Image: Dam on Mountain Creek by Jim Bradley

The Elizabeth V. and George F. Gardner Digital Library Logo

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.

Highlighted Stories

Helen Kollas

Image of Helen Kollas during Interview

Interview of Helen Kollas by Michael Collins on March 18, 2015. The interview focuses on the Hamilton Restaurant in Carlisle, Pennsylavania, Kollas' early life growing up, and the Greek Community in Carlisle.

Crea Arnold

Arnold discusses the Second Presbyterian Church in Carlisle as well as her experiences working at Cochran and Allen among other changes in Carlisle over time.

Highlighted Entries

Emma Louise Thompson McGowan

Emma Louise Thompson McGowan was born in Winchester, Virginia in 1876. When she was thirteen years old, McGowan moved with her family from Winchester, Virginia to Carlisle, Pennsylvania escaping the devastation of the South and seeking a new life in the North.

Miss Margaret MacDonald (1760-1844)

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.