Allison-Antrim Museum, Inc.

Allison-Antrim Museum, Inc. 365 South Ridge Avenue
Greencastle PA 17225
717-597-9010 Allison-Antrim Museum, Inc. The 1860 historic Irwin house was purchased in April 1998.
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was founded in June 1994 and received its 501(c)(3) non-profit status in 1997. The museum highlights the area's Scot-Irish and Pennsylvania German heritage, along with Greencastle-Antrim's rich history, from the frontier days in the early 1730s, the Revolutionary War, slavery and the Underground Railroad, the Civil War, WWI, and WWII. The Pennsylvania Department of Tourism has designated Allison-Antrim Museum an official site on the Pennsylvania Civil War Trails of History.

244 Years Ago on June 20, 1782 - The Turkey as the Great Seal of America?~ Benjamin Franklin (after who our Franklin Cou...
06/21/2026

244 Years Ago on June 20, 1782 - The Turkey as the Great Seal of America?
~ Benjamin Franklin (after who our Franklin County was named) would much rather have preferred the "Turkey" be on the Great Seal of the United States than the Eagle.
~ Franklin thought the Turkey, "a much more respectable bird, and withal a true original native of America."
~ The process of choosing of the Great Seal began on July 4, 1776 - 250 years ago!
~ John Adams, Ben Franklin & Thomas Jefferson were appointed by Congress to the first committee to choose the symbol of the new nation.
~ The resulting idea was not accepted and Congress postponed discussion & didn't appoint the second committee until March 1780 - four years later. Congress didn't like that idea either.
~ In 1782, the "third" committee was appointed which enlisted William Barton (artist and lawyer in the black & white image) to help with the design. Barton was the first to use the eagle. Barton's work was given to the secretary of Congress, Charles Thomson, who then added elements from the previous two committees, i.e. the shield & motto E pluribus unum (out of many, one), red & white stripes were place on the shield of the American Bald Eagle, an olive branch (love of peace) was placed in the Eagle's right talons and arrows (but ready for war) in the left talons.
~ The design of the Great Seal was accepted 244 years ago on June 20, 1782 - six years after the first committee was chosen.
~ So... what would our Great Seal have looked like if Ben Franklin had had his wishes granted of a turkey on the Great Seal of the U.S.??

54 years ago in 1972: The Five-Arch Bridge on the Conococheague & Hurricane Agnes ~ Contrary to popular belief, the five...
06/20/2026

54 years ago in 1972: The Five-Arch Bridge on the Conococheague & Hurricane Agnes
~ Contrary to popular belief, the five-arch limestone bridge, albeit in great disrepair, did, in deed, survive the rain, winds, and flood waters of Hurricane Agnes in June 1972.
~ What allowed PennDOT to dismantle and use the remaining limestones of the Five-arch Bridge?
~ In 1914, the PA Senate & House passed a bill that allowed the Commonwealth of PA to purchase all the small privately owned turnpikes in PA like the Waynesboro, Greencastle, Mercersburg Turnpike, which was one of the turnpikes, as well as the Williamsport Pike.
~ 189 years ago, the Waynesboro, Greencastle, Mercersburg Turnpike fully opened in 1837. The project began in 1820 and the eastern most portion from Waynesboro to Carroll Co, MD was the first stretch completed.
***The 1937 aerial image shows the 'Jig with the five-arch bridge separating two houses.

Before 911 ~ Did you have one of these next to your phone when you were growing up in Greencastle-Antrim? ~ Before the 9...
06/19/2026

Before 911
~ Did you have one of these next to your phone when you were growing up in Greencastle-Antrim?
~ Before the 911 exchange was put into effect in Franklin County, communities had to direct dial their firehouses for emergencies.
~ Rescue Hose Co #1 was located at 48 South Carlisle Street when these emergency cards were issued.
~ "No" 717 required. Its number was 597-3411.

~ From Feathertown to the Stockyard***Remember 8 trains going north and eight trains going south went through Greencastl...
06/18/2026

~ From Feathertown to the Stockyard
***Remember 8 trains going north and eight trains going south went through Greencastle every day on Carlisle Street.
~ 91 years ago, in Greencastle ~ Bruce Gordon's Stockyard
~ In the c. 1935 photograph, Gordon's stockyard was located, on the east side of the RR tracks, in the "400" block of S Washington St.
~ Gordon's business was strategically located for convenient access for transport of livestock by railroad car.

From Weaver Road in Antrim Township to New York City??~Do you know where Feathertown was located in Antrim Township?~ An...
06/17/2026

From Weaver Road in Antrim Township to New York City??
~Do you know where Feathertown was located in Antrim Township?
~ Answer: East Weaver Road.
~ There were many "Mom & Pop" businesses throughout Antrim Township in the 1880s, including James L. Dentler, huckster.
~ Dentler bought chickens, cleaned them, & sold them locally...
~ "but" he also had a thriving business in New York City, within the Jewish community.
~ You'll notice that none of the heads are removed in the photograph. According to Jewish custom, they did not purchase chickens if their heads had been removed.
~ "How did Dentler get them to NYC?" you ask.
~ In the 1880s, many trains per day (north and south bound) ran through Greencastle. Dentler put the chickens on ice and shipped them by rail to NYC.
~ Dentler's business was located in this little wooden "shanty" on East Weaver Road. There was no post office or zip code, but everyone knew where Feathertown was.
~ Now you know why it was known as Feathertown... look at all the feathers lying on the ground!

118 Years Ago: ***Click the black/white photograph & be amazed at what it accomplished. ~ Today, we take the Highline f...
06/16/2026

118 Years Ago:
***Click the black/white photograph & be amazed at what it accomplished.
~ Today, we take the Highline for granted.
~ But do you know what all went into construction of the highline beginning "118" years ago in 1908 for opening of the Jefferson Street RR station in 1909?
~ The bank, upon which the rails were constructed, also had to be "built."
~ The topography was flat where the CVRR wanted to run the tracks; there was no hill.
~ A "lot" of fill had to be hauled in to create the bank on which the tracks would run.
~ Just love the c. 1908 steam shovel AND the pickup truck. I haven't found the source from where fill was removed.
~ Notice the release of steam at the pulley, which is attached to the bucket.

School's out!How much time did you spend at King Playground during summers?~ Playground Day 1946 - hoop rolling.~ Bob Ku...
06/15/2026

School's out!
How much time did you spend at King Playground during summers?
~ Playground Day 1946 - hoop rolling.
~ Bob Kugler is rolling the hoop.
~ School's out and King Playground is still the center of activity for kids.
~ Mr. Bill Conrad is on the right side in the photograph.

June 14, is the Birth Day of our Star-Spangled Banner~ The Stars & Stripes were adopted "249! years ago on" June 14, 177...
06/14/2026

June 14, is the Birth Day of our Star-Spangled Banner
~ The Stars & Stripes were adopted "249! years ago on" June 14, 1777.
~ Long may she wave!!
~ The 1777-1917 image is from your Library of Congress.
~ Description: 1917 "Poster showing a man raising the American flag, with a minuteman cheering and an eagle flying above."
***For the history of our flag, click the image of the US Flag.
~ The black and white photograph shows the Civil War era US flag flying high as GA's Civil War Veterans enter the town's square returning from Cedar Hill Cemetery on a Memorial Day.

Tomorrow marks the beginning of the 54th anniversary of Hurricane Agnes June 14 to 25, 1972. ~ And it rained, and rained...
06/13/2026

Tomorrow marks the beginning of the 54th anniversary of Hurricane Agnes June 14 to 25, 1972.
~ And it rained, and rained, and rained some more.
~ Roads were washed out; bridges were washed out.
~ Those living in western Antrim Township were cut off from reaching Greencastle because of the flooding of the Conococheague Creek, which flooded Route 16 and washed out the small bridges in Antrim that crossed the Conococheague.
~ Martin's Mill Bridge did not survive. It was swept off its moorings.
~ It was later reconstructed with community effort.
~ Where were you during Hurricane Agnes?
~ Did you live west of the Conococheague?
~ If you didn't live in this area, what was it like looking at the hurricane and news from your perspective?
~ From NOAA: http://www.wpc.ncep.noaa.gov/tropical/rain/agnes1972.html See less

157 years ago, Cedar Hill Cemetery was established in 1869 - four years after the Civil War ended.~ No person will be ad...
06/12/2026

157 years ago, Cedar Hill Cemetery was established in 1869 - four years after the Civil War ended.
~ No person will be admitted on horseback...🤔
~ An interesting little document, the Charter and Bylaws of Cedar Hill Cemetery - 1869, was given to Allison-Antrim Museum by the late Bruce McLanahan, Camp Hill, PA.
***Click the Cemetery photograph for the Charter information.
~ Cedar Hill Cemetery opened in 1870 - 156 years ago. The accompanying photograph was taken in August 1955, just before PA State Route 16 was widened. The view is of the northeastern entrance of the original cemetery, on the south side of Rt. 16. This photograph was courtesy of Zimmerman Funeral Home and used in the second pictorial history book - Greencastle-Antrim Revisited, published in 2007 by Arcadia.

Address

365 S Ridge Avenue
Greencastle, PA
17225

Opening Hours

Tuesday 11am - 1pm
Wednesday 11am - 1pm
Thursday 12pm - 4pm
Friday 12pm - 4pm
Saturday 11am - 1pm

Telephone

+17175979010

Website

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