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
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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
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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
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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
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