Winters Heritage House Museum

e m b e r N e w s l e t t e r
M
Published by the Elizabethtown Preservation Associates, Inc. September, 2013

Upcoming Museum Events

Through Sept. 6 — Early textiles exhibit—
Inside—
spinning, weaving and dyeing

Sept.13-Oct. 18 — Photo Exhibit–

Elizabethtown 100 Years Ago

Oct. 11—1st Story Hour, ages 4-6

Winters Heritage House Museum Return Service Requested

US Postage Paid
P.O. Box 14
Non-profit Org.
47 East High St.,
Elizabethtown, PA
Elizabethtown, PA 17022 To Contact the Museum
Permit No. 1
(717) 367-4672 and Seibert Library
Phone:
717 367-4672

Email:
winters-hh@embarqmail.com

Website:
www.elizabethtownhistory.org

Museum and Library hours are;

Wed., Thurs., and Fri.,
9:30am to 3:00pm.,
and by appointment.
 M u s e u m
News

Remember your Museum What not to miss—

Member Benefits —
As a museum member, your admission is free to
many of the museum’s events.
 Coming up the weekend before Thanksgiving,
November 22 & 23, is the 23rd Annual Holiday
Craft Show, with free admission to all members.
Over 30 local artists and crafts people will
display unique quality hand-made gifts, décor
and foods for purchase.
 The Photo Exhibit, Elizabethtown 100 Years
Ago opens September 13, with a drop-in from 3
to 8pm. Refreshments and light snacks will be
on hand. Bring your friends and make us your
first stop on a night out!
Elizabethtown 100 Years Ago
— a Photo Exhibit at Winters Heritage House Museum in Elizabethtown
An array of photos of Elizabethtown, as she appeared 100
years ago, will go on exhibit starting September 13 at the
museum. Opening night will feature a drop-in gala from 3pm
to 8pm with light snacks and refreshments. We encourage
you to stop by for a guided tour of over thirty turn-of-the-
century photographs featuring local businesses, transportation,
and buildings. “We may not be able to go back in time, but
this is the next best thing to it!”
Admission is free to members or by donation of your choice.
Donations support the educational programs of Winters
Heritage House Museum.

 Who doesn’t enjoy poking around in an old

house? A tour of the museum is included with
every membership. Schedule a tour for visiting
friends and family over the holidays. Tours are
informative and fun, and can be planned by
appointment as well as during museum hours.

 Research in the Seibert Library is free to all

museum members. If there is an old building
that has caught your interest, an organization
you’d like to know more about, or a family
member you wish you could find, please feel
free to stop in. Our librarians are happy to help
you dig through our books and records or show
you how to hunt for things online.
We hope to see you soon!!
This photo, circa 1908, shows a trolley in the town square.
Trolleys serviced Elizabethtown from 1908 to 1932. Two
separate lines ran from the Elizabethtown Square to Lancaster
and to Hershey. The right-side building is currently Barry’s
Train Shop. See more wonderful photos of our town 100 years
ago, on exhibit Sept. 13– Oct. 18 at Winters Heritage House
Museum.

To register for classes or events, please contact the museum by calling (717) 367-4672. www.elizabethtownhistory.org
Fondly Remembered—
Our Friend, Dottie Leban
Written by the Winters Heritage House Quilting
Committee
In 1996, Dottie Leban and
her husband Mickey
walked into the Winters
Heritage House Museum
for the first time. They
were retired and had
recently moved here from
the Philadelphia area.
Dottie and Mickey
purchased the log house
and property at 51 East
High Street, just two
houses up the street from
Dottie Leban, quilter and artist the museum.
Dottie had been a long time second grade
teacher and Mickey had owned an art supply store.
Both were creative and had a heart for art. Their
intentions were to add a large addition onto the back of
their home and mentor art students using this new area
as a creative work space.
twists and turns, instead of taking in students they took
in an elderly aunt who could no longer live on her own.
Then, Dottie became a student. She signed up for art
courses at Millersville University. She had also joined
the museum’s quilt committee. Dottie always had
exciting projects going, things she had never tried
before, perpetually learning. She would bring her
newest undertakings into the museum quilters to
inspire us, to teach us.
Eventually the aunt went into a nursing home,
but then Mickey became ill and passed away. The
museum quilters became Dottie’s family, as she had no
children. In October of 2008, Dottie also became ill and
passed. Pat Minick and Jo Garvin, two museum
quilters, attended the auction for her household items.
Quilts in progress were purchased by them and
returned to a place that loved them.
One of her quilts, a sampler quilt, was sold still
on Dottie's quilting frame. Jo bought the quilt at auction
Winters Heritage House Museum
P.O. Box 14
Elizabethtown, PA 17022

The addition was added, yet, as life gives us

Membership Renewal Form
Name: _________________________________________
Address: _______________________________________
Phone: ________________________________________
Email: _________________________________________
Membership level (circle one)
Individual—$20 Patron — $100
Family — $40 Sponsor — $250
Sustaining — $60 Benefactor — $500
Set me up as a Nogging Brick Membership at $_______/ Month

Thank you for your support!

Dottie’s sampler quilt, a now-finished true work of art, hangs
Check enclosed # ______ Amount : ____________
on display at the Winters Heritage House Museum. The quilt
committee is offering this stunning quilt for sale. Proceeds to Or Credit Card: __________________________________
benefit the museum. The quilt measures 62” X 86”.and would Expiration: _____
serve as a wonderful sofa throw or colorful wall hanging.
Fun Findings in the Seibert Library
The Original Town of Elizabeth
It is well documented. Elizabethtown is
named after Barnabas Hughes’ wife. The
land descended from the William Penn
Family down thru several owners to
Barnabas on Jun 15, 1753. Sometime before
Oct 4, 1763 Barnabas laid out his new town
of Elizabeth and by that date had sold his
first lot. Barnabas died Jan 2, 1765. His real
estate, including his surveyed lots,
descended to his sons, who released their
rights to their brother Samuel on July 20,
1786. Samuel continued the sale of the
remaining lots.
Neither the original town plan nor a copy
have ever been found. What did the original
plan look like? What were its dimensions?
How many lots were there? After reviewing
a mountain of deeds and other historic
sources, we think we know (See diagram
next page).
Barnabas Hughes’ Original
Town Plan
We believe Barnabas’ plan included 64 lots
divided into 16 blocks. Each block measured lots to the east of Market Street were
198 feet by 240 feet. The frontage or width residents of Mount Joy Township and to the
of the lots depended upon their orientation, west of Market Street residents of Donegal
north-south (49.5 feet) or east-west (60
feet). We, also, believe Samuel added an
additional 16 lots (same dimensions) to the
plan to the west of what he named Poplar
Street sometime between Oct 28, 1790 - Jun
10, 1791. These lots were numbered 65-80.
To date, we have been able to identify deeds M&M and the Poplar Street fields before
that either directly or indirectly relate to the heading to Bainbridge.)
owners of 64 of the 80 lots sold by Barnabas
and his son Samuel. For the 16 remaining
by Dale Good
lots we have been able to locate - St. Peter’s Roman Catholic Church on
documentation of ownership back to within Cherry Alley is located on Lot #1.
the period 1783-1884 for all except one lot.
- The original log-constructed Christ
Barnabas sold his lots as perpetual leases. Evangelical Lutheran Church on East High
We have identified 10 of his perpetual lease Street, through a mix-up, was built on a lot
sales, two of which are referred to in his other than the one sold to its Elders (lot #16)
1763 deed to a John Blazor (original is held by Samuel Hughes in 1787.
by the Seibert Library) and four are inferred
in deeds written by his son Samuel, after his
father’s death. We have located 22 deeds - The second owner of lot 16, whereon the
relating to 55 lots signed by Samuel on 5 Winters Heritage House Museum is now
different dates between 1787 and 1793. located, served in the Revolutionary War. His
father was killed by Indians. (See 1848
article next page.)
Our review of the remaining “mountain of
- St. Peter’s cemetery’s eastern boundary,
deeds”, which are now cataloged by town
which slants to the northwest, coincides with
block, helped identify the numbering system
the slanted boundary of the original 252+
and street layout for the town plan.
acre patent granted by the Penn Family to
Thomas Harris in 1746.
Much can be read about the early lot owners
in Richard K. MacMaster’s book
- Many of the known original lot owners may
“Elizabethtown, The First Three Centuries”.
still have descendants living in Elizabethtown
Our deed research has confirmed much of
today, including those with the surnames:
what he wrote as well as brought to light
Auker, Balmer, Bishop, Blazor, Brant, Coble,
some new facts.
Derr, Frey, Gross, Jamison, McLaughlin, Myer
Did you know? and Sheaffer.
- Market Street follows the old Lancaster-
Middletown-Harrisburg Turnpike as it was
The deeds researched for this project now
laid out by 1738. Prior to the incorporation
form the foundation of a Seibert Library
of the Town of Elizabeth in 1827, owners of
historic property database. If you are
interested in researching the history of your
property please call the Seibert Library staff.
They would be pleased to assist you.
Township.
- Barnabas’s town encompassed about 25
acres. It was situated south of Conoy Creek
and did not straddle nor border on it. (The
Conoy runs alongside the firehouse, Lucky
Ducks, and Rita’s then turns to run between
Barnabus Hughes’ 1763 Plan for the Town of Elizabeth
P 48 M 17 C
P e h
80 79 78 77 o 52 51 50 49 a
47 a 18
e 13 14 15 16
c 46 r 19 r
p 45
h k 20 r
l
Manheim e y Street
a
44 21
r t
43 22
76 75 74 73 56 55 54 53 9 10 11 12
42 23
41 24
Rose Alley
72 57 40 25 8
71 S 58 39 26 7
70 t 59 38 27 6
69 r 60 37 S 28 5
e Pink t Alley
e A r A
68 61 36 29 4
t l
e l
67 62 l
35 30 l
3
66 63 e 34 e 31 e 2
65 64 y 33 t 32 y 1

1/ Barnabas' son Samuel is believed to have added lots 65-80 to the original plan. (not to scale)
Source: Siebert Library, July 25, 2013. (Manheim Street is now High Street.)
Lancaster and Examiner & Herald, Cemetery, where the internment WASHINGTON, and participated in
took place. Col A GREENAWALT the battle of Brandywine. He died
May 17, 1848 (this article reproduced served as chief marshal, A WADE lamented and respected by all who
from the original newspaper obituary) and Samuel HARMONY as assistant knew him. Peace to his ashes!
marshals. The funeral ceremonies
Another Revolutionary excited the liveliest interest and
Veteran Gone were in the highest degree solemn
and impressive. Mr S was born 03
Died at his residence in Feb 1751, in what was then
Elizabethtown, Lancaster County, Philadelphia County, now included
Mr. Peter SHEFFER, in the 98th in Montgomery. From thence his
year of his age. He was buried father removed to what is now
Wednesday May 10th, with military Mahontongo, Schuylkill County,
honors. The Jackson Infantry of where he was massacred by the
May town, Capt ROATH; the Conestoga Indians. The sister of
Swatara Infantry of Middletown, the deceased, about 1756, was
Capt RAYWALD; and the taken captive by the savages.
Elizabethtown Band participated. Peter, then, came to the then wild
A procession composed of an and solitary village of
immense concourse of citizens and Elizabethtown, about 1768, where
friends which marched through he has resided ever since. He Mr. Peter Sheffer rests in the cemetery of Christ
the several streets of the served three tours of duty during Evangelical Lutheran Church, Elizabethtown.
borough to the Lutheran the Revolutionary War, under
Dear Elizabeth
Our Historic Advice Column
The spirit of our town founder,
Elizabeth Hughes (residing here from
1750 to 1760), offers her advice to our
generation.
If you have any advice needs from or a
history question for Elizabeth, please
send them to Dear Elizabeth, c/o
Winters Heritage House Museum’s
email;
winters-hh@embarqmail.com
Dear Elizabeth,
I have noticed that the Elizabethtown
Insurance Company building, at 45 North
Market St., is for sale. (Across from Lucky
Ducks) I think this is an older building. Was How wonderful that the Bear is now again
it there in your day?
Annie Eberly
Dear Annie – you have hit on a fine subject
for my column! This building was the
building that my husband, Barnabas, and
myself purchased and lived in and operated
as a tavern way back in 1750! There was no Dear Elizabeth,
town when we first arrived here, just that
building and the road now known as Market
St./Route 230. Imagine no other streets and
just woodland as far as the eye could see.
(Which wasn’t too far, as the woods were
fairly thick.) The building was built in 1745
by Thomas Harris and was a great stopping
location for people travelling between
Lancaster and Harrisburg (which wasn’t yet
Harrisburg). Thomas named it “the Bear
Tavern.” Each destination is 20 miles from
the tavern, which was a good day’s travel
back then. In that day, ‘Harrisburg’ was
only as of yet ‘Harris Ferry’, after John Harris
(no relation of Thomas) who operated a
ferry boat there. The far bank of the
Susquehanna was the western frontier of
the colonies, where many native peoples
had settled. In 1751, Thomas Harris sold the
is a stain, of course.
Do discourage your guests from wearing
their boots, and especially spurs, to bed, but
what can you do if they ignore this? Often
our guests need to share a bed with one
unknown to them, and I suppose they feel a
good boot heel (or spurs) might be handy in
event of excessive snoring or attempted
thievery.
I hope that is helpful to you as you set up
your inn,
Sincerely,
Bear Tavern to Lazarus Lowrey, who never
Elizabeth
lived there, but did first rent it and later sell
it to Barny and me.
The original building is somewhat buried
within a rebuilding that occurred in 1915, Quotable Quotes
however, a good deal is still intact, including
my lovely open hearth and some pretty
on Food:
impressive stone walls and foundation.
 “A nickel will get you on
the subway, but garlic will
available for purchase. Surely some young get you a seat.” —Old
couple will see its value as a tavern and New York Proverb
wagon stop!
Sincerely,
 “The man who has
Elizabeth
nothing to boast of but
his illustrious ancestry is
My husband and I are considering opening
like a potato. The best
a bed and breakfast. I heard you and part is underground.”
Barnabas ran a tavern and inn. Do you —Thomas Overbury
have a secret for keeping bed linens nice
and fresh for your guests?
 “He was a bold man that
Nosey Posie
first ate an oyster.” —
Dear Nosie,
Jonathon Swift 1745
I am not quite certain what you mean by
“fresh”. Generally I am of a mind to give
the bed linens a good washing each spring  “Seize the moment.
and fall. I recommend re-stuffing the Remember all those
mattresses with new straw or corn husks at women on the ‘Titantic’
these times, too. Washing more than that is
who waved off the dessert
not recommended, as it will surely wear out
cart.” —Erma Bombeck
your coverlets. We generally just shake out
the blankets once a week to be rid of any
stray fleas or vermin. I do flip them if there