Morgantown/Honey Brook townlively.com
JULY 28, 2021
SERVING THE LOCAL COMMUNITIES SINCE 1954
VOL XXIX • NO 26
Therapy Dogs Visit Honey Brook Library BY FRANCINE FULTON
In keeping with the Summer Reading Program theme of “Tails and Tales,” the Honey Brook Community Library recently hosted a program featuring therapy dogs Lily and Pansy and their owner, Liz Alakszay. During the event, held outdoors behind the library, the dogs impressed patrons of all ages with
Archaeologists who visited Hopewell Furnace National Historic Site in Elverson included (from left) Paul Albert, Dr. Amy Roache-Fedchenko and Jared Muehlbauer.
Archaeologists Dig Hopewell Furnace assists efforts to expand the understanding and public interpretation of rchaeologists from the North- African American histories and hereast Archeological Resources itage within the United States. During their two-week stay in the Program (NARP) visited Hopewell Furnace National Historic area, a crew of seven archaeologists Site (NHS) in Elverson, where they set a goal to identify, document and spent time digging into the life of analyze artifacts and other archaeoGeorge Brison, an African American logical evidence it uncovered to learn who resided in a tenant house near about the lives of African Americans at Hopewell Furnace and to use Hopewell in the late 19th century. The project was supported through archaeology to share their stories. “We have been digging at one of the Civil Rights Initiative of the National Park Service (NPS), which the outlying tenant homes,” explained archaeologist Jared Muehlbauer. “This is the first time anyone has excavated this site.” According to a document provided by Hopewell Furnace NHS, both free and enslaved African Americans lived and worked at the furnace throughout its operation, and a small free black community was founded next door to Hopewell along Six Penny Creek. Hopewell Archaeologist Jared Muehlbauer (right) was a cold-blast, charcoalexplained to visitors what was found after fueled iron furnace that BY FRANCINE FULTON
a tenant house was excavated at Hopewell Furnace National Historic Site.
Churchtown Day, featuring community-wide yard sales and specialty foods prepared at Caernarvon Fire Company, will be presented by the Caernarvon Historical Society on Saturday, Aug. 7. “We’ve had it for years on the first Saturday in August, but because of the coronavirus we had to cancel last year, but we’re back,” said society president Yvonne Styer. “It’s a big event for people to
See Hopewell Furnace pg 4
See Churchtown Day pg 3
Liz Alakszay and her therapy dogs at the Honey Brook Community Library.
Caernarvon Historical Society To Host Churchtown Day BY FRANCINE FULTON
GELT BUS SCHEDULE M Honey Brook Hardware,
THE BANK THAT COMES TO YOU
PRSRT STD ECRWSS U.S. Postage Paid Engle Printing Co
Honey Brook, 9a-12p T Noble Road Milking, Kirkwood, 9a-5p W Sunrise Green House, Peach Bottom, 9a-11:30a TH Dutch-Way Market, Gap, 9a-12p
F POSTMASTER: PLEASE DELIVER JUL. 28, 2021
Postal Patron
MCC B
A
operated from 1771 to 1883. The park today includes both the main furnace buildings themselves, as well as the house of the ironmaster, several tenant houses and much of the surrounding land that was used to supply farm goods and charcoal for the furnace operation. “The furnace centered around producing iron, but in order to do that, they needed charcoal. They owned a lot of the surrounding area to cut timber and manufacture charcoal for the furnace,” Muehlbauer pointed out. “There were folks who lived farther out and worked as woodcutters and charcoal makers.” The archaeologists learned that Brison occupied the tenant house as indicated by a rental agreement found in the Hopewell archives. “He was a free African American. He was there right at the end of when the furnace was in operation,” Muehlbauer said. “He may have lived alone or with a family; we don’t know. The house is in ruins; there are still standing walls, but the rest is gone, which makes it archaeological now.”
RH Rohrer and Sons, Quarryville, 9a-5p
their ability to listen to commands and identify colors. Lily demonstrated that she was able to obey simple words written on cards. “Dogs can learn visual cues from different shapes, so the words ‘sit’ and ‘down’ are on shapes and she associates that with a behavior,” Alakszay explained, noting that Lily is an English setter/border collie mix. “They were bred to herd sheep and cattle. They are super smart.” Lily was also able to identify a blue or yellow ring when presented with rings of those colors. “I make it easier by having (rings) that are two slightly different sizes. The next step would be to have (the objects) be identical,” Alakszay said. Lily’s canine sister, Pansy, is an English setter. “They are bird dogs,” Alakszay said, throwing a stuffed pheasant for Pansy to catch and fetch. “A Labrador will go out in the water and pick up birds. But with an English setter, a (hunter) will point out the bird and tell the dog to go find it.” See Therapy Dogs pg 5
INSIDE THIS ISSUE Community Calendar . . . .2 Garden Club Wins Recognition . . . . . . .5 House Of Worship . . . . . . .5 Classifieds . . . . . . . . . . . .6
www.bihbank.com 717-768-8811 Brandywine Shoe Shop, Honey Brook, 12:30p-5p Oxford Produce Auction, Oxford, 8a-12p Apr-Nov Beiler’s Sawmill, Quarryville, 12p-5p Green Tree Hardware, Quarryville, 12:30p-5p Oxford Produce Auction, Oxford, 8a-12p Dec-Mar 9a-
Nolt’s Greenhouse Supply, Ephrata, 9a-5p Valley View Hardware, Lincoln University/Oxford, 12:30p-5p Apr-Nov Vibrant Church (parking lot), Terre Hill, 9a-5p Meadowcreek BBQ Supply, New Holland, 9a-5p Valley View Hardware, Lincoln University/Oxford, 12:30p-5p Dec-Mar
Ephrata Community Church, Ephrata, 9a-5p John M Hess Auction Service, Manheim, 9a-5p
A.B. Martin Roofing Supply, Ephrata, 9a-5p R073220