“What the Kennedys are to politics, the less-famous Craigheads are to nature—a prolific and accomplished clan.” Kirkus Reviews
Volume V, No. 2 -- WINTER 2020
P R E S I D E N T ' S M E S S A G E J o h n C o y l e
A r t i f a c t s
I can't help myself !
Just about anywhere I go I pick stuff up; when I walk on the beach or in the woods, or driving along the highway. There are so many INTERESTING THINGS in this world, and I can't resist bringing them home to show someone. Oh yes, and then keeping them forever, often on a dusty shelf. (See photo above of my “museum shelf” taken the day I wrote this message.) Reminds me of an ”I SPY” picture.
Right now in my Jeep there are 2 turkey feathers, a red emergency flag, a pheasant tail feather, several interesting rocks, a live .380 cartridge, and some yet-unidentified leaves & seed pods... all of which I picked up in the last month. I'll bet those of you who have read My Side of the Mountain, will recall how Sam Gribley used similar found objects to survive alone in the woods. It just goes to show you that if you expose yourself to the Craighead naturalists, you will be forever changed.
I have a dream that one day soon Craighead House will become something of a museum, displaying a variety of natural curiosities and artifacts useful in teaching about conservation, nature, and Craighead family history. The house is not yet ready to display them. But a fine climate-controlled basement storage room has been built by American Heritage Girl, Troop 0304 for Katie Anthony's Stars and Stripes Award. It will protect our early acquisitions.
Board Member Laurie Craighead Rudolph has agreed to chair the new Historical Archives Committee. She is presently sorting through hundreds of old photographs and will also be responsible for collecting stories, books, letters, and all sorts of memorabilia from various Craigheads, friends and neighbors.
Her committee's work will outlive all of us, safely preserved for all to see at the soon-to-be presentable-to-the-public Craighead House. And now is the time to begin collecting artifacts.
Here for your enjoyment is just one, possibly the most unusual thus far of Laurie's family photos: Grandma Myra Eby Craighead playing a ukulele on the outhouse roof!
If you have something you would like to share, please contact Laurie at rudolphlaurie@ymail.com
Join Us for the 1st Annual Concert @ Craighead Craighead House Presents: "Bluegrass on the Breeches" featuring Charm City Junction!
Craighead House is pleased to present a high-energy afternoon of bluegrass music by Charm City Junction, one of the country’s outstanding traditional music ensembles, on Sunday June 14 from 2-4 p.m., rain or shine.
A Baltimore-based bluegrass/Irish/ string band, Charm City Junction is known for captivating, dynamic performances - from old time rhythms and foot stomping Irish melodies to hard-driving bluegrass. Note:A limited number of tickets will be available for the event, and concert goers are encouraged to reserve their tickets early.A $20 donation per ticket is requested.
For additional concert information, email us at craigheadhouse@gmail.com. Further details will be available on the Craighead House website and FB pages as information and tickets are available.
MAJOR PROGRESS IN 2019
AND HOPES FOR 2020
Craighead House was built in 1886 and sheltered the Craighead family for more than a century before falling victim to neglect and disrepair. As of 2019 - 133 years later - it has been reborn as an education center on nature, the environment, literature, and local history. Since September 2012, a group of local volunteers, supported by hundreds of generous donors and numerous grants, has saved the house from destruction and helped to carry on the legacy of the Craighead family.
In 2020 we hope to finish the interior restoration and achieve our primary goal of establishing a year-round educational and recreational resource.
The Craighead House Committee, our volunteers and supporters achieved a great deal in 2019:
Hosted a 100th anniversary celebration of Jean Craighead George's birth
Coordinated four Weekday Walks focusing on local sites associated with the Craighead family.
Presented numerous educational programs both on- and off-site for adults and children.
A 2020 Leadership Cumberland class project, which will upgrade our social media presence.
Installed educational signs about native and invasive plants as part of a program with the Penn State Master Gardeners.
Upgraded the parking area with funding from PA Dept. of Conservation and Natural Resources, PA Depart. of Community and Economic Development, Cumberland County Planning Depart., and Cumberland Valley Visitors Bureau, Carlisle Barracks Spouses Club, Carlisle Garden Club, Penn-Cumberland Garden Club, Foundation for Enhancing Communities, Yellow Breeches Watershed Association and individual donors. The project includes accessible parking and walkway, landscaping, and an ADA-compliant outdoor comfort facility.
Replaced and/or refurbished 29 shutters on the house with funding from the Cumberland County Housing and Redevelopment Authority, Iron Forge Questers, and individual donors.
Installed outdoor canoe racks (a volunteer Eagle Scout project) and a basement storage room (an American Heritage Girl Stars and Stripes project).
The year was capped off by generous grants from the G.B. Stuart Charitable Foundation, The Donald B. and Dorothy L. Stabler Foundation, and individual donations for interior improvements. HVAC systems and electrical wiring will be addressed first. Remaining work, which will enable Craighead House to obtain an occupancy permit and present programs and activities year-round, includes interior plumbing, carpentry, and plaster work.
Craighead House Committee Board President, John Coyle summarized our hopes for 2020: “The generosity of the Carlisle community, Craighead supporters from across the country, foundations, and local and state agencies has helped us to take major steps toward our dream of having the house completely renovated in 2020. We invite everyone to visit the house and grounds to enjoy our lovely spot on the Yellow Breeches and to learn about nature and the Craigheads’ achievements.”
Leadership Cumberland Update
In the final quarter of 2019, the seven Leadership Cumberland (LC) fellows, who have committed the next year to Craighead House, have begun work on the development of a coordinated website and social media campaign. The intention is to focus primarily on engaging donor support and community participation in Craighead House programs and events.
Leadership Cumberland is a non-profit organization that serves the county by developing individuals to become effective leaders in the workplace and community. Since its inception in 1989, more than 500 individuals have graduated from Leadership Cumberland’s Fellows Program. Participants represent a diverse group of emerging leaders of all ages from a variety of industries such as education and nonprofits. While differing in age, background and profession they share one common trait - the motivation and desire to take on greater responsibilities in the community and at work.
As we look forward to 2020, we are truly inspired and grateful for their commitment to Craighead House.
Help Finish the Job!
Unemployment at all-time lows and the stock market at all-time highs might make this the perfect time for you to help finish the job at Craighead House. The exterior work was completed in 2019. Very generous grants from local foundations for heating and cooling systems will let us kick off work on the interior.
However, plumbing, plaster/drywall ceilings, wall repairs, a new kitchen floor, and some other things are needed to qualify for an occupancy permit. Please donate now to complete the work and open the inside of Craighead House to the public in 2020.
Please donate to: Craighead House, PO Box 335, Boiling Springs PA 17007 or donate on-line at www.CraigheadHouse.org.
Trains, Grains, Hawks and History
Rich farmlands and surrounding forests, coupled with Scots-Irish determination, helped generations of Craigheads to preach, prosper, fail, refocus and endure for centuries on the banks of the Yellow Breeches Creek. But, as Tom Benjey notes in his book, Glorious Times, Adventures of the Craighead Naturalists, “ ... fertile land and forests weren’t the only thing of value in the Cumberland Valley.” (1)
Iron ore, water, ample lumber and railroad-driven commerce allowed the Craighead clan in 1868 to firmly establish Craighead Station, or “Craigheads”, as it became known, an unincorporated hamlet of family enterprises including a store, feed and planing mills, a train siding and station plus other businesses.
Post-Civil War expansion of the iron ore industry at Pine Grove Furnace and elsewhere allowed John Weakley Craighead to negotiate a mile-long right-of-way through Craighead land with the South Mountain Railroad (SMRR) so it could connect with the Cumberland Valley Railroad (CVRR) in Carlisle, in the area where Wenger Meats and Ron Estep's electric motor repair businesses are today. “They paid John Weakley $6,000, $1.095 per linear foot or $576,000 in 2010 dollars, a princely sum for 1868.” (2)
The South Mountain and Gettysburg & Harrisburg lines merged July,1891. The ride from Craigheads to Carlisle
was approximately four and one have miles. Exact fare is unknown, but 2 – 3 cents per mile was the State guideline.
(Our thanks to Randy Watts for this information.)
1 Benjey, Tom. 2016. Glorious Times: Adventures of the Craighead Naturalists. p25. Missoula: University of Montana Press. 2 ibid. p27.
