War Historian Sees Art
In Early American Pieces
SANDRA LEPLEY
Somerset Co. Correspondent
STONYCREEK (Somerset
Co.) Richard Sturtz of Stony
creek Township in Somerset
County combines his love for
Somerset County artifacts and
his passion for war history into
an impressive collection of Amer
icana.
“I’ve always had an interest in
local artifacts. Everything Somer
set County intrigues me and I
love to go searching for items
with a story behind them,” said
Sturtz, who works as a record
specialist in the county’s mental
health agency and in his spare
time, enjoys Civil War re-enact
ing.
He most recently played an
extra in the upcoming movie
“Gods and Generals.”
Amidst original, one-of-a-kind
items made only in Somerset
County, like a ladle and a skim
mer made by hand in the 1800 s, a
bee hive made of rye straw ban
ded together with oak strips
made in the mid-1800s, a school
bell from a one-room schoolhouse
in Wills from the 1910 s, Sturtz’
collection boasts of well-re
searched and well-kept pieces.
He gives much credit to his
friend, the late Ernie Fritz, an an
tique dealer in Somerset, for
peaking his interest years ago.
“I learned a lot from him and I
miss him,” says Sturtz. “We trav
eled throughout Somerset Coun
ty looking for Somerset County
items and learning the history
that went along with them.”
During one of those travels,
Sturtz came across a redware
pottery spittoon made by Henry
Grady, from Shanksville. The
spittoon is one of three known to
exist.
He also has a flour box dated
1852 made by Samuel Thomas, a
local person, a Lewis Weighley
coverlet made in Somerset Coun
ty in 1855 and a Amish quilt
made in Springs in the 1800 s. He
has also acquired a signed and
dated Pennsylvania Long Rifle.
His Goeb New Testament Bible
and Almanac are also prized pos
sessions. Frederick Goeb was the
first to print a German Bible
West of the Alleghenies.
His collection does not stop
there. Sturtz, who is a local histo
rian and re-enactor, has enjoyed
picking up both Civil War and
World War II objects.
He owns a Civil War cartridge
and cap box and more than 20
World War II uniforms. He has
recently acquired the World War
I uniform of the late Lester Kim
mel, who was more than 100
years old when he died.
Also, he owns the late John
Barchey’s Pacific Theater medic
helmet, which has a small cross
on it and is a much-prized relic.
He also has World War II weap
ons and other items, like cigarette
lighters, insignias, canteens, and
field gear.
A few years ago, Sturtz pur
chased and restored a 1944
World War II personnel carrier,
which he is often asked to use in
local parades.
Sturtz’ father, the late Wilbert
Sturtz, died Nov. 20, 2000, on
Veteran’s Day, and the younger
Sturtz has found a new interest in
collecting and researching World
War II memorabilia.
“My father never talked about
his war experiences much until
the August before he died,” says
Sturtz. “We sat down on the
front porch and he told me some
interesting stories. I’m glad I
have that. Everyone needs to take
time to talk to our World War II
veterans. They are a part of his
tory now and an important part
of their life will be forgotten if we
don’t document it now.”
Although Sturtz remains dis
creet about his historical pursuits,
he is a well-traveled Civil War re
enactor who has a long list of
credits to his name.
It all started about six years
ago, when he and a fellow histo
rian, Tom Fisher, went to see the
re-enactment of the 125th anni
versary of Gettysburg.
Since that time, Sturtz has re
enacted locally and regionally
and most recently, played an
extra in the motion picture film,
“Gods and Generals,” filmed in
Maryland.
From Nov. 12 to Dec. 13,
Sturtz took a sabbatical from his
job in medical records and played
the role of both a northern and
southern Civil War soldier dur
ing the Battle of Fredericksburg.
The movie itself was mostly film
ed at the Flook Farm in Ketey
sville, Md. but the crews first
worked at Harper’s Ferry, W.Va.,
which was made to look like the
town of Fredericksburg. Sturtz
stayed mostly in Hagerstown,
Md.
“This film was also of special
interest for me,” says Sturtz, “be
cause my ancestor Hiram Sturtz,
a soldier in the 142nd Pa. Volun
teers Co. F, the Berlin (Pa.) Com
pany, was killed in Fredericks
burg.”
“Gods and Generals,” written
by Jeff Shaara, serves as the first
novel in a three-set historical
novel series. The first book writ
ten in the series was “Killer An
gels,” the book Jeff Shaara’s fa
ther, the late Michael Shaara,
authored and the same book
which served as the basis for the
movie “Gettysburg.”
Since his father’s death. Jeff
Shaara has written the prequel,
“Gods and Generals,” which de
tails the life of legendary Stone
wall Jackson and the Battle of
Fredericksburg, and the newly
released sequel called “Last Full
Measure.”
»*♦» • • • •
Sturtz works closely with Anti
etam National Battlefield and
Harper’s Ferry, W.Va., for spe
cial events and a few years ago,
he played a soldier in a documen
tary filmed by the National Park
Service for Antietam National
Battlefield.
Sturtz believes that the casting
company for “Gods and Gener
als” got his name and telephone
number from the National Park
Service. Sturtz has also served as
the Provost Marshal at Harper’s
Ferry on the Fourth of July for
the past few years. He also
started going to the Eisenhower
farm in Gettysburg for World
War II re-enacting a living histo
ry weekend in September.
“In seventh grade I wrote an
essay on Gettysburg and drew
the figures on the cover with
crayon so I must have been inter
ested back then. I guess that’s
where it started from,” he said.
Sturtz can also be credited
with locating Civil War Col.
Robert P. Cummins’ saddle,
which had been in storage but is
now on public display at the Ber
lin Historical Society building in
southern Somerset County. Col.
Cummins was of 142nd Pennsyl
vania Volunteers from Somerset
County and was a county sheriff.
Richard Sturtz, a Civil War re-enactor, enjoys acquiring war uniforms and artifacts
with stories that accompany them.
Sturtz has since become
friends with Marion Runnells of
Utah, the great-great-grand
daughter of Col. Cummins, and
although the family had a sense
of history within their genealogy,
they were never involved. Now,
the family travels to Remem
brance Day on Nov. 19 in Gettys
burg and they correspond with
Sturtz often.
Although Sturtz has been get
ting back to the routine of his
usual lifestyle in Somerset Coun-
•••*••*••*** * * ‘ * * * * S
Lancaster Farming, Saturday, January 26,2002-B1
C?C*SI/C'S*
This Lewis Weighley coverlet is Sturtz’s most prized
one of his coverlet collection. Notice also the beehive
made of rye straw banded with oak strips, the redware
pottery spittoon, the gun and powder horn from an 1800 s
gunsmith, and many photographs depicting Somerset
County history.
ty, he foresees another movie
extra part in the near future.
Sturtz says that Ron Howard is
supposedly making a film of the
Alamo and another Civil War
film based on the book “Stone
Mountain” is supposed to be in
the works.
In the meantime, he will no
doubt continue collecting Somer
set County handcrafted items
and already has some pieces in
mind.
“Somerset County has a
unique history,” he said. “People
moved through this county west.
They may have stopped here for
a night or longer but because of
the military roads, Forbes Road
and Braddock Road (Route 40),
Many passed through this
area. The craftsmen here were
creative and had an individual
style. They expressed themselves
in their work and that’s one of
the reasons I enjoy collecting
items from this area. It might
have been a farming community
but there were artists here.”
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