1924: Pennsylvania state trooper murdered in Adams County
This is the first in a series of articles I wrote for the Gettysburg Times about the murder of Pennsylvania State Trooper Francis Haley and the hunt for his killer. With just five months with the Pennsylvania State Police and only two days at the substation in Chambersburg, Private Francis Haley could still feel a sense of newness and wonder with the job. It was a feeling he would lose all too soon. Around 2:30 p.m. on Oct. 14, 1924, the report came in to be on the lookout for a lone man in a touring car with New York plates who was wanted as a suspect in the robbery of the Abbottstown State Bank. Upon fleeing the scene, the bank robber had last been seen heading in the direction of Gettysburg along Lincoln Highway. Around 2 p.m. that day, Read more…
Up, up and away in my beautiful balloon!
The October winds gusted through Gettysburg in 1842, sending loose hats flying into the air. John Wise considered it good news. It would help him take flight for the 39th time in his hot air balloon. He stoked the fire that generated the heat that was slowly inflating the enormous balloon. Then he moved on to stowing his ballast and grappling hook in the basket. At last the moment came to launch himself into the heavens. As he prepared to step into the basket that hung below the balloon, John McClellan, a young man in his early thirties stepped forward. McClellan wanted to know whether two men could go up at once in the balloon. “On receiving a negative reply, Mr. McClellan seeming much disappointed-said he was determined to have a ride: and inquired the price at which Mr. Wise Read more…
What? You mean there's more to Gettysburg than just the Civil War battle?
I have a new e-book available on Kindle called Beyond the Battlefield: Stories from Gettysburg’s Rich History and it happens to be coming out around the same time I’m beginning a new history column for the Gettysburg Times with the same theme. Gettysburg is best-known for the epic Civil War battle that was fought there in 1863. It tends to overshadow many of the other interesting and important stories that have taken place in Gettysburg and the vicinity. Gettysburg was home to one of the first tank training camps in the country during World War I that was located on a portion of the Civil War battlefield. This also brought a young army officer to Gettysburg who would play a very important role in town but also the world. His name was Dwight David Eisenhower. Gettysburg was also home to Read more…
Eddie Plank: Gettysburg’s Legendary Lefty
P is for Plank The arm of the A’s; When he tangled with Matty Games lasted for days. – Lineup for Yesterday by Ogden Nash Though he was known as Gettysburg Eddie, his real name was Edward Stewart Plank. He was a hero to many, but not because he had fought and survived on Gettysburg’s battlefield. Gettysburg Eddie fought on a different battlefield. He held a mound of earth surrounded by a diamond-shaped field. He held it week after week, year after year, and he did it by hurling a baseball. Gettysburg Eddie was the first left-handed pitcher in baseball history to win 200 games and then the first to win 300 games. Even today, he has the third-most wins among left-handed pitchers—326—and ranks 11th among all pitchers. Plank was born on August 31, 1875, on his family’s farm north Read more…
Living in Gettysburg
I’ve been to the annual Gettysburg battle re-enactment once in my five years living here and I enjoyed it. Even though I don’t go each year, I still enjoy this time of year. How could I not being a history buff? I can see how many people still appreciate history by the turnout and I do attend many of the other events associated with the re-enactment. I’ll visit encampments, talk to re-enactors and attend demonstrations from Civil War cooking to loading a rifle. So much of my time is spent researching history that it is nice to get out and take a step back in time to get a feel for how history was lived. It helps me get a sense of things as I write. I learn about the little details that can add richness and authenticity to my Read more…
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