Image: Dam on Mountain Creek by Jim Bradley

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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

Nicole Witmer

Image of Nicole Witmer during Interview

Interview of Nicole Witmer by Alan Schultze on March 25, 2015. Witmer discusses growing up on a farm outside of Carlisle, Pennsylvania and the physical changes to the landscape as farms are replaced by warehouses in the area. She further talks about her school experiences including being home schooled, attending Pennsylvania Cyber Charter School, and Shippensburg University.

Nhan Ai Simms

Image of Nhan Ai Simms during Interview

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.

Highlighted Entries

The Tavernkeeper’s Wife: Elizabeth Pope

Being the wife of a tavernkeeper meant that Elizabeth helped with the running of the tavern as well as taking care of her family. Washing, cleaning, cooking in a hot kitchen over a fire for hours as well as helping in the barroom was hard work.

Susana McMurray Higgs (1794-1877)

Photo of the stone house at corner of Bedford and Louther Streets, operated as the Sign of the Thirteen Stripes tavern.

Daughter of a Carlisle tavernkeeper, wife of an English iron worker, Aunt to a well-known actress, and benefactress to the poor, Susana McMurray Higgs was born, lived much of her life and died on the same property in Carlisle.

Recently Published

The Origin and History of Camp Michaux’s Prisoner of War Photographs: A New Discovery

The photographs in the collection at the Cumberland County Historical Society (CCHS) that document the history of the Pine Grove Furnace Prisoner of War Camp at Camp Michaux during the Second World War come from several sources. The primary source is from a collection originally owned by Major Laurence Thomas, the camp’s commander that were taken by the Army Signal Corp. This collection contains pictures of German and Japanese POWs, usually working around the camp or in candid poses and photos of the camp during various seasons of the year.

Dean Vaughn

Interview of Dean Vaughn for the Elizabeth V. and George F. Gardner Digital Library Memory Bank of the Cumberland County Historical Society. Vaughn discusses growing up in Boiling Springs in the post-WWII era before volunteering for the United States Army. He then discusses how he developed his memory techniques while working for RCA in Thule, Greenland and what led him to establish his own company.

Railroads

Jim E. Largent Sr.

Image of Jim E. Largent SrLargent 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 Railroading

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...