Home | Elizabeth V. and George F. Gardner Library

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.

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      Highlighted Stories    
    
      Catharine MacCaffray (Women in World War II)
      
This is an oral history conducted by Steven Burg with Catharine MacCaffray at her home in Carlisle, Pennsylvania, on June 20, 2002 as part of the Cumberland County Women During World War Two Oral History Project. MacCaffray discusses her experience as a volunteer nurse's aid for the American Red Cross in various hostitals in Carlisle. MacCaffray further talks about other various experiences including working at C. H. Masland's, seeing German POWs, and rationing.

      E. Jean Bixler
      
Interview of E. Jean Bixler of Boiling Springs, Pennsylvania for the Elizabeth V. and George F. Gardner Digital Library. Bixler discusses growing up in Boiling Springs as well as her family.

      Highlighted Entries    
    
      Bertha G. Kitch: North Middleton Township School Teacher
      
A black and white photograph shows two horse-drawn wagons filled with children from the Basin Hill School and their teacher Miss Bertha Kitch. They are having their picture taken in front of Carlisle’s Market House. The ground is covered with snow.

      Helen H. Stevens (1902-1994)
      
Born in Chicago on September 18, 1902, Helen Stevens was a long-time and very active member of the Carlisle community, whose life work was associated with finding assistance for individuals needing mental health services.

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      Miss Esther Lamberton (1799-1880)Esther Lamberton and her twin brother Christopher James were born six years after their father James Lamberton killed John Duncan of Carlisle in a duel in June 1793.1 Esther wrote her will on September 23, 1878.
Read more about Miss Esther Lamberton (1799-1880)

      “Washingtoniana” on display in Carlisle in 1944
      
George Washington’s birthday on February 22 was commemorated in different ways in Carlisle in 1944.
Read more about “Washingtoniana” on display in Carlisle in 1944

      Antiques Going, Going, Gone: Local Sales in the 1940s and 1950s
      
Collectors and dealers of antiques have often talked about the old days when there were so many good pieces of furniture and “smalls” for sale at auctions. The following are examples of some of those sales.
Read more about Antiques Going, Going, Gone: Local Sales in the 1940s and 1950s

    Railroads
  
Jim E. Largent Sr.Largent discusses his experiences growing up and his time working for a railroad company. Watch Story...
Dillsburg and Mechanicsburg Railroad“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...
Hey Ollie, Let's Go RailroadingReproduced 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...