The "A Hero's Tribute...Framed For Life!" Story

It was an ordinary day.  Just arrived at Grebinger Gallery and there sitting on the work table was a rather unusual project that I knew would take quite a few hours to complete.  On the work bench was a 5X7 photo of a military veteran with the last name of Page.  I have done many of these memory boxes over the 20+ years I have been working for a former student of mine at Manheim Township High School, but I have never done a job for a female member of the armed forces.  Pretty neat to see all the medals, ribbons and name tag that were laying on the work table along with her Army insignia and a red flag labeled Task Force Medical Falcon.  After talking with my boss, Keith, I began by figuring what size frame was needed to accommodate all of the awards that sat in front of me.  After I determined a size I cut a piece of conservation foamboard on which I would place a piece of white conservation mat board which was the color of the customer's choice.  Follow along with me as I show you by photographs the steps I followed to achieve the final results.  Click on images to enlarge them.  Some steps I'm sure I forgot to photograph, but I believe you will get the idea as to how I finished the project in about four hours.  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.

All the materials needed for the project placed in the position I plan to use them.

I cut a double mat 30 inches across and 18 inches deep with openings for the
planned items.  I attached the top mat to the bottom mat and cut a piece of
conservation mounting board also. 

On the conservation mounting board I placed a piece of white mat board
and then began to build the sides and center piece to the height
needed to accommodate depth the medals and pins. I fastened the
photo to a piece of conservation board so it
 would be the same height as the side pieces. 

This photo show how I fastened the pieced of foam to the bottom board.

I fastened the name and U.S. ARMY on the right side inside the space allotted with
clear fishing line and fastened all the medals and bars with either fishing line or
hot glue.  Nothing is used that can't be removed if the recipient wanted to take it
all apart at some time in the future.  The red flag was sewn with fishing line on
all corners as well as the center of the flag on the right side.  The three patches alolng
the bottom were all sewn in place with fishing line.

This shows the back of the project.  You can see that some places I was able to sew
and tie the line together in the rear while on other items I had to run the fishing line
through the same hole and then use a button to place each line in a hole so I could
tie it in place.  The metal pieces you see were the bars I placed along with a bit of hot glue.

Nest I was ready for the frame which was about 1/2" in width and two inches in depth.
After cutting the 45 degree corners I glued and used  fasteners to hold it together.
When it was dry, I cut a piece of Museum Glass for the opening.  Museum Glass
is non-reflective as well as protective of that is behind it.  It will not allow the items
and colors to fade.  You don't see any reflection from the glass.

I placed the job, face down, into the frame and used a special gun to drive in pins
to hold the project in place.

Around the edge I used the yellow tape gun, seen at the top right,
to place a layer of double-sided tape around the edge and then stretched
a piece of Kraft paper on the back to keep out critters from eating anything.

Final step was to add the labels for the gallery at the bottom and place
Wall Buddies on the top for hanging.  Because of the weight, I didn't
feel that picture wire was safe enough to support the weight of the job.  

The final result.  I'm sorry I didn't get a better photograph since the light bar above
 it was so intense that it showed.  Normally lights or sunlight from a window would
not be seen, but in this case the bar was so close and just at the right
angle to be seen.  I'm sure the customer will love the final result.
I did...and it will look great hanging on her wall.

The "The Soul Man: A True Hero!" Story

It was an ordinary day.  That was until Stanley Gantz became an instant star in Lancaster, Pennsylvania!  Stanley is a Lancaster General Hospital Maintenance Housekeeper who loves to sing while he works.  A few nights ago he was featured on the late night talk show, "Jimmy Kimmel Live."  Filling in for Jimmy on Friday evening was comedian and actor Sebastion Maniscalo who talked with Stanley via videoconference.  

Smokey Robinson talks with Stanley Gantz on videoconference.

Sebastion and Stanley talked about all of the special precautions health care employees must take as they clean the hospital during the recent COVID-19 pandemic.  Then, out of the blue, Maniscalo said to Stanley that he heard he was known as "Soul Man" in the halls of the hospital.  Brought a big smile to Stanley's face.  Stanley said he has worked at the hospital for over 10 years and enjoys singing while he works, especially the songs of renowned singer Smokey Robinson, who Stanley had once seen in concert. Stanley was urged on and began to sing part of the Robinson song, "My girl."  All of a sudden the screen went from two images to three images with Smokey Robinson filling the third screen.  The look on Stanley's face was of pure surprise and shock.  Smokey sang with Stanley for a few bars until Stanley was unable to continue.  He said, "I think I need a drink," as he pulled a bottle of water from a nearby table and took a drink.   Stanley said, "Hey!  How you doin' Smokey?"  Stanley had the biggest smile on his face, as you can imagine.  Smokey said, "Hey, I appreciate you my brother.  Thank you, when you go around the hospital, for singing my songs...You're the man!"  Stanley later said he was a bit nervous at first to see Smokey, but he got over it.  Then Smokey said to Stanley, "God bless you for what you do, man.  God bless you and everybody at the hospital...all the workers, and people who take care of all the people there, especially with the virus going around like it is."  Smokey then told him that he was going to send him a signed copy of his 1963 album, "Time Out With Smokey Robinson and the Miracles."  Smokey asked him if he had a turntable he could use to listen to it.  "Yeah, but I ain't goin to play it!"  Then Sebastion told him that "Green Goo" was also going to donate hand-sanitizer as well as salves to the hospital in his name.  But wait, he was also sending Stanley a check for $10,000 to use as he saw fit for all he does for the hospital and the patients and workers in the hospital.  Stanley Gantz is a true hero who we very seldom ever hear about, until today.  What a neat guy who seems to always have a smile on his face.  If only everyone could be like Stanley Gantz, the world would be a truly wonderful place.  Thank you from me also, Stanley for putting my home town of Lancaster in the news with your wonderful performance.  You certainly are a "Soul Man."  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.

The "A Few Lancaster Treasures: Part I" Story

It was an ordinary day.  Reading a few of my favorite Lancaster Facebook pages and found a few locations and people whom I had never heard about before.  As I opened one post on "Remember When.....in Lancaster, PA,"  I found a few old color postcards that displayed scenes in what was known as Barrose Terrace in Lancaster.  I'm not sure if the postcards were reproductions of color photograph or hand-tinted black and white photographs.  The postcards were amazing and of a place in Lancaster that I never knew existed.  The postcards belonged to Cynthia Douts Roth and she posted them on the Facebook page.  She also wrote that she had never heard of the place and did some research so she could write about the postcards she was posting.  The garden was built by Ulysses Grant Barr who was also one of the organizers of Lancaster's Media Heights Golf Club.  The garden was located just past the golf club where Mr. Barr resided.  He was employed by the local hardware store of Reiley Bros. & Raub for sixty years.  In 1928 workmen began to blast rock to form the different levels of the flower garden.  It took four years to complete the entire garden.  Flowers and shrubs of all kinds filled the levels of the garden.  Mr. Barr was said to have planted 32,000 evergreens around his home.  In 1933 fountains and lights were added.  Ms. Roth said that her grandfather helped with the planting and fountains.  The heyday of the garden was from 1928 to 1940 when four gardeners were on duty to keep the gardens in shape.  It then became too expensive to continue with the operation of the gardens.  I was born in the mid-1940s, but have no recollection of visiting the gardens during my lifetime.  Never even heard my parents talk about the gardens.  I'm sure they must have been beautiful judging from the post cards that were posted to the Facebook page.  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.

The "A Few Lancaster Treasures: Part II" Story

It was an ordinary day.  Leafing through a few more posts on "The Lancasterian" Facebook page when I came across another very interesting post that told the story of a relatively unknown Lancaster County artist by the name of Helen Cleland.  Helen and her husband, James, arrived in Lancaster County in 1955 and lived in both Akron and Lititz, nearby small towns.  Helen met and studied under local famed artist C.X. Carlson whom influenced her work.  Helen's best work came primarily between 1965 and 1969.  She preferred watercolor rather than oil, but she did a have a few oil paintings among her best work.  

Helen Cleland with one of her paintings.

Her paintings were executed in vibrant colors and featured traditional Lancaster County scenes which included farm and Amish scenes.  She did paint a few of the local historical sites such as Tritiny Lutheran Church, Ephrata Cloisters, Hans Herr House, Cornwall Iron Furnace and the Donegal Presbyterian Church.  Her work could be found at the Amish Farm and House on the Lincoln Highway and at the gift shop at the former Brunswick Hotel in Downtown Lancaster.  If you studied her work you would see the influence that C.X. Carlson had on her artistic development.  The prints that I have included in this story are paintings within the archive and library of History of Lancaster Rediscovered who owns more than 50 of Helen Cleland's paintings.  My mother took up watercolor painting in her later life and her work resembled that of Grandma Moses.  If you stretch it a bit, you might be able to see some of the work of Helen Cleland in my mother's painting also.  At least in my eyes!  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.

This watercolor and the three that follow were painted by Helen Cleland.

This final watercolor painting was done my my mother Dorothea Woods.

The "Hats Off To Alex!" Story

It was an ordinary day.  7:30 PM and one of my favorite shows is about to come on CBS.  I have been watching "Jeopardy" for years as probably many of you have been doing also.  It comes on CBS directly after 'Wheel of Fortune" which is another favorite of mine.  Pat Sajak and Alex Trebek are two of the most likable TV hosts and make watching the shows enjoyable.  My wife often tells me I should take the online test for Jeopardy, but I wouldn't stand a chance against the competition that you see night after night on the show.  Being a contestant on Wheel of Fortune would be a better fit for me and a few years ago I even saw their traveling bus about a block away from my house in a big parking lot, but I chickened out.  When I opened my email today I had an email that told me about Alex Trebek's new memoir, "The Answer is...: Reflections on My Life."  The Jeopardy! host, who recently turned 79, says he wrote the book for his many fans who have been cheering him on since he announced his battle with stage 4 pancreatic cancer in March of 2019.  Alex has hosted thousands of episodes of Jeopardy! since he debuted on the trivia show in 1984.  He holds a Guiness World Record for "the most game show episodes hosted by the same presenter."  Jeopardy! isn't the first show that Alex had hosted, but some only lasted a few months while others ran a few years.  At one time he hosted Jeopardy! and "Classic Concentration" at the same time.  I've had several friends who have also had stage 4 pancreatic cancer and managed to live varying amounts of time before dying.  Alex looks well on his TV broadcasts, but perhaps he doesn't feel as well as he looks some days.  I found a list of 30 memorable things that have been part of Alex's life which follow.  Some items I knew while others I had never heard of before.  Check out the list and say a prayer for Alex to stay healthy enough to stay with us for a few more years.  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.

1. Trebek was hired to host Jeopardy! by Merv Griffin in 1984 after he substituted for Chuck Woolery on Wheel of Fortune when Woolery was ill.
2. Trebek is an environmentalist, donating 74 acres of open land in the Hollywood Hills to the Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy.
3. He carried the Olympic torch in the run-up to the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta.
4. Trebek has played himself on TV shows, including The Magic School Bus, Cheers, The Golden Girls, The Simpsons and Orange Is the New Black.
5. In 2014, Trebek set the Guinness World Record for most game show episodes hosted by the same presenter (now well over 8,000), breaking the previous record held by Bob Barker.
6. He’s a tennis enthusiast who once purchased a home mainly because it had a tennis court.
7. A horse lover, Trebek once owned a 700-acre ranch in Creston, California (sold in 2008), where he raised thoroughbred racehorses.
8. His full name is George Alexander Trebek.
9. Trebek moved to the U.S. in 1973 and became a U.S. citizen in 1998.
10. The University of Ottawa, Trebek’s alma mater, named its alumni hall after him in 2015.
11. Trebek speaks five languages. The lofty linguist is fluent in English, Spanish, Italian, Russian and Swahili.
12. He’s handy around the house. “I refer to myself as Mr. Sprinkler Man because I’ve gotten good at repairing those,” Trebek says.
13. Trebek was born July 22, 1940. He is 79.
14. Trebek has been married twice. He was married to Elaine Callei from 1974 until 1981. In 1990, he married Jean Currivan.
15. Currivan and Trebek have two children, Matthew and Emily, together.
16. Trebek has suffered two heart attacks (in 2007 and 2011) but has never missed a show due to illness.
17. To lighten the mood during the tense 2005 Tournament of Champions (which included Ken Jennings), Trebek opened the show by walking out on set without his trousers.
18. Ever the philanthropist, he has toured with the USO 13 times.
19. For years, Trebek would have a Snickers and Diet Coke for breakfast.
20. In 1999, Trebek received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, near Vincent Price and Ann-Margret.
21. In addition to Jeopardy!, Trebek has hosted seven other game shows.
22. Despite fan approval of his new sporty new beard, Trebek shaved his facial hair in 2018. The reason? To please his wife. “We’ve determined that the winner is my wife, Jean. She voted for me to be clean-shaven and so, that’s it.”
23. He won his first of six Daytime Emmy Awards for Outstanding Game Show Host for Jeopardy! in 1989.
24. In 2011, Trebek was awarded the Daytime Emmy Awards’ Lifetime Achievement Award for his 27 years as the host of “Jeopardy!”
25. He reportedly brings in $10 million per Jeopardy! season, which brings his total net worth to around $75 million.
26. Trebek is under contract to host Jeopardy! until 2022.
27. In 2004, Trebek fell asleep at the wheel while driving his pickup truck on a rural road in California. His vehicle hit a string of mailboxes and flipped.
28. His favorite animal is the musk ox.
29. On November 22, 1963, Trebek was working booth duty as a staff announcer for the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation in Toronto. He says, “I was the one who read the UPI wire that confirmed the death of the president.”
30. As a young man, Trebek considered becoming a priest, spending a summer in a Trappist monastery.

The "Life & Times of Abraham de Peyster" Story

It was an ordinary day.  Just got back from a drive through the city of Lancaster, Pennsylvania with my wife.  At times we just hop in the car and begin driving through different parts of one of the most beautiful as well as historical cities in the United States.  Our ride this evening took us throughout the western end of town as well as along and through the campus of Franklin & Marshall College.  While driving past the new art building on campus, we passed a 15 foot tall bronze statue of a fellow by the name of Abraham de Peyster.  I told Carol that I had just read an article about the statue written by Lancaster Newspaper's "The Scribbler," Jack Brubaker.  So...I stopped to take few photographs of the statue for myself...just in case!  In case of what you are probably wondering... or maybe you have a good guess what I mean.  

Abraham de Peyster

Well, it seems that Mr. Abraham de Peyster was a fairly important person who lived in New York City and was their Mayor from 1691 to 1694.  He also served as Governor of New York from 1700-1701.   Mr. De Peyster was from a wealthy family and served in a number of public roles during his life, including stints as an alderman, Associate Judge and later Chief Justice on the province's Supreme Court.  He was also the President of the King's Council and the Treasurer for New York and New Jersey provinces.  He also served as a Colonel in the militia.    

Statue in the City of New York

He became one of early Manhattan's wealthiest merchants and philan- thropists.  He built a three-story mansion on Queen Street opposite Pine Street.  Around 1699 he donated some of his land holdings and part of his garden for the construction of a new city hall that was later renamed Federal Hall which at one time was the first capitol of the United States as well as the site of the first inauguration of George Washington as President.  A bit more about Mr. Peyster would be he married his second cousin on April 5, 1684 while visiting in Amsterdam.  His new wife was Catharina de Peyster and was the daughter of Pierre de Peyster and Gertrude Van Dyke.  He had four children and lived in the mansion he built in 1695.  Before his death in 1728 he commissioned the creation of a bell to be placed in the Middle Dutch Church, then under construction.  Cast in Amsterdam in 1731, the bell is known today as the "Liberty Bell" and is located at the Middle Collegiate Church.  

The sculpture on the campus of F&M

In the late 1890s a statue of Mr. de Peyster was sculptured by George Edwin Bissell and was placed in Bowling Green Park in Manhattan.  A duplicate of the statue was also donated by John Watts de Peyster to Franklin & Marshall College in Lancaster, Pennsylvania.  Mr. de Peyster's association with F&M began when the college's Diagnoithian Literary Society made him an honorary member in 1885.  He then gave the society part of his library and eventually donated $25,000 to the college to build the Watts-de Peyster Library, where Shadek-Frackenthal Library now stands.  That is the statue I took photographs of today.  Now, for one more bit of information that I suspect you knew was coming.  Mr. de Peyster employed 16 household servants, including nine slaves, to operate the house and its ample grounds.  

A closer view of the sculpture

The New York Salvery Records Index reported that he owned 13 slaves as well as co-owning ships that carried even more slaves from the Caribbean to New York. And, "The Scribbler" discovered that Mr. de Peyster and his son imported at least 85 slaves from 1717 to 1740 according to the Donnan Table of Slaveships and Slave Voyages.  And, that is what may become a major problem in the near future.  Lancaster is in the midst of changing the names of several schools and buildings in the city due to the "Black Lives Matter" initiative.  Will the Abraham de Peyster sculpture survive the outcry that has become the news of the day?  Lancaster has a small statue of Christopher Columbus that was spray painted, but later cleaned and is still standing next to the Lancaster Country Court House.  Will that also be removed since he had slaves in the past?  In today's newspaper there was a story about a panel of historians that met in Lancaster to talk about what should be done to right the wrong that has affected  blacks in the city of Lancaster for years.  Members of the panel, which was divided between different races, will talk about what should be done with renaming buildings and removing or keeping statues that have stood for years in the city.  It will be interesting to see what happens in the future of historic Lancaster.  Will the statue of Abraham de Peyster be removed?  I have no idea and I'm not sure how I feel about it.  I'm anxious to find out what will happen.  Only time will tell.  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.  

The "Warning To Drivers In Maryland: My Granddaughter Turned 16!" Story

It was an ordinary day.  June 23, 2020 and my youngest granddaughter, Camille, finally will be able to drive.  I can remember when I turned 16 and thought I was going to rule the roads of Lancaster now that I would be able to drive.  A few weeks after I turned 16 I went to the Lancaster State Police Barracks and got my driver's license.  A State Police Officer sat with me in my Dad's car while I drove it around the small test track behind the Police Barracks.  While driving, he asked me a few questions about my driving skills.  As we came back to the start, I had to prove to him I could parallel park the car.  Aced it and passed within 15 minutes.  Well, it is quite different today!  Camille was able to get her permit 3 months before she turned 16, but she then had to take a class on driving in a classroom, then take another behind-the-wheel class.  During that time she was able to drive the family car with her mom or dad sitting next to her.  Now that she is 16, she must wait another 9 months before she can take her driver's test with a certified test driver so she can drive by herself.  Now, that's provided she passes the test in 9 months!  Wow, I had already demolished my first car before she will be able to drive by herself.  Now, I wasn't in the car when a drunk driver demolished it, but it still seems quite a long time before she will be able to drive by herself.  Tough to think that little Camille will be driving.  I can still remember seeing her for the first time.  She was the cutest little baby.  Seems like so long ago that I held her in my arms.  She has turned into a beautiful young girl who has given my wife and I so many happy memories.  Follow along with my Camille photo album as I give you an idea of how active Camille has been in her young life.  And...a Very Happy Birthday to a wonderful Granddaughter!  Love You, Camille!  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.

Our daughter Brynn with our Granddaughter Camille.

Camille after winning an award at a swim meet.

Camille had just finished a story that I published on this blog site.
Camille is the only person, other than myself, who has published
a story on this blog site.  Date was in 2010.

2011 and Camille has lost her two front teeth.

Graduation from Elementary School.  Camille celebrates with her Amah and Tampa. 

2013.  One of my favorite photos of Camille

2013.  Camille never met a challenge she couldn't conquer.

2014.  Camille was my photo buddy on many
historical excursions.  This one was near Frederick, Maryland.

Ocean City New Jersey.  Still can't believe she could do this!  And, she landed on her feet!

2016.  She tried just about every sport that had been invented.

And even loved fishing near Ocean City, NJ

Her school team needed a goalie...she volunteered and didn't allow a single goal
the entire season.  First time the coach ever had a team that didn't have
a goal scored against them.  She even outdid her mom who was a star goalie in high school.

One of my favorite photographs of Camille.
Taken by her neighbor Terri Beach.

Recent photo of Camille and friend Nayla.

Camille celebrating her 16th birthday with her sister Courtney (next to her), friend Carleigh across from her and another friend, Ally across from Courtney.  Nala, the family dog is waiting for the scraps under the table.,

Her banana-split birthday cake.  She really is older than 7!

The "The Ship Of Inland Commerce & The Bicentennial Celebration!" Story

It was an ordinary day.  My story today dates back to the early 1700s as well as the mid-1970s when the Bicentennial Wagon Train Pilgrimage traveled through the state of Pennsylvania.  Lancaster has been known for many years as the home of the Conestoga Wagon which was thought to have been introduced to the New World by German settlers.  June of 2019 saw me visit a display of local crafts from Colonial America in the town of Lititz, PA.  It was on that Saturday in June that I found an old student of mine who was standing in front of his Conestoga wagon in an alleyway in Lititz.  

Art's Conestoga wagon

Fellow's name was Art Reist and we spent the best part of an hour talking about his Conestoga wagon he was standing next to, and how he takes it to shows around the area to show those who live in the County, as well as visitors to the area, one of the earliest means of transportation.  Art's father, Art Sr., was also a teacher, but was also a wagon master of the Conestoga wagon.  His booklet titled, "Conestoga Wagon, Masterpiece of the Blacksmith", tells of the various seasoned woods such as oak, hickory and black gum which were used in the wagon aa early as 1716.  His book also tells of William Penn being the first to coin the term "Conestoga wagon" in an account book on New Year's Eve of 1717.  

Mr. Reist's book on the Conestoga wagon

Mr. Penn had just purchased one of the vehicles from James Hendricks who lived in what has become the village of Conestoga, thus the name!  The wagons evolved from one-horse teams to teams of up to six horses that were capable of carrying tons of freight, even down mountainsides.  The wagons were raised on both ends to prevent spillage of their cargo while traveling over rocky roads.  The front wheels of a Conestoga wagon are smaller than those in the back for easier turning, and all four wheels are wide enough to prevent rutting.  The popular wagons carried most of the settlers and freight that moved westward over the Allegheny Mountains from the time of the Revolution until the middle of the 19th Century.  It was back in 1974 that the Pennsylvania Bicentennial Unit ordered 62 built for a cross country Pilgrimage to celebrate the 1976 Bicentennial.  But, where can you buy, or even build, 62 wagons?  They took their request to the Lancaster County Amish craftsmen.  But, it proved to be too tough for even the Amish wagon builders in such a short period of time.  They eventually found enough wagons from across the country and scheduled a 3,000 mile, coast-to-coast wagon train in 1976.  

The map released and published in the Lancaster New Era
on Tuesday, May 21, 1974 which shows the routes to be
taken by the many Conestoga wagons to their way to
Valley Forge, Pennsylvania.  Click to enlarge.

Each state was to be repre- sented and the wagons were to cross the country on various historic trails after a three month tour of their own states.  They would all meet in Valley forge, Pennsylvania on July 4, 1976 for a three-month encampment.  Besides the state wagons, there were to be five chuck wagons to feed the wagon crews and five show wagons, which were used in celebration and dedication events along the eastward trail.  Citizens who witnessed the event could sign a giant pilgrimage scroll to reaffirm their faith in America.  The scrolls were to be brought to Valley Forge to be enshrined.  It was thought that it would cost $5 million and partial funding was sought from the federal government.  The balance was to be sought from contributions and private sources.  A map of courses across the country was prepared and the event began.  

Wednesday, June 30, 1976 and this wagon train has just
crossed the Columbia/Wrightsville Bridge and heads to
Lancaster.  An estimated 7,000 greeted the wagon train.

On July 3, 1976, 2,500 wagoners and horsemen in the Bicen- tennial Wagon Train began arriving in Valley Forge which is about 20 miles west of Philadelphia, PA.  They had pledges signed by 22 million people who rededicated themselves to the principles of the Declaration of Independence as the wagons passed through their communities, 1,100 in all.  

One of the groups that made their way through Lancaster's
Square.  This was on Thursday, July 1, 1976 and was in
the Lancaster New Era.

All who traveled in the wagons brought fond memories with them of the hundreds of thousands who'd lined the streets while the Conestoga wagons rolled through the towns and cities of the U.S.A.  One wagon that traveled from Blaine, Washington had been on the road since June of 1975.  Many wagons and horses joined the wagon train along the way.  They covered about 20 miles a day, covering 17,000 miles in all 50 states.  

On July 1, 5,000 welcomed this wagon train in Penn
Square in Lancaster, Pennsylvania.  Lancaster New Era.

The "official" wagons were parked in a quarter-circle for the rest of the Summer months.  After a few weeks at Valley Forge, the wagons and riders headed back home.  Many of the wagons passed through Lancaster, PA in late June, so they would arrive by July 3 in Valley Forge.  The caravan, or should I say several caravans, of wagons and riders who passed over the Wrightsville/Columbia Bridge which crosses the Susquehanna River at Wrightsville/Columbia was so neat to view.  I can still remember sitting on the east side of the bridge with my children watching the wagons cross the bridge to horn-honking, bell-ringing and even a few fireworks.  And, being one of the estimated 5,000 who yelled and welcomed the wagon trains who passed through Penn Square in the middle of the city of Lancaster was one of my favorite memories.  A real Bi-Centennial celebration so it was.  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.

The "All The Presidents' Gardens" Story

Preface:  Today's story about the White House may be hard to follow due to the changing from year to year, both forward and backward, but hopefully the flow of the story will help with that fact.  It was hard to decide to make the story chronologically accurate or to make it accurate by sections of the White House.  The United States White House, home of the President of the United States and his family has seen many changes due to the tastes of each President.  Thus, the need to reflect back instead of forward at times.  Please follow with me as you read.

It was an ordinary day.  Reading a few online stories about Harriet Lane for a story I wrote about her a few months ago.  

President Buchanan's niece, Harriet Lane.

Harriet Lane was former President James Buchanan's niece who during his four years in the White House served as his "First Lady".  Not only did she serve as the hostess at the White House, she actually had a greenhouse built on the roof of the west terrace.  As I read on I found a very interesting photograph that showed that greenhouse, or conservatory as Buchanan called it.  This conservatory was used throughout the decades until Teddy Roosevelt moved into the White House and removed the conservatory to make room for what today is known as the West Wing.  He found it necessary to replace the greenhouse to make room for his 5 children.  Our first President, George Washington, selected the site for the White House in 1791 with the cornerstone being laid the following year.  The architect was James Hoban who was chosen for the job after winning a competition.  After eight years of construction, President John Adams and his wife Abigail moved into the unfinished house in 1800.  Fourteen years later the British set fire to the President's House during the War of 1812.  

The Conservatory or greenhouse can be seen on the left.

The same architect was chosen once again to rebuild the house and President James Monroe moved into the building in 1817.  During Monroe's adminis- tration the South Portico was added and Andrew Jackson oversaw the addition of the North Portico in 1829.  In 1902, when Theodore Roosevelt moved in, he began a major renovation of the White House as well as dismantling the conservatory to add the West Wing.  The grounds around the White House comprise 18 acres of ground that were used for signings of treaties, a retreat for several Presidents, a setting for meals with Kings, a place for First Ladies to entertain and even a putting green for President Eisenhower.  It was also a place where Presidents and their wives, as well as a niece, planted roses, orchids and organic vegetables.  When President James Madison moved into the White House in 1809, he 

The interior of the greenhouse or conservatory.

brought in both native and exotic trees, shrubs like Rose of Sharon and lilacs and a variety of vegetables which supplied the White House kitchen.  Many of the seeds that Madison purchased came from nearby Philadelphia as well as Shaker  communities in New England.  Then in 1814 the British marched into Washington D.C. and set fire to the White House.  

Teddy Roosevelt and his family in the garden.

In 1825 John Quincy Adams became President and planted acorns and other seeds on the ground of the White House.  He eventually started our country's first forestry project to create a supply of lumber for the U.S. Navy.  Some of the oaks he planted are still standing today.  Then James Buchanan and Harriet arrived and opened the conservatory which was filled with plants from the jungle and desert, bogs and mountaintops.  

President Carter and his children in the tree house.

There were citrus trees, exotic plants, aloe and cacti, all living together.  And then...Teddy arrived!  President Kennedy and his wife Jackie asked their friend "Bunny" Mellon to redesign the west garden which she did by making what today is known as the rose garden.  She added traditional beds filled with 3,000 tulips and lined with crabapple trees and roses.  During the building of the rose garden, construction crews dug up horseshoes, pieces of the glass conservatory and a secure telephone line which triggered an atomic alert.  "Bunny" was asked to create a companion garden on the east side of the White House the day before the Kennedy's fateful trip to Dallas.  

The Kennedy's in the Rose Garden.

Lady Bird completed the job, dedicating it to Jackie Kennedy.  Over the years a few rather unusual things have happened in the gardens around the White House.  President Lincoln's two youngest sons, Willie and Tad (the first children to live in the White House) had free run of the garden grounds during their father's Presidency and allowed their pet goats to eat most of the flowers on the grounds.  Then, during Woodrow Wilson's Presidency, the White House gardeners were diverted to defense work, thus allowing the gardens to take to weeds.  By 1918, a herd of twenty Hampshire sheep took up residence on the South Lawn of the White House to keep te grass trimmed.  They were sheered and their wool was auctioned to benefit the American Red Cross.   President Carter created a platform tree house in a huge blue atlas cedar on the South Lawn for his daughter Amy while the Obama Kitchen Garden and adjacent pollinator garden were toured by local school classes.  All the President's gardens have been a variety of just about everything, but that's what makes them so interesting.  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.

Michele Obama in her Kitchen Garden.