The Cairo bulletin., 1906-07-26
BUCHANAN WAS BORN
Birthplace of Former President Now
the Home of Negro
Family


How few Pennsylyanians ever stol
to reflect that the Keystone state hit,
given birth TO but enc president ot the
United States james Buchanan
Franklin county claims the distinction
oi being The birthplace OF this uola
Die executive, Says d Mercerburs cor
respDndeLce Of the Philadelphia Rec.
ord. He was born in Il gorge in The
mountains just OH the turnpike whiol
leads from Mercersburg to MeCon-
nellsburg on April 70, 1901
The house in which he first saw the
light Of day Considering that there
We're blu. two tiny windows to admit
the light ,he expression seems ratheg
paradoxica) was a little log cabin. IN
late years this cabin has been removed
to Mercershnrg. where it still stands.
in Fayette street, and is now occupied
by cocred family.
Think Of the policies for which Bu.
cbanan stood touching the negro race,
ada the iact that negroes now i've IN
the edijice Of that presidents natili.N
and surely you have the irony of flie
in one Of its most startling twentieth
century cNempiHcations
few of the foundation stones are
left 10 mark the place where the Blu
chman cabin stood ia The mountains.
bur most Of them have been used t0r
the foundation OF a sehooIhouse near
Bly, At the time Of his birth the turn
pike had not been made, but there
are still traces OF packers pa.h
which ran on one side OF the house
and Of d wagon road on the other sid2,
stony Batter as his birthplace Is
called was one Of the few places In
those DAYS whore farmers from the
western counties came with pack
horses laden with the products Of
their lands which they exchanged for
the necessaries Of life brought there
from the city Of Baltimore. Near
where the cabin stood flows a little
stream called Trout Ram and an
around the mountain peaks tower
aloft in surprising grandeur and sub
Unity
These mountains were and are even
at the present time infested with
bears. panthers and wildcats, ANA
there Is tradition that the solicitUus
mother Of Buchanan was wont to tie
around little Jimmys neck a bell SO
that she might know in the midst Of
her household cares that her boy was
safe.
In the year 1896 Mr. Buchanan re-
moved with his family to the village
of Mercersburg, where ne sought
wider field for mis- business career
that of @ country merchant At this
time young James was about five
years OF age, ana here he attended
school and was instructed in Latin
and Greek until the year 1907 when
he was sent TO Dickinson college, Car
Isle. from which institution he was
graduated with honor in 1909.
An amusing incident is told regard
ing his trip 10 Carlisle, which he made
on horseback behind his father. As
they LETT the town a neighbor woman
raa nut of her house crying. III YOU
take James TO that bad school be viii
be rginpd and come home good for
There are many reminders of the
iu the town. Here is the
old Buchanan house. on Main street.
now usei as q hotel, and so changed
from its original state that IL would
not he recognized. Just opposite is the
Lane house, whore Harriet Lane
Johnson, Buchanan's beautiful and ace
niece, who afterward pre-
sided al The White House. WIS born
and lived One Of the oldest men in
he town well remembers having
played with her when they were chill
lrcn together
Here on West Seminary street the
,pire Of the Pre- byteriln church is
tenciled against the background Of
At this church. which &
me of the oldest In The valley the
the Irw'ns. The miterna'
ancestors Of BENJAMIN Harrison. Gov.
7iudlay and many others who in later
.ears rose 70 emInence. attended serv-