Carlisle

Old Market Houses of Carlisle, Pa.

At first like other towns in their incipient state, the people of Carlisle, may have largely depended on their own yards and gardens and out-lots for the supply of their wants with occasional visits by meat dealers and country people. Every family raised something both for summer and winter consumption, and “killing time,” or “butchering time,” as it was generally called, which occurred late in the Fall, after the corn and potatoes had all been housed, was always a season of great plenty, when many a well-fed steer and hog had to yield its life, and its flesh was prepared for future use.

The Old Nail Factory on North Bedford Street, Carlisle, PA

Andrew Kerr’s “old nail factory” houses that stood on the east side of North Bedford Street between E. High and E. Louther streets.

In the 1780s, John Duncan and Lewis Foulk both operated nail factories in Carlisle. Cask nails and sprigs of any size, flooring brads, shingle nails, and Double Tens Lathing were all hand wrought at their factories. Duncan advertised that he sought "a few good nailors” and offered them "generous wages. Lewis Foulk also advertised that he wanted a number of nailors who would be paid “generous wages,” and he also wanted a “bred [sic] nailor.”

Isabella Oliver

Photo of the cover page from Oliver's Poems

Isabella Oliver, (July 16, 1771—June 7, 1843), once known as the “poetess of the Conodoguinet,” or more colorfully as that creek’s “muse,” was the second--and the first female--published Cumberland County poet in 1805 with Poems on Various Subjects, following the unknown writer of The Unequal Conflict in 1792.

Alexander Ormstead

Alexander Ormstead served in the 127th U.S.C.T., with companies C and D. He was born around 1851 in Cumberland County, Pennsylvania, to unknown parents.1 He enlisted and was mustered into Company C of the 127th U.S.C.T. as a private on August 29, 1864, in Carlisle, Pennsylvania, and was transferred to Company D at some point during his time in service. He was 5 feet and 4 inches tall, with dark hair, eyes, and complexion.

Donald E. Owens Sr.

Donald E. Owens Sr.

This transcript includes portions of the tape that relate to the migration of African-American families to Cumberland County or the Underground Railroad. Donald Owens stated that he heard many of these stories from his grandmother, who raised him. Other portions of the tape contain his memories of events in the 1930s, visits to his uncle’s farm where he helped with butchering, going to school, and jobs that he had. 

Harry G. Pace

Interview of Harry G. Pace by Michael Snyder for the Elizabeth V. and George F. Gardner Digital Library. Pace discusses his early life in North Carolina, his Naval service during World War II, and his experience as a firefighter in the Empire Hook and Ladder Company in Carlisle, Pennsylvania.

Abraham Parker

Private Abraham Parker was born around 1843 in Gilford, Franklin Co., Pa to Daniel and Rosanna Parker.1 There is little known about Parker before the war. He was a laborer and had a couple of criminal convictions. In 1858, in Com vs. Allen Whiten and Abraham Parker, Parker was found guilty of larceny and sentenced to 6 months in prison.2 He was again sentenced to 3 months imprisonment and fined for larceny in Com. vs.

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