Hodge Podge: lectures, events, and blogs

I want to take a moment to once again thank the Shippensburg Civil War Roundtable, and the Mechanicsburg Museum Association for inviting me to speak to their organizations.  In September, I was invited to speak in Shippensburg about my ongoing research into the Emergency Militia of 1862.  It was a great thrill to not only return to the town of my alma mater, but to speak in the Cumberland Valley where so much of the stories I told took place exactly 150 years earlier.  It was a great honor to be able to tell the often overlooked story of those Keystone men.

Earlier this month, I spoke in Mechanicsburg about the Locust Grove Cemetery (a historic African American burial ground located in Shippensburg), and the preservation project to record, conserve, and commemorate such a priceless historic resource.  I had an opportunity to be a part of this project while studying Public History at Shippensburg University.  Click here to read more.  While it can be nerve wracking to prepare for such public talks, in the end, being able to share local history with others is always extremely rewarding.

In March, the Mechanicsburg Museum Association will be presenting two unique Sunday afternoon presentaions relating to Mechanicsburg during the summer of 1863.  Of course, in 1863, as in 1862, Pennsylvania was on high alert, but this time the Rebel army did indeed invade the Commonwealth.  In June of 1863, they made their way up through the Cumberland Valley, town by town, until finally capturing Mechanicsburg on June 28.  Hoping to use the town as a jump off point for an attack of the Pennsylvania capital of Harrisburg, less than 10 miles away, the Rebels were instead ordered to march south, and converge on Gettysburg.  Mechanicsburg and Harrisburg were spared.

On March 10, the Mechanicsburg Museum Association will be offering a lecture on Mechanicsburg Civil War era buildings, which are still numerous throughout the borough.  Click here for info. 
On March 17, Mechanicsburg Museum Association will be hosting the Mechanicsburg Main Street Committee as they discuss the many events being planned for the 150th Anniversary of the occupation of Mechanicsburg, this June.  Click here for more info.

Mechanicsburg Museum Association events take place at the historic Cumberland Valley Railroad station.

To stay on top of other Sesqucentenial events taking place in the Cumberland Valley this year be sure to check out the following pages:
Cumberland County 150
PA Civil War 150
Cumberland County Historical Society
Monterey Pass Battlefield
Shippensburg Historical Society
Mechanicsburg Museum Association

And finally, I wanted to take a minute to introduce to you the newly created blog of the Pennsylvania Historic Preservation Office (PHPO).

Click here.  

As stated on the blog, "The role of the PHPO is to identify and protect the architectural and archaeological resources of Pennsylvania. Our responsibility is to work with individuals, communities, local governments, and state and federal agencies to educate Pennsylvanians about our heritage and its value, to build better communities through preservation tools and strategies, to provide strong leadership, both individually and through partnerships, and to ensure the preservation of Pennsylvania’s heritage."  The PHPO posts a new article every Wednesday on a range of subjects from archaeology to the National Register of Historic Places; from historical markers to preservation planning, and more.  Look for a post from yours truly in mid March.

Mechanicsburg's Irving Female College

When the 2nd Pennsylvania Emergency Militia left Harrisburg for the "seat of war", they, like other regiments, were speedily transported along the Cumberland Valley Railroad.  At each of the small towns along the route, hordes of townspeople turned out to cheer on the defenders of the Commonwealth.  Located about 8 miles west of Harrisburg, the small town of Mechanicsburg (originally named for the abundant amount of mechanics and machinists who lived in the area) turned out at the railroad station, and along the tracks, in droves that mid September in 1862.  The sights of their journey would be forever etched into the "green" soldiers' minds.  Louis Richards, a Reading militiaman in Co. G, remembered one particularly pleasing sight for the young men while passing through Mechanicsburg:

Crowds of people came out to the stations to meet us, and black and white, old and young, all joined in the heartiest demonstrations of welcome.  Were also greeted from the houses and roadsides all along the line by people waving their handkerchiefs and swinging their hats.  At Mechanicsburg a whole girls' school was out to see us.  This was a specially engaging sight to some of our number, who thought that that village would be a good place to camp.  The elite of the town were at the station, and S. pointed out to me the leading beauties of the place - I mean the ladies.  Soldiers of a day, we already began, in the midst of these inspiring scenes, to feel like real veterans.

An Illustrated History of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania



Founded in 1856, the Irving Female College was named for famed author Washington Irving, who served on the board of trustees until his death in 1859.  It became the first female college in the nation to grant degrees in arts and science.  Irving Hall, a large Italianate building, was soon constructed, "amongst a beautiful grove and grounds" located along the Cumberland Valley Railroad tracks, and on the eastern end of town (an area soon known as Irvington).  Irving Hall could house "forty students, as well as supply the classroom, the parlor, the library, and the college offices."  In the early days of the school, the average enrollment was 91 students (many of which were day students who lived in the surrounding region).

By the end of the 19th Century, the College was prospering; a second building was needed.  Known as Columbian Hall, the new building, "contained 40 additional dormitory rooms on the upper floors and a large auditorium on the first floor."  In 1901, an expanded wing was constructed onto the eastern wing of Irving Hall, creating rooms for music, a kitchen, a cafeteria, and a gymnasium.  In it's hey-day, Irving Female College had buildings that were, "...imposing in appearance, substantially built of brick, conveniently arranged, and comfortably fitted up with the modern conveniences, and every thing calculated to make it an attractive and safe home, with full and thorough educational advantages for young ladies."  Some of Irving's "young ladies" would go on to be accomplished alumnae, including Ida Kast, Cumberland County's first female attorney, and Jane Deeter Ripon, President of the Girl Scouts of America. 

postcard of Irving Female College ca. 1901. Columbian Hall is located on the right.



postcard of Irving Female College ca. 1901. Expansion can be seen at left-rear of Irving Hall.



The presence of Irving was not just enjoyed by the young men of the Emergency Militia, but by the town itself, as it, "...provided Mechanicsburg with a source of culture, music, great literature and drama that the rural town would not have experienced otherwise."  An alumna later said "The college meant a great deal to the community.  It was a social center."

Sadly, the College's brighter days would soon be behind it. Suffering from a combination of the economic downturn due to the Great Depression, and increased competition from larger private universities and state funded colleges, the College was closed and its buildings sold off by 1937.  Irving and Columbian Halls would soon be renovated on the interior, and converted into apartment space, which they still remain as to this day. 



President's Hall ca. 1982 (built 1911, since demolished)

In 1954, the Pennsylvania Historical & Museum Commission placed a historical marker in front of the College along Main St., and in 1983, Irving Female College was listed in the National Register of Historic Places.  Through adaptive reuse and historic preservation, these historic buildings have stood, and continue to stand, as silent observers of our past. 



Irving Hall as seen today - Dave Maher

sources:

Egle, M.D., William H. An Illustrated History of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, Civil, Political, and Military, From it's Earliest Settlement to the Present Time, Including Historical Descriptions of Each County in the State, Their Towns, and Industrial Resources. Harrisburg, PA: De Witt C. Goodrich & Co., 1876.

Richards, Louis. Eleven Days in the Militia During the War of the Rebellion; Being a Journal of the "Emergency" Campaign of 1862. Philadelphia: Collins, Printer, 1883.

Rose, Sarah, "Irving Female College National Register of Historic Places nomination form", 1982.  on file at the Pennsylvania State Historic Preservation Office, or online through the Cultural Resource GIS.

the "Mechanicsburg Infantry"

The following appeared in the October 4, 1862 issue of the Cumberland Valley Journal, a newspaper from Mechanicsburg, PA.  After they returned home from service in Maryland as Co. F, 1st Pennsylvania Emergency Militia, the names of the brave men in town who rushed to the "call" the month before were printed in the Journal.  Interestingly, one of those names was David Carmany, the newspaper's editor.  Note the last two sentences at the end of the muster roll.
 
"MUSTER ROLL OF THE 'MECHANICSBURG INFANTRY' - The following is the muster roll of the company raised in this place in accordance with the proclamation of the Governor - for State defense - as it was composed upon leaving for the State line:

Captain, ..................................T.J. Kerr

First Lieutenant, .............G.W. Chalfant

Second Lieutenant, ........S.N. Emminger

1st Sergeant, ........................Jacob Emminger

2d      "     .................................S.G. Newman

3d      "      .............................George Hummel

4th      "     ...................................Alpheus Dale

Quartermaster Sergeant, .............R.H. Thomas

1st Corporal, .................................L.D. Keefer

2d       "      ........................................J.J. Clark

3d       "      ...................................D.D. Barton

4th      "      .................................Joseph Ritner

5th      "      ....................................S.F. Huston

6th      "      ..................................T.S. Comfort

7th      "      ..................................R.W. Oswald

8th      "      .....................................Henry Null

Privates                                          Privates

                             Barrick, George                       Llloyd, Charles A.

                             Beelman, George                     Lloyd, James E. 
                             Bishop, Eli                              Machlin, James L.
                             Bitner, Wm. H.                      Martin, Alfred
                             Bowman, B. F.                       Mateer, A. H.
                             Boyer, J. S                            Mateer, Samuel A.
                             Bobb, G. W.                           Miller, Augustus
                             Brindle, David                        Miller, J. C. 
                             Carl, Joseph                           Miller, William 
                             Carmany, D. J.                      Mohler, George H.
                             Clark, Andrew A.                  Nichol, J. M. 
                             Coble, D. W.                          Oswald, W. H.
                             Coble, Jacob                           Otstot, George
                             Coover, John R.                      Painter, B. C.
                             Coover, John L.                      Rich, A. G.
                             Coover, George                       Roddy, Thos. P. 
                             Cowden, Andrew                    Rupp, John C.
                             Dale, James A.                       Schutt G. L.
                             Dallam, George C.                  Seifert, Emanuel
                             Duey, George                         Seifert, Henry
                             Duey, Jacob                           Seifert, Peter
                             Eberly, A. K.                         Schroeder, H. B.
                             Eberly, Henry M.                   Sheely, William
                             Eberly, Levi                           Shellenberger, B. F.
                             Eberly, W. H.                        Slyder, Jacob
                             Friese, Michael, jr.                  Smith, James A.
                             Garber, Andrew A.                Smith, John J.
                             Gosweiler, Martin                   Statler, A. J.
                             Harkins, Daniel                      Statler, J. B.
                             Hauck, G. W.                         Statler, J. F.
                             Heffelfinger, Samuel               Titzel, C. H.
                             Heigly, David                         Titzel, G. W.
                             Hinkle, Samuel                       Tyson, James
                             Hurd, Daniel                          Weitzel, Peter
                             Hurst, D. W.                         Wengert, Amos
                             Irvin, James D.                      Wilson, William
                             Kauffman, Isaac                    Whisler, William H.
                             Kauffman, Isaac H.                Zimmerman, J. C.
                             Keene, E. S.                           Zug, J. E.
                             Leidig, Joseph 

During the absence of the company - in Maryland - thirteen returned home, from various reasons.  What the reasons were we do not pretend to say."

The author of the piece certainly did not need to say; it was already implied.  With whole companies, and sometimes regiments, being raised from the men of one town or one county, immense amounts of pressure were placed on each man to not abandon his comrades (his neighbors).  For many soldiers, having to face your friends and family again after the embarrassment of "skedaddling" in the face of the enemy was sometimes looked upon as something worse than the dangers of battle.  During the Maryland Campaign, there are several accounts, among the Emergency Militia, of men heading for home the moment rumors spread through the ranks that the enemy was near by.

Just as often, if not more common it would seem than "skedaddling", some Emergency Militiamen returned home before being ordered to do so because many felt a great unease about crossing the border, and fighting for the protection of Maryland.  Many felt very strongly about the fact that they had signed up to serve Pennsylvania, and Pennsylvania only.  Since they could be ordered to march beyond Pennsylvania's borders, and fight with the Federal army, they feared there was nothing to stop them from being ordered to continue fighting and marching south, for the duration of the war.  In several instances, whole companies turned around and marched home when they arrived at Greencastle, near the border.  In the end, regimental commanders, and even Gov. Curtin himself, convinced the Keystone men that the best place to defend Pennsylvania, was in Maryland.