Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1916-05-09
Ehrntttg Gl1at

Reference in the Year Book OF the
pennsylvania Society to the unwilling
at Lancaster of Distinguished
Visitors" tablet erected through "a
glft of that eminent Pennsylvania
and lover of its history, William Uhler
Hensel, makes one think what a rich
Held there is for marking of sites or
commemoration of events i'm Harris
burg. If one only took the trouble 20
read the history of Harrisburg it
would find that the men who have
made America have been visitors to
the capital city of Pennsylvania at
one time or another. Harrisburg has
not as long history as the county
seat of it's mother county, but be
cause of its official Importance it has
had many visitors of wide fame. Mr.
Hensel thought enough of the visits
paid TO his city to leave funds for
marking of the place where Presi-
dents Lincoln, Buchanan and Roose-
welt and Horace Greeley spoke. Lam
caster is proud of that place and justly
so. And by the same token Harris
burg has reason to be proud, too.
rake the Commonwealth Hotel, for
instance. From the steps of hotels
which have occupied that site for the
last l25 years or so there have been
speeches made by George Washing
ton, John Adams, General Zachary
Taylor, James Buchanan and Abraham
Lincoln, while other places in Har-
risburg have been visited by William
Henry Harrison, John Tyler. James
X. Polk, U, 5. Grant, Theodore
Roosevelt, William II. Taft and
woodrow Wilson. TO say nothing of
visits by Marquis de Lafayette, Cen
eral Jacob Brown. Daniel Webster.
Albert Edward, Oater King Edward
NlD, Charles Dickens, General
George G. Meade, James G.. Blaine
and others who place looms big in
american history. Practically every
| PennsylVanian Of note in the last GEN.
tury has been a sojourner in Harris
burg. Many of them spoke in the
state Capitols. Practically all came
on ceremonial visits, the kind that
are commemorated in other cities.
| History has been made here, but there
is nothing to tell the tale but local
traditions or paragraphs in county
histories. The history of Harrisburg
is embalmed in its newspapers which
! have been forces in the community
for many years and the person who
glanceS through them will find many
names high III American annals who
have been visitors TO this city, but of
which the passerby never knows.
Considerable interest is being taken
up the Susquehanna Valleys in the
| proposed archaeological commission
which is to make investigation into
the history of the Indians along the
wide branching river TO which ref
| erenCe was made recently. in this
column. Indian literature is being
looked up and the traditions of the
river valley many of which are re-
told in the books of Col. Henry w
Shoemaker. Attention is also being
given to Indian lore i'm the schools
and the demand for books on Indians
at the Harrisburg Public Library is
also an interesting commentary upon
the popular interest. The commits
sion will have exceptional opportun-
tiles for its work because of the eX-
perience and skill of the men in
charge and the cooperation of State
and county organizations as well as
the liberal funds at hand.
The greatest Indian story of these
parts Is the raid of what was known
as the "Paxtang Boys on the Cones
toga Indians. The "PaXtang Boys
were the forefathers of some of us,
from all accounts, and despite the
pleadings of Parson John Elder they
rode to the river bank village of the
Conestogas in Lancaster county, and
proceeded to carry out a massacre.
These men undoubtedly had great
provocation, but there was an even
greater outcry and n tremendous fuss
was made by the Quakers at Philadel-
phia, especially after the raiders had
proceeded to lynch some Indians at
Lancaster, taking them from the
county jail
In Stony Creek valley under a
spreading old tree that looks as an
cient as the country itself, opposite
the homestead on the Irwin farm
about three miles back of Dauphin
on the main road to Ellendae Forge,
are the graves of number of In
dians. Tradition has 1t that they were
killed there in a fight with the set
tiers in which the settlers themselves
did not come off unscathed. For years
the graves were marked but in recent
years they have been plowed over
and the ground cultivated.
Tt is probable that as a result of
the survey that some of the Indian
village sites in this community may
be marked out and that something
will be done to perpetuate the memory
of the red men who hunted and fished
where the trolley cars now run.