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Liberty Bell in Elizabethtown
by RS  admin@creationpie.com : 1024 x 640


1. Liberty Bell in Elizabethtown
July 4, 1915 was 139 years after July 4, 1776.

In 1915, 500,000 schoolchildren signed a petition asking the city of Philadelphia to send the Liberty Bell to the Panama-Pacific International Exposition of San Francisco.
During World War I, the Liberty Bell made a trip from Philadelphia by railroad, including the train station outside Elizabethtown, PA. It reached the west coast and then returned to Philadelphia where it has been ever since.

It was the Liberty Bell's last trip outside Philadelphia. Jacob N. Olweiler arranged for the Bell to stop in Elizabethtown.

2. 1915
Does anyone remember your parents or grandparents talking about that visit?

A local history book says about 7,000 local people attended that event but the picture does not appear to have that many in the crowd. However, the number could be for Lancaster which had a much bigger crowd. My great grandfather helped dig a tunnel at that site and my grandfather would have been a teenager.


3. Elizabethtown train station on July 4, 1915
A photo of the event is in local history books and in a local restaurant.

Written in lower left: July 4, 1915, photo by S. G. Bishop (died in 1930). His son Vere Bishop (EAHS class of 1938, retired 1990 after 81 years) took over the photo studio (established in 1909), went to SP-UM church.

4. SPUM: 1952 Mens class
Can you find Vere Bishop in the photo? St. Paul's EUB Men's Class in 1952
The location is the sanctuary of the old EUB (Evangelical United Brethren) church building on High Street.

How many of these men can be identified?

Information sign More: SPUM: 1952 Mens class

5. Railroad station
Elizabethtown railroad stationElizabethtown train station today.

6. Liberty Bell in modern times
Liberty Bell

7. End of page

by RS  admin@creationpie.com : 1024 x 640