Image: Dam on Mountain Creek by Jim Bradley
An initiative of the Cumberland County Historical Society the Elizabeth V. and George F. Gardner Digital Library seeks to fulfill the Society's mission of collecting, engaging, and sharing the stories of Cumberland County.
Interview of Nhan Ai Simms by Amanda Gautier and Megan Osborn on November 1, 2015 for the Elizabeth V. and George F. Gardner Digital Library. The interview focuses on the Simms family and experiences in Carlisle and Cumberland County after Vietnam.
Interview of Betty Gardner for the Elizabeth V. and George F. Gardner Digital Library. Gardner discusses coming to Carlisle and her work with the Second Presbyterian Church in Carlisle.
In recollections of her life in Carlisle, Mary C. Dillon, author of the novel “In Old Bellaire,” wrote about the faculty circle of Dickinson College. She said that it included “the brilliant spinsters, Miss Sarah and Miss Phoebe Paine, who had a finishing school for young ladies on West Street
Margaret MacDonald was born on June 22, 1760, one of Duncan and Sarah MacDonald’s four children.1 Her father, described as “the old Scotch highland piper,”2 likely served in one of the British regiments sent to Carlisle during the French and Indian War.
John Zug, a new lawyer, writes to his intended bride Margaret about the perils to his mind, body, and soul of being a lawyer. He is determined to follow a new regimen to improve his health.
John Zug’s wife Margaret is staying in Newville with their three-month-old baby, John Edgar, while her husband is living 15 miles away and working while the house they will live in is being prepared. His cousins have been visiting, and Mrs. Postley and her brood have arrived in Carlisle. He misses his wife and son and hopes to be with them soon.
This letter is filled with information about the new buildings being erected in Carlisle and the comings and goings and marriages and deaths of friends and neighbors. Note: Dr. McCoskry always begins a letter to his brother Dr. William with dear sir.
Largent discusses his experiences growing up and his time working for a railroad company. Watch Story...
“The Dillsburg and Mechanicsburg Railroad was built with the backing of the Cumberland Valley Railroad primarily to haul iron ore from the vast reserves around Dillsburg to furnaces in the Harrisburg region. Read Article...
Reproduced below are a number of the photographs which were displayed at the Cumberland County Historical Society as an exhibit "Hey Ollie, Let's Go Railroading." Over 250 photographs were put on display as a tribute to all the railroaders, both here and gone, who worked in the Cumberland Valley. Read Story...