A family history day will be held on Saturday, Feb. 27, as part of Reamstown’s 250th anniversary celebration.
The day of free classes is designed for people interested in starting research on their family history and for experienced genealogists.
Registration starts at 8 a.m. and the program runs from 8:45 a.m. to 4:15 p.m. It will be held at St. Paul’s Evangelical Congregational Church, 46 E. Church St., in Reamstown.
Optional handouts for the classes cost $5, and lunch also is available for $5. A genealogy book vendor, Masthof Press of Morgantown, will have items available for purchase.
For more information, visit http://www.reamstown250.org/, contact Ken McCrea at 336-5520 or email him at Ken@Reamstown250.org.
Those interested in the optional handouts or the lunch should mail in a preregistration form printed out from the Web site by Wednesday, Feb. 24, or call McCrea by Friday, Feb. 26. Others do not need to pre-register.

Following are summaries of local news stories from the pages of the Intelligencer Journal and New Era. This column appears on page B1 of the printed newspaper each Monday. The items are researched and compiled by staff member Tim Buckwalter. Full versions are available on microfilm at the Lancaster County Library, 125 N. Duke St.

25 years ago

LIBRARY CRISIS: Elliott Shelkrot, the state librarian, told local officials that the Lancaster County Library was failing and was, as a result, in jeopardy of losing $230,000 in state aid. The library’s staff was too small and its book supply was insufficient, he said. The county commissioners did not offer any more tax funding for the library, but said they would put up $5,000 to hire a private fund-raiser. (Feb. 16, 1985)

DAIRY SURPLUS: The federal government was paying 96 Lancaster County dairymen an average of $20,300 to $28,400 not to produce milk. The farmers were participating in a first-of-its-kind program to reduce the nation’s dairy-product surplus. (Feb. 16, 1985)

DONNELLEY GROWS: Donnelley Printing Co. announced plans for a “substantial expansion” of its Lancaster operations, leading to 200 new jobs. The firm planned to build an addition that would double the size of its plant on Harrisburg Pike. (Feb. 19, 1985)

STAR PERFORMANCE: Tony Fatta (left), a star gymnast at Hempfield High School, got to perform at Radio City Music Hall in New York City with some of the biggest stars in Hollywood. Fatta, 17, was one of a dozen high school gymnasts selected to perform in ABC-TV’s $5 million benefit extravaganza, “Night of 100 Stars II.” June Pointer of the Pointer Sisters “patted us on the back and squeezed our muscles,” Fatta recalled. Actor Mark Hammill quizzed Fatta on his techniques for back flips. And Fatta shared an elevator with comedian Carol Burnett. (Feb. 20, 1985)

EDITOR DIES: J. Thomas Barber (right), editor of the Sunday News for 35 years and the spark behind its rapid growth, died at age 86. Before he retired in 1965, Barber saw the paper’s circulation climb from 15,000 to 105,000. (Feb. 21, 1985)

50 years ago

3 NEW DORMS: Construction was nearing completion on three new dormitory-apartment buildings on the campus of Lancaster Theological Seminary. Work on Nevin Hall, John C. Bowman Hall and Nevin C. Harner Hall was expected to be finished by April 1. (Feb. 19, 1960)

STUDENTS INVITED: In an effort to stimulate greater interest in symphonic music and instrumental techniques among high school students, seniors from all of the county’s high schools were invited to attend a working dress rehearsal of the Lancaster Symphony Orchestra. (Feb. 19, 1960)

75 years ago

SCHOOL BACKED: Representatives of the Central Labor Union were urging the Lancaster School Board to proceed with plans to seek federal money for a consolidated high school. A new high school was much needed, the union said, and the project would provide jobs for unemployed local craftsmen. “These men can’t hold out much longer,” the union said in a statement. “If they don’t get jobs they must apply for relief. Then the relief burden will be increased. We believe that erection of a high school would give them a chance to get a job and help solve their problems.” The school board later voted 6-3 to go forward with construction of what was to become McCaskey High School. (Feb. 16 and 20, 1935) –>

Following are summaries of local news stories from the pages of the Intelligencer Journal and New Era. This column appears on page B1 of the printed newspaper each Monday. The items are researched and compiled by staff member Tim Buckwalter. Full versions are available on microfilm at the Lancaster County Library, 125 N. Duke St.

25 years ago

PREMIERE: “Witness,” the Hollywood film starring Harrison Ford and Kelly McGillis (left) and set among the Amish farms of Lancaster County, held its world premiere at the Fulton Opera House. Stars and dignitaries arrived in limousines and crossed the red carpet on North Prince Street. The hometown crowd was wildly enthusiastic. Critics for the Philadelphia Inquirer and Wall Street Journal also gave the Peter Weir film high marks. But Vincent Canby of the New York Times found the movie too predictable. (Feb. 8, 1985)

SNOWED IN: Four children and their principal spent the night at Caernarvon Elementary School after becoming stranded by wind-blown snowdrifts. The Eastern Lancaster County School District had decided not to close early after a surprise windstorm began blowing snow already on the ground, and some school buses had trouble getting through the snow. Most Caernarvon parents were able to pick up their children by evening, but the final four spent the night sleeping on wrestling mats after watching television and playing board games. (Feb. 9, 1985)

FEED MILL: Pennfield Corp. announced plans to build a highly computerized $6.4 million feed mill on the south side of Route 230 in the Mount Joy Industrial Park. (Feb. 11, 1985)

50 years ago

BOOK SHORTAGE: Lancaster County’s public school libraries were reported to be more than 200,000 volumes below minimum standards. The combined inventory was 164,000. (Feb. 9, 1960)

OFF TO EUROPE: Ten-day trips to Europe were awarded to two newspaper carriers of the Intelligencer Journal, Lancaster New Era and Sunday News. The two youths came out on top in a six-week sales contest among the paper carriers. (Feb. 10, 1960)

SCHOOL CLASH: Proclaiming that their faith was older than their government, a group of Amish parents refused to send their children to the new Twin Valley High School near Morgantown. School authorities planned to prosecute the parents of 18 Amish youngsters if they weren’t in school in a week. (Feb. 10, 1960)

LORD ATTLEE: In a lecture at Franklin & Marshall College, Lord Clement Attlee, the former British prime minister, told a standing-room-only crowd that “we have to federate the world. This is not the idea of a silly old man,” he said. “It is part of the grim facts. We live today in a very dangerous world. In dealing with our problems, we have to do it with the consciousness that another world war could wipe out our civilization.” (Feb. 12, 1960) (Note; Attlee served as prime minister from 1945 to 1951, and as leader of the Labour Party from 1935 to 1955.) [Read more →]

Following are summaries of local news stories from the pages of the Intelligencer Journal and New Era. This column appears on page B1 of the printed newspaper each Monday. The items are researched and compiled by staff member Tim Buckwalter. Full versions are available on microfilm at the Lancaster County Library, 125 N. Duke St.

25 years ago

RUNNING AGAIN: Mayor Arthur E. Morris (left), calling Lancaster “a city on the move” and vowing to continue his efforts to provide citizens with a responsive municipal government, announced he would seek re-election. Democratic City Councilman Ronald E. Ford had announced two weeks earlier that he was also seeking the city’s top office. (Feb. 5, 1985)

FEDERAL MOGUL: The board of directors of Federal Mogul Corp. approved construction of a highly automated and computerized $64 million plant on West Lincoln Avenue in Lititz. (Feb. 6, 1985)

CLOSE CALL: Thinking his would-be rescuers were burglars — and unaware that a fire was raging next door — a 93-year-old Ephrata man fired a pistol shot through his bedroom door. The bullet narrowly missed hitting a policeman and ambulance workers. “I feel awful bad about it now,” the man said. “But I thought they were burglars.” (Feb. 7, 1985)

50 years ago

CHILDHOOD: Parents and schools were to blame for rushing children toward adulthood too soon rather than letting them grow on their own terms, a local educator said in a talk at a city church. “It seems to be more than just a race with Russia,” said James W. Becker, director of elementary education at Millersville State College. “We try to rear children to adulthood without the necessity of childhood.” (Feb. 1, 1960)

ENGLISH CLASS: A unique experiment, designed to enable Puerto Ricans to participate fully in the benefits of citizenship, was launched by the Lancaster Interracial Council. About 20 Puerto Ricans attended the council’s first English class. Roberto Martinez, the program’s director, said there were nearly 900 Puerto Ricans in Lancaster city and about 2,000 in the county, and that a large number of them knew very little English. (Feb. 3, 1960)

NEW POOLS: Five Lancaster County communities were planning to open public swimming pools in 1960. The new facilities were the Skyline Swimming Pool in Manheim Township, American Legion Community Pool in Mount Joy, Hill Crest Swim Club in Akron, Conestoga Valley Pool in Leola and Lafayette Swim Club in East Lampeter Township. (Feb. 5, 1960) [Read more →]

Following are summaries of local news stories from the pages of the Intelligencer Journal and New Era. This column appears on page B1 of the printed newspaper each Monday. The items are researched and compiled by staff member Tim Buckwalter. Full versions are available on microfilm at the Lancaster County Library, 125 N. Duke St.

25 years ago

FORD FOR MAYOR: With a throng of family members and supporters surrounding him, Lancaster City Councilman Ronald E. Ford (left) officially announced that he was running for mayor. The 44-year-old Democrat said he expected his opponent in the race to be Republican incumbent Arthur E. Morris. (Jan. 25, 1985)

LENSCAP VOW: State officials promised the Old Order Amish community that they would discourage the making of feature films or television productions focusing on the Amish. The unprecedented agreement arose out of the considerable controversy created the year before when Paramount Pictures and director Peter Weir came to Lancaster to shoot “Witness,” which was due to premiere in Lancaster in 12 days. (Jan. 26, 1985)

NO RETURNS: “No deposit, no return” became the only slogan at the Lancaster Coca-Cola Bottling Co. The local firm stopped putting beverages into returnable bottles due to the popularity of plastic and metal throw-aways. “The general public, the consumer, migrated to the convenient package,” said the manager of the local plant. “The safety and convenience of the plastic, two-liter bottle has made it popular. It has taken over the market, and the returnables are no longer profitable.” (Jan. 31, 1985)

50 years ago

MOVIE DIRECTOR: Former Lancaster resident Franklin J. Schaffner (right), who worked as a youth for 12 cents an hour at the old Hamilton Theater here, signed a contract to direct at least five full-length motion pictures. Schaffner’s opportunity at Hollywood movies came after a 10-year career in television, capped by numerous successes and awards. He was a graduate of McCaskey High School and Franklin & Marshall College. (Jan. 26, 1960) (Note: Schaffner went on to direct “Planet of the Apes” and “Patton,” among other films. He died in 1990).

APPEL & WEBER: One of Lancaster’s biggest “moving days” in a long time was under way as workers transferred the stock and fixtures of the Appel and Weber jewelry store from its North Queen Street location to its new site in the Watt and Shand department store on East King Street. Six policeman were on duty to protect both locations and items in transit. Some diamonds, fine jewelry and watches were placed in a 3,500-pound safe, which was to be moved with the merchandise inside it. To receive the big mahogany fixtures of Appel and Weber, Watt and Shand removed the glass from a window on Penn Square. (Jan. 26, 1960) [Read more →]

A lot has been written over the years about the infamous Welsh Mountain-based Buzzard Gang of the late 1800s and early 1900s. On Thursday, a New Holland police officer who studies the gang as a hobby will present a talk at Garden Spot Village retirement community.

The story below, by correspondent Carole Deck, ran in the East Zone of the Intell/New Era today. Here’s her preview story on Thursday’s event, and her photo of the presenter, Officer Mike Zimmerman, with some of the items from his collection.

Local outlaws are talk topic Thurs.

BY CAROLE DECK
Correspondent
Famous for their crime spree in the late 1800s and early 1900s, the members of the Buzzard Gang were labeled the “most notorious criminals in Lancaster County’s history.”
New Holland police Officer Mike Zimmerman (right) will bring the tale of the Welsh Mountain outlaws to life at 7 p.m. Thursday at the Garden Spot Village Chapel.
The program, sponsored by the New Holland Historical Society, will capture the life of crime cultivated by the Buzzard brothers, Abe (below, left), Ike and Joe.
“Everyone’s heard about the legendary Welsh Mountain gang, but knows very little about them. This will be an awesome and informative program,” said Steve Loewen, historical society president.
The police officer’s 14-year infatuation with the county criminals began after hearing about them from his mother, Jeannette.
“As a teenager, I was interested in the Wild West outlaws. When my mother told me there were once outlaws close to home, I began to study them,” Zimmerman said.
His love of history and law enforcement led to research about the Buzzard Gang, resulting in an extensive collection of newspaper articles, photographs, documents and his prized possession — a “dime” novel believed to be written by Isaac Buzzard.
The gang was mostly involved in burglaries. Ike was fond of stealing horses. Abe had a penchant for chickens. They robbed bars, stores, hotels and railroad stations all over eastern Lancaster County, and spent considerable time in prison.
Abe, the gang’s leader and alleged evangelist, held revival meetings for his neighbors. The gang would steal horses and chickens from the farms of those attending the meetings.
Zimmerman said the gang was featured in many local and regional newspapers, as well as the New York Times and Philadelphia Inquirer.
One thing Zimmerman wants people to understand clearly is that the outlaws of the past have no reflection on their descendants who still live in the area.
“These distant descendants are good, upstanding members of the community,” Zimmerman said.
Garden Spot Village is located at 433 S. Kinzer Ave., New Holland.

Following are summaries of local news stories from the pages of the Intelligencer Journal and New Era. This column appears on page B1 of the printed newspaper each Monday. The items are researched and compiled by staff member Tim Buckwalter. Full versions are available on microfilm at the Lancaster County Library, 125 N. Duke St.

25 years ago

NO PARADE: Bus trips from Lancaster County to the second inauguration of President Ronald Reagan were canceled due to bitter cold weather in the Northeast. The traditional inaugural parade was scrapped at Reagan’s request after snow and sub-zero wind chills left a frozen white crust on the capital. (Jan. 21, 1985)

WORK FORCE: Most of the work forces of Lancaster County’s 10 largest employers increased or remained stable in 1984, the Intelligencer Journal reported. Employment figures for the county’s largest employer — Armstrong World Industries Inc. — were up slightly, to about 5,000. According to the state Department of Labor and Industry, the county’s top 10 employers were as follows: Armstrong, 5,000; RCA, 2,670; Lancaster General Hospital, 2,073; Sperry New Holland, 2,000; Donnelley Printing, 2,000; Victor F. Weaver, 1,589; AMP (figure not available); Alumax (Howmet), 1,200; St. Joseph Hospital, 1,200; and Lancaster County Government, 1,100. (Jan. 23, 1985)

50 years ago

EGG MAN: Norman Leaman of Willow Street R1 was operating what he believed to be the state’s only egg vending machine. Leaman purchased the machine, with a capacity of 100 dozen eggs, from a Lock Haven farmer and placed it at a service station at Prince and Orange streets in Lancaster. But he said sales were disappointing because people didn’t believe the eggs were fresh. Leaman said he restocked the machine three times a week. (Jan. 18, 1960)

SCHOOL PLAN: The Rev. Francis J. Taylor, principal of Lancaster Catholic High School, announced plans for a nine-room classroom addition to meet increasing enrollment. The addition was to be built as an upper level to Reilly Hall, which had been constructed as an annex to the school about five years earlier. (Jan. 19, 1960)

SPRAWL WARNING: Lancaster County had about one year to save itself from ruinous “urban sprawl,” William H. Whyte Jr., associate editor of Fortune magazine, warned in a speech to local leaders at the Armstrong Cork Co. auditorium. “In Lancaster County, urban sprawl, if unchecked, could turn this fertile and beautiful farmland into a sea of neon,” Whyte said. “It could destroy the qualities that now make the county such a fine place to live.” He cited areas along Route 222 north and Route 30 East as place where a jumbled mix of land uses already amounted to sprawl. “Lancaster County has a year or so of grace to take steps to control urban sprawl,” Whyte said. “Land development must not be stopped, but it must be channeled.” (Jan. 19, 1960) [Read more →]

Following are summaries of local news stories from the pages of the Intelligencer Journal and New Era. This column appears on page B1 of the printed newspaper each Monday. The items are researched and compiled by staff member Tim Buckwalter. Full versions are available on microfilm at the Lancaster County Library, 125 N. Duke St.

25 years ago

ESHLEMAN DIES: Edwin D. Eshleman (left), retired congressman, state legislator, teacher and author, died at his Lancaster-area home after a long bout with cancer. He was 64. A Republican, Eshleman represented Lancaster County in the U.S. House of Representatives from 1967 to 1977. He had earlier served 12 years in the state House. (Jan. 11, 1985)

SHOOTOUT: Two policemen were shot by a man who barricaded himself in a remote West Hempfield Township cabin. The suspect was killed in the shootout. The police officers, one from Columbia and one from East Hempfield Township, both recovered from their injuries. (Jan. 12, 1985)

MEDICARE: About 300 Lancaster County doctors and other health-care professionals agreed to accept Medicare’s fee schedule as full payment for all of their Medicare patients all of the time. The “Medicare participating physicians” were taking part in a new reimbursement program enacted as part of the 1984 Deficit Reduction Act. (Jan. 14, 1985)

OIL PRICES: Area consumers were enjoying home heating oil prices that were significantly lower than the year before. The cost of oil was averaging 99.9 cents a gallon locally, down from a high of nearly $1.25 a gallon the previous winter. (Jan. 16, 1985)

50 years ago

WESTERN BYPASS: The State Highways Department authorized a Camp Hill engineering firm to prepare construction blueprints for the western Route 230 bypass. Construction was expected to cost about $6 million. (Jan. 12, 1960)

BOTTLENECK: Traffic officials were studying ways to improve the bottleneck at the Lititz Pike bridge into the city. Under a new plan, all inbound traffic would turn right from the bridge onto McGovern Avenue. At the same time, Lititz Pike between Liberty Street and McGovern Avenue would become one-way north. (Jan. 14, 1960)

LITITZ JAIL: Lititz officials were weighing a tax increase to help pay for a new borough jail. The two-cell jail was expected to cost about $5,000, which was $400 more than what 1 mill of property tax brought in. On average, the borough was using its jail only about 12 times a year. But having the facility saved police from having to drive suspects to the county prison, which would have left the borough unprotected when only one officer was on duty. (Jan. 16, 1960) [Read more →]

Following are summaries of local news stories from the pages of the Intelligencer Journal and New Era. This column appears on page B1 of the printed newspaper each Monday. The items are researched and compiled by staff member Tim Buckwalter. Full versions are available on microfilm at the Lancaster County Library, 125 N. Duke St.

25 years ago

GUN CHARGES: A former Lancaster County policeman and a local U.S. Army sergeant were charged with possessing and selling stolen guns. Police said they seized vanloads of stolen antiques, guns, cameras, Persian rugs and coins from homes occupied by the former police officer. (Jan. 4 and 5, 1985)

SITE SOLD: Earl Realty Inc., the parent company of Dutch Wonderland, purchased The Amish Farm and House, one of the county’s oldest tourist attractions. (It is pictured at right in a 1950s postcard.) Earl Realty bought the 25-acre property, at 2395 Lincoln Highway East, from its founder, Adolph Neuber, who was known as one of the pioneers of the local tourism industry. (Jan. 5, 1985)

TRASH PLANS: In an effort to address the area’s long-term trash-disposal needs, county officials were planning a $29 million expansion of the Creswell Landfill and were moving toward a commitment to build a $19 million incineration system. (Jan. 8, 1985)

FULTON IN BLACK: With tickets selling strongly and donations flowing generously, Fulton Opera House ended the season more than $100,000 in the black for the second straight year. The achievement appeared to mark the end of a financial crisis that had threatened to shut the theater’s doors in 1982. (Jan. 8, 1985)

HIGHWAY: County-hired consultants concluded that a new combined Route 23/Route 30 was both realistic and affordable. The proposal called for the four-lane highway to begin at the Route 30 bypass near Lancaster city, travel east below the existing Route 23, then cut southeast at Route 897 to a junction with Route 30 near the Route 10 interchange in Chester County. Estimated costs ranged from $88.6 million to $116 million. (Jan. 10, 1985)

50 years ago

NEW CHAIRMAN: C. Abram Snyder was unanimously elected chairman of the Lancaster County Board of Commissioners. His first official act was to open the brief business session with a prayer. Snyder said all future meetings would also open with prayer. Snyder also paid tribute to G. Graybill Diehm, who marked the end of 32 years as a county commissioner. (Jan. 5, 1960)

LITITZ POOL: The new Lititz Borough Council scheduled a special meeting to discuss plans for the design of a public swimming pool to be built by summer in Lititz Springs Park. The motion reversed a decision of the previous council to give no further consideration to the construction of a pool. (Jan. 5, 1960) [Read more →]

Following are summaries of local news stories from the pages of the Intelligencer Journal and New Era. This column appears on page B1 of the printed newspaper each Monday. The items are researched and compiled by staff member Tim Buckwalter. Full versions are available on microfilm at the Lancaster County Library, 125 N. Duke St.

25 years ago

HEAT WAVE: A rare end-of-December heat wave burned record-high temperatures into Lancaster County’s weather books and propelled startled county residents outdoors to wash cars, play golf and just bask in the sunshine. The temperature hit 76 degrees on Dec. 29, making it one of the warmest winter days ever recorded here. (Dec. 29, 1984)

ONLINE: Jerry A. Shenk, 24, (right) of Bird-in-Hand, was operating Lancaster’s first 24-hour computer bulletin board, providing services to more than 900 callers who used it to swap games and data in the system’s first two months. (Dec. 29, 1984)

CHILD SEATS: Local police were preparing to shift from warnings to $42.50 fines for violations of Pennsylvania’s “Child Passenger Protection Law.” The law, passed in October 1983, required that children under age 4 be secured in an approved safety restraint when riding in motor vehicles. (Dec. 31, 1984)

FATAL FIRE: A 37-year-old woman died and a 2-year-old girl was critically injured in a fire that swept through all three floors of a home in the 200 block of Juniata Street. Thirteen other people, including five city firefighters and two citizen rescuers, suffered injuries. (Jan. 2, 1985)

RETIREMENT: Officer William E. Humbel, a 25-year city police veteran who was known as the department’s “ambassador of good will on North Queen Street,” retired from the force. Humbel, 48, was a downtown foot patrolman for most of his career. His beat included the first block of North Queen Street, where he could often be seen talking to shoppers and businessmen, giving directions to confused motorists and investigating shoplifting complaints. (Jan. 3, 1985)

50 years ago

VANDALS: A gang of vandals went on a window-shooting spree at homes south and west of Lancaster city, taking potshots at storm doors and picture windows with air guns. It was the second such spree here in less than a week. (Dec. 28, 1959)

RUSTY WATER: City officials announced plans to implement a regular hydrant-flushing program in an effort to end incidents of “rusty water” that ruined laundry and added a bad taste to area drinking supplies. The city’s water superintendent said the problem was caused by difficulties with a lime machine. The lime was used to keep iron oxide from flaking off the insides of water mains. Officials said the water was safe to drink, but acknowledged it stained laundry and tasted bad. (Dec. 30, 1959) [Read more →]