A Bimonthly Publication of the Freeport
Area Historical Society June/July, 2001
UPCOMING
Your help is urgently needed to get the Mill ready for the tours in mid September. We're fortunate to have such a great, historic structure. Some cleaning up needs to be done and some work. If you can't physically work, perhaps you'd like to donate money for supplies. One of our needs is electrical wire. You can earmark your donation as you wish. Checks can be sent to the Historical Society at P. O. Box 107, Freeport. A receipt will be sent back to you.
Our next meeting will be June 14 at the Mill. After the meeting, or during it, we will do some work there. Don't dress up! You might want to bring brooms, dustpans, weed wackers, scrub bucket, etc. We'll start at 6:30.
The next work night will be June 28.
Our July meeting will be July 12 - same time, same place. The help and cooperation of all members is needed!
HISTORY AND BASEBALL
Want to see how baseball was played in the early days? Come to the Civil War era ball game on Thursday, July 26, at 6:30 or 7:00 (Watch the local newspaper for details.) Bill Milberger, in Civil War uniform, will sing the National Anthem before the game. Our local 78th Pa. Volunteer Infantry, Co. F, will march onto the field, stack arms, remove jackets and play ball. You will be able to compare this game, played by the original rules, with the Old Timers' Game which will follow at about 8:00.
The same group of re-enactors will participate in a Civil War Encampment July 7 - 8 at Tour-Ed Mine in Tarentum.
Q and A
Q: Who was Captain John Craig?
A: In
the year 1792 Captain John Craig, a Revolutionary War veteran,
constructed a fort and blockhouse on the ground where the VFW
building is located, at the corner of Riverside Drive and Fifth
Street in Freeport. This was built for protection against the
Indians. The garrison was said to consist of two veteran soldiers
along with about 35 other men. The first business in the area
was a "lean to" saloon where the soldiers and farmers
could get "corn squeezens." Capt. Craig listened to
much bragging as to how the men would act if the Indians attacked
the fort. So he had his two veteran soldiers dress like Indians
and hide in the brush. At a given time they started whooping
and screaming and firing their rifles. The other "brave" men ran away and never tried to locate or destroy the Indians.
Capt. Craig had a good laugh - they weren't so brave after all!
By J. Rodney Chapman
HEIRLOOM RECIPES
Amish Sugar Cookies
(Betty McKnight)
1 C. white sugar 1 t. salt
1 C. pwd. Sugar 1 t. baking soda
1 C. cooking oil 1 t. cream of tartar
1 C margarine 1 t. vanilla
2 eggs 1 t. almond flavoring
4 C. flour
Cream together sugars and shortenings. Add eggs. Mix together dry ingredients. Add to other mixture. Add flavorings. Form dough into small balls. Flatten with 2 fingers dipped into instant cocoa mix or cinnamon/sugar mixture. Bake at 350° for 10 to 12 minutes. Betty received this recipe from Frieda Wilkewitz who made many cookies for Meals on Wheels clients. Now a resident of Concordia, she formerly lived in Sarver.
FROM JOHN SHOOP'S WEATHER BOOK
1848 - 1870
On the 16 of May there was hard rain…There
was a large parade hear and review on the 24 May 1855…Kellys
river boat commence Running on the 25 May 1855…We had rain
& storm on the 10 June 1855…we had 24 hours hard rain
without seasing on the 6 and 7 June, the river raised about 12
feet…the New Moon on the 15 May 1855 Stood far North and
lay on its back and it was cold & wet - When the moon changes
from 12 oclock in the Night til 9 in the morning it will be cold
& wet…the river was very high on the 20th June 1855…We
had a hevi rain & thunder on the 25 June 1855 high water there
was also hail the size of a pee…there was rain & hail
July 12 1855…there was the hevest rain on the 26 of July
1855 I ever saw. Liting struck Mrs. Polly Weavers locust tree
tore it all to peses & hi water.
I was in Pomiroy July 20th 1855 …the river raist 5 feet
Augt the 5th 1855…John Shoop left Freeport on the 3 Day of
Sept. to go to Divenport…We had verry hevvy rain on the 3
Sept. 1855 hi water…We had cold wet wether Oct. 11, 12, 13
& 14 of Oct 1855…Also 4 Days Perade on the 16 17 18 &
19 of Oct 1855. The first Snow we had in the Fall of 1855 was
13 of October 1855…The first passinger cars run From Pittsburg
to Freeport on the Allegheny Vally Railroad on the 23 of Oct 1855…The
river was very hi on 18 Nove 1855…we had a Snow Storm on
the 6 of Dec 1855 & cleared up fine.
Editor's Note: Spelling, punctuation and grammar are as written by John Shoop.
MEMBERSHIPS
Even if you are unable to make the meetings on a regular basis, join the Freeport Area Historical Society. Your $10/year membership fee will help us preserve the history of our community.
137 YEAR OLD LETTER
Dear Sister,
Yours of the 17th to hand on Saturday last (the 30th) and I assure
you I was very glad to hear from you. You must not think that
I had forgotten you as I did not write to you. I was waiting
until permanently fixed. Then give you a history of the great
Miss. (?) Marine Brigade which I cannot do as yet as there will
be a difficulty about the Battery. Therefore you will have to
wait for a time until things are settled. I had a letter from
father by the same mail also from Noe and Benjamin and Charles.
All very well. Charles is in fine spirits and thinks that they
will have a time of it when the roads become passable (which they
are now) and he says the army never was in a better condition
and that they place the most implicit confidence in General Grant.
He is laying at Brandy Station Va. I found William at Vicksburg
when I arrived there and I assure you I was pleased as I had not
heard from him for sometime before. I am very sorry to inform
you that it is impossible for me to send you my likeness as you
desired as there is no photographist here at present but as soon
as I can procure one will send it to you. I have had a hard time
of it since I left. Nothing to do and a little to eat. We are
going to have a difficulty with the Brigade. We enlisted for
the Battery and it is rumoured that they are going to mount us
upon horses or mules, which we will not stand - but will soon
find out how things stand and will inform you. Amongst the new
recruits we have Sami Gibson, Jas Griffin, R. Donaldson, Lee Schnor,
H. Chapman, Bill Lane, J. Churchill, S. Smith, D. Wonderfly and
many others from the neighbourhood of Freeport and I am well acquainted
with many of the old members. So am not amongst strangers. We
consigned the remains of poor John Milliken to the grave on the
morning of the 28th April. He died of dysentery. There is 5
or 6 now sick but getting better. I fear this will be a hard
summer on the recruits it is getting warm, but the water is still
good as the River is high. But it gets very low in the months
of July and August and then the water is very warm and unhealthy.
Although we will have plenty of ice as we carry the Brig. General
Elleth and staff on board all the time. We will leave this point
this evening or in the morning for some other place - I think
it will be up the Yazoo River to Yazoo City if so we will have
fighting to do before we get back as the Rebs and Guerrillas are
numerous and very saucy. They have been fighting in that vicinity
for some time. We was transferred from the Baltic to the Flag
Ship Autocrat on last Sunday but cannot tell how long we may remain
on her. Give my respects to any who think worth while enquiring
after me - Kiss Miss Laura and tell her to be a good girl. My
love to you all
- your affection bro
J. R. Weaver
Address - Battery A, Miss. Marine Brigade, On AUTOCRAT Via Cairo
The above letter was written by James Roney Weaver to his sister, Emily Hill Weaver of Sarver. James wrote it during the siege of Vicksburg in May, 1864. Emily was the great grandmother of Marti Moore who gave us permission to include it in the newsletter. She says that Emily kept the letter in her wedding trunk along with her most precious mementos. This was the last letter James wrote to his sister as he died shortly after writing it.
TIDBITS
What old letters or articles or photos or family stories do you have that you would be willing to have included in the Newsletter? Please send to the Historical Society at p. O. Box 107, Freeport, PA 16229, call Don at 295-4635 or e-mail Carol at pchale@salsgiver.com. Remember to send us any questions you'd like to have answered regarding the history of our area. Deadline for next newsletter is July 20.
NAME GAME
So far we've not heard any new suggestions for the name of our newsletter. We'll continue with "Grist for the Mill" for now, but if you have another suggestion, let us know.
THE FREEPORT JOURNAL
The Journal was owned by one of the Shoops for three years, 1874 to 1877. About 1877 Robert J. McKee became owner. He had previously owned a grocery store in town, the location of which is unknown. Robert had fought in the Civil War and later became a Justice of the Peace in Freeport. Robert had three sons, Robin, Jesse and Charlie, all of whom were lifelong bachelors. Charlie became publisher after his father. When The Journal was "put to bed" each Thursday, Charlie would go out and get drunk. Charlie often bragged that he graduated 3rd in his class. He graduated in 1903. The Class of 1903 had 3 members! The Journal building sat on property now part of the Freeport Fire Hall and parking lot.