy professor gave a one-question final exam after a semester dealing with a broad array of topics.  The class was already seated and ready to go when the professor picked up his chair, plopped it on his desk, and wrote on the board: "Using everything we have learned this semester, prove that this chair does not exist."  Fingers flew, erasers erased, notebooks were filled in curious fashion.  Some students wrote over 30 pages in one hour attempting to refute the existence of the chair.  One member to the class, however, was up and finished in less than a minute.  Weeks later when the grades were posted, the rest of the group wondered how he could have gotten an "A" when he had barely written anything at all.  His answer consisted of two words: "What Chair?"

I read it to my wife and her comment was...that's something you would have written.  My response to her was...Thank You!  I rest my case.  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.

The "The Legend Of The Albatwitch...It Really Is True! Story

It was an ordinary day.  Walking through the wooded hills along the west bank of the Susquehanna River in Columbia, Pennsylvania.  A bit to the north is the town of Marietta while Columbia lays to the south.  In the past I have written about the small park along the Susquehanna known as Chickies Rock County Park and the beautiful views one has of the mighty Susquehanna River from that location.  It's a short drive from the main highway to the park and the photographs you can take are remarkable.  But, there is a second parking lot along the main road which requires you find your way through the dense woods to the top of Chickies Rock.  And, that densely wooded area is said to be home to the dreaded Albatwitch (alba - twitch).  Now, I realize that the Albatwitch is just a local legend, but if you find you must walk through the woods, he becomes more real with every step and noise you experience.  

A photograph of an alleged Albatwitch taken
near Chickies Rock near Columbia, PA.

The Albatwitch is alleged to be a small (about 4 feet tall), manlike creature which supposedly lives in the wooded hills along the river.  At one time the Susquehannock Indian tribe roamed these hills and were said to have painted a small apelike monster on their war-shields.  Their home allegedly was at the base of Chickies Rock where the ruin of a village and burial grounds were found at one time.  Could the figure on their shields be the Albatwitch?   But, there have been other sightings of the Albatwitch all along the shores of the river in the area close to Columbia, PA.  The creature is named for the habit it is said to possess; that of being an "apple-snitch."  He, or she, has been known to have stolen apples from picknickers, occasionally throwing them at the startled people.  The creature has been sighted sitting in the treetops, coming down only to look for food.  But, the legend also says that the Albatwithes either became extinct or were driven nearly into extinction in the later years of the nineteenth century.  But, in the 1950s to the 1970s, a small manlike creature was once again sighted in the woods along the Susquehanna.  Plus, the crack of a whip also accompanies the sightings.  Could it be that the Albatwitch has returned?  A vague report concerning the sighting of a hairy humanoid came from Lancaster in 1973 with another report of a sighting in Annville (about 20 miles to the north) in the same year.  Across the Susquehanna, to the west, is the town of Wrightsvile which is part of York County.  They, too, have had sightings while looking across the river during times when leaves were off the trees.  I also read that the Pennsylvania Dutch brought the legend with them when they settled the area around the banks of the Susquehanna River.  The Albatwitch may be nothing more than Germanic folklore.  In the 21st Century, the Albatwitch has become a tourist draw to the area.  Reports of hairy creatures still abound, but nothing like the Albatwitch.  So, a group is now taking people on a "Ghosts of Columbia" walking tour.  That's after they offer them apple fritters, apple dumplings, caramel apples and apple pies.  I sure hope they know what the are doing!  The tour begins as dusk!  To tell you the truth, I don't care much to visit the area by myself anymore.  I make sure I have someone, such as my wife, make the trek with me from the car to Chickies Rock.  Just in case!  It was another extraoridnary day in the life of an ordinary guy.

The "The Seeing Eye" Story

It was an ordinary day.  Reading in the local newspaper about the death of Lancaster's "gentle giant" Charlie who died at the age of 17.  Charlie served the city of Lancaster, PA for 10 years as a city police horse and recently retired from service due to arthritis and declining health.  The difficult decision of euthanizing Charlie was finally made due to his health rapidly worsening.  Tough anytime you have to euthanize an animal, but when he or she is a working animal, it becomes even harder.  Much the same I suppose with a seeing eye dog who after years of service to it's master has to be euthanized.  I'm sure a special bond is made between a working animal and their master, but the fact that humans traditionally outlive animals by many years, it can be stressful knowing you may have to have several animals in your lifetime.  I recently read about the history of The Seeing Eye (the group that founded and introduced seeing eye dogs) which began in Europe in the 1920s.  Dorothy Harrison Eustis moved from Switzerland to the United States to set up a breeding and training facility for German shepherds.  She had bred and trained police dogs for years, and along with Elliott "Jack" Humphrey, an American trainer and geneticist, they developed a scientific approach to breeding and training dogs.  German soldiers, who were blinded during WWI, began experimenting with guide dogs in the 1920s that were taught specific skills in German schools.  Dorothy learned about these schools and wrote a story for The Saturday Evening Post.  She titled her story "The Seeing Eye" that was published on November 5, 1927.  She immediately began receiving letters asking how to obtain a guide dog.  Mr. Frank Morris, a 19 year old resident of Nashville, TN who had been blinded in an accident, wrote to her.  At the time Dorothy didn't train dogs herself, but decided to try and help Frank.  Frank not only wanted a dog for himself, but to help train dogs for the blind.  In 1928 Frank got his first guide dog, Kiss.  He changed her name to Buddy and over time had five more guide dogs...all named Buddy.  Frank and Buddy went through six weeks of training to teach both how to become a team.  The following year Dorothy and Frank established The Seeing Eye in Frank's hometown of Nashville.  

The founding of The Seeing Eye

Soon after Frank and Buddy traveled the United States acting as ambassa- dors for The Seeing Eye.  A class was started in 1929 and several graduates were able to demonstate the usefulness of a guide dog.  The Seeing Eye moved to Whippany, New Jersey in 1930 where a permanent location for training was established.  In 1965 the organization moved to Morris Township, New Jersey where student residences, a veterinary clinic and kennels were located.  Since 1929 more than 16,000 partnerships between the blind and their seeing eye dog have been created in the US and Canada.  This past year the 90th anniversary of The Seeing Eye was celebrated.  So, how do the dogs do it?  They don't see colors as we do, so a traffic light means nothing to them.  During training, the owner of the dog learns to judge movement of traffic by sound.  They will command the dog "forward" at the appropriate time and the dog will carry out the command only if it safe to do so, since they have also been trained about motion.  This is called "intelligent disobedience."  

The seeing eye dog is recognizing motion

Usually the blind person will know their community and can direct their partner with commands such as "forward," "right," etc.  In new locations the blind will ask directions and communicate them to their dog with commands.  Have you ever tried to walk with your eyes closed?  Fall over stuff immediately?  It is amazing how an animal and person can bond where they both trust each other to the point of a "life or death" situation being resolved.  Thanks to Dorothy, Elliott and Frank for seeing the need and being able to develop The Seeing Eye.  It has been a gift for those who are blind so they can live a better life.  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.

The "The 'Tranells' From Lancaster, Pennsylvania" Story

It was an ordinary day.  Searching online to find yet another rock and roll band that had its roots in Lancaster, Pennsylvania.  A few days ago I wrote about the rock and roll band known as "The Crystalaires" who lost the majority of their members to a horrible automobile accident, but rebuilt the band and had a few memorable recordings to their credit.  Well, a few days ago I came across another top-notch rock and roll band that made a few recordings and also gained a few weeks of fame on the national market.  The band was known as "The Tranells" and recorded on the Chelton label in 1964.  The Tranells' members hailed mostly from Lancaster City's J.P. McCaskey High School.  They practiced in a house on Christian Street that was owned by "Uncle Herbie" Lynch.  The year was 1962.  The house where I lived for most of youth was on North Queen Street in Lancaster.  The street behind our house was Christian Street.  Could it be that I may have heard the music coming from a nearby garage and didn't recognize the sound of The Tranells?  The founder of the band was Chet Stewart who at one time played in The Crystalaires.  

The Tranells from Lancaster, Pennsylvania.

Other members of The Tranells were vocalists Joanie who was Chet's sister, Jimmy Jackson and Howard Washing- ton.  Musicians were Ernie Jamison and Harold Sheetz on lead guitar, Clyde Lucas and David McPhail on keyboards, Harry Wilkerson on bass, Al Gates on sax and Buddy Gantz on drums.  The band was originally called the Phoenicians, but was changed to The Tranells since it had a nice sound.  A posting says: The group was Central Pennsylvania's version of a Motown act, with a spit-and-polish, clean-cut image; well-dressed, no smoking or drinking, always polite and never late.  They were an interracial band strong in doo wop. In 1963 they recorded at the Sound Plus Studios in Philadelphia.  They recorded their hit on the Chelton label in 1964.  Those record collectors that have copies of their work have records which are today considered very rare.  Their biggest hit was on the Chelton label and titled "Come On And Tell Me" with the "B" side sound called "The Music Swayed."  The local radio station, WLAN, published their weekly "Swingin '60 Survey" and in the week of May 23, 1964, the #17 song on the list was "Come On And Tell Me."  The top 4 songs that week were "You've Lost That Lovin' Feelin'" by the Righteous Brothers, "She Loves You" by the Beatles, "I Get Around" buy the Beach Boys and "Baby Love" by The Supremes.  Some top-notch groups to compete against in the city of Lancaster.  I searched for a time when they may have disbanded, but found nothing.  Guess I should be happy that I had a chance to hear one of the best "Oldies" bands in the area.  It was another extraoridnary day in the life of an oridnary guy.

The "Son-In-Law Test" Story

Our daughter at the age of 4.

It was an ordinary day.  March 7, 1996 and our daughter, Brynn, was expecting her boyfriend of a couple months for supper to meet her mom and dad.  Big day in any daughter's life let along an evening where her mom and dad had

prepared a special test he had to take before being offered supper.  Test was known as the "WOODS' FAMILY BOYFRIEND TEST".  Brynn had meet this young man in a children's literature class at Millersville University where they were both students in the Elementary Education Curriculum.  She had a few dates with him and finally asked him to supper to meet her parents.  Hey, I'm sure a free home-cooked meal looked great to him so he told her he was all in for the meal.  Well, he didn't realize that before he would eat, he had to take a questionnaire and his answers would decide if he would eat that night.   The top of the questionnaire asked him his name, address, phone #, SS# and birthdate.  

Story in the local paper telling how Dave proposed to Brynn.
It is in my archives from Thursday, March 25, 2010.

What followed were 17 questions that would give us a look at his smarts and common sense as well as his sense of humor which is one of the most important traits in our family.   Well, didn't take long before we were sitting at the table having a good meal.  Recently, Brynn called and told her mom that she had just found the "Boyfriend Test" and had sent a copy to us.  So much fun to read the questions that he answered that March day.  A few of the questions were more important than others to me such as:  Question #2 which read - "Do you watch Leave it to Beaver?" which was one of my favorite childhood shows, #7 - "Have you ever eaten chicken pot pie?" which my wife is a pro at making, #13 - "What is one thing you must eat at every meal?" which was very important to me, and #17 - "Who is the greatest girl you ever met?"  

Brynn and Dave's Wedding day.

Well, he aced the test and we gave our approval and a little over a year later, on May 9th, they were married in Lancaster, Pennsyl- vania.  To this day I believe it was that test that gave us a look at what this young man had to offer our daughter.  Carol and I now have two fantastic granddaughters, Courtney and Camille.  Courtney will be entering college in the near future while Camille will be a high school junior next September.  I'm sure Dave knew the test was just an opening for him to meet his girlfriend's parents who happened to be his future in-laws.  It was one meal I know none of those involved in it will ever forget.  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.  PS - The "Official" WOODS' FAMILY BOYFRIEND TEST follows.... (click to enlarge)

The "A Visit To Lancaster In The Sixties: Part II - the 1860s, 1760s & 1660s" Story

It was an ordinary day.  Sorting through my photographs and my mind, trying to approach today's story in a logical direction.  

Entrance into the display

Yesterday I shared with you information about Lancaster in the 1960s as shown in the exhibition at the Lancaster Historical Society along President Ave. in Lancaster, Pennsylvania.  The exhibit is called "LANCASTER in the SIXTIES" and has hundreds of documents, posters, photographs and visual memories which tells what life was like in the 1660s, 1760s, 1860s and 1960s.  I chose to start yesterday with the 1960s, since there wee many more pieces of history to show from that time period.  Today I will show you what Lancaster was like in the other three hundred years...beginning with the 1860s.  Follow along as I take you on a journey back in time to when life was more simple and less frantic as it perhaps is today.  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.

The 1860s

This map of Lancaster is hand colored showing townships, city and borough boundaries, many which still remain today.  A few buildings are noted such as Wheatland, home of James Buchanan.  Click on images to enlarge them.

General John Reynold's gauntlets and sash dated 1861-1863 can be seen here.
John Reynolds graduated from the US Military Academy at West Point as an officer in 1841 and served in the American Civil War playing a key roll in sending the Army of the Potomac to the Battle of Gettysburg and was killed at the start of the battle.  He was buried in Lancaster Cemetery on July 4, 1863.

This is a tin type of James Flagg who was a soldier in the Civil War.
Many tin types such as this still exist and are collectibles for historians as well as family members.

This is a map from the Underground Railroad from "Slavery to Freedom".  The map highlights the paths taken by people escaping slavery.  These freedom seekers stopped in Lancaster City at points of safety, such as the home of Thaddeus Stevens or perhaps in the farmhouse owned by Daniel and Hannah Gibbons on the east end of the city.

Thaddeus Stevens' chair that he brought with him from his iron furnace in Caledonia which was between Gettysburg and Chambersburg.  On their way north the Confederate soldiers burned the furnace complex.  It was said Mr. Stevens was a target since he was a known sympathizer to the slaves.  Also can be seen is the boot that was worn by Thaddeus Stevens for his deformed leg.  Physical deformity was seen as a sign from God that the family had committed some serious sins. Such a deformity was called the mark of the devil, and as a consequence, the family was ridiculed and shunned.  By wearing this boot, it was less noticeable that Thaddeus had a club foot.

This painting, dated 1867, is of James Buchanan and was painted at Wheatland. the home of James.  This was painted 15 months before his death on June 1, 1868.

This slant-tool desk was owned by James Buchanan.  The desk has a top of green felt to provide a smooth writing surface.  It was said to have been in his library at Wheatland.  President Buchanan retired to Wheatland in 1861 and used this desk to write the drafts of his book, "Mr. Buchanan's Administration on the Eve of the Rebellion."

With 14 breweries manufacturing 775,000 gallons of beer annually, Lancaster earned the nickname of  "Little Munich" in 1868.  The four largest breweries were Haefner Empire, Wacker Eagle, Sprenger Excelsior and Rieker's Star Brewery.

Tobacco jar from Demuth Tobacco Shop.  Tobacco became a major cash crop in Lancaster County in the 1860s. The Demuth family opened its shop in the city in 1770 and continued operations until 2010.  It was America's oldest tobacco store. 

The 1760s

This is a 1767 blanket chest, maker unknown.  It was made for Johan Philip Greenawalt.  Pennsylvania Germans often ornamented objects used in daily life with bright colors, images from nature and depictions of Biblical stories.  Did you notice the "1  7  6  7" across the top to the chest?

This lithograph tells the story of the 1763 attack by the Paxton Gang against the  local tribe of Susquehannock peoples, called "Conestogas" by the English.  This print was created 78 years after the fact, demonstrating the lasting effect the event had on future generations.

This is the lock and key for the jail where the massacre occurred as pictured above.   Lancaster's Fulton Theatre and Opera House now occupies the spot where the violence took place.  

This desk and bookcase was made in 1755 by an unknown maker.    It belongs to the Jenkins family who were owners of Windsor Forge in Churchtown.  They prospered through the iron trade and lived comfortably as demonstrated by this handsome desk/bookcase.

The stove plate was made at Elizabeth Furnace in Lancaster County.  Forges relied on the labor of enslaved people to produce pig iron and other products.

This is a silhouette of Joseph Simon who was a Jewish pioneer and merchant.  He participated in expeditions as far as the Mississippi and helped establish Lancaster as a center for exploration, trade and settlement.  Mr. Simon supplied the Continental Army with arms and equipment.  He did direct that after his death that his Torah scrolls and silver ceremonial objects be given to the "Synagogue of the Jews in Philadelphia."  Perhaps the Jewish community in Lancaster was too small to make good use of the items.

The 1660s

Sitting below the grinding stone are two projectile points the are sometimes called arrowheads.  They were found on the property known as White Chimneys in western Lancaster County.  The projects would have been used for hunting while nuts and seeds would have been ground in the stone.  

This is the Eby Family Bible.  the Bible was already 125 years old when the Eby family arrived in Lancaster in 1715.  Theodorus Eby, born in 1663, fled his Mennonite family in Switzerland and when William Penn offered land to persons of all religious denominations, Theodorus and his family emigrated to America along with this Bible.  They settled in Mill Creek, Lancaster County, at a place known as Roland's Mill near New Holland, PA. 

This is a legal book from Jasper Yeates Law Library.  This early law volumn contains important components of English laws.  A law book such as this helped attorneys such as Mr. Yeates craft the laws of the new nation.  These books also revealed a great deal about life and justice in 1660s England.

Martyr's Mirror of Defenseless Christians is from the time of Christ to the year 1660.  It was printed for Jacobus Savry in 1660.  The columns describe the persecution and execution of Christians from New Testament times through the time of its publication in 1660.  Aside from the Bible, it is the most important religious book found in Anabaptist and Mennonite homes throughout the world.

These are a bowl, paint cup and cook pot.  They are from 1620-1680 era and from the Susquehannock or Lenape tribes.  Few pieces survive which makes these rather rare.  The large grinding bowl is a good example of pre-European technology in North America.

This print is titled "The Massacre of Huguenots" by the Catholic Population at Sea in 1562.  It is an etching that depicts the violence endured by Protestats in Continental Europe an the hands of Catholic neighbors.  The time period would be before and after the Thirty Years' War (1618-1648).  Moravians, Mennonites, Peitists, Baptists, Huguenots and German Quakers left France and Germany when those states demanded participation in a state religion

The "A Visit To Lancaster In The Sixties: Part I - the 1960s" Story

Foreword:  Sitting in the lobby of the Lancaster Historical Society building along President Avenue in Lancaster, Pennsylvania talking with a fellow whom I hadn't seen since my college years at Millersville State Teacher's College.  I was about to leave the museum when I looked across the lobby and there was Leroy Hopkins; or should I say Dr. Leroy Hopkins.  We met in the mid-1960s when we both were undergraduates at Millersville.  We were both commuters and ate lunch together at the "Rat Race" which was an upstairs restaurant in the middle of the campus.  Played a few games of pool and darts with him during our couple of years meeting for lunch.  Dr. Hopkins is now retired from Millersville University where he was the chair of the Language department.  We had an interesting conversation and in about 20 minutes his ride arrived and we wished each other a good-bye.  My meeting was an added surprise to my visit to see the current exhibition at LancasterHistory which is titled "Lancaster in the Sixties."  It features displays from the 1660s, 1760s, 1860s and 1960s.  I spent the best part of an afternoon or so walking through the exhibition, taking photographs of some of my favorite memories, hoping to share them with you today.  The following story will take you back in history over 450 years to a time, or should I say times, when life was quite a bit different than what it is today.  Hope I have selected a few items that will be of interest to you.

It was an ordinary day.  Standing in front of the display that features stories of the city of Lancaster, Pennsylvania in the 1960s.  The 1960’s in Lancaster featured a revolution in woman’s rights, rock and roll music, equal rights for Black Americans, the Viet Nam War and urban renewal.  Woman’s roles in society were rapidly changing in the 1960s with the National Organization for Women being established in 1966 to support and reinforce women’s rights.  Also championed were women’s health issues and reproductive rights.  With that came a greater access to higher education for all women.  Millersville State Teacher’s College, where I had gone to school in the early 1960s had already become coeducational in the previous century, but Ivy League colleges as well as our local Franklin & Marshall College went coed.  In 1968 the president of F&M, Keith Spaulding, created a task force to explore coeducation.  The following year, when nearly half the students enrolled in colleges and universities across the nation were women, F&M admitted its first female students. In the summer of 1963 Black Americans marched for equal rights.  In Lancaster’s Rocky Springs Amusement Park, were Black residents were not allowed to swim in the pool, a protest with more than 60 people, black and white, marched outside the park carrying signs and American flags. On December 1, 1969 the Selective Service System of the United States conducted two lotteries to determine the order of call to military service.  As I looked over the display of Viet Nam memoribilitia, I saw a familiar face in Tom Heckles who I knew from St. James Episcopal Church.  He was in the service during the Viet Nam War and photos of him were part of the diaplay in the museum.  The following are just a few photos showing life in the 1960s in Lancaster County, PA.

PS - Tomorrow will feature stories from the 1660s, 1760s and the 1860s.

"We've Gone Co-Ed" poster from 1969.  Students in
this poster portray the various reactions to
Franklin & Marshall College going co-ed.
Click on images to enlarge them.  

This is an advertisement that appeared in Time Magazine, May 23, 1969
advertising the Franklin & Marshall College is now open to women.

Co-ed class members look at the poster on a tree on the campus of Franklin & Marshall.

March on Washington, August 28, 1963.  As women found their public voices,
they joined protest movements across the nation from free speech to ant-war to
Civil Rights.  Pictured here is Betty Tompkins who championed many causes
during her life.  This photograph shows Betty at the Martin Luther King Jr.s
March on Washington.  Mrs. Tompkins, as I knew her, was a member of St. James
Episcopal Church and knew my parents very well.  I was good friends with
her son who sang in the church choir with me.  

Black and whites both marched in front of Rocky Springs Amusement Park
in 1963 to protest that Blacks were not allowed to swim in their public pool.

This Emmy Award was presented to The Radio Corporation
of America (RCA) for developing the innovative "image orthicon
tube" to improve broadcast of images.  This technology was used widely
in TV broadcasts throughout the 20th century.  It was also used by NASA
to capture images of space during the "Space Race" of the 1960s.
RCA was located in Lancaster, PA, about six blocks from my home
in nearby Grand View Heights.

These Jungle Boots and Combat Helmet belonged to Dr. C. Darrell Lane who joined the U.S. Army
in 1963, and volunteered to go to Vietnam in June of 1968.  He was a Major in the Army Medical
Corps.  His young family stayed behind in nearby Bowmansville, PA while he spent a year serving
in Vietnam where he was stationed in Saigon.

This letter was written by Tom Heckles who served with the SeaBees Mobile
Construction Battalion 1 of the United States Navy from 1966-1967 in
Da Nang, Vietnam.  He volunteered for the service.  Tom is a good friend who
also is a member of St. James Episcopal Church.  The photograph below
shows Tom on the right of the photo.

This was the front page of the local newspaper the day after
the draft lottery was held for the first time.

The Beatles and Rolling Stones arrived on American shores in 1964, launching
what became known as the British Invasion.  Stan's Record Bar in downtown Lancaster
was a favorite hangout for me during my college years as I bought many 45s for my
record player.  In 1961 Lancaster TV station WGAL premiered "Dance Party" which
went along with Philadelphia's "Bandstand."  The jitterbug was the big dance craze of the era.
In Lancaster, Roy and Gene Clair had just opened their new business using a PA system they purchased
from their father.  Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons arrived at Franklin & Marshall College
while on tour in 1966 and used The Clair Brothers for their sound.  They became one of
the biggest sound companies in the world.  They now have a huge complex in nearby
Lititz, PA known as "Rock Lititz".  Roy was a classmate of mine at Millerwsville State
Teachers College in the mid-1960s and purchased sound systems for the
stereo units we each had built in the wood shop at the college.

The two above photos show urban renewal in Lancaster, PA in the 1960s.
The mayor's office decided to tear down one of Lancaster's most treasured hotels
and replace it with what was known as the "concrete jungle".  Today, most of the new
buildings in the 100 block of North Queen Street are still an eyesore for the community.