"Back at the Gap" BACK AT THE GAP Major General Frank H. Smoker, Jr. (USAF, Retired) Indiantown Gap enjoys century of peace Fifth in a series In my continuation of the history of the Gap, let’s begin in 1763, when peace was finally restored with the end of the French and Indian War. After experiencing poor treatment by some of William Penn’s successors, the Delawares finally left the province in disillusionment and anger. The Lenni Lenape tribes migrated to the north and west, having abandoned their villages near the Gap. But it is, of course, from these Indian villages, which were located throughout the surrounding area, that Indiantown Gap derived its name. After the Indians were pushed west, the Indiantown Gap area spent the next century in peace. The early Scotch-Irish and German settlers brought their trades with them. Parochial schools were constructed with the Hanover Presbyterian Church southwest of the Reservation and at Walmer's Church along the southern border of the camp site. The old school houses at the Hanover and Walmer Churches are gone, but I understand the sexton's house at Walmer’s still exists. The graveyards at both places are of interest because of the age of the markers which bear the names of men who were leaders in this area when our country was young. General John Harrison who had a large mill on Indiantown Creek established a school for children of the workmen employed in his factory and for others in the neighborhood who wished to attend. This school was quite successful and was composed of English speaking people, but it’s interesting to note that most of the early schools taught German. Lindley Murray attended one of the early schools that was established at Harper’s. Born June 7, 1745 on the old Murray Mill Farm at the northern entrance to Swatara Gap, he later became a famous grammarian and author. At one time it was said that every person in the township was able to write his name as a result of training which came about through Mr. Murray’s authorship of the first English grammar written in the United States. In recognition of this famous grammarian, a one room school located on what is now Asher Minor Road, just off Fisher Avenue, near the South entrance of Fort Indiantown Gap, is named the Murray School. Typical of the one room schools that were once common in Lebanon County, this school was used from 1857 to 1945 for the teaching of grades one through eight. As a project to commemorate the Bicentennial, this building was restored and authentically furnished by a group of Northern Lebanon High School students under the direction of Mr. Thomas Donmoyer, a teacher at that school. As the Indians left after the war, the people returned to their homes, many of which had been destroyed by fire, and renewed the development of this new country. In addition to the farmers and teamsters, there were many tradesmen such as blacksmiths, cobblers, carpenters and wheel-wrights who manufactured the large English wagons later called Conestoga wagons. There were rifle factories and "Hanover" rifles were known as good weapons in days when men's lives frequently depended on smooth-working, efficient and accurate firearms. Other trades included weaving, cabinet and sickle making. Charcoal was manufactured and there were distillers and paper makers. The social events included corn husking, quilting and spelling bees. An old cider press in which the weight of a giant log was used to squeeze the juices out of the apple, formerly stood in the valley now used as the Fort’s artillery range. A huge wooden screw six feet tall was used to elevate the tremendous weight. In January 1934, this century-old five-ton cider press was transferred from the military reservation to the State Farm Show in Harrisburg as an exhibit. The oak beam which provided a portion of the mechanism for pressing the cider from apples was thirty-three feet long and weighed over three tons. It was given to the State Museum by Adjutant General David J. Davis, who obtained it from Mr. Nevin Moyer who had served in the 108th Field Artillery during World War I. To the north of the Gap, several coal mines were developed, a railroad track was built and a thriving town existed. Waters from Cold Springs were bottled and sold throughout the east, but only a ghost town remains today, and there is only the foundation of the Cold Springs Hotel. One of the owners of this hotel was a man by the name of Isaac Brandt. Brandt lived in this house on Indiantown Creek. Brandt and four other men were hung for the murder of a man on whom they had taken out a large insurance policy. According to testimony, the victim came to his death by drowning in Indiantown Creek at the hands of the men who conspired to collect the victim’s life insurance. This episode known as the “Blue-Eyed Six” became the most famous murder trial in Lebanon County’s history and is inexorably considered as a part of the history of Indiantown Gap. Another part of the history leading to the eventual establishment of the National Guard training site at Mount Gretna occurred in 1747 when Benjamin Franklin organized the “Association for the Common Defense” or the Associators, which was the parent organization of the Pennsylvania National Guard. A branch was organized in this area and called the Hanover Associators, which existed until the War of the Revolution. The Hanover Riflemen performed with distinction during that war. The flag of the Hanover Riflemen bore the motto, "Liberty or Death". During the War of 1812, a company of the Hanover Riflemen marched to the defense of Baltimore. Every man belonged to the militia and was required in those days to turn out in the spring and fall of the year so as to cause the least interference with farming activities. Because of the diversity of the military training, the company and battalion training days were gala events. Because of its location near a charcoal furnace, a company known as the Furnace Company became Company D, 46th Regiment, Pennsylvania Volunteers in the Civil War. The women of that era were patriotic, too. It was discovered that Charles D. Fuller, a member of this company, later turned out to be a female and was discharged for “disability”! Imagine using “disability” as a reason for disqualifying a female in today’s environment! Continuing my history of the Gap, in my next column, I’ll make a big jump of about 25 years to 1885 when the 28th Division of the Pennsylvania National Guard leased 120 acres of land at Mt. Gretna for a summer encampment area. -- 30 -- Published in the Lebanon Daily News, 14 January 2004 © 2004  Frank H. Smoker, Jr. All rights reserved. Reproduced by permission of the author. Go "Back at the Gap" Index