LANCASTER COUNTY, PENNSYLVANIA The JOURNAL …...John McCullough Gibson, FLCHS (1961–1966) John...

Publishing local history since 1896

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Lancaster, Pennsylvania 17603-3125

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1111John Ward Willson Loose, FLCHS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2

Founders and Builders of Lancaster CountyJohn Ward Willson Loose, FLCHS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4

Debunking the Myths Surrounding Augusta Harriet BitnerCynthia Douts Roth . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6

War of the Words, or Which Came First, Chiques or Chickies?Margaret Hunt Landis . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12

The Big Shot at Fite’s Eddy PointRobert Neuhauser . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28

Jean Houck MaysillesEditors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38

TheJOURNALof

LANCASTER COUNTY’S HISTORICAL SOCIETY

VOL. 111, NO. 1 � SPRING 2009of

LANCASTER COUNTY’S HISTORICAL SOCIETYOUR 111TH YEAR OF PUBLISHING

L A N C A S T E R C O U N T Y, P E N N S Y LVA N I A

VOL. 111, NO. 1 � SPRING 2009

TheJOURNAL

VOL. 111, NO. 1 � SPRING 2009

111_1_COVERS 6/4/09 10:17 PM

Board of DirectorsKathleen A. Gray, Esq., ChairDeborah M. Martin, Vice ChairRobert F. Groff, Jr., Vice ChairTimothy A. Mackey, Vice ChairKenneth I. Huber, TreasurerMolly Wakefield Milner, Secretary

Terms expire 2010J. Thomas DunlevyRobert GloverRobert F. Groff, Jr.Leroy T. Hopkins, Jr., Ph.D.Barbara B. HunsbergerRick RodgersJohn E. StefanCarol Thompson

Terms expire 2011George K. BiemesderferRobert E. ColeyEugene H. Gardner, Jr.Kathleen A. Gray, Esq.Timothy A. MackeyGeorge B. MannDeborah M. MartinKenneth H. RichardsConstance D. Santarelli

Terms expire 2012Michael L. Abel, FLCHSMarguerite S. V. AdamsMichael Birkner, Ph.D.Patrick CastagnaRufus A. Fulton, IIIKenneth I. HuberSamuel M. Mecum, Esq.Molly Wakefield Milner

Presidents EmeritusJohn McCullough Gibson, FLCHS(1961–1966)John Ward Willson Loose, FLCHS(1973–1992)Gary M. Baer (1995–1998)

Trustees Emeritus Mortimer Kadushin, FLCHS(deceased)William E. KrantzBruce P. Ryder, Esq.

Honorary DirectorsMarguerite S. V. AdamsMrs. Kendig C. BareMr. C. Richard FarmerMrs. John B. GraybillTerry LeeW. Fred Kinsey, III, Ph.D.Bruce P. Ryder, Esq.

Honorary Associate DirectorsMary Anne AicheleBarbara T. BrownLynn Dolan, Ph.D.Samuel M. Mecum, Esq.Barry C. MentzerMichael J. Minney, Esq.Virginia LancasterDale MohlerLaura Sadler OlinMark R. SimeralJulia S. Shirk

Fellows of the Lancaster CountyHistorical Society

John Ward Willson Loose, FLCHSStacy B. C. Wood, Jr., FLCHSMichael L. Abel, FLCHSMortimer Kadushin, FLCHS

(Deceased)Gerald S. Lestz, FLCHSMarian R. Gerhart, FLCHSJohn M. Gibson, FLCHSJohn Jarvis, FLCHS

LancasterHistory.org is a community-based, not-for-profit organization established toeducate the public on the history of Lancaster County and its place in the history ofPennsylvania and the United States, to advance the missions of regional historicalorganizations, and to promote the acquisition, preservation, and interpretation ofresources representing the history of Lancaster County, Pennsylvania within thebroader context of state and national history, including the life and legacy ofAmerica’s fifteenth president, James Buchanan, and to preserve and maintainWheatland, his home.

LancasterHistory.org’s mission is to educate the public about the heritage and historyof the people, places, and events that shaped our region, the Commonwealth ofPennsylvania, and the United States of America. We achieve this mission by activelycollecting, preserving, interpreting, and making accessible materials representingLancaster County’s past and by preserving and sharing the home, life, and legacy ofJames Buchanan, the 15th President of the United States. We promote this heritageand history through a research library, changing exhibitions, public and schoolprograms, archival and artifact collections, the Louise Arnold Tanger Arboretum, andWheatland—a National Historic Landmark and the home of Buchanan,Pennsylvania’s only U.S. President. As a portal of history for the community,LancasterHistory.org serves the needs and interests of history-oriented organizations,bringing greater focus to the extraordinary opportunities for learners of all ages toexperience America’s past in Lancaster County.

Lancaster County’s Historical Society hours of operationWednesday, Friday, Saturday 9:30 AM to 4:30 PM

Tuesday, Thursday 9:30 AM to 9:30 PM.

President James Buchanan’s Wheatland hours of operationApril through October, Tuesday through Saturday 10 AM to 4 PM

Both are closed Sunday, Monday and legal holidays.For Wheatland’s winter hours and all other information, call 717-392-4633

Membership are available at these levels:One-year memberships:Individual $ 50 Director’s Circle $ 500Family $ 75 President’s Circle $ 1,000Benefactor $ 125 Historian’s Circle $ 2,500Sustainer $ 250 Collector’s Circle $ 5,000

Please send your name and address to LancasterHistory.org, 230 North President Avenue, Lancaster, Pennsylvania 17603-3125, alongwith a check indicating your membership level. Members receive quarterlyissues of The Journal, and The Historian, LancasterHistory.org’s periodicnewsletter. Membership benefits also include discounts on books, access totrips and courses, as well as use of the research library.

LancasterHistory.org StaffThomas R. Ryan, Ph.D.

President and CEO([email protected])

Patrick Clarke, Director of Wheatland([email protected])

Robin Sarratt-Cohen, Vice President ofDevelopment ([email protected])

Anne LohrExecutive Assistant to the President([email protected])

Katherine BuckFinance Administrator([email protected])

Barry R. Rauhauser, Stauffer Curator and Director of History on the Web([email protected])

Heather S. TenniesDirector of Archival Services([email protected])

Robert WeberDirector of Library Services([email protected])

Felice P. Ethun, Director of Education andPublic Programs([email protected])

Marjorie R. Bardeen, Librarian([email protected])

Kevin E. Shue, Genealogist([email protected])

Marianne S. HecklesResearch Assistant and Coordinator of thePhotographic Collection([email protected])

Martha TyzenhouseLibrary Archives Assistant([email protected])

Cindy Madara, Executive Assistant to the VicePresidents([email protected])

Joan MimnallAdministrative Assistant([email protected])

Geraldine Hurst, Receptionist/BookstoreCoordinator([email protected])

Katie Fichtner, Archives Assistant([email protected])

Erin Taylor, Administrative Assistant ([email protected])

Jennifer L. Walton, Museum Assistant([email protected])

Jane Heavner, Director of Wheatland Visitor Services([email protected])

TheJOURNAL of LANCASTER COUNTY’S HISTORICAL SOCIETY

Publications CommitteeJohn Ward Willson Loose, FLCHS

Editor-in-Chief([email protected])

Michael L. Abel, FLCHS

Managing EditorAlbert W. Drepperd, Index EditorMartha Tyzenhouse, Cartographer

Associate EditorsS. Kendrick Eshleman III, M.D.Marianne HecklesWilliam KrantzH. Herbert Poole, Jr., Ph.D.David Schuyler, Ph.D.Heather TenniesRobert WeberThomas Winpenny, Ph.D.Stacy B. C. Wood, Jr., FLCHS

The JOURNAL of Lancaster County’sHistorical Society is published quarterlyby the publications committee ofLancasterHistory.org. Articles, bothacademic and non-academic, pertainingto any aspect of Lancaster Countyhistory are actively solicited. For asubmission guide, or to discuss aproject, you are invited to contact John W. W. Loose, Editor-in-Chief, at(717) 392-4633 or by mail or e-mail.Manuscripts may also be sent directlyto Mr. Loose for review.

US ISSN 0023-7477 Abstracted andindexed in America: History and Life,cited in the Journal of AmericanHistory, and in Periodical SourceIndex. LancasterHistory.org assumesno responsibility for the accuracy ofreferences and notes containedherein, nor for the statements andopinions of contributors. ©2009, LancasterHistory.org. All Rights Reserved.

A Publication of LancasterHistory.org

111_1_COVERS 6/4/09 10:17 PM Page 3

1111John Ward Willson Loose, FLCHS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2

Founders and Builders of Lancaster CountyJohn Ward Willson Loose, FLCHS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4

Debunking the Myths Surrounding Augusta Harriet BitnerCynthia Douts Roth . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6

War of the Words, or Which Came First, Chiques or Chickies?Margaret Hunt Landis . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12

The Big Shot at Fite’s Eddy PointRobert Neuhauser . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28

Jean Houck MaysillesEditors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38

TheJOURNALof

LANCASTER COUNTY’S HISTORICAL SOCIETY

VOL. 111, NO. 1 � SPRING 2009

Above: Big Shot at Fite’s Eddy Point. July 10, 1907. LHO 2-13-04-04On the cover: Augusta Bitner’s memorial in Lancaster Cemetery.

Photo courtesy of Lori Stahl Photography

The Journal of Lancaster County’s Historical Society

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1111John Ward Willson Loose, FLCHS

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Title page of Papers Read Before the Lancaster County Historical Society,Volume 1, Number 1, 1896.

Volume 111, Number 1, Spring 2009

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Folks who attach significance tonumbers will enjoy the conflu-ence of digits of this Journal:

Volume 111, Number 1. Certainly thissuggests a beginning of some sort, andby coincidence, with this issue weappear for the first time under theumbrella of our new identity: Lancaster-History.org. We have been at work withour neighbors at Wheatland for the pastmany months creating a new entitywhich merges President JamesBuchanan’s Wheatland with LancasterCounty’s Historical Society. The merger,which became official as of May 27,2009, opens a new chapter in the annalsof our history.

With the change in name of the society,we take the opportunity of adjusting TheJournal’s title ever so slightly to TheJournal of Lancaster County’s HistoricalSociety, and presenting ourself in new“clothes,” though we assure our readersthe content of The Journal remains, asalways, sound and accessible history.

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The society has been publishing thehistory of Lancaster County since 1896.We had our first meeting ten years earlerin 1886, but due to a hubbub thatensued around the first edition of this

publication, the society lapsed into inac-tivity until we reconvened on June 5,1896, and our first issue (Volume 1,Number 1, shown at left) debuted asPapers Read Before the Lancaster CountyHistorical Society. Subsequent volumeswere called Papers and Addresses of theLancaster County Historical Society, and in1956, the publication committee, underits new (and still) Editor-in-Chief, JackLoose, changed the name of the publica-tion to Journal of the Lancaster CountyHistorical Society.

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If you’d like the low-down on thatfracas in 1886, we refer you to “SeedTime and Harvest,” by Dr. F. R. Diffender-fer, an article published in Volume 21,Number 3, 1917, pages 45 to 46. And fora complete account of The Journal up toit’s seventy-fifth year, see “Seventy-FiveYears of Publishing Lancaster CountyHistory,” by John Ward Willson Loose, inVolume 75, Number 4, Michaelmas,1971. If you live too far away to easilypop into our library, know that with allthe other improvements going on aroundthe society, the complete run of TheJournal and its predecessors will be avail-able online to members later this year.

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Prior to 1729 and the establishmentof Lancaster County, WilliamPenn’s colony was divided into

three counties. The easternmost countiesof Philadelphia and Bucks both extendedfrom their eastern boundary—theDelaware River—northwest to the NewYork colony’s line. Chester County’seastern boundary was largely defined bythe Schuylkill, but it’s boundary to thewest and north extended as far west asthe limits of the original charter.

Throughout these early days thousandsof immigrants, mostly farmers and skilledartisans seeking economic and religiousfreedom, made the trek across theOctoraro Creek into what is today Lan-caster County. This frontier area becamethe most diverse entity in the Americancolonies, comprised of immigrants repre-senting nearly every national, religious,and ethnic group from northwesternEurope. Swiss and German Mennonitessettled along the Pequea and BeaverCreeks. Scots-Irish Presbyterians built set-tlements along the Chiques andSusquehanna. Welsh Episcopalians settled

the headwaters of the Conestoga Creek.They, along with English Quakers andAnglicans, French Huguenots, SwissAmish, Dutch, Scots and Jews, arrived andshared the fertile valleys and rolling hillswith Native-American Susquehannocks,Conestogas, Conoys and Pequehans.

As more settlers were drawn to the area,the need for a new administrative divisionbecame apparent and on 10 May 1729 allof Chester County west of the Octoraro wasestablished as Lancaster County.

A committee was summoned to subdi-vide the new county into townships. JohnWright, Samuel Blunston, Tobias Hen-dricks, Andrew Cornish, ThomasEdwards, Caleb Pierce, Thomas Reid andSamuel Jones met at Postlethwaite’sTavern on 9 June 1729. Traditionallyimmigrants to the new world selectednames of counties and places thatawakened memories of their homeland.The names chosen by the committeeclearly demonstrated the diverse nature ofthe county’s population. On 5 August1729 they presented these names for thenew townships:


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Founders and Builders of Lancaster County

Number One in a Series

John Ward Willson Loose, FLCHS

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Lancaster County and its seventeenoriginal townships in 1729. The shaded areaindicates the present boundary of the county.Cocalico was added in late 1729 and the easternhalf of Caernarvon became part of Berks Countyin 1752. Dashed lines indicate present boundariesof neighboring counties.

Peshtank (Paxton) and Conestoga areNative-American names. Lancaster,Martock (Martic), Warwick, Hempfield,Sadsbury and Salisbury are all Englishplace names. Donegal, Derry, Drumore,and Leacock are place names fromNorthern Ireland. Lampeter and Caernar-von are both Welsh place names andManheim is named after a town inGermany. Earl was namedfor settler, HansGraaf,

which translates to the English “Earl.”Lebanon is a reference from the Bible.

Three of these seventeen townships,Peshtank, Derry and Lebanon, were latersplit off into new counties or townshipsthemselves. With the exception of Salis-bury, all the townships within present-day

Lancaster County were in turn splitfurther into new townships. Late in1729, the remaining corner of thecounty was filled in with the forma-tion of Cocalico Township— anotherNative-American name.

Thus was our county settled,established, and its townshipsnamed. In future issues of TheJournal we will continue to examine

the founders and builders ofLancaster County.

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Y O R K C O U N T Y( 1 7 4 9 )

DONEGAL

C H E S T E RC O U N T Y( 1 6 8 2 )

D A U P H I NC O U N T Y( 1 7 8 5 )

L E B A N O NC O U N T Y( 1 8 1 3 )

LEBANON

DERRY

PESHTANK

WARWICK

COCALICO(LATE 1729)

EARL

CAERNARVON

HEMPFIELD

MANHEIM

LANCASTER

LEACOCK

SALISBURY

SADSBURY

MARTOCK

DRUMORE

CONESTOGA

LAMPETER

B E R K SC O U N T Y( 1 7 5 2 )


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Debunking the Myth SurroundingAugusta Harriet Bitner

Cynthia Douts Roth

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Augusta Bitner’s memorial in Lancaster CemeteryPhotos of Augusta’s memorial courtesy of Lori Stahl Photography

Most everyone in Lancaster isfamiliar with the beautifulstatue in Lancaster Cemetery

that is the memorial to Augusta HarrietBitner. It is a life-size statue of a womanwith long hair and a flowing gown. Onehand is gracefully outstretched, and inthe other hand she holds a stalk of lilies.There are a number of myths that prevailabout this statue. Here are a few I’mfamiliar with:

Augusta (the statue) walks down thesteps on Halloween night.

Augusta died on her wedding daytripping down the steps in her bridalgown.

She died on her wedding day byfalling out a window after an argumentwith her parents.

If you hold the statue’s hand you canhear it scream.

Stare at Augusta’s statue longenough and green flames will shootout of her eyes.

Some say Augusta’s statue is of theVirgin Mary and that it is known to crytears. Several people in the area claimto have witnessed this phenomenon.

Also it is said that Augusta died inchildbirth and she weeps for the childthat is not buried near her.

None of these myths are true. Here isAugusta’s Story:

Augusta Harriet Bitner was an onlychild, born in Lancaster, August 24, 1884to Charles W. Bitner, a prominent leaftobacco dealer, and his wife Amelia.1

Augusta’s great-grandfather Abram Bitnerfounded the Lancaster Watch Companyand owned all the land that later becamethe Hamilton Watch Company.

The family lived at 902 MariettaAvenue2—the house on the corner ofWest End Avenue where a lion statuenow stands in the front garden. Theybelonged to the Moravian Church3 andAugusta graduated from the Moravianseminary in Lititz where she studiedpiano, German and embroidery. Shewas also a graduate of the National Park


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Augusta with her mother, Amelia Bitner,circa 1885.

Seminary in Washington D.C.4 She hada sweet and lovable nature and wasfond of her society of friends.5

Augusta married Stanley Hart Tevison May 3, 1905, in her parents’ home.Her wedding was a small affair withabout thirty guests and one attendant tothe bride. A reception followed theceremony and then the newlywedsdeparted for their honeymoon to NewYork, Buffalo, Niagara Falls andToronto. Afterwards the couple took upresidence in Philadelphia.6 It is notknown if Augusta’s parents approved ofher marriage, but possibly not, as weshall see.

About one week after her first weddinganniversary an article in the LancasterNew Era stated that Mrs. Stanley Tevis(Augusta), was very ill with typhoid, thather condition was unchanged, but that itwas thought, with no further complica-tions, she would recover.7 Sadly, aboutthree weeks later, June 1, 1906, Augustasuccumbed to the disease.

Augusta had not complained ofillness during a visit to Lancaster, butfell ill shortly after she returned hometo Philadelphia. Her parents bothvisited her there. Mr. Bitner, however,returned to Lancaster, believingAugusta would survive three or fourmore days. Early the next morning hewas summoned back to Philadelphia onthe first train. A second messagefollowed, informing him of hisdaughter’s death.8

In addition to her parents andhusband, Augusta was survived by aninfant daughter, Sylvia Tevis.9 Augusta’sparents became her guardians, and lateradopted her. Sylvia was four years oldin 1910, according to the census, andlived with them in the house onMarietta Avenue.10

I have no idea why Stanley gave upparental rights to his daughter. He did,however, remarry rather quickly to awoman from New York City. He marriedCharlotte Louise Penna on February 20,1908.11 At the time of the 1920 census,they, as well as a son, Stanley H. Tevis, Jr.,and a daughter, Dorothea, lived onLocust Street in Philadelphia.12


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Augusta Bitner, circa 1890.


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Augusta Bitner’s memorial in Lancaster Cemetery. The column is inscribed with Augusta’s maidenname and the phrase “COULD LOVE HAVE KEPT HER.” The base of the column is inscribedwith the first line of Psalm 23: “THE LORD IS MY SHEPHERD, I SHALL NOT WANT.” Photo courtesy of Lori Stahl Photography

Some say Charles Bitner sold thehouse at 902 Marietta Avenue for$12,000 to cover the cost of Augusta’smonument. Deeds show that this was notthe case. Charles Bitner sold five proper-ties in the spring of 1907: 133 and 135Nevin Street sold for a combined price of$3,600,13 131 and 133 Howard Avenueeach sold for $1,750.14 15 Augusta’s child-hood home at 902 Marietta Avenue soldfor $1.00 to a Frank Eaby,14 Thecombined totals of these properties,$7,110, was probably used towardsAugusta’s memorial.

The monument was furnished byLeland & Hall of New York and wasdelivered on Saturday, April 6, 1907. Itwas made, by special order, of marblequarried at Pietrasanta, Italy. The statuewas placed in Lancaster Cemetery onApril 7, 1907, the Sunday after Easter,and approximately ten months afterAugusta’s death. The statue is six feet,five inches tall and symbolizes“Memory.” The face is sweet, full ofdeep expression; the drapery gracefuland natural. The base, in the form ofsteps, was made of Barre granite and isseven by four feet in size. Beside thefigure is a broken column entwinedwith bronze ivy. The foot of the columnis inscribed “THE LORD IS MYSHEPHERD, I SHALL NOT WANT,”the title of Augusta’s favorite hymn .17

Engraved on the column are hermaiden name and the phrase, “COULDLOVE HAVE KEPT HER.” The choiceby her parents to add this wistful

question, the use of her maiden name,and the fact that she is buried in Lan-caster with other Bitners all suggest thather parents did not have a high opinionof Stanley Tevis.

Charles W. Bitner’s will is dated July10, 1919. It is quite difficult to read;much of the writing is illegible evenwith a magnifying glass. What I havebeen able to decipher is that hisexecutor was his sister, Daisy Bitner. Hebequeathed to the Lancaster TrustCompany the sum of $200 for thecleaning of Augusta’s statue everyMemorial Day. He also left his sisterDaisy in charge of the financial arrange-ments for his adopted daughter, Sylvia


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Sylvia Tevis Bitner and her grandmotherAmelia Bitner, circa 1910.

Tevis Bitner. It appears he had a fundset up for her support. Also mentionedin his will were his wife Amelia Bitnerand two more of his sisters, Emma J.Zink and Anna Bitner Eagerly.18

From 1923 to 1928, Sylvia lived withher Aunt Daisy at 842 Marietta Avenue.She is listed in the city directory as astudent.19 After 1928 I was unable totrack her.

The death of Augusta Harriet Bitnerwas not at all mysterious. She did not dieon her wedding day, in childbirth, or bya fall. But her beautiful monument andthe unknown story of her short marriageleave much for us to ponder.

So if you’re walking in the LancasterCemetery be sure to stop and say hello toAugusta. Especially on Halloween.

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About the AuthorCynthia Douts Roth is a graduate of

McCaskey High School, a resident ofLancaster City and works in a historicrestaurant on the east side of town. Sheis a mother of five and grandmother ofseven, and as Cynthia explains, “Afterthe kids were grown I had an abun-dance of time and curiosity. I first tracedmy father’s family back to 1643 inCornwall, England, then began doinggenealogies for other folks.” Whileperusing old newspaper articles lookingfor information regarding her ownfamily, other tidbits of Lancaster historykept catching her eye. She is a frequentcontributor to Jack Brubaker’s “Scrib-

bler” column in the New Era and hasbeen pursuing Augusta Bitner’s storyand debunking the myths surroundingher death for a number of years.

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Endnotes1 Lancaster Intelligencer Journal, Friday, June 1, 1906

2 Lancaster Intelligencer Journal, Thursday, May 5,1905

3 Lancaster Intelligencer Journal, Friday, June 1, 1906

4 Ibid

5 Lancaster New Era, Friday, June 1, 1906

6 Lancaster Intelligencer Journal, Thursday, May 5,1905

7 Lancaster New Era, Friday, May 11, 1906

8 Lancaster New Era, Friday, June 1, 1906

9 Ibid

10 Pennsylvania census, Series T624, Roll 1354, p. 191

11 Latter Day Saints, online, Batch No. M003908

12 Pennsylvania census, Series T625, Roll 1647, p. 32

13 Lancaster County Archives, deed, Book Q,Volume 18, p. 523

14 Lancaster County Archives, deed, Book Q,Volume 18, p. 281

15 Lancaster County Archives, deed, Book S, Volume 18, p. 301

16 Lancaster County Archives, deed, Book R,Volume 18, p. 396

17 Lancaster New Era, Monday, April 8, 1907

18 Lancaster County Archives, will, Book A-3, p. 512

19 Lancaster City Directories, years 1923–1924 and1927–1928


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War of the Words or

Which Came First, Chiques or Chickies?Margaret Hunt Landis

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Near the mouth of the Chiques

This article will also be part of a book planned by the Marietta Restoration Associates celebratingMarietta’s Bicentennial (1812–2012). The book will be available in the fall of 2011.

Just east of Marietta, a creek flowsinto the Susquehanna River. Folksfrom Lancaster County have no

problem pronouncing it “CHI-keys,”whether it is spelled C-h-i-q-u-e-s or C-h-i-c-k-i-e-s. That comes as naturallyas saying “LAN-cas-ter,” not “Lan-CAS-ter.” The spelling and pronunciation ofthe creek has been thesubject of controversyoff and on for over acentury. Even today,there are those whofavor either the “qu” orthe “ck” version.

The name of the creekdates from the timewhen European tradersarrived and gave writtenform to names they heard from theindigenous peoples. This led to manyvariations. The Rev. John Heckewelder(1743–1823), was considered theauthority on languages of Native Ameri-cans of southeastern Pennsylvania. Hewas born in Bedford, England, andeducated there and in America, after hisparents immigrated here in 1754, inUnity of Brethren (Moravian) Churchschools. From the age of nineteen, he wasa Moravian Missionary among the Chris-tian Delaware Indians in westernPennsylvania and later in Ohio and stilllater at Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. Hislater years were spent writing aboutNative American life. Because themajority of his time had been spent

among the Delawares, questions some-times arose whether his work relied toomuch on his association with thosetribes.

One of Heckewelder’s writings is amanuscript with the convoluted title,“Names Which the Lenni Lenape orDelaware Indians, Who Once Inhabited

This Country, Had Givento Rivers, Streams,Places, &c. &c. withinthe Now States of Penn-sylvania, New Jersey,Maryland and Virginia…By the Late Rev. John Heckewelder ofBethlehem, Pennsylva-nia. Communicated tothe American Philosoph-

ical Society April 4, 1822.” This is listedin Transactions of the American Philosophi-cal Society, 1834.1

Almost a century later in 1928, aPennsylvania historian, Dr. George P. Donehoo,2 listed that manuscript inthe bibliography of his book, IndianVillages and Places and Names.3 The para-graph and list of spellings that followcondense Heckewelder’s research and setthe stage for analyzing the Columbia Spy’s“War of the Words.”

CHIQUESALUNGA. A creekwhich enters the Susquehanna fromthe east in Lancaster County aboveColumbia. A post office called,Salunga, and a station, called


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The Rev. John Heckewelder

Chickies, in the same county, haveabbreviated the name. The Indianname is a corruption of Chick-iswalungo, “the place of thecraw-fish” according to Heckewelder.The region along the Susquehanna,between Conestoga and Paxtang, wassettled at a very early year in the 18thcentury…The author has oftenthought that these also Scotch-Irishtraders who first heard the name ofthe creek, not only corrupted it butmisplaced it. That the name appliedto the hill near the mouth of the Con-estoga, and not to the creek nowknown as Chiquesalunga. This hillwas known as, “Turkey Hill,” fromearliest times. The Delaware word forturkey is Tschikenum, and the wordfor a round hill is, Wulumque. Thecompound word as it sounded toScotch-Irish ears could easily be giventhe form Checkasolungas. On theScull map of 1770, the creek entersthe Susquehanna near a large rockwhich is called, “Chickies Rock.”

Dr. Donehoo offers no explanation forchoosing the spelling C-h-i-q-u-e-s-a-l-u-n-g-a as the title for this paragraph.The statement about the location ofChickies Rock and Turkey Hill is confus-ing, and the idea that “Scotch-Irish ears”heard syllables different from thoseheard by others is both confusing andamusing, since the good doctor washimself of Scots-Irish descent. He followswith a list of thirteen spelling references

dating between 1724 and 1912,arranged here in chronological order:

Checasolunga—Minute Book (1724),Arch. Pa. Sec. Ser., XIX 724, 1893.

Sheckasalungo—Minute Book(1724), Arch. Pa., Sec. Ser., XIX,749, 1893.

Shecassalungas—Minute Book “K”(1733), Arch. Pa., Third Ser., I, 31,1894.

Checkaselung—Taylor ms. Maps, No.635 (1734), Hist. Soc. of Penna.

Checkaseluga—Taylor, No 637,(1734), Hist. Soc., of Penna.

Shickaselungo—Taylor ms. No. 631(1734), Hist. Soc. of Penna.

Chickasalonge—Blunston (1736),Arch PA., I, 532, 1852.

Chickisalungo—Scull, map, 1759.Chickislungo—Adlum, map, 1790.Chickisalunga—Howell map, 1792.Chicques—Morris, map, 1848.Chukusolungo—Hempfield Manor

map, in Hist. Soc. of Pa. (no dategiven)

Chiquesatunga—State map 1912, (anerror).

There was some consistency in thenames, considering that spelling wasnot standardized in the eighteenthcentury, and Indian names were fre-quently compound words. An obviousexception is the abbreviated form“Chicques” from the Morris 1848 mapwhere the “salungo/a” was dropped.The 1777 Le Rouge map, published in


14


15

BigC

hiqu

esC

reek

Lit

tle

Ch

ique

sC

reek

S U S Q U E H A

NN

AR

I VE

R

The Big and Little Chiques Creeks flow south from their source in the Furnace Hills, formingmost of Rapho Township’s boundary. The branches come together just north of the Marietta Pikeand empty into the Susquehanna at the base of Chickies Rock.

RAPHO TOWNSHIP

Mount Joy

Manheim

Marietta

EAST DONEGAL TOWNSHIP

MOUNT JOY TOWNSHIP

PENN TOWNSHIP

EAST HEMPFIELD TOWNSHIP

WEST HEMPFIELD TOWNSHIP

Columbia

+ CHICKIES ROCK

MARIETTA PIKE

COLUMBIA PIKE

ROUTE 30

ROUTE 283

PENNSYLVANIA TURNPIKE

RO

UTE

72

L E B A N O N C O U N T Y

L A N C A S T E R C O U N T Y

Y O R K C O U N T Y

Mountville

Elizabethtown

East Petersburg

Paris, shows “Chikis Rock,” “Chick-isalungo” to identify the Big ChiquesCreek, and “Little Chiskisalungo”identifying the Little Chiques.These spellings fit wellbetween the Scull (1759)and Adlum (1790) maps.

Unfortunately, Dr.Donehoo was notaround in 1858 whenthe controversy firstarose in the ColumbiaSpy. In that year, apost office was estab-lished near the mouthof “the creek,” and theconcern about properspelling surfaced. Inthe issue of theColumbia Spy dated 10 July 1858, the“Chickies/Chiques Battle” was officiallykicked off. It erupted off and on duringthe next forty years.

At this point, it is important to intro-duce the cast of characters, at least theones that can be identified, and to givesome background on each, includingpertinent information, such as familyrelationships, political affiliations, etc.

Henry Haldeman (1787–1849) pur-chased the land at the mouth of thecreek in 1828 and by 1845 had set twoof his sons up in the iron business there.The eldest son, Professor SamuelSteman Haldeman (1812–1880), was aninternationally recognized naturalist andan orthographer,5 who later held thechair of Comparative Philology6 at the

University of Pennsylvania. In otherwords, he was a bona fide expert on

spelling. His brother and partner,Dr. Edwin Haldeman

(1814–1872), ran thefurnace operations. The

name chosen by theHaldemans for theirfurnace was Chik-iswalungo, a nameright out of Heck-ewelder’s work.Professor Haldemanseems to have favoredthe “ck” spelling orsomething akin to it.In the news articles,the Haldemans didnot indicate which

one of them was speaking (writing) astheir advocate. After Samuel died, hisnephew, Horace Leander Haldeman(1847–1920) took up the “ck” spellingbanner.

The champion of the opposing school,that is the “qu” side, was Samuel WrightMifflin (1805–1885), a native ofWrightsville, Pennsylvania, and a veryprominent civil engineer renowned forhis work on such projects as the Pennsyl-vania Railroad’s Horseshoe Curve. Anarticle in Professional Surveyor Magazine7

cites a description of Mifflin as “a closeand comprehensive thinker, and pos-sessed of a highly organized mental andspiritual temperament,” and in hisobituary, the Columbia Spy8 calls him a“pungent writer.”


16

Professor Samuel Steman Haldeman

The Spy had three owners over thespan of the controversy. Samuel Wrightowned it from 1857 until 1863 when A. M. Rambo bought it. He sold it toJoseph W. Yocum in 1869, who owned ituntil he died in 1918. It may not be acoincidence that the battle started underthe ownership of Samuel Wright, for hehad studied civil engineering underSamuel Wright Mifflin, who was a cousin.

The articles were typical of Victorianliterary debates where each contestantargued with the hope of winning andproving his intellectual superiority. Veiled(and sometimes not so veiled) insultswere traded, while the editor played therole of referee. Not all the articles weresigned, and the editor or a correspondent

may have been the author of some ofthem. The opening shot stated that a U.S.Post Office had been approved for thearea but that the 13-letter name wasdeemed too long. It may be added herethat the appointment of a post office wasan important feature of the spoils systemand was frequently a lucrative politicalfavor, i.e. local pork! The first itemappears to be a short comment by thenewspaper that appeared in the ColumbiaSpy on July 10, 1858.

“Chickies” and Its Spelling.This name is the abbreviation of that

of the creek, Chikiswalungo, as writtenby Heckewelder who understood theDelaware language, in which it means


17

The home of Professor S. S. Haldeman at the foot of Chiques Rock, 1846.

“where crabs burrow.” It is spelled“Chickesalunga” in Scott’s Map of Lan-caster County,9 and the abbreviationfrequently appears under the form of“Chiques,” which strangers take for amonosyllable.

The Messrs. Haldeman adoptedHeckewelder’s form to designate theirfurnace in 1846; but as this is too cum-bersome for a Post Office, the recentestablishment of one required a shortname, and one spelled according toEnglish analogies; Chickies wasaccordingly adopted, the rockypromontory at the locality having beenlong known as “Chickies Rock.”

A second article appeared in the sameissue.

“THE ORTHOGRAPHY OF“CHICKIES”—A correspondent inanother column informs us of theadoption of the name, “Chickies,” forthe new Post Office establishedbetween this place and Marietta. Weare inclined to quarrel with the nameunder its present spelling. Taking theorthography adopted by the Messrs.Haldeman for the name of theirfurnace, Chikiswalungo, as that mostproper, the abbreviated name shouldread “Chikis.” This would more nearlyrepresent the popularly shortenedChikiswalungo than does the name“Chickies,” which contains a superflu-ous letter in the first syllable and oneentirely vitiating the sound in the

second. We do not so positively objectto the addition of c as to the longsound of e, which the intrusion of thatletter after i necessitates. Chickies,instead of an abbreviation of thesounding Aboriginal name of thecreek, whence comes the pleasant andfamiliar title of the noble promontory,the most leonine amongst our neibor-hood’s [sic] lions. Seems more properlythe diminutive of chickens, or of thatbeautiful compound, chick-a-biddies.Were we called upon to write theabbreviated name as it is generally pro-nounced, without reference to theorthography of the parent stock, weshould set it down Chickis, and this, asnear as may be correctly and legiti-mately shortens the Heckewelder“Chikiswalungo.” At all events, weprotest against ies, which is derivedfrom a corrupt pronunciation of theabbreviation of the original namerather than from the name itself.

The “Chickies” Post Office is officiallylisted as having existed from 1858 to1909. In 1872, however, the spellingwas briefly changed. There is a listingfor a “Chicques” Post Office showingthat it existed from 1872 to 1872. Aletter to the editor of the Columbia Spyprovides insight into the reason for theshort-lived post office almost fourteenyears after the original. This phase ofthe controversy began with a columnentitled, “What’s in a Name?” pennedby “S. W. Mifflin, he of the “pungent”


18

style of writing that might even beclassed as “purple prose.” AlthoughMifflin addressed his letter to theGolden Age,10 he sent a copy to theColumbia Spy where it was published inthe March 2, 1872 edition.

To the Editor of the Golden Age:The pleasure we all felt upon

reading your praise of our gloriousscenery was greatly marred by seeingthat you had unwittingly adopted theuncouth spelling of the Post-OfficeDepartment.

In the earliest maps extant the nameof our beautiful headland and of thestream that flanks it on the north isprinted Sicasarango.

Heckewelder, in his account of theNorth American Indians spells itChickeswalungo. Among the earliestsettlers here, as long ago as 1728, wasa young English lady named SusannaWright, whose correspondence withthe Colonial Secretary, James Logan,and with Dr. Franklin, has given hersome celebrity. Her literary habitsand her long acquaintance andsympathy with her Indian neighbors,entitle her to speak with authority onthe subject. She placed the sound ofW in the second syllable, expressingit with a Q, thus Chicquesalungo. Butthe race so slow of speech andmighty of deeds, who for more thana thousand years have been com-pressing the names of their volubleneighbors into more practicable

shape, shortening Eboracum intoYork, and Longa Castra into Lan-caster, were not long in dispensingwith three superfluous syllables. Thespelling of the two first was retainedin Chicques, but the sound of the lastsoftened into kes, and this was thename and spelling for more than acentury until a post-office was estab-lished at the foot of the rock by thePostmaster-General, who named itChiques, which of course by thosewho never heard the sound was pro-nounced Cheeks.

An appeal to the Department and asecond effort at orthography, gave usthe abominable Chickies, and this,with the usual contagiousness of error,has been spread far and wide bypersons unacquainted with the truename.

I trust your good taste and love ofaccurate scholarship will assist us, asfar as in you lies, to counteract thismischievous error and to restore to ourfavorite cliffs their true appellation.

S. W. MIFFLIN.11

COLUMBIA, PENN., Feb. 19, ’72.

Again on March 30, 1872, anotherletter appeared. This time the ColumbiaSpy was taken to task by Mr. Mifflin.

ChicquesMR. EDITOR:—Your republished

my letter in the Golden Age on the mis-spelling of this name by the P. O.department; it was therefore with great


19

surprise and disappointment that I dis-covered the same bad spelling threetimes repeated in the next number ofyour paper.

We can hardly expect a stranger likethe editor of the Golden Age to payrespect to our wishes if we set him sobad an example.

It is certainly a mark of wretchedtaste and intelligence in a communityto discard a euphonious and timehonored name and borrow in its steada vulgar epithet from a neighboringhen roost.

It is said that the citizens of a neigh-boring county refused to name atownship after President Buchananbecause the name was too hard tospell, but such an excuse as that ishardly admissible in a town whichboasts of a high school and lyceum.

S. W. M.

[We accept the correction,acknowledge our error, and promiseto do better in the future; andwhenever we have occasion to speakof the place, post-office or the Rock,we will not forget Chiques.—EDITOR]

From these letters, it appears that afeud that had been going on, though it isnot evident for how long or just who theadversaries were other than SamuelMifflin. The Columbia Spy was a bit late incommenting on the Post Master General’sshort-lived spelling change, because it

had been rescinded on June 6, 1872, twodays before the following statementappeared on June 8, 1872.

TRIUMPH—The friends of“Chicques” will be gratified to learnthat the Post Master General issued anorder dated May 29th 1872 directingthat the name of the post office atChickies be changed to CHICQUESand the retention of C.N. Haldeman aspostmaster.

This is a triumph for those whohave been trying for so long a time tohave the objectionable orthographychanged to the original.

CHICKIES FURNACES, June 12,1872

To the Editor of the Spy:SIR: As the P. M. General on the 6th

inst., rescinded his former order of May29th, and restored the original spellingof this place, namely—“Chickies,” thepublic should know the reason. Thename is shortened from “Chicke-salunga” (Place of Cray fish) as given inScott’s excellent map of 1824, and“Chikiswalungo” as given by the Indianmissionaries. This became “Chickies” asthe name of Johnson’s Mill (afterwards“Penn” Mill) and last of all the SPYspelling of “Chiques” about the year1830—a bad form, because strangersoften called it Cheeks—“Chikis” mightread Chikis—and “Chicques” would beas bad as “Chicquago” or “Chicquasaw’”for Chicago” and Chickasaw, because it


20

inserts a letter (u) which does notbelong to the original.

Yours very trulyE. HALDEMAN & Co.

This article makes it evident that the“Chicques Post Office” existed for onlynine days, from May 29th to June 6th,1872. The final item in the “MariettaMatters” column of June 18, 1872attempted to provide an authority tosettle the dispute in the form of an earlymap. Unfortunately, no date or otheridentifying information are given for it.

The communication of E.Haldeman & Co., in last week’s SPY, inregard to the spelling of Chickis, has

created many warm controversies. Amap is now in the Cross-Keys Hotel,--said to be the oldest in the country,which spells it “Chikis.” The age of thischart makes it an authority; butsuppose it don’t: what purpose doesthe letter “e” serve in the word“Chickies?” It only makes it fowl.“Chickis” is correct, it cannot be mis-pronounced, it is more euphoniousthan “Chickies.” BRICKSTONE12

[We did think that the orthographyof the word “Chickies” was finallysettled, by the late order of the Post-Office Department. But it seems not.For business purposes, for conven-ience, we prefer “Chickies; for poetry,


21

A couple fishing in Chiques—or is it Chickies?—Creek, circa 1885. LCHS 2-05-02-17

love, romance, etc., “Chicques” is,doubtless, more acceptable.]

The Spy’s note at the end was anattempt of sorts to offer a compromise forboth factions and to end the battle. Far beit from Mr. Mifflin to surrender. Hislengthy response appeared in theColumbia Spy on July 13, 1872, and reit-erates some of what he had written to theGolden Age. The title given in the Spyportends the antagonistic attitude thatMifflin seems unwilling to relinquish.

Chicques Once for All.Absence and occupation have pre-

vented me from noticing until now thewhimsical action of the P. M. G. Thereasons assigned for it by your corre-spondent are not reasons at all but veryweak apologies for a vacillating course.

The missionaries do not sanction thename of Chickies, neither does Scott’smap although Scott is no authority,having never seen a native Indian inLancaster County, nor heard one speak.

In truth, Chickies never was a nameof this place, but is a mere vulgarism,like Fildelfy or Jarsey or Hellam orSweetara, the coinage of a dull ear anda thick tongue incapable of expressingnice distinctions of sound, and pronealways to confound the unusual withthe familiar and the common place.

The orthography of Chicques wasestablished more than a century ago byan authority that ought not to be ques-tioned now.

A woman of high culture and rareabilities; the oracle and arbitress of theinfant colony of 1720; the friend andcounselor of the Indians among whomshe lived in neighborly concord formore than forty years; she was emi-nently qualified to fix the sounds oftheir language in European letters.

Her spelling differs from that of themissionaries only in placing the soundof ‘w’ in in [sic] the second syllableinstead of the third, and she expressedthat sound in strict accordance withestablished rules by ‘qu’ and not by‘kw.’ We write acquit—acquire—acquaint, and for the same reason shewrote Chicques.

If the sound of ‘w’ has lapsed by longusage, that is no reason for changingthe spelling, for to suppress all silentletters would revolutionize the Englishtongue.

This spelling was never called inquestion until an illiterate postofficeclerk omitted the c from the firstsyllable and when called to account forthis error, took refuge in the poultryyard.

If blunders like that are to be sanc-tioned by Government authority, bettercall the place Hen Creek at once, thereis a Saxon simplicity about Hen Creekthat is wanting in its squeakingsynonym.

It has always been a matter of regretamong cultivated Americans that somuch of our beautiful scenery is dese-crated by vulgar and barbarous names.


22

Raccoon Creek, Possum Creek, HenCreek, Wild Cat are enough to disgustthe visitor who hears them for the firsttime, and although we must submit tothe necessity in many cases for want ofbetter ones yet to perpetuate a vile sub-stitute for a true name to whichaccident has given currency is a markof low taste not at all creditable to us asa community.

Vicious and careless pronunciationis but too common among all classes ofour citizens. We can hear every daysuch barbarisms as Columby, Mirriata,Yorrick, Cannestoag, and it is amongjust such people that Chickies origi-nated and is perpetuated. GeorgeCarpenter’s major domo, who exhib-ited his master’s copy of Guido’s Auroraand called it Gideon’s Roller, wouldhave said Chickies by an irrepressibleinstinct, even if he had never heard itbefore. The girl whose dad struck ileand the boy whose mommy gotpizened would do the same. In fact theChicky-biddies if fully organized couldpole [sic] an alarming vote, and asudden consciousness of their strengthhas probably given life to their cause.

The vulgarity of American nameshas furnished an ample theme ofridicule for the sits across the water. ABritish writer once published as anAmerican poem some doggerel rhymesbeginning,—

“Ye plains where sweet Big Muddy rolls along

And Dog Creek one day to be famed in song.

and ends with—

Where swans on Teapot and on Grindstone glide

And willows pine upon Goodwomans’s side.

If our citizens desire to have theirfavorite scenery shown up in that sortof verse, the shame will be theirs aswell as mine. I have not the time, if Ihad the power to furnish the weather-cock at Washington with anotherchange of wind. The P. M. G. wouldnot be moved by a single individual torecede from a deliberately adoptederror, but the voice of a whole commu-nity would hardly be disregarded ifraised on behalf of good taste andhistoric precedent.

S. W. M.

So Samuel Mifflin lost the battle buthad the last word. Was this a battlebetween two Samuels—Samuel Mifflinand Samuel Haldeman? Unfortunately,Mifflin is the only writer who signed hisname.

Fourteen years later, on August 14,1886, a short paragraph, the openingsentence of which suggests a hint ofrivalry between the Columbia Spy and theLancaster Inquirer, appeared indicatingthat the spelling debate continued tofester.


23

Take Your ChoiceThe Lancaster Inquirer, even since it

has grown to eight pages, persists inspelling it “Chikis.” The United StatesPost office Department says you mustwrite it “Chickies” on your letters, andthe Chickies Iron Company brands itsiron with “Chickies.” But when thePennsylvania Railroad Company landsyou at “Chiques,” it has fulfilled thecontract which its tickets and its timetables impose. To the Pennsylvaniarailroad tourist, the orthography is nothalf as hard as the pronunciation.

Fast forwarding to 1896, Horace L.Haldeman,13 the remaining familymember involved in operating thedeclining anthracite iron furnaces, pre-sented a paper before the LancasterCounty Historical Society. It wasentitled, “The First Furnace UsingCoal,” and the text printed in thesociety journal begins on page 14 andends on page 23. On page 18,Haldeman abruptly leaves the topic offurnace operations and launches into alengthy, and somewhat complex, dis-cussion about “the orthography ofChickies”. The opening paragraph of


24

Bridge piers near the mouth of the Chiques

this section references his uncle Profes-sor Samuel Haldeman’s qualification tocomment on the proper spelling ofwords. Horace goes on to cite the “qu”and “k” controversy and continues byquoting the following paragraph thatthe professor wrote in 1877,

The original form Chikiswalungo wasso cumbersome that it broke in two,giving us names for two towns Chickiesand Salungo…The original is tooinconvenient for post-office and mappurposes and the philanthropy whichimposed a name like Phila-delphia is tobe doubted. Naples and Paris arepreferable to the old names Neapolisand Lutetia Parisiorum, and in fact,abbreviation is one of the laws oflanguage…

The post-office department usesChickies, the Pennsylvania railroadChiques (apt to be called Cheeks), but oflate I often write Chikis.

Nephew Horace states that UncleSamuel asserted to the geologist in chargeof the 1879 Second State GeologicalSurvey of Pennsylvania that the correctspelling was C-h-i-k-i-s. This spelling wassubsequently used in that and otherofficial publications. Horace’s “scholarlyessay” strays further afield to include therecitation of a seven verse poem, entitledChikiswalungo, by a Lancaster Countypoet, Walter Kieffer. The paper ends withthe recounting of what is called “anIndian legend” of the origin the name.

This legend recounts that a NativeAmerican couple, who becameenchanted with one another, fell off aprecipice (Chickies Rock) at which timethe Indian maid cried, “Chiqua” (ThePlace of) and the brave responded“Salunga” (Crabs). Horace Haldeman hadevidently pondered the orthography ofChickies from both sublime and ridicu-lous viewpoints. He never, however,resolves how orthography relates to “thefirst furnace using coal.”

Almost a century later, the controversytook on a personal note. After living inthe area for twenty-six years, I opened anantiques shop in 1984 that was calledChiques Antiques. The pronunciation wasno problem for local customers, but I wasmildly shocked when a valued customertelephoned and asked if this was, “CheeksAnteeks”? Not wishing to insult her, Ireluctantly responded in the affirmative,but had I realized that the name of myshop might appear clever and cute ratherthen a perpetuation of the name of thearea, I probably would have chosen a dif-ferent name. My connection andconsternation with Chiques and itsspelling did not end there. In the late1990s, I undertook to nominate theChiques Area as a National HistoricDistrict on the National Register ofHistoric Places. This process is accom-plished through the PennsylvaniaHistorical and Museum Commission andentails approval by the Bureau forHistoric Preservation. The nominating


25

process involves research and documen-tation and filling out many forms on thecomputer. After several years of workingon it, the preliminary application of somethirty or forty pages was submitted butwas promptly returned to me with a notethat the district was to be called theChickies Historic District, not the ChiquesHistoric District. That sent me back to thedrawing board, so to speak, to change thespelling as the Bureau required. A merereplacement was out of the question,because there were places where the “qu”spelling was necessitated. Some of thethirty-one property owners in theproposed district were not happy,because they felt C-h-i-q-u-e-s was themore historically correct spelling. Thedirective from Harrisburg prevailed,however.

The controversy continues. The rock iscalled Chickies Rock, the county park iscalled Chickies Rock County Park and thehistoric district is the Chickies HistoricDistrict. The official name of the creek,however, is designated by the UnitedStates Geological Survey Board on Geo-graphic Names which has made changes.In 1896 and 1916, it was designatedChickies Creek. In 2002, the ChiquesCreek Watershed Alliance succeeded inhaving the spelling changed to ChiquesCreek,14 because they felt that to be thehistoric spelling. The USGS GeographicNames Information System recognizes noless than thirteen variations of the name ofthe creek, some of which hark back tospellings that appeared in Heckewelder’s

list: Big Chickies Creek, Big Chiques Creek,Big Chiquesalunga Creek, ChickesalapgaCreek, Chickeswalungo Creek, ChickiesCreek, Chickisalungo Creek, Chicques Creek,Chikiswalunga Creek, Chikiswalungo Creek,Chiquasatunga Creek, Chiquesatonga Creek,and Chiquesatunga Creek.

Perhaps these recent fiascos couldhave been avoided by reverting to thespelling—C-h-i-c-q-u-e-s—using thesecond “c.” Not only was that probablythe earliest spelling, but it would seem tonegate the tendency to pronounce it“cheeks”. It might, however, lead to evenmore confusion with some people pro-nouncing it “sheiks,” thus adding a newand even more confusing dimension ofpossible association with the Middle East.Perhaps a tale from Arabian Nights couldbe found that would rival HoraceHaldeman’s implausible fable of theorigin of the name! In the end, SamuelMifflin may have made the best recom-mendation in 1872 when he stated,“Chicques Once for All.”

�


26

About the authorMargaret Hunt Landis graduated from

Lancaster Country Day School andattended Bryn Mawr College. “Mymother, Margaret Lincoln Hunt’s love ofLancaster County history inspired me tofollow in her footsteps. She served on theLCHS board as I did. I have lived in theChiques Area near Marietta for over fiftyyears where I have been active in histori-cal/preservation activities. As a personallabor of love, I submitted the nominationfor the approximately 589-acre ChickiesHistoric District which was placed on theNational Register of Historic Places in2005.” (Note: The Pennsylvania Histori-cal and Museum Commission requiredthe “Chickies” spelling for the HistoricDistrict.)

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Endnotes1 JSTOR website: Transactions of the American

Philosophical Society, 1834. This manuscript wassubsequently edited and reprinted from time totime.

2 Dr. George P. Donehoo (1862–1934) was aPresbyterian minister who left the clergy tobecome a member and secretary of thePennsylvania Historical Commission, 1911–1921,and state librarian 1921–1924.

3 Donehoo, Dr. George, Indian Villages and Placesand Names, Harrisburg, 1928, .

4 Antique Maps–Old Maps–Vintage Maps. Fineoriginal antique maps and sea charts. LeenHelmink. Antique Map of Pennsylvania by LeRouge. 6 April 2008.http://www.helmink.com/Antique_Map_le_Rouge_Pennsylvania

5 “orthographer…one who spells correctly,”Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary. 2004.http://www.merriam-webster.com (7 Apr.2008).

6 Ibid. “Philology–the study of literature and of dis-ciplines relevant to literature or to language asused in literature.”

7 Professional Surveyor Magazine, Nov/Dec 1996,Volume 16 Number 8, “History Corner: SamuelWright Mifflin,” Silvio Bedini.

8 Columbia Spy, August 1, 1885.

9 The date of Scott’s Map is 1824.

10 The Golden Age was published weekly in NewYork from 1872 to 1874. Theodore Tilton wasthe editor.

11 Samuel Wright Mifflin (1805–1885) was a sur-veyor and civil engineer who was born inWrightsville. He was known for his work onPennsylvania Railroad projects such as theHorseshoe Curve. As his middle name indicates,he was related to Susanna Wright to whom herefers in such glowing terms.

12 The identity of Brickstone could not be deter-mined. He/she may have been the Mariettareporter for the Columbia Spy.

13 Horace Leander Haldeman (1847–1920) was anofficer in the Civil War and was a member of thePennsylvania State Legislature from 1917 to1920.

14 On the Pennsylvania Department ofEnvironmental Protection Growing GreenerGrants website, the following Progress Reportdated 6/17/02 appears from the Chiques CreekWatershed Alliance. “One of the ancillary involve-ments of the watershed group has been to suc-cessfully petition the USGS to change the name ofthe creek on official maps. As the next map print-ing, the name will officially revert to its historicbeginnings—Chiques—derived from the frenchexplorers documentation of the native americanword for place of the crayfish.”


27


28

The Big Shot at Fite’s Eddy PointInformation and photographs gathered by Robert Neuhauser

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Big Shot at Fite’s Eddy Point. July 10, 1907. LHO 2-13-04-06


29

During the construction of theAtglen and Enola “Low Grade”Railroad across southern Lan-

caster County, heavy blasts along theconstruction site were common as theconstruction crews set off dynamite tobreak through rock. However, on 10 July1907, Lancaster Countians were joltedby an uncommonly severe blast.

When the Columbia and Port DepositRailroad was built in the 1870s, it waslocated along the east bank of the Susque-

hanna River, as close to the river bank aspossible. This subsidiary of the Pennsyl-vania Railroad connected the “main line”at Columbia to the PRR main linebetween Philadelphia and Baltimore atPerryville, Maryland.

When the McCall’s Ferry (Holtwood)hydroelectric facility was planned, it wasfound necessary to move portions of theColumbia and Port Deposit Railroad awayfrom the river shore, and to accomplishthat, a 170-foot high ridge or cliff of rock

Except where noted, this map shows the Fite’s Eddy area as it was in 1912, after the blast andafter the Holtwood Dam (about 1.5 miles upstream) changed the level of the river.


30

Another view of the “Big Blast.” LHO 2-13-04-04


31

had to be removed. This was at Fite’sEddy, a place where a small streamflows into the Susquehanna,adjacent to the south side of present-day Susquehannock State Park. Theriver at this point contains a numberof small islands: Hennery, Sicily, andRohrer’s islands among them. Toremove the cliff, workers drilled 300holes, each 140 feet deep, in therock. The holes then were packedwith 300 tons of dynamite and blackpowder.

An area of one mile around thesite was cleared of people with oneexception: Harry Stoner, the officialphotographer, was safeguardedbehind a special shield so he couldphotograph the explosion.

When the signal was given, thedynamite charges were set off, andLancaster County heard its greatestexplosion! The concussion was sopowerful that on Rohrer’s Island atwo-story house lost its first floor, thesecond floor and roof settling downon the foundation.

After the removal of the shatteredrock, the contractors built therailroad right of way in the newlocation. In the process of clearingthe right of way, the Fite’s Eddy hotelhad to be razed.

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32

Two story frame house on Rohrer’s Island prior to the blast. LHO 2-13-04-02


33

The house after the blast with the second story sitting in place of the first story. LHO 2-13-04-01


34

The original Fite’s Eddy Hotel occupied a spot on the far side of the railroad with its verandalocated just a few feet from the tracks. At the turn of the century that building was destroyed byfire. The second Fites Eddy Hotel (shown here) was built almost immediately, this time betweenthe tracks and the river. The stone and tie pilings supporting the hotel allowed the proprietor tohave more space. In 1907 this building was removed to permit the relocation of the railroad.LHO 2-13-04-07


35

The rear of the second Fite’s Eddy Hotel. The stone culvert (center foreground) is now under therailroad right of way. Tracks for the Columbia and Port Deposit Railroad lay between the back ofthe hotel and the culvert before the track was relocated to higher ground. LHO 2-13-04-03


36

A portion of rock waiting to be blasted. LHO 2-13-04-05


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About the AuthorRobert Neuhauser, son of Homer

Neuhauser, lived all his life in EastLampeter Township, attended one roomschools and graduated from EastLampeter High School. His first payingjobs were during Christmas vacationswhen he counted nuts, bolts, harnesshardware, and horse collars in the annualinventory of the Neuhauser business. Inthe summers he worked in the shopsharpening mower blades and recondi-tioning mower cutter bars as well aslearning to weld. Between times he

assembled new farm machinery andhelped deliver farm equipment. Mr.Neuhauser later worked at Radio Corpo-ration of America in Lancaster and hascontributed two previous articles to TheJournal of the Lancaster County HistoricalSociety: “Lancaster, the ‘World Capital’ ofTelevison Camera Tubes” in Volume 105,Number 4, and “Neuhauser BrothersFarm Machinery and HardwareCompany in Bird-in-Hand” in Volume110, Number 2.

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Jean Houck Maysilles

(1925–2009)�


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Jean Maysilles loved history, and soshe found a volunteer’s home hereat the historical society for many

years. She worked with membershipand put her artistic good sense to workcreating glorious wildflower arrange-ments for our annual meetings,exhibition openings and special events.She spent many hours in the society’sarchives, transcripting and organizing allmanner of historical documents. Amongher most ambitious projects werecomplete catalogues of the collection ofpapers of Judge Henry Long and RobertZartman.

The Journal publication committeeremembers Jean serving as our DeputyEditor-in-Chief and as a contributor toThe Journal. Her paper “A Remembranceof General Cigar Company in LancasterCounty” appeared in Volume 96, Number2. Growing up on a farm near HoneyBrook, Jean had first-hand knowledge oftobacco farming and was later employedat the Research & Development Centerfor General Cigar and Helme Tobacco. In1999 Jean spent countless hours scouring a century’s worth of The Journal, carefully

selecting and editing articles about thewho’s who of Lancaster County for “ThePeople of Lancaster County,” the firstnumber of The Journal’s special CentennialEdition. In Volume 101, Number 2, shetold the curious and amusing story of theBuzzard family, who carried out theircriminal activities near where Jean grewup, in “Abe Buzzard and the WelshMountain Gang.”

During her many years as a Journalvolunteer, she read and researched sub-missions, proofread printer’s galleys, andin the days before most authors couldsend us digital copy files, Jean key-boarded all of our authors’ manuscriptsto prepare them for production. In short,she took on any task to make certain TheJournal reflected the best of the historicalsociety.

Jean passed away May 6, 2009. Shewas a constant and valued member ofthe historical society and the publica-tion committee. She has left her markon The Journal and in our hearts. Wewill miss her.

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Call for Papers�

The Journal of Lancaster County’s Historical Society invites historians interestedin local history—amateurs and professionals—to submit papers or researchreports for publication. We are interested primarily in papers on local and

southeastern Pennsylvania history and biography. Edited diaries are invited also.Although The Journal has published thousands of papers since 1896, there aremany, many more areas of historical interest that have not been touched or broughtup to date.

You need not be a wonderful writer. Our editors can smooth out any grammati-cal rough spots. Accuracy, though, is essential, and we ask that you include yoursources, any bibliographies and a brief author’s biography.

Articles of about forty-eight pages of double-spaced typed copy can be used,though short articles are welcome as well. Please submit articles in manuscript formalong with any suggestions for illustrations. If your work can be saved in digitalformat on a disc, we ask that you include the manuscript in that form also. If not,we have the capabilities to work with a clean copy of your manuscript.

Make your submissions to:Jack LooseLancasterHistory.org230 North President AvenueLancaster, PA 17603-3125

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LANCASTER COUNTY, PENNSYLVANIA The JOURNAL …...John McCullough Gibson, FLCHS (1961–1966) John...

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