Gertrude Bosler Biddle, a notable civic leader, was born in Carlisle on October 24, 1857. The daughter of J. Herman and Mary J. Kirk, she is best known for her role as president of the Carlisle Civic Club. Established by Biddle on June 22, 1898, the Carlisle Civic Club and its thirty-four founding members worked to educate the community on the importance of health and sanitation.1 The group can be credited for a number of initiatives that helped to “clean up” Carlisle, including street cleaning services, waste receptacles, as well as the installation of the town’s first street markers. Additionally, the Civic Club organized a savings fund department at a time when there were no savings banks in Carlisle, and they initiated the first well-baby clinic in the area.2
Gertrude Bosler married prominent Cumberland County judge, Edward W. Biddle in 1882. Together, they built and lived in what is now known as the “Biddle House,” located on the corner of College and West High Street. Today, the home is occupied by the Registrar’s Office of Dickinson College.3 Edward and Gertrude went on to have two children – Herman Bosler Biddle in 1883 and Edward McFunn Biddle in 1886. When the elder son died in a railroad accident in 1909, his parents donated the Biddle Memorial Field to Dickinson College in his honor.4
Gertrude continued serving as president of the Carlisle Civic Club until her retirement in 1908. She was involved with several other area organizations, including the Carlisle Fortnightly Club and as President of Todd Hospital in 1895. On February 6, 1900, Gertrude’s husband, Judge Edward W. Biddle, would grant a charter for the J. Herman Bosler Memorial Library, named in memory for Gertrude’s late father.5
Biddle would later move to Philadelphia, where her credentials would earn her the prestigious title of President of the Philadelphia Civic Club. However, her love for the Carlisle community compelled her to return. From 1931 until 1946, the board of directors at Bosler Memorial Library operated under her leadership. On July 20th, 1950, Gertrude Bosler Biddle died at the age of 93.6 Her advocacy and commitment to community advancement will forever be of value.
The Carlisle Herald and the American Volunteer were the two major newspapers in Carlisle for most of the nineteenth century. The Carlisle Herald was the organ of the Republicans, and the American Volunteer was the organ of the Democrats.
1 Nancy Kramer, “Gertrude Bosler Biddle: Inspiration for a New Carlisle,” in Lamberton and Hamilton Association Prize Essays, 1978.
2 Patricia Wise Strickler, “Remember the Ladies,” paper presented to the Carlisle Fortnightly Club.
3 “Biddle House,” Dickinson College Archives and Special Collections. Retrieved from http://archives.dickinson.edu/places/biddle-house
4 “Edward W. Biddle,” Dickinson College Archives and Special Collections. Retrieved from http://archives.dickinson.edu/people/edward-w-biddle-1852-1931
5 Daniel J. Heisey, “Poets and Patricians: The Bosler Library at One Hundred, “ Cumberland County History, v. 17, n. 1.
6 Pennsylvania Historic and Museum Commission; Harrisburg, Pennsylvania; Pennsylvania (State). Death certificates, 1906–1967; Certificate Number Range: 059551-062100