1833: The night the sky fell in Gettysburg
The old Adams County jail wasn’t the most secure of prisons. Early in the morning of November 12, 1833, a convicted murderer was so scared that he broke out of the prison, according to the History of Adams County published in 1886. Though the man was free from prison, he still wore shackles. He ran to the nearest blacksmith shop and filed them off. Then, “as he forgot to come back and give himself up to be hanged, it may be inferred he is still fleeing from the ‘stars’ that do not pursue,” according to the History of Adams County. Few people probably even noticed the killer’s escape that evening. Their eyes were turned to the heavens watching the reason the man had become scared enough to break out. “The whole heavens appeared to be illuminated by countless meteors, of 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…
A Midnight Walk Through a Jewelry Store
Here’s a fun story I found from Cumberland, MD, in 1875. However, as I wrote it, I found myself wondering if it was the truth. I’m not saying that the newspaper got the story wrong, but when I read the story as reported, I thought that maybe the “sleepwalker” wasn’t telling the whole truth. He successfully entered a jewelry store, or at least the store’s upper levels, after hours. Could he have been trying to rob the store, either consciously of subconsciously while sleepwalking? And for it to take an hour to go down a flight of stairs, out the door, orient himself on a street he would have recognized and walk next door? That sounds a little far fetched, too. Might he have been looking around for a few “souvenirs” before he left and finding none, needed an excuse Read more…
Looking Back: Sledding on City Streets
By 1923, cars were no longer a novelty on Cumberland’s roads. They had surpassed horse-drawn wagons and carriages as the main form of transportations. With more cars on the streets, the chances of accidents rose. Cars could zip along at speeds of 40 miles an hour or more. However, just like today if a driver tried to stop too quickly on snow-covered streets, the car could slide out of control. That was causing problems because children sledding shared a similar problem. Once their sled was in motion, it was hard to stop. Unfortunately many of them didn’t stop until they hit a moving car. This led parents to action. At a city council meeting in February 1923, “The suggestion that a special street for sled riding by children be roped off and protected by city authorities in order to prevent Read more…
Looking Back 1980-First tornado in a century hits Chambersburg area
Monday, May 12, 1980, was winding down. Families were sitting down to dinner. Some people were just returning home from work. It has been a warm day so many people had opened their windows to allow the fresh air in. Then just after 6 p.m., a large black cloud moved in over Chambersburg, the wind began gusting to incredible speeds and rain fell, sometimes very heavily. “It was like fire rolling over the top of the building. The power lines started snapping like candy,” said a motorist who pulled into The Lumber Yard when the rain became too intense to see through, according to the Public Opinion. Another Chambersburg resident, Ida Beard, said, “I was driving home (via) Radio Hill around 6 and saw a round ball in the sky to my left. It kept getting smaller. I looked like a tunnel Read more…
My new local history column debuts!
For all you lovers of interesting history story of interesting people, unique events, mind-boggling crimes and just feel-good slice of life stories check out my new Looking Back column in the Chambersburg Public Opinion. It will run twice a month in the newspaper and is the sister column to my original Looking Back column in the Cumberland Times-News, which looks at history of Cumberland, Allegany County and the rest of Mountain Maryland. The debut column looks at Chambersburg Day at Pen-Mar Park in 1906. It’s a nice slice-of-life story about the area. Up next will be a look back at the 1980 tornado that touched down in Chambersburg and caused a lot of damage. Check out the column if you get a chance and let me know what you think.
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