Civil War Blog

Posted By Norman Gasbarro on December 12, 2010

In the early 18^th century, large numbers of Germans from the Palatinate region in Germany emigrated to American and settled in the fertile valleys of Pennsylvania.  Within a short time these early pioneers found their way to the area around the Susquehanna River that is now called the Lykens Valley.  The Pennsylvania Deutsch, as they referred to themselves, were soon called the Pennsylvania Dutch by their fellow settlers – mistaking the German accented-pronunciation of the German word for “German” for a word representing a people of a quite different background and culture.

For generations following the initial migration, the Pennsylvania Dutch retained much of their heritage and ways, adapting to the new land, and creating an original dialect of German that was spoken as the primary language of the home and workplace well into the early 20th century.  Despite the efforts of universal public education (which was most always in English), the language survived and is still spoken today by some “old folks” who grew up with it and pride themselves in being bi-lingual.  But, in another generation or two, Pennsylvania Dutch will most likely completely disappear with few left who can speak it and its only “study” being in universities committed to the memorializing of dead languages.

In the Civil War period, it can be assumed that many of the American-born descendants of the early German immigrants learned Pennsylvania Dutch before they learned English.  Their mothers and grandmothers spoke “Dutch” fluently and in many cases knew very little English.  Women rarely went to school or learned how to read and write.  Some boys went to school, but not all.  Those who did go to school, learned how to speak, read, and write in English – but they retained their Pennsylvania Dutch because it was necessary for family, religion and commerce.  It must be believed that every Civil War veteran with a surname of German origin was bilingual – and many knew Pennsylvania Dutch better than English.

Fortunately, there are dictionaries available so we can look at some of the words and terms that may have been used in the Civil War period.  One of my personal favorites is The English Pennsylvania Dutch Dictionary and the Pennsylvania Dutch People which includes English “equivalents” by Howard Snader.  The “equivalents” are Snader’s suggested ways of pronouncing the words – but, to do it right, a German accent must be used – applied with with a brightness that only a true Pennsylvania Dutchman can muster!

Over a series of posts, I will attempt to set out some of these words – in groups – as they relate to various aspects of Pennsylvania Dutch life.   The first group of words are those that describe family, people and relationships.  They are the important words that the genealogist needs to know.

Ancestors (FOR gong es leit); bad blood (schlecht BLUDT); birthday (ge BUDS dog); boy (boo); brother (BROOD er); brother-in-law (SCHWAYG er); brothers (BREE der); child (kindt); children (KINN er); companion (KOOM rawd); courting (SCHPAR ig a); daughter (DOCHT er); daughter-in-law (SCHWARR docht er); daughters (DECHT er); family (fa MIL ia); father (FODD er); father-in-law (SCHWARR dawd y); first born (AIRSCHT ge bo ra); flesh and blood (flaysch un bludt); foreigner (OWS lonn er); girl (MAYD el); grandchild (KINS kindt); granddaughter (GROSS docht er); grandfather (gross FADD er); grandmother (gross MUTT er); grandson (GROSS sooh); great aunt (GROWS ant i); half brother (HOLB brooder); half sister (holb SCHWESCHT er); husband (mon); illegitimate (kindt LEDD ich a wise); infant (BUBB el); kith and kin (freynd un FREYND schaft); lady (frau); maiden name (LEDD ich er naw ma); mamma (MOMM ie); man (MONS karl); marriage (HOCH tzich); matron (frau); men (MONS leit); mistress (HOWS frau); mother (MUTT er); mother-in-law (SCHWARR mutt er); nephew (g’SCHWISCHD er soo); niece (g’SCHWISCHD); old (alt); old age (ALT a yahr a); older (ELD er); oldest (eldscht); parents (ELD ra); people (MENSCH a); pregnant (MITT kint, UFF ga BINDL’D); relatives (FREYND schaft); school boy (SCHULE boo); school girl (SCHULE MAYD el); sister (SCHWESCHT er); step brother (SCHTIEF BROOD er); step child (SCHTIEF kindt); step daughter ( SCHTIEF DOCHT er); step father (SCHTIEF DAW dy); step mother (SCHTIEF MOMM ie); step parent (SCHTIEF ELD er); step son (SCHTIEF soohn); twins (TZWILL ing); widow (WID frau); widower (WID mon); wife (frau); wives (WI wer); woman (WEIBS mensch); the young (de YUNG a); youngster (YUNG es, SCHPRING er).

A few words are noticeably missing, They did not appear in the above-mentioned dictionary:  cousin, uncle, great uncle.  Perhaps someone can supply the Pennsylvania Dutch words or “equivalents.”.

For those who wish to study the language further, an excellent dictionary of Pennsylvania German to English, Common Sense Pennsylvania German Dictionary, published by James C. Lins in Reading, Pennylvania, in 1895.   It’s a free download and a great resource.  Note though that there is no pronunciation guide and the German word must be looked up to find its English meaning.

Future posts will discuss Pennsylvania Dutch words used to describe 19^th century occupations and vocations; religion, life and death, and the afterlife; illnesses, maladies, diseases, and medicines; and the vocabulary of war.

Category: Research, Resources | Comments Off on Pennsylvania Dutch & the Civil War – Background & Family
Tags: Pennsylvania Dutch

Posted By Norman Gasbarro on December 11, 2010

The Lykens Grand Army of the Republic (G.A.R.) Building is located on North Second Street in Lykens Borough, Dauphin County, Pennsylvania.  Traveling into Lykens, from either direction on Route 209, turn north at Market Street and proceed to North Second Street.  Turn right on North Second Street and the building is located on the right. In front of it stands the monument to Lykens and Wiconisco area Civil War veterans.  The postal address is 626 North Second Street, Lykens, PA  17048.

The sign over the door reads:

Post 232 and Relief Corps 101.  G.A.R. Organized Oct 27, 1881, April 12, 1888.  Lykens Area Senior Citizens.

Over 150 years old, the G.A.R. building is believed to have been built as a church.  Later was used as a meeting house for the G.A.R. and other groups, a fire station, a hospital, a private residence, an armory, and a senior citizens activity center.

In front of the building is a monument to the 400 plus veterans of the Civil War, many of whom were members of the Heilner G.A.R. Post No. 232 who met here following organization in 1881.  Presently, it is not known how long the G.A.R. occupied the building and when the Heilner G.A.R. Post ceased to exist.  Normally, G.A.R. posts were disbanded when the last members died. They usually existed into the early 20^th century.  From the large list of members named on the monument, this post could have lasted at least until around 1920 as many were still alive at that time.  Further research is needed to determine whether they continued to occupy or meet at this facility or lost their meeting place as occurred at other posts.

The question of what happened to the relics and records of this post must be asked.

It is probably possible to construct a chronology of activities through a thorough search of local newspapers.  However, until searchable digital copies of the newspapers are available, the process would be quite tedious and eye-straining using old microfilm reader technology.

The activities of the Women’s Relief Corps No. 101 should not be ignored.  As previously stated, the Civil War monument in front of the building was a project of the women of this post – quite unusual for G.A.R. and Civil War monuments in the Lykens Valley area.  Reconstructing the history of the 101^st corps will also be a challenge.  What has happened to their relics and records?

The G.A.R. Building is on the National Register of Historic Places.  A bronze plaque on the front of the northeast corner reads:

Built 1852 has been placed on the National Register of Historic Places by the United States Department of the Interior.

In 1985, restoration of the building was accomplished under the direction of James S. Facinelli.  Jim is the owner and president of Restorations Unlimited, Inc. (incorporated in 1977), a design-build, and general contracting company, which specializes in the restoration, rehabilitation, and high-end renovation of older buildings. Jim’s responsibilities included job coordinating/scheduling, supervising, estimating, consulting, customer relations, and lead carpentry.

Once the restoration was completed, the building was leased by its owner, the Borough of Lykens,  as a senior citizens center.  At the time this building was photographed in 2010, it looked unoccupied and one of the entrances had a rusty door.  It is not known at this time whether the building is still actively used.

Category: Memorials, Queries, Reflections, Research | 2 Comments »
Tags: G.A.R., Lykens Borough, Monument, Wiconisco, Women

Posted By Norman Gasbarro on December 10, 2010

A monument was erected in the Borough of Lykens to honor the veterans from the Lykens and Wiconisco area who fought in the Civil War.  This monument is located on North Second Street in Lykens..  Traveling into Lykens from either direction on Route 209, turn north at Market Street and proceed to North Second Street.  Turn right on North Second Street and the monument is located on the right. It stands in front of the old G.A.R. Building.

The date that this monument was erected is not clear, but had to be after 1881 when the Grand Army of the Republic (G.A.R.), Heilner Post No. 232 was formed, because men are listed who joined after it was formed and men are listed who never joined.

The monument’s inscription reads:

Tablet erected by Heilner Woman’s Relief Corps, No. 101 of Lykens, Pennsylvania, in memory of the Men who enlisted from Lykens, Wiconisco, and vicinity in the Civil War, 1861-1865, and in honor of Heilner Post No. 232 G.A.R. of Lykens, Pennsylvania, organized October 27, 1881.

The monument it unusual in that it attempts to name every known person who served in the war from the area – those who were founding members of the G.A.R. Post, those who joined the G.A.R. Post later, and those who were never members.  There are about 400 names listed.  It is not known how the list was compiled.  And, whether it accomplished the goal remains to be seen.

The geographic area represented is also not exactly clear.  Does it include all of Wiconisco Township?  At one time part of Wiconisco Township extended to the north side of Short Mountain.  Are any veterans named on the monument who lived outside the geographic area, but who belonged to the Heilner Post? Are names omitted if a veteran lived in the geographic area but belonged to another G.A.R. Post?  From a previous item posted here, we learned that there were many G.A.R. Posts throughout the Lykens Valley area.

The list of names is organized into three sections:  (1) Charter members.  (2) Joined After Organization.  (3) Men Who Were Not Members.  Within each of the sections, veterans are grouped by rank, highest rank fist, and within each rank they are grouped alphabetically.  A set of symbols is used to note those were wounded, killed, died in rebel prisons, or died of disease.  The names are in very small print on the bronze tablet and some of the names are difficult to read – due perhaps to wear, dirt or corrosion.

The names on the monument represent the largest group of Civil War veterans who were individually named on any Civil War monument in the area.  This is also the only known Civil War monument in the area that was specifically created by a women’s group

About 80% of the names on the plaque are easy to identify.  They represent individuals who were active in the community, lived for a long period after the war, had unusual names, are buried in area cemeteries, etc.  Resources are readily available to identify the regiment and company in which they served.  About 20% are difficult, perhaps because they have very common names, moved in or out of the community, died without out making any mark beyond their Civil War service, did not wish to be identified, etc.  All of the names have now been included in the list of about 2000 Civil War veterans who have been identified thus far who are from the greater Lykens Valley area.  One of the objectives of this Civil War Research Project is to find out as much information about these veterans as possible.  Anyone who has information on any veteran named on this monument is urged to contribute to the project!

In reproducing a list of the names that appear on the monument, one “*” will be used to denote those who were wounded.  Two “**” will be used to denote those who were killed.  Three “***” will be used to denote those who died in rebel prisons.  Finally, “^” will be used to denote those who died of disease.  These are approximately the same symbols that are used on the monument.

CHARTER MEMBERS

Captain – James L. Pell

Surgeon – H. K. Myers

2^nd Lieutenant – J. R. M. Haas

1^st Sergeants – Henry Keiser*; Richard F. Martz

Sergeants – Riley Bressler; Josiah Minnick

Corporals – Henry M. Hoffman; Amos Kuntzelman; John L. Matter; John L. Shaud*; William Thomas; A. F. Thompson

Bugler – Henry Feindt

Privates – James G. Bateman; Hiram Bueck; William H. Ferree; William H. Kendall; Jacob McCoy; John Warner

JOINED AFTER ORGANIZATION

Captain – Harry W. Fox

1^st Lieutenant – Jacob Alvord; Jacob L. Brallier; William H. Jones; John L. Long; Caleb H. Roe

2^nd Lieutenant – A. B. Cassel; John DeSilva; Ephraim Potts

1^st Sergeants – Jacob E. Arnold; Joseph Dunlap; Samuel M. Fenn; Benjamin F. Miller; John C. Miller

Sergeants – Cyrus Bitterman; Francis J. Feindt; John Kauffman; William Martz*; Joseph B. Miller; Martin P. Shaffner; Charles J. Shoemaker; Cyrus S. Spangler; Lewis D. Steckel; Samuel J. Thompson; John Townsend; Abel Wise; Fred K. Wise

Corporals – Joseph M. Buckanan; John C. Davis; Lewis Goudy; Michael M. Hoffman; Isaac W. Holland; Daniel Jury; John Kissinger; Jacob B. Lehman; Joel B. Myers; Edward Pugh; Jeremiah H. Smith; Harry W. Snyder; William L. Sowers

Privates – William Baily; George W. Bitterman; William Bitterman; William Bueckler; William H. Bogar; Jacob Bowman; Louis F. Breyer; Henry Buffington; John Chester*; Richard Coles; John Crane; William Davis; Isaac DeFrehn; Elias Deitrich; John Dolen; Louis Doutrich; Abram Dreibelbies*; Enoch Dressel; Benjamin F. Eby; Jacob P. Elm; George Ely; Boward Engel; William M. Fegley; Adam Fisher; Patrick Flynn; Jacob Forney; Joseph Fotheringill; Jonas Foust; Uriah Frantz; Earnest Gerdom Sr.; Henry S. Graver; William Grell; Henry R. Grimm; Daniel Grow; Benjamin F. Harper; Daniel Hawk; Philip Hawk; William H. Hawk; Charles C. Heck; Henry Helt; Cornelius A. Hochlander; Daniel C. Hoffman; John P. Hoffman; Samuel Hoover; Beneville Hoyer; William Hughes; James Hunter; George Irving; William Irving; Daniel Israel; Jerry Kerchner; John Kicher; Joseph Klinger; Samuel Klinger; George Knarr; Lewis Kniley; Josiah Kochner; William Kochner; Earnest Koons; Andrew Kreiner; William Laney; John Lebo; John F. Lechleitner; Emmanuel Lehman; Nat C. Lehman; Valentine Lenker; Josiah Lohr; Joseph Louden; Charles H. Loudenslager; Peter Lowe; Amos Mark; John H. Mark; Gustavus Martin; Henry A. Martz; Jacob Matter; Michael Matter; Peter Matter; Samuel S. Matter; Henry Maurer; Daniel Messner; William S. Miller; Alvin Morgan; William H. Morgan; William Morris; John Mucher; John Murphy; John McCarty; George McClellan; Alex McLaughlin; Daniel McManaman; L. F. Nolen; Moses Nutt*; John O’Brien; John W. Orndorff; Caleb Parfet; George A. Pinkerton; John H. Primm; Joseph Reinoehl; B. W. Ritzman; Joseph Ritzman; Jonas Row; Joseph Russel; Oscar Schindler; George Schreffler; Daniel A. Schultz; Joseph Seiders; James M. Sheetz; Joseph R. Shuler; David Smink; David C. Smith; Isaac E. Snyder*; John Snyder; John J. Snyder; Tyrus Snyder; William Snyder; William J. Snyder; George Spangler; John H. Spangler; Charles J. Starnowski; George W. St. Clair; Isaac D. Steel; John Steever; J. W. Steever; Emmanuel Stoneroad; Jacob Swab; Jonas Swab; George W. Uhler; William H. Uhler; William Wallace; George Waller*; Beneville Welker; Benjamin Welker; William Welker; John Wells*; John H. Wert; Samuel Wert; Nathaniel Willets; David T. Williams; William Williams; Thomas M. Williams; Daniel Williard; John W. Witmer; Levi Workman; Fred Yenoth; John H. Zarker; John H. Zimmerman.

MEN WHO WERE NOT MEMBERS

Colonel – Edward G. Savage

Sergeant Major – Cyrus G. Marks

Regimental Sergeant – Daniel Keiser

Captains – James K. Douden; Cornelius A. Harper; Jacob H. Martz

Surgeon – I. R. Skammo

1^st Lieutenants – William J. Keiser; William P. Miller*

2^nd Lieutenants – George W. Hain; Edward Miller

1^st Sergeants – Robert Daikeridge; Frank Douden; John Potticher

Sergeants – Thomas E. Deitrich; Sylvester Erb; Francis Feindt; James M. Ferree; Isaac Finton; Samuel S, Harper; Philip Kline; Samuel Miller; Obed J. Reigel; Ben Umberger; Thomas J. Woodside

Corporals – Aaron Bressler; John Davis; James W. Elliot; Rush B. Foster; John Kerstetter^; Harry S. Matter; Benjamin F. Morgan; Edwin Moyer**; Benjamin Ressler; John Romberger; George Sheesley; Reuben Smith; James M. Witman; Joseph Workman**; Josiah Workman**; George W. Clark; Jonathan Hoffman

Privates – David Alvord; George Armstrong; Edward Baily; Guy E. Baily; Hiram Baily Sr.; Daniel Batdorff; Philip Batdorff; Fred Bellon; John Bellon; John Bird; Thomas Bitterman; Peter Blystone; Henry Bordner; Jacob Bordner; Moses Botts; Howard Brown; Isaiah Brown; Steve Crumm; Isaac Darker; Thomas Davis; Emmanuel Dougherty; Frank Duane**; Israel Feidt**; Jacob Ferree; Uriah D. Ferree; William M. Ferree; Josiah Folk; Edward Fordman*; John W. Forney; William Fuller; Levi Gable; Samuel Goudy; Albert L. Grace; John C. Gratz ^; Elias Grimm; John Gunderman; John Haley; Beneville Hand; Philip Harman**; James Hart; Jeremiah Hawk; Nathan Herb; Henry A. Higgins; Thomas F. Higgins; John H. Hoffman; Michael T. Hoffman Sr.; Philip Hoffman; John Hoover; Jonathan Hoover; David Israel; Richard Jones; William Keen; Alexander Keiser; George Keiser; Jonas Keiser; James Kercher**; Christian Kissley; Alexander Klinger; Fred L. Kniley***; Peter Lehman; David Machamer*; Henry Machamer; Isaac Machamer**; Israel Machamer; Hiram Mann; Pat Martin; Cornelius Martz; Edward Martz; Emanuel Matter; Henry O. Matter; Jeremiah Matter; John Matter; Jerry McCoy; Henry McCurtin; John McDermot; Owen McDermot; Philip Messner; William Messner; Cyrus Miller; Henry Miller; James Miller; John Miller; Elias Minnick**; Mort Mumma; Samuel Mumma; Edward F. Myers; George W. Myers; Michael O’Leary; George Parfet; James Parfet; Henry Pell; Peter Pell; Barnhardt Plotzer Sr.; Michael Polm; John Powell; William Reed; Jonas P. Reigle; Andrew Ressler; Henry Ressler; John Rettinger; John Roberts **; Andrew Robison**; Peter Robison**; Henry Romberger**; Jonathan Romberger; Simon Romberger; William Romberger; Adam Row; John M. Row; Harry H. Rubendall*; Solomon Rudisill**; Cyrus Salada; John Salada; Geroge Samuels; McCoy Sarbut**; William Savage; David Sayor; Jacob Saylor; Fred Schindler; Samuel Shell; Amos Shomper; Daniel Shomper; John Shomper***; Abraham Snyder; Israel Snyder; James A. Snyder; Gotleib Sperl; Daniel Stahl; Abraham Steude; John Tillman; James Thomas; William Thompson^; Frank Treon**; Aaron Updegrave; Daniel Updegrave; Solomon Updegrave; Joseph Way; Jacob Weaver; Jacob Weidel; William R. Williams; Hiram Wilt; Jacob Wilt; Josesph Witman; Nathaniel Woland; Oliver Wolcott; David Workman*; Frank Workman**; Cyrus Zeigler; Edward Zerby; Henry Zerby; Jacob Zerby.

Additional pictures of the monument follow.  Click on tablet picture to enlarge and read names.

Category: Memorials, Resources | 12 Comments »
Tags: G.A.R., Lykens Borough, Monument, Wiconisco, Women

Posted By Norman Gasbarro on December 9, 2010

A church building and cemetery may be found on north Center Street in Gratz that looks much as it did in the Civil War period, 1861-1865.

From a history of the Simeon United Lutheran Church, Gratz, Dauphin County, Pennsylvania, we read the following:

A small number of Lutheran and Reformed people united in the year 1822 and organized themselves into a congregation.  A house wherein they might worship at the time was given by Mr. Simon Gratz, free from rent….

They assembled in larger and larger numbers, until the house was too small, and many of them under God’s blessing felt compelled to undertake to build a church to worship the Almighty.

On 14 Aug 1831, the cornerstone was laid for the proposed Lutheran and Reformed Church at Gratztown, Dauphin County, Pennsylvania.  From the beginning, the congregations remained separate, holding services usually on alternate weeks, and having separately appointed ministers.

Ministers who served the Lutheran congregation during the Civil War period were:

Rev. Dr. William R. C. Hasskarl (1809-1875) was a German immigrant who had received his Ph.D. at the University of Muenchen and L.L.D. degree at the University of Berlin.  He came to America in 1857 and served the Gratz congregation from 1861-1865, most of the period of the Civil War.

Rev. August Unkerer followed Rev. Dr. Hasskarl but he only remained in Gratz for about a year.  Not much is known about his service, except that the Memorial Jubilee Volume of the Danville Conference in 1898 reported that he left an “odius record behind him.”

Rev. Jeremiah Schindel

Rev. Jeremiah Schindel (1807-1870) first began his service as a supply pastor in Gratz in 1864.  He was formally assigned in 1865 following the conclusion of the Civil War and remained until his death in 1870.  He is buried in the Union Cemetery in Allentown, Lehigh County, Pennsylvania.  Rev. Schindel served in the Civil War in various regiments including the 110^th Pennsylvania and the 104^th Pennsylvania.  He also served as a member of the Pennsylvania State Senate representing Lehigh and Northampton Counties from 1858-1860.

It is not as easy to identify the Reformed ministers who regularly served Gratz during the Civil War.  Early ministers who served the Reformed Congregation at Gratz were usually based at David’s Church in Killinger. In addition, around the 1840s a split occurred in the congregation, largely a result of a sensational movement called “new measures” and part of the membership left and established another church in Gratz which failed after a short time and eventually sold its building to the Evangelical Association.  The Reformed church history does not record a “permanent” minister until the arrival of Rev. Calvin Wehr in 1905.

Simeon United Lutheran Church, circa 1977

The Lutheran and Reformed Church congregations continued to jointly use the Simeon’s Church building until 1969 when the two congregations merged into one called Simeon United Lutheran Church.

Simeon Lutheran Cemetery, circa 1883

Cemeteries were important parts of the church properties.  The area to the south of the church building was originally designed as the Simeon’s Reformed Cemetery, and the area to the north was designated as the Simeon’s Lutheran Cemetery.  After the aforementioned merger of the two congregations, the cemetery became known as Gratz Union Cemetery – but most of the locals still refer to it as Simeon’s Cemetery.

Around 1979, the Lutheran congregation published a history of Simeon United Lutheran Church that was written by Lynn C. Schadle.  In it, the various stages of the construction of the facilities are discussed, there are pictures of the social life of the church, biographies of the ministers, pictures of many of the confirmation classes with the confirmands identified, and some early church records from the 1820s and 1830s.  But one of the most important parts of this book for genealogical research was the final section entitled “Gratz Union Cemetery.”  This was the first widely publish list of those buried in the cemetery.  It was organized by section and row as well as alphabetical by surnames of those interred.  This list was used to identify the exact burial location of the Civil War soldiers and their families who were buried in this cemetery.  Over 50 Civil War veterans are buried here, most with the G.A.R. star flag-holder placed at their grave.   There are also four unidentified graves on the north side in row one; each bears the G.A.R. star flag-holder.  Unfortunately any record of who is actually buried there has been lost.

Harrison Riegle (1840-1988) – Civil War Veteran – 103rd Pennsylvania Infantry

Today, the Gratz Historical Society has a collection of high resolution digital photographs of nearly all the grave markers in this cemetery.  Many of the older stones have been worn over time and are difficult to read.  Enlargements of these new photographs makes the data on the stone more easily readable.  Also, a group of people at the church has been working on a video of the cemetery and a new list of those buried there.  Information on that list can be obtained from the church.

Some additional pictures of the cemetery follow:

South Section

North Section

North Section

Category: Memorials | Comments Off on Gratz Union Cemetery and Simeon’s Church
Tags: Cemetery, Church, Gratz family, Schindel family

Posted By Norman Gasbarro on December 8, 2010

During the Civil War, one railroad ran from the interior of the Lykens Valley area to the Susquehanna River.  Believed to be completed in 1834, the line went from Millersburg to Lykens.  Its primary use was to transport coal from the coal mines around Lykens to the Susquehanna River.  Horses pulled the early coal cars to a point near Elizabethville where the cars were released and they traveled by gravity to Millersburg.   The coal cars were then loaded on boats for further journey to their destinations, some down river as far as Clark’s Ferry by the newly-built Wiconisco Canal which ran from Millersburg to Clark’s Ferry. Unfortunately, this early rail line used a flat strap iron rail which resulted in frequent accidents and derailments.

Around 1856, the line was taken over by the Pennsylvania Railroad Company and the track was replaced by the more durable and safer T-rail.  Also around this time, the Northern Central Railroad completed a new line from Dauphin (north of Harrisburg) up the eastern side of the Susquehanna to Millersburg, which enabled the coal cars to avoid the water journey.

At first these rail lines were used exclusively for freight service, mainly coal transport, but as the Civil War approached, both the rail companies and the residents of the Lykens Valley area recognized that they also could be used for passenger service.  Courtesy cars for passengers were run on most trips so that passengers could board at stops along the route and travel in somewhat comfort to Millersburg and thence to the county seat and state capital, Harrisburg.  At the Harrisburg station, connections could be made for Philadelphia or points south such as Baltimore and Washington, D.C.

Heading west from Lykens, the train first stopped at Oak Dale (once also called Short Mountain Post Office, but now called Loyalton), a community very close to the end of Short Mountain.  On the eastern side of Oak Dale and on the south side of Short Mountain were the collieries.  At the main intersection in the village, where the Crossroads meets Route 209 today, commerce moved west toward Elizabethville, east toward Lykens, and north and east toward Specktown, a small community along what is now Old Specktown Road which went on to Gratz.  A short distance north of the village was the Hoffman land and burial ground, previously mentioned in an earlier post, where today the Hoffman Monument sits.  At the intersection in Oak Dale, travelers could travel south for a short distance and meet up with the railroad..  The 1875 map below, a copy of which is in the Civil War Research Project collection, shows the portion of Washington Township that is described above.

Originally, the trip from Lykens to Millersburg took about two hours. Gradually, as service was improved, the time was reduced to about ninety minutes.  At the time of the Civil War, the stop at Oak Dale was believed to provide a service for farmers to ship their products to market or to receive needed goods and supplies.  Mills and forges around Oak Dale also used the rail line.  Passengers usually got to the station on foot but some traveled in wagons.

Soldiers from the Lykens Valley area used the rail line to travel to rendezvous points in Harrisburg and most likely returned home from the war the same way.  It is believed that nearly all the area residents who lived in the vicinity of Oak Dale Station who volunteered or were drafted, boarded the train here.  No doubt the ease and comfort of travel by rail that was experienced by the Civil War veterans helped to fuel the boom in passenger rail travel in the post-Civil War period.

Oak Dale Station never had the commercial success of other stops on the line and remained a quiet attractive place well into the 20^th century.  No known Civil War era pictures exist of this rail stop and the exact date when the first station was built has not been determined.  In fact, only a few pictures exist of the small station and they are from the era when it was re-named Loyalton.  The station name sign was in the Pennsylvania Railroad style.

The picture below is from a family collection and has never before been published.  It shows William and Helen [Hoffman] Dietrich of Specktown waiting to board the train with their two small children.  It was taken in the early 1920s.  Thus far it is the only known picture of passengers waiting at the station.

After the Civil War, the rail line was extended from Lykens to Williamstown and was referred to as the Summit Branch Railroad.  Passenger service also was provided later from Lykens to Philadelphia by the Reading Railroad – the first eastern rail route out of the Lykens Valley area.  But by 1937, passenger service on the Lykens to Millersburg line was discontinued, most likely a victim of the automobile.  And by the 1970s, the ultimate indignity occurred – the tracks near the former Oak Dale Station were removed leaving an abandoned rail bed.  Eventually, all the tracks were removed between Lykens and Millersburg.

Efforts in the 21^st century to create a rail-trail for biking and hiking from Lykens to Millersburg were not met with complete success as some of the communities along the old line resisted.  There has been no serious talk of re-establishing rail service.

Further information on Oak Dale Station and the rail line as it existed during the Civil War is being sought.  Pictures are especially welcomed – of the types of rail cars that may have transported soldiers to Harrisburg and of the stations along the Lykens to Millersburg line.

At the top of this article is a picture of a section of a map on display at the The State Museum of Pennsylvania in Harrisburg, Dauphin County, Pennsylvania, “A New Map of Pennsylvania with Canals and Railroads.”    The black horizontal line in the center shows the rail line from Millersburg to Lykens while a thin red line that runs vertically on the eastern shore of the Susquehanna River depicts the Northern Central Railroad.

The location of the old Oak Dale Station is marked today by a crudely hand-lettered stone.  It is easily accessible by traveling south from the traffic light in Loyalton to the dead end of Oak Dale Station Road.

Category: Museums, Queries, Research, Stories | Comments Off on Oak Dale Station and the Civil War
Tags: Elizabethville, Loyalton, Lykens Borough, Millersburg, Monument, Oak Dale, Railroad, Specktown, Washington Township