Winters Heritage House Museum

M e m b e r N e w s l e t t e r
Published by the Elizabethtown Preservation Associates, Inc. September 2014

In this Newsletter Also inside—

 Phantoms of the Heritage House!  Fun Findings in the Seibert Library
 Train Wrecks!  Dear Elizabeth — Our Historic Advice Column
 Extraordinary Give Opportunity!  Museum Happenings
 Wining and Dining!  ….and more!
 Thistles and Pipes!

(717) 367-4672
Permit No. 1
Elizabethtown, PA 17022
Elizabethtown, PA
47 East High St.,
Non-profit Org.
P.O. Box 14
US Postage Paid
Winters Heritage House Museum Return Service Requested

Museum Happenings
Our Calendar of Events
through November 2014
Elizabethtown Railroads; Construction, History and
Train Wrecks — A photo exhibit running the month of
September. Opening night drop-in; Thursday, September 4,
2014. 7-9pm. See following page for more information!
Haunted History Tour — Friday, October 10, 6-9pm.
A spooky* history-based tour of our historic houses. Advance
reservations for groups of 8-10 are being accepted. Otherwise
tours will run on a first-come first-serve basis.
*All ghosts appearing on this tour are real. Any resemblance to
fictional ghosts, active or at rest, is purely coincidental.
24th Annual Holiday Craft
Show — Friday, November 21, 5-
9pm and Saturday November 22,
9am-3pm
Stop in and shop for unique hand-
crafted items presented by local
crafts persons and artists. Two
buildings of gifts, décor, and food!!
Admission of food bank donation
appreciated.
To register for classes or events, please con-
tact the museum by calling (717) 367-4672.
www.elizabethtownhistory.org
Don’t Forget Your Benefits!
Your museum membership benefits allow you a free admission to
our special events, such as our September Photo exhibit, our
Haunted History Tours, and the Holiday Craft Show!
Library research is always free for members!
Winters Heritage House
Museum to be featured on
MSIB Wine Walk
Each second Friday, MSIB (Market
Street Improving Business) has
been organizing some fun events for Elizabethtown. This month, on
September 12, MSIB is planning the second annual Wine Walk. This
progressive meal will have participants exploring 6 different community
venues and enjoying a course and sampling a wine at each one.
Winters Heritage House will participate as the final stop, and will
feature merlot seasalt caramels by Spence Candies, and a dessert wine.
Participants will also be able to purchase wines featured throughout
the evening at the museum’s white Victorian.
For more information and to secure
tickets for this event, visit the MSIB
website: www.MarketStreetIB.com and
click on the ‘MSIB Events’ tab.
.Bev Ulrich Third Grade Walking Tours
We are excited to note that the third grade classes from the Elizabeth-
town Area School District will be visiting the Week of October 20. A
special thanks to the many volunteers that make this event possible!!
Museum and Seibert Library Hours
Wednesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays, 9am to 3pm,
and by appointment. Please call ahead if you plan to do research in our
library, so we can be sure a librarian is on hand.
Phone: 717 367-4672 email: Winters-HH@embarqmail.com
Website: www.elizabethtownhistory.org
American Heritage Chocolate is coming to the Winters Heritage House
Museum Shop!
American Heritage Chocolates are made in Elizabethtown
by Mars Chocolate. The spiced dark cocoa is made using
an historically accurate recipe. Stop in the museum store
for a sample! Available in individually wrapped bars, as a
baking chunk, and for an authentic chocolate drink.
Dear Elizabeth
Our Historic Advice Column
The spirit of our town founder, Elizabeth
Hughes (residing here from 1750 to 1760),
offers her advice to our generation.
If you have any advice needs from or a
history question for Elizabeth, please send
them to Dear Elizabeth, c/o Winters Heritage
House Museum’s email;
winters-hh@embarqmail.com
Dear Elizabeth,
I have a photo of my great grandfather as a
very young child, however, it distresses me
that in the photo he is dressed in a frilly
gown, as if he were a little girl. I have heard
that putting baby boys in dresses was quite
common in your day. Why was that?
Dis-Dressed Mary
Dear Mary,
As regards to your question of
young boys’ attire, I can only say there are a
few practical answers and one quite silly one.
Firstly, on the practical side, gowns are the
easiest way to change nappies and are not
outgrown as your modern options with all
their fancy fasteners and stretchy linings.
Who has the extra time to sew two or more
sets of baby clothes? Secondly, as I am a
busy woman, I also appreciate that the gown
bunches up around my sweet one’s knees
and slows him down when he crawls. He
does not therefore have to be tied to my
apron strings if I am just sewing in the
Dear Elizabeth,
I have noticed that in this area there are
many town and county names that
correspond to Irish and British names of
similar locations. Is there more meaning to
this than just nostalgia?
Wondering Wanda
Dear Wanda,
What a keen eye you have. It was very
kitchen with a fire nearby. And now for one common to name a newly sprung up town or
village or recently inhabited land area for
silly purpose that sadly persists amongst the
ones left behind by the early pioneers. In
Ulster-Scots; My neighbor M. is quite
large part this was evidence of a love and
convinced that spiteful fairies will spirit away
loyalty to one’s place of origin. However, it
her newborn son if they learn that he isn’t a
had a practical purpose I will entertain you
girl. What blarney this! Naughty fairies are
with here, as well. Imagine leaving your
often credited with replacing good children
home, your family, your friends and facing
with evil “changeling” babies. M. feels it
the prospect of never being able to see or
best to hide her boy from their clutches by
talk with them ever again. Perhaps some of
addressing him in girlish tones of voice and
those being left felt they might follow at
attiring him in frills. Indeed she is most some future date. Perhaps it was not known
delighted if I greet her and her sweet little if money would ever be on hand for such
son with a “good-day Mrs. M, what an ugly ventures. One certainly could write a
little girl you have there!” missive, but delivery of such might very well
In my own turn, I find it strange that your era be a rarity. Leaving was indeed a hardship.
has completely switched the colors for boys So! What a joy when one arrived in the New
World to see familiar names such as Donegal,
and girls. Pink is a strong vibrant color very
Raphoe, and London Derry! Surely one
suitable for a busy boy child. Meanwhile,
making an effort to reach these places would
blue is so soft and feminine, it seems a
find friends who had travelled there ahead of
shame to waste it on a boy. Although, we
yourself. And, in turn, perhaps loved ones
mostly avoid using fancy dyed fabrics for a
who follow your own journey would know
baby, who will just dirty them.
where to find you, someday.
‘Twas our GPS, you see.
Your servant,
Yours ever,
Elizabeth
Elizabeth
September Photo Exhibit

Elizabethtown Railroads; Construction,

History and Train Wrecks
By Library Volunteer, Jeff Myers
This September, the Winters
Heritage House Museum and the
Seibert Library will present a
photo gallery exhibit that features
thirty 16X20 enlarged images of
Elizabethtown’s early railroads,
the early construction, and several
train wrecks.

Opening night is planned for

Thursday, September 4, as a drop–
in event from 7-9pm. Two guided
tours will be offered during the
evening, and refreshments will be
provided. Admission is by
donation of your choice.
Elizabethtown’s early rail
line had a tunnel (behind
Mount Tunnel Cemetery).
However this tunnel was
subject to collapse, and was
eventually turned into a
“cut” instead.
You will see photos from
the late 1890s that show
how this original single-
line railroad cut was made
wider and straighter to
accommodate a second set of
tracks, as well as the
machinery and the men
who used the machinery to
accomplish this task.
Also featured are photos
taken of the Great
Elizabethtown Train
Wreck of 1918, as well as
a construction engine
mishap, a de-railed diesel
engine, and another wreck
from 1930.

One wonderfully clear

1869 photo of a civil war
era engine pulling into the
Elizabethtown station is
actually the earliest
known photo ever taken of
Elizabethtown.

Join us Thursday, September 4th from 7-9pm for our

Opening Night event!

If you wish to sponsor a photo to help the museum off-set the cost of the show, please contact the
museum for details on how to do so. Sponsors are noted throughout the show, and will receive a
photo of their choice at the close of the show.
 Elizabethtown Turnpike Company; the formation of a Union Bank of Lancaster
and a political party victory celebration.
Fun Findings in the Seibert Library Michael sold the above mentioned three lots in 1822 to his daughter Elizabeth’s
husband Major Michael Breneman (c1796-1826).5 Upon Brenemen’s death in
1826, Elizabeth purchased the properties from her husband’s estate
Michael Kobel’s Heritage by Dale Good administrators. Elizabeth then married Colonel Abraham Greenawalt and the
properties were deeded over to him on Mar 28, 1828.6 A little known fact is the
In our last newsletter we reported on the discovery of Michael Kobel’s historic Greenawalt Inn was originally built and operated by Michael as the
(1763-1823) tombstone in Elizabethtown’s Conoy Crossing II Housing “General Jackson”.
Development’s work zone. This past week, this discovery brought Michael’s daughter, Elizabeth (Sep 29, 1795-Feb 22, 1882), must have been
together a few of Michael’s descendants from Elizabethtown, Hershey, quite a lady. Within a span of 8 or fewer years, she was widowed twice and
Lancaster and such far away places as Florida and the state of married for the third time. Her first husband, John Elliot (c1775-c1820) was the
Washington. They came to address the question of how to honor the grandson of Colonel Alexander Lowrey a Revolutionary War commander and
memory of this Elizabethtown pioneer, how to preserve his beautifully Indian trader. Upon the death of her second husband she applied for and
carved headstone and the graves of the rest of the yet unnumbered obtained a tavern license (1827) and ran the tavern prior to marrying her third
husband.7 Elizabeth was buried with her third and last husband Abraham
souls buried around him. This type of question is being posed more
Greenawalt in the Mount Tunnel Cemetery in 1882.
frequently these days as new housing developments seem to
relentlessly creep across our farmscape threatening to erase a delicate Michael’s descendants and their contributions to the Elizabethtown community
part of our historic roots. are too numerous to mention here. Research among the Seibert Library records
indicates descendants Jacob A. Coble (1837-1915) and Henry U. Coble (1851-
We know Michael died without a will, on Feb 19, 1823. He left behind 1920) had separate marble yards or marble cutting businesses on East High St.
five children: Jacob, married to Catharine; Michael; David; Elizabeth & Clyde K. (Mutt) Coble (1900-1972), Elizabethtown's iconic and only policeman in
1 2
Margaret. His wife’s name was Mary (1802-1857). She is buried in the 1930’s and 1940’s, was a direct descendant and Robert G. Coble was among
Elizabethtown’s Christ Evangelical Lutheran Church Cemetery. Michael’s the incorporators of the Elizabethtown Historical Society. A good number of
son Jacob (1798-1859) and Jacob’s wife Catharine (1802-1875) are also Michael’s descendants are still living in Elizabethtown today.
buried there. There are a number of ironies in this story we may make note of. One being a
family reunion, the rediscovery of Michael’s grave, 191 years after his burial,
Michael may have first appeared in local (Donegal) tax records in 1785
bringing together unacquainted descendants living thousands of miles apart. A
as a freeman (a single, unpropertied male over the age of 21). He may second being the manner in which his one remaining headstone stone protected
have been the son of a David Coble who surveyed 150 acres of land in several other graves from certain destruction. And finally, the name of the
1764 south (more or less) of West Ridge Road where it branches with manufacturer of the excavating equipment poised by his grave site … KobelCo.
the Maytown Road. This David took out a patent on the land in 1785. 1
Lancaster County, PA Deed Book C, Volume 5, Page 10.
He was fully taxed in Donegal Twp. the same year. We believe more 2
Renunciation Michael Coble (deceased): Mary Coble to Jacob Ruth (Mar 3, 1823),
research will bear out that Michael’s father was David, that David died
Lancaster County, PA Courthouse.
in 1790 without a will, and Michael may have used his inheritance to
3
Lancaster County, PA Deed Book S, Volume 7, Page 643.
acquire at least one of the original lots in present day Elizabethtown.
4
History of Lancaster County Pennsylvania with Biographical Sketches of many of its
Michael was a pioneer, an early leader in Barnabas Hughs' Town of Pioneers and Prominent Men, Ellis & Evans, Everts & Peck, Philadelphia, 1883, page 614.
Elizabeth, an early postmaster and inn & tavern owner. He purchased 5
Lancaster County, PA Deed Book 24, Page 386.
three of the original town lots from Barnabas’ son Samuel in the 1790’s.
6
Lancaster County, PA Deed Book S, Volume 7, Page 643.
Those three lots encompassed the present day location of
7
Elizabethtown’s Loyal Order of Moose Lodge and its parking lot. The first Elizabethtown-The First Three Centuries, Richard MacMaster, Masthof Press, Page 90.
lot was purchased in 1790. The second and third in 1793.3

Ellis & Evans in their “History of Lancaster County” (1833) write of a Mr.
Coble building a log inn in the early 1790’s (where the Moose building
stands today), that he also built a stone building adjoining it, that at one
time served as a post office.4 Records at the Seibert Library suggest the
stone building may also have been used as a school before it was razed
in the 1920’s.

Richard MacMaster in his book “Elizabethtown-The First Three

Centuries” writes that the early taverns were regularly used for public
meetings. His book cites Coble’s Tavern as being a meeting place for the
Lancaster, Elizabethtown and Middletown Turnpike Company; the Falmouth and
Michael Kobel’s 1823 headstone stands as a marker for his and seven
other graves, in the early construction stages of Conoy Crossing.
 How We Spent our Summer
We spent our summer gathering in some “new” old photos of
Elizabethtown!! The photos were scanned and returned to
their owners. The collected images will help build our data in
the Seibert Genealogy Library. Here are some of the fun things
that came our way!

(Right) An early mule delivery wagon for ‘Benner Dray Line

Elizabethtown, loading (unloading?) cargo onto a waiting train.
Thanks, Darlene Panza!

(Left) This wonderful aerial photograph of the Buch

Manufacturing plant, circa 1940, shows its location on
South Market Street, about where the Advanced Auto
Parts store is today. Note how the rail line used to curve
around the building for access to loading docks.

(Right) Buch’s Shop circa 1847 (forerunner to Buch

Manufacturing)

Brought in by John Buch, This is the mill that used to

stand on the corner of College and Market streets. It
is where the millstones that ornament the newly
constructed intersection came from. The tall fellow
in the ground level doorway is John Buch’s
grandfather, Addison, who founded Buch
Manufacturing, and the boys in the doorway are
John’s father, Rohrer, and uncle, Harvey.

(Left) This is the 1930 Class

Photo of the Elizabethtown Area
High School. There are 51 ladies
and 41 gentlemen. The photo
does seem to be cut a bit short,
so perhaps not everyone is
visible. If you know any of these
fine folk, please stop by and help
us identify them!
Winters Heritage House Museum is sporting a brand new logo!
Meet our new identifier! We decided the museum needs a new logo
to go along with its new paint job. This arrangement of a Scottish
thistle flower and Irish pipes seems to suit us pretty well. The
original design was one provided by artist, Wayne Fettro, for the
museum’s Scots-Irish Festivals that ran in the early 2000s. Altered
slightly to fit a more horizontal format, the new logo will be more
culturally reflective than the previous logo of an open museum
doorway. Stop by the museum store and you’ll find the latest
artwork featured on some hand-thrown pottery mugs!

Advice from Steven Wright

Steven Wright is a scientist who sees things
differently than most of us. Here are some of
his observations:

"Borrow money from pessimists — they

don’t expect it back."
This November 21st, Winters Heritage House will be part “99% of lawyers give the rest a bad name.”
of the Lancaster County Community Foundation’s
"Half the people you know are below
Extraordinary Give campaign. Donations made on that average."
day will be matched by the organization, allowing
“I almost had a psychic girlfriend, but she
contributors a great opportunity to boost their donation
left me before we met.”
power. To learn more, visit the Lancaster County “The early bird may get the worm, but the
Community Foundation website at second mouse gets the cheese.”

If at first you don’t succeed, skydiving is

www.extragive.org not for you.”

Eagles may soar, but weasels don’t get

Made in the USA sucked into jet engines.”

“I intend to live forever….so far, so good.”

Hand thrown
pottery mugs now in the Museum
Store!
Drop by the Winters Heritage House Museum Store and check
out our new handmade-in-the-USA pottery featuring the
museum’s logo. These wonderful oversized mugs are perfect for
a large cup of tea, your favorite brew, or as a gift. Support the
museum with a visit and a purchase! Limited stock is on hand.