Benjamin Franklin
Intellectually, Benjamin Franklin was a very gifted person, with only a few years of academic schooling, he was a self-taught individual. Franklin was born in Boston, Massachusetts, one of ten children of a soap and candle maker.
Browse Encyclopedia
The Cumberland County Historical Encyclopedia is an expanding publication on the history of the Cumberland County. Covering a wide range of topics and the entire Cumberland County geographic region, the Encyclopedia seeks to be an initial entry point to those interested in the County's history. Entries seek to provide a list of resources available as well as showcasing some of the Cumberland County Historical Society's own collections.
Fresh Air Fund Children
On Tuesday, August 19, 1884, a train left New York City with 100 children bound for the Cumberland Valley. They were “Fresh Air Fund” children; a movement started by Pennsylvania clergyman Willard Parsons in 1877.
J. Mark Frey and the Bethlehem Bach Choir
J. Mark Frey (1880-1958) and his wife, Miriam Anna Dum (G: Thommen) (1891-1988), raised their family on South Hanover Street, Carlisle from the early 1930s forward. Mark, as he was called, was born to a confectioner living in Allentown, about seven miles west of Bethlehem.
Miram Anna (Dum) Frey Meets 1912 Olympic Medalist Jim Thorpe
In January 1974 Miriam Anna (Dum) Frey (1891-1988) wrote a letter describing a favorite family story. Written from her home at 629 So. Hanover Street, the letter was addressed to grandson Stephen D.
West Hill Village Blacksmith James N. Fry
The village of West Hill is located one mile west of Plainfield on Route 641 in West Pennsboro Township. The 1872 Atlas of Cumberland County shows the village consisting of six houses, a Methodist Episcopal Church, two stores, and a blacksmith shop.
Frycklund’s Miniature Golf Course
Miniature golf courses sprang up all over the United States in the late 1920s with the invention of a kind of artificial turf. Rumors spread during the spring and summer of 1930 that Carlisle was soon to have a miniature golf course.
Dr. Levi J. Fulk: New Kingstown Physician
Dr. Levi Fulk’s ledger, covering the years 1882-1901, is in the collection of the Cumberland County Historical Society.1 The ledger’s 193 pages contain the names of Dr.
The Galveston, Texas Disaster of 1900: Cumberland County Raises Money for Relief
“Thousands Perish in Texas Cyclone,” “Wreck, Ruin and Death in Pathway of the Terrific Storm in Texas,” “The Greatest Catastrophe in the History of the Lone Star State,” Galveston Survivors are Totally Destitute,” were just a few of the headlines in newspapers across the United S
Henry Ganss
Henry George Ganss (22 February, 1855-25 December, 1912) was a Roman Catholic priest of the Diocese of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, as well as a musician and historian. For twenty years he served as pastor of Saint Patrick’s parish in Carlisle, and then he became pastor of Saint Mary’s parish in Lancaster.
Gas Light Comes to Carlisle
“Introduction of Gas!” proclaimed the Carlisle Herald in its June 4, 1856, edition, while a headline in the June 5, 1856, edition of the American Volunteer reported: