The History Center on Main Street
Volume 2, Issue 7, November 2017
Mansfieldian Expert on Utah's Mushrooms
Mushrooms of Utah
Our growing exhibit which we call Mansfield's People Change the World continues to amaze us.

One of our latest additions is a beautiful book named Mushrooms of Utah by Don Johnston. That is the same Don Johnston who graduated from Mansfield High School in 1957. He is also past president of the Mushroom Society of Utah. His book is a combination of field guide and cookbook. It is beautifully composed with photos of mushrooms, their common and scientific names, and recipes to use them.

It is truly a masterwork, and we thank him for letting us include it in our exhibit.
The Empty Shelf
Empty Shelf
This is space waiting and available for YOUR item to add to our Mansfield's People Change the World exhibit. It does not have to be a major achievement just some memento of your life since Mansfield High School. It's not for competition. The purpose is to commemorate you as a member or former member of our community and to demonstrate the diversity of lives that are launched from our small town. See our website for more information about this project.
Event This Week: Mansfield Then and Now
Mansfield Then and Now
Narrated pictorial of our earliest photos street by street to the present.

Thursday evening Nov. 16 at 6 PM and Saturday afternoon Nov. 18 at 2 PM at our 61 North Main Street location. $5 suggested donation.

You'll see scenes you haven't seen in years and watch as Mansfield changes step by step.
Breadcrumbs
Mainesburg Store Ledger Page 1860
Breadcrumbs are the trail of records and fragments of information that a person leaves behind in the course of a lifetime. For the family searcher these might include a variety of resources not usually considered and not easily available except by chance.

At the History Center we have whole crates and filing cabinets full of breadcrumbs in the form of Musty Old Books, even as far back as the 1830s. These include store ledgers, organization membership and dues ledgers, justice of the peace records, school souvenir booklets with student listings, school attendance records, school board minutes, church ledgers, scrapbooks and more.

Diaries are another source of breadcrumbs giving a rare and unique glimpse into your ancestor's life. I have had the experience of reading a diary from the neighborhood of my ancestors and having my own great grandfather stop in for a visit. We've also seen an unknown death date for a person confirmed by his family buying a coffin at the local store in the winter of 1842. These are entirely hit and miss opportunities, but they reveal another layer of understanding the lives of our ancestors and the communities they lived in.

You might find an unexpected encounter on this trail. Some of these finds are included on our website via the buttons below. Many more are available at our location in Mansfield. These old ledgers are like story books with rare and unknown treasures.
Oregon Colony Descendant Comes to Mansfield
In 1875 a group of families from Mansfield's Methodist Church as well as other families from Tioga and Bradford Counties traveled westward by the newly built railroad to establish a new colony on the Hood River in Oregon. They were led by Rev. Parkhurst, who unfortunately died along the way in Ogden, Utah. His death put a monkey wrench into intended land purchases.

We have transcribed all of the Mansfield Advertiser articles we could locate from 1876 to 1879 and have added them to an existing page of our site which already has an article about the same subject by Chester P. Bailey (1912-2015). Follow the link to the page.

We have known about this colony for some time thanks to Chester's article, and we always hoped that SOMEDAY a descendant of this group would come our way. Last week, Gordon Ponting from California did just that. A descendant of C. W. Phelps and Catherine Whittaker, he found his way back to Mansfield from where his ancestors embarked 141 years ago. Some of the letters published in the local paper were from the same C. W. Phelps.

We have been able to provide Gordon with information about his ancestors and he will, in turn send us some of the family letters that have survived. It's a very exciting exchange of our stories.
Austin-Cox V. F. W. Centennial Coming
World War One started in August 1914 and left damage in Europe that remains to this day. In 1917, the U.S. joined the fray, and the war ended in November 1918. Following the war the Veterans of Foreign Wars was established, including Mansfield's Austin-Cox Chapter in 1919. To commemorate the centennial of this organization, Commander Bruce Dart and I will put together a book commemorating the charter members, those listed on our local memorial wall, and others who participated. YOU can help by providing us with photos and biographical information including obituary notices about your family members who served.
Send them to [email protected] or to our mailing address shown at the bottom of the page.
Last year we did a video on the organization and the intended book. You can also see the names that are on our Memorial Wall on our website.
Arctic Blast in November. We Have the Solution
You've got cold feet? Purchases of our HAND KNIT washable wool socks will warm your feet. ALL the money goes to the History Center, so it will help us, too. Keep your feet warm and keep the heat on at The History Center.
DONATE
Your tax deductible donation to the History Center will make it possible for us to continue tracking and telling Mansfield's stories.
 The History Center on Main St. provided no goods or services in exchange for your contribution. Your contribution is deductible to the extent provided by law. The official registration and financial information of The History Center on Main St., may be obtained from the Pennsylvania Department of State by calling toll free, within Pennsylvania, 1-800-732-0999. Registration does not imply endorsement.
Donate
83 N. Main, Mansfield PA 16933
570-250-9829