14C—Lancaster Fanning, Saturday, Fabruanrll,l979_
Lancaster Co,
donates land for park
By SALLY BAIR
Staff Writer
LANDISVILLE - Amos
Herr is a retired farmer and
schoolteacher whose great
concern for the community
around him has enriched the
lives of the people of East
' Hempfield Towmship.
Herr, who lives in Lan
disville, has willed bis 55
acre term to the Township
for use as a recreation area
and park, and through his
generosity, 14 acres have
already been developed. In
use already are a baseball
diamond and a general
purpose pavilion which
includes lavatories and
storage.
In the near future a tot
play area will be created and
tennis and volleyball courts.
Landscaping is already
underway, with the planting
of many trees which have
been donated.
Herr said that he and his
wife, who died in 1974, often
discussed the possibility of
making such a provision in
their will. He said a number
of things contributed to the
development of their
thinking in terms of a park,
but one large factor was the
extensive foreign travel they
enjoyed together.
He said they observed that
nearly without exception
foregin countries were far
more concerned with the
development and use of
parks than this country. Ha
added that they were im
pressed with the number of
parks and the amount of use
they received.
Herr said he and his wife
noted the number of people
from Landisville who simply
wanted to walk over the
fields or down to the creek
for enjoyment.
He also has a sympathetic
view to the conservation
movement and expressed
dismay about the loss of
thousands of acres of far*
mland each year. When
asked to express his views on
land use, however, he
declined, saying that he can
understand the farmer’s
viewpoint on selling his land.
“One person or family
can’t do much to keep the
loss of farmland in check,”
he stated.
With the seemingly
unending development of
land surrounding Lan
disville, Herr said they could
easily envision Tl ie need for
open space, g 7 and a
park in the .area. So the
Herrs came to the joint
decision to vite their wills
so that at t’e death of the
survivor the,. nd would go to
the Township' or recreation.
The Herrs hav; no children,
and he has no brothers and
sisters. He is the third
generation of his family to
farm at that site.
Once the decision was
made, he said he went to the
supervisors and asked it
they were interested in it,
because, “We didn’t want to
give it to them if they didn’t
want to use it.” The
supervisors were delighted,
of course, and the wills were
made.
As the wills were written,
the land would be made into
a park at Herr’s death,
however, a quirk of fate and
Amos Herr recently donated the land from his farm so that a park for the
public use could be constructed.
his own generosity made it
possible for 14 acres to be
developed in his lifetime.
.Through discussion with
the supervisors and the
availability of a federal
grant for the development of
the land, Herr eventually
deeded the initial 14 acres to
the Township. “The
Township has and owns the
14 acres,” he said. There
was a provision made for
Herr to receive the going
rent for the' land-hs an in
come during his lifetime.
A real plus of donating the
land now is that Herr has
been able to enjoy seeing his
dream become a reality.
Before any work began, a
comprehensive plan was
drawn up and submitted to
the county planning com
mission. While Herr noted
that some changes may be
made as it is developed, he is
very happy with the plans as
they were drawn up. A large
map showing the proposed
use of the farm is hanging in
the Township office in
Rohrerstown. Eventually
there will be plaque
designating donations of
trees made to the park.
In addition to die present
facilities, the final plan
includes another
baseball/football area, a
second pavilion and comfort
station, picnic areas, stage
and dancing area. There wdl
also be skateboard areas and
bike trails. A lake is planned,
complete with an island.
Along with wooded space
and open areas, there will be
space provided for parking.
“It’s made me very
happy,” Herr noted. I am
particularly happy to see its
inception and am very happy
that the supervisors have
done a marvelous job in
planning the park. They
have such a personal in
terest, not just a casual
approach to it."
Giving the community a
nice park is something which
makes Herr very proud, but
he adds that he is delighted
with the community
response, with service
organizations taking the lead
in helping develop the dif
ferent areas
Herr, who retired from
teaching at Hempfield High
los Herr
farmer
School in 1963, taught social
studies and coached
“various sports.” He in
troduced soccer at the school
and coached basketball and
baseball/ He said he
gradually retired from his
general fanning about the
same time. The land is under
cultivation.
Herr resides in a lovely
brick farmhouse built in 1852
by his grandfather shortly
after he married and bought
the farm. He noted that the
farmhouse has had
alterations throughout the
years but remains basically
the same. He also said that
large farmhouses in that
area were a necessity
because in addition to the
three or four children in a
family most families would
include a maid and a hired
man. “They also needed
more space for food
preparation then,” he noted.
Herr reminisced readily
about the Landisville he
knew as a boy, and
remarked that before World
War n, he could identify the
families which lived on
every farm he could see
from his windows. This
sense of knowing one’s
neighbors has changed, with
the influx of people.
Herr’s retirement can only
be described as “active.” He
is deeply involved in the
Landisville Church of God,
taking part in the church on
a local, state and national
basis. He is also a member of
the East Petersburg Rotary
Club, and he served six
years as a Township
Supervisor.
Sheep club
holds meeting
CARLISLE - The Cum
berland County Condoguinet
4-H Sheep Club held their
January meeting at the Penn
State Extension office in
Carlisle New officers were
elected for 1979
The following members
were elected into office Raj
Holtry, president, Rick
Clelan, vice president;
Mmdj Bundt, so
David jbixioi, L*ct*ouic*,
-T- ~ vT- k '
A seasoned traveler, Herr
has gained extensive
knowledge through ex
periencing life in other
countries. He has made
seventeen trips to Europe
and has visited every con
tinent. He calls Austria a
favorite country, and said he
enjoys taking a Winter
vacation to the ski areas.
While he doesn’t ski, he likes,
to hike on the skt trails. ‘‘l
enjoy all kinds of travel.”
While he occasionally
travels on tours, he also
travels a lot independently.
Herr has been honored for
his contribution by the
Pennsylvania Recreation
and Park Society and by
East Hempfield Township,
with a plaque which states,
“for his commendable and
dedicated generosity to the
community.”
The East Hempfield Lions
Club also presented him with
a plaque expressing “sin
cere thanks and ap
preciation for the devotion of
time, energy and interest to
the affairs of the citizens and
youth of East Hempfield
Township and for his
generous contribution of
land to the Township for
purposes of creating a
community recreation
park.”
The honors and accolades
are a nice tribute, but it is
clear that to Amos Herr, the
real joy is seeing a small
part of his dream become a
reality and having the thrill
of seeing the acceptance of
his gift by the community.
Tom Lebo, news reporter;
and Paul Wynn, social
chairman. Also elected
were: Ray Holtry and Mindy
Brandt as Cumberland
County 4-H Council
representatives; Dwayne
Haus, council alternate;
Angie Fought and Clark
Capozzi, song leaders.
The February meeting will
be held at the home of Rick
Clelan
CHESTER CO.
CHAS. J. McCOMSEY
A SONS
Hickory Hill, PA
215-932-2615
STOLT2FUS FARM SERVICE
Cochranville, PA
215-593-5280
M.S. YEARSLEY A SONS
West Chester, PA
215-696-2990
LEBANON CO.
HEISEY
FARM EQUIPT., INC.
RD I, Jonestown, PA
717-865-4526
UMBERGERSMILL
RD4, Lebanon (Fontana), PA
LOOK FOR
ADWS.CO-
O.C.RICE, INC.
Biglerville, PA
7X7-677-8135
YINGLING'S IMPLEMENT
RDI Gettysburg, PA
7X7-359-4848
N.H. FLICKER & SONS. INC.
Maxatawny
215-683-7252
STANLEY A. KLOPP, INC.
Bernville, PA
215-488-1500
MILLER EQUIPMENT
Bechtelsville, PA
215-845-2911
SHARTELSVILLE
FARM SERVICE
RDI, Hamburg, PA
215-488-1025
H. Daniel Wenger, Prop.
ZIMMERMAN’S
FARM SERVICE
Bethel, PA
717-933-4114
ALLIS HOLLOW EQUIP.
RDI,
Rome, PA
717-247-2601
. CARLL. PIERCE
RO2,
Columbia Cross Roads, PA
717-297-3513
WYNNE'S GARAGE
Canton, PA
717-673-8456
BUCKS CO.
C.J. WONSIDLER BROS.
Trumbauersvilte Road;
Quakertown, PA 18951
215-536-1935
PAUL HISTANO CO., INC.
397 North Main Street '
Doylestown,PA a, ,
' 5-348-904 T 1
CLINTON CO.
DUNKLE&GRIEB
Mill Hall, PA
717-726-3115
COLUMBIA CO.
ORANGEVILLE
FARM EQUIPMENT
Orangeville, PA
717-683-5311
WILLIAM F.WELLIVER
Jerseytown, PA
717-437-2430
CUMBERLAND CO.
ERNEST SHOVER
FARM EQUIPMENT
19 West South St.
Carlisle, PA
717-249-2239
DAUPHIN CO.
SWEIGARD BROS.
RD3, Halifax, PA
717-896-3414
FRANKLIN CO.
CHAMBERSBURG
FARM SERVICE. INC.
975 S. Main St.
- Chambersburg, PA
717-264-3533
MEYERS
IMPLEMENTS. INC.
Greencastle, PA
717-597-2176
717-867-5161
LANCASTER CO.
ROYH.BUCH.INC.
Ephrata.RD2.PA
717-859-2441
A.B.C. GROFF. INC.
New Holland, PA
717-354-4191
A.L. HERR A BRO.
Quarryviile, PA
717-786-3521
LANDIS BROS., INC.
Lancaster, PA
717-291-1046
LONGENECKER
FARM SUPPLY -
Rheems, PA
717-367-3590
N.G. HERSHEY &SON
Manheim, PA
717-665-2271
LEHIGH CO.
C.J. WONSIDLER BROS.
Jet. Rt 309 and 100
Pleasant Corners, PA
215-767-7611
LYCOMING CO.
RICE FARM SUPPLY, INC.
Jersey Shore, PA
717-398-1391
MONTGOMERY CO.
WENTZ FARM SUPPLIES
Route 29
■Palm, PA
215-679-*7164
GEORGE V.SEIPLE& SON
Easton, PA
215-258-7146
MECKLEY’S LIMESTONE
PRODUCTS. INC.
Herndon, PA
717-758-3915
- - SCHUYLKILL CO.
> UL.ECKROTH
FARM EQUIP., INC.
> Newßinegold, PA :
1 717-943-2367 '
Stanley’s farm service
RD, Klingerstown, PA
717-648-2088
SNYDER CO.
ROYER'S FARM SERVICE
RD 1, Winfield, PA
New Berlin-Middleburg Hwy.
717-837-3201
-WYOMING CO.
ACE-JURISTA, INC.
Tunkhannock, PA
717-836-2610
m&£SL
AIRVILLE FARM SERVICE
AirviHe, PA
717-852-3358
GEORGE N. GROSS. INC.
RD 2, Dover, PA
717.292-1673
' M&R EQUIPMENT. INC.
N£w Park, PA
717-993-2511
CLAIR J. MYERS
R.D. 1, Thomasville, PA
717-259-0453
CARROLL CO.. MD
WERTZ GARAGE, INC.
4132 E. Main St.
Linbon, MO
301-374-2672
CECIL
AG INDUSTRIAL
EQUIPMENT CO.
Rising Sun, MD
301-6*B-5568
FREDERICK CO..MD
KNOTT N. GEISBERT, INC.
RD2, Frederick, MD
301-662-3800
HARFORD CO.. MD
WALTER G. COALE, INC.
Churchville, MD 21028
301-734-7722
ENFIELD EQUIPMENT, INC.
Whiteford, MD21160
301-452-5252
301-838-0480
CLARKE COUNTY. VA
SHANES FARM SERVICE
12 S Greenway Avenue
Boyce, VA
703-837-1125