6—Lancaster Farming, Friday, February 17, 1956 Hessdale Makes County Map; in 1912 It Received Post Office Rating LANCASTER FARMING here presents another In a series of articles “From Years Ago,” written by Charles E. Slentz, Quarry* ville. These items of'interest loi Foi Re Try WIRTHMORE 14 Fitting Ration You can’t beat this feed for fit ting your cows. A 14 °/o protein ration available with or without pellets, it contains all of the top quality ingredients needed to fit your cows and keep them in perfect health. Year after year, on hundreds of farms and with every breed, Wirthmore Fitting Ration is building record-smashing herds in production and in showing. Why not try it and check the results for yourself? A LeROY M. SENSENIG Hinkletown Ph. Ephrata 3-2009 GLEN H. HERR Manheim RDI, Ph. Landisville 3541 CLEM E. HOOBER Intercourse Pb. 8-3431 HIESTAND, INC. Marietta Ph. 6-9301 21<?o per annum current dividend rate on Insured Savings and- Investment Certificates Savings received by the 10th of any month earn from the Ist of that month payable June 30 and December 31. gr-„ I m- ' -Jk IFIRST FEDERAL! *1 C Savings and Zsifln R* ASSOCIApbn 08 LANCASTER Mm? 25 North Duke !if. "fililir 1E51331) *\ 11111 Phone r*C. 7-5898 VX u ’l*"ySf Emlen H. Zellers, Secretary & Treasurer are bits of history, local in nature, universal in interest. Four years after the inception of the Slumbering Groundhog Lodge in Quarryville, the fra ternal order which helped to put 'that borough on the map in a bigger way than ever, Hessdale, in Strasburg township, “made” the map The occasion? - The establishing of a “new posh office at Martinsville . • to be known, as Hessdale.” The press of Feb 2, 1912. re cords that the office “opened for the accommodation of its patrons February 1-” It further records that “an effort was made to-have the name of the village given to the post office, but the-depart ment would not grant it. . The Martinsdale office was < dis continued when the rural de livery service was established, it will be located in the store of A. W- Hess.” This set-up pos sibly gave near-by farmers, and neighbors a more logical excuse to hobnob at the village with greater frequency; they’d have to _go to the store, and get the mail. • Mail Three Times a Week As 'Hong as its the business of getting the mail, it ifiay have been passed down to some farm er folk up in the several Bart townships that their great-grand parents got mail in from Lancas ter only three times a week 100 years ago- The post office tied up witlf this service came into being in 1856. Following is The Manheim Sentinel's word on it, as of Feb. 1, that year: “A new Post Office was established at ‘Weaver’s Mill’ in East Earl Township and John Weaver Esq. appointed postmaster. It receiv ed mail from - Lancaster three times a week” Still mail conscious, this bit is relayed through courtesy of The New Holland Clarion, from an early issue of 1881: “The Postmaster of New Holland, George W- Smith, held that of fice since his appointment by President Taylor in 1849. . . . with the exception of .the four years of Buchanan’s administra tion when Peter Ream was Postmaster.” School Days, Years Ago The year James Madison was re-elected president of the Unit ed States, West Donegal town* ship built its first schoolhouse. The suitable site for it, chosen by leading land-owners of what is presently Rheems, was a tract where the Christian Graal (Groff, or Grove) .and John Albert farms joined. The plot (one quarter acre) cost $2O 'slo being -paid to each Graaf and wife,' and Albert and wife. The building, erected in 1813, served nearly a half century. In 1859 it was completely destroyed by fire of unknown origin. Other early public schools in the Rheems area were Pleasant Hill, and Cherry Hill; both schools were tremendously rich ’in the color and atmosphere in herently a part of institutions of learning prior to, and during the first years of the free ‘school system,in our State. Still another early school in, this part *of the county was a church school. Ac cording to old German-written records, the Blbsser ' < Dutch Re formed Church was erected about 1740, and-served as church and school. The location of this struc ture was along the May town high way, immediately southeast of the Union School (Brandtstown)-. The writings refer to one, Templeman, “a pious German tailor. . . . who acted as both schoolmaster and cared for the spiritual needs of the community (Blossers) during the early 1740's and 1750’5.” Elizabethtown Role Large (Apologies to H- E Reem. whP contributed “History of Rheems School Began in the. Year of 1813,” as per Elizabeth town , Chronicle dated Feb* 2, 1956* Read, or re-read if you will, this interesting and informa-, tive Reem article for a fascinat ing story on that section’s oldest schools, its educational problems and stirring progress made in salving them.) This, because currently, particularly, the good people of Elizabethtown borough, and-of Upper Mount Joy, West Donegal and Conoy townships are very, very school-minded. So, for that matter, are the good peo ple of Quarryvile borough and those residing in the surrounding and outlying townships. So, too, for that matter, are all good people, everywhere and the farmer, always the* farmer, is in the vanguard of every better school movement. . -The farmer has been and ever is in the forefront, too, when road or highway betterment is at stake. According to county newspapers, time was when he had a certain gripe perhaps a Justified one where such betterment was concerned* Along with other misinformed people, there were those on farms in our county who felt road im provement was being designed only, and we quote the press, “for a special and select' class, the motorist.” Quoting further, there seemed to be “little in terest in the movement as long as only wealthy men in the big cities were,the owners of motor cars.” - (This- was possibly a minority reaction influencing rural communities in -the late 1890’s and very early 1900’5.) Farmer Motorist WU The kick-back on the the farmer was a reluctance to “improve the roads for the bene fit of the city ‘nabobs’ who chas ed •by at railroad speed and scared his horses, killed his chic kens which strayed on the public highway and, to his mind, ruined Subscribe Now Charter Offer $l.OO First Year Ends Soon Groundhogs Accept Three Three Baby Groundhogs shown bibbed for initiation into the organization for the denizen of the underground werei photographed underground (m the Quarryville St. Paul’s Evangelical and Reformed Church basement) with the pic ie developed byMost Exalted Prophet Carl Reynolds Jr., ! E.~F. D. On the efade roll are, left to, right, Harry K. Gerlach, Michael Deßerdine and Herbert B. Valentine. Shepherding the youngsters, in the underground back ground are, left to right: William A. Frutchey, STC, com munications engineer; Jackie LeFever, GKE, watchman by day; William -U. Hensel, 111, secretary and bondless trea surer; between Mr. Deßerdine and Mr. Valentine, J. Earl Newswanger, DSNF, patriarch of degrees; Victor- Alvin Keen, MCEAE, ambassadorial patriarch and finally on,the right, Albert H. Fritz, board of hibernating gover nors. (Lancaster Farming Staff Photo.) what good roads there were throughout the State*” This feel ing had changed somewhat by at least ‘l9ll, or thereabouts, for “now the, farmer is a motorist,” we read “and “thousands of pleasure vehicles driven by motor power are'owned throughout the Statedly farmers*” Farmer own ership was- not' too great in the county’s most southerly, township, however, for a spring, 1912, issue of The Quarryviile Sun announc ed that “Fulton township- will shortly be able-to boast 16 auto mobiles” and, in compliment, added,-, “that isn’t bad for one township.” Having hit the roads, always broad- ways or avenues ‘for end less comment and discussion, it might not be amiss to do a lit tle speeding speeding a-la 1908, that is. To get to the point,. Wakefield’s reporter gave this racy, brief covering activities at its neighborhood track, about' St. Valentine’s Day that year: “Spirited racing, was- witnessed by a number of people on Satur day afternoon on Farmer’s, lace track. The racing was done in sleighs and a number of fast horses were sped around the track, Mabel Wilkes, driven by Scott Housekeeper, won first prize. James Boyd’s horse and Monroe Farmer’s kept side by side. I A. K. Bradley was there with his speed as was also Edwin Housekeeper, B. F* Riley and'a number of other noted' horse men.” Currently, The Quarryviile Sun informed concerning more speedy diversion for old and young alike form farmer folk and others in telling: “Some of the owners of speed here and> thereabouts (Oak Shade vicinity) have converted Howard Overly’s two adjoining fields into a race ■aaaaßaaaaßaßanaßßaaaaaaaaflaaHaßßa. [ WISCONSIN Heavy-Duty [ 5 ★MORE PORTABILITY PER HORSEPOWER ■ ■ * MOST HORSEPOWER HOURS OF SERVICE . i ■ t*|S ■ 4-Cycle Single Cylinder, 2-Cylinder and V-fype 4-Cyl. ■ [ BART’S [ ■ / Authorized \ D . « c . S ■ Sales and Service} epair & Service ; ■ JT 1952 Landis Valley Rd. " ■ Lancaster Ph. 21568 5 ii.iiiiiiiiiupiiHiiiiii>iiiii-kie track. On Monday and Tuesday nights all'lovers of fast driving who had anything.fast to drive and would venture out into the chilly night, were found at this path of sport. ’Twas of fun the participants say, to sleigh, hear the bells jingle and race all at the same time. William Walton won first money on Monday, while Harry McCardett won sec ond. 05 I Parts and Ser vice I - Headquarters for IoLIVER—FERGUSON Farm Equipment : - Gift Tracks i. < See The Hershey Trans- I planter For Your l Spring Planting I N.G. Hershey and Son MANHEIM, PA. Phone 52271
Significant historical Pennsylvania newspapers