My ten year old grandson, Michael, has lived in England for the last seven years. His Dad, my son, has been in the Air Force for thirteen years. They recently were transferred to Andrews Air Force Base in Maryland, which is the reason I am now living in Pennsylvania. Fabgrandpa and I looked for a job close to Andrews so that we could spend a little time with Michael.
Michael, his Dad and his step-mother, Sarah, came to visit us this week. We took him to Gettysburg to see the battlefields. The photo above shows him firing a cannon. The one below of him and his Dad was taken at Little Round Top, where he was reliving the battle, hiding behind the rocks while he reloaded his musket.
We took him to play mini golf, and fishing in the lake here at the campground where we work. It was cold, but he never ran out of energy. He wore out four adults in the two days he was here. I was sad to see him leave, and can’t wait for him to come back. Wow, I finally get to be the FabGrandma!
Gettysburg Ghost Tour
Wednesday night the other members of the Granite Hill Campground staff and I went on a Ghost Tour. It started out at the parking lot across the street from the National Soldiers Museum at 777 Baltimore Street in Gettysburg. Gettysburg is called the most haunted city in the United States, because so many people lost their lives here during the Battle of Gettysburg. The tour we took focused on two places, The Gettysburg Orphanage and the Jenny Wade House. The photo above is of Bob, our tour guide.
Back in the days of the civil war, if your father died, you became an orphan. The story goes that Amos Humiston, a Union soldier from upstate New York, died of his wounds on York Street, clutching a photograph of his three children. Because he had no identification on his body, and
his unit had already moved on before he died, no one knew his name. A reporter for a Philadelphia newpaper latched onto this story and turned it into a public interest story. He published the account, which was passed on to many newspapers, until it reached Humiston’s wife. She came forward to claim the photograph. The reporter then started a campaign to open an orphanage in Gettysburg to care for the children left behind by the many soldiers killed in the war. Shown above is a photo of Amos Humiston’s three children.
Philinda Humiston was named the first Matron of the orphanage, and moved with her children to Gettysburg. She was kind and took good care of the children who lived there. When she remarried, she left Gettysburg.
The new Matron, Rosa Carmichael, was an evil woman.There is evidence that Rosa shackled children with chains to the walls of the cellar. She would also chain them to a rail fence in the hot sun, leaving them all day long to suffer sunburns, with no food or water. Children were locked in outhouses and sheds on the property in the winter, forced to stay out all night in the freezing cold. The two pictures above and below show chains used to shackle the children in the dark, damp cellar of the orphanage.
Many people have claimed to have seen the ghosts of children in the cellar and yards of the orphanage house. Others have felt something tug at their hair or at their clothing while they were walking through the cellar. There are many photographs showing orbs, ectoplasma, or ghostly outlines of children that were taken at this location. Although I did not see any ghosts while there, I did feel the sadness of the place. The chains and shackles are still there.
A short walk down the street brought us to the Jenny Wade House. Jenny was a twenty year old woman, who was the only civilian casualty of the Battle of Gettysburg. She was staying with her sister, helping out because her sister had just had a baby. Jenny was in the kitchen of her sister’s house, making biscuits, when a stray bullet went the wall of the house and struck her in the back. She was found dead in the kitchen.
Because of the battle raging around them, the family laid Jenny’s body out on a slab in the cellar of the house for two days. There are many stories of Jenny’s ghost haunting this house. There was also a story told about her father, who was getting forgetful, and did not believe his daughter was dead. He would often walk into the cellar looking for her, thinking Jenny was just hiding from him. Years later, people say he still comes into the cellar looking for her.
There are also spirits of children from the orphanage across the street, who come to play in the house, because the occupants of the house during the time they were alive, were kind to them and often allowed them to come in and play there. Photographs on the walls in the Jenny Wade house show the ghostly images of children in the background and in mirrors in the house.
These last two photos were taken at the Jenny Wade House. The first one is of a depiction of Jenny’s body laid out in the cellar. The second one is part of a painting showing Jenny’s sister and other family members at her wake, while they waited for the battle to cease so they could bury her body.
I don’t know if these ghosts exist or not. I know I didn’t see any on this tour. If you are ever in Gettysburg, take the tour and decide for yourself.
A Short Tour Of The Battlefields Of Gettysburg
Yesterday I went on a bus tour of the battlefields around Gettysburg in preparation for my job at the campground where I am working. Since we sell tour tickets in the campground office, we need to know what the tour entails in order to tell our guests.
Like most Americans, I had heard about the Battle of Gettysburg since I was in grade school, but until yesterday, I really had no idea how bloody it was. What started out as a half day fun trip for me ended with sobering thoughts of the thousands of young men who lost their lives there fighting for their beliefs. I found it hard to hold back tears at times.
The tour takes you on a drive through the areas closest to town where the battles occurred during the three day battle. There are many buildings still standing that were in existence at the time of the civil war. Each of these buildings has a six by nine inch bronze plaque designating it as a Civil War Building. I was surprised at how many there are. This is a bank barn and farm house to the west of town.
The tour guide told us about the statues of men on horseback, monuments to the generals of the battle. If the horse has all four feet on the ground, that means the rider made it safely through the battle. If the horse has one foot raised, then that rider was wounded in battle. And, if the horse has both front feet off the ground, that means the rider was killed. What an interesting way to depict the outcome for an individual. The general depicted in this monument was a lucky man.
The Lutheran Seminary was established in 1827. It sits at a high point with a long view to the mountains west of town. During the first day of battle, the Union generals used the cupola of the middle building as their observation tower.
This is the view from the top of Little Round Top. The hill was the object of the battle on the second, and bloodiest day, of the Battle of Gettysburg. This view is looking west towards the Appalachian Mountains. The fields below were scattered with the bodies of more than 5400 men at the end of the day. The creek running through near the line of trees was known as Plum Run. After the battle, it was renamed Bloody Run, because so much blood was shed it caused the creek to run red. The Devil’s Den was the deadliest of the battlefields of Gettysburg.
The view from Little Round Top towards Devils Den to the east. The National Park Service is cutting down some of the trees in the battlefields of Gettysburg, and replanting others, in order to restore the area to the way it actually looked at the time of the battle. In this area, in the middle of the area in view, the trees are being cut because this was a wheat field at that time.
The Gettysburg Train Station, where Abraham Lincoln arrived in November, 1863 to give his famous speech. The building has been restored to look exactly the way it did then. Mr. Lincoln got off the train and walked down the street to a house in town where he spent the night before the ceremony dedicating a national cemetery. That dedication speech is the now famous Gettysburg Address. Note: most of these photos were taken out the window of the bus, so they may be blurred. KE
The Rose Garden Natural Foods Co.
On Wednesday, we had to do laundry again. The laundromats here at the campground are not open yet, so we had to go into town again. The laundromat we went to is in a little strip mall in town. After we got our clothes in to wash, we started looking around at the other establishments in the strip. The Rose Garden Natural Foods Co. is a neat little store. They sell organic fruits and vegetables, as well as a very good selection of vitamins, minerals and herbal supplements.
Fabgrandpa went in and bought some vitamins. I went in and asked if I could take some pictures, so the employee I spoke with went to the back and got Kitty, one of the owners of the store. She was a delightful woman. She told me she used to live in Woodstock, Georgia but moved from there years ago. She and her husband had come up to Pennslvania to visit some friends, and on the way home they decided to swing by to see Gettysburg. They loved it so much they decided to move here. They opened the Rose Garden Natural Foods Co. at the suggestion of their grandchildren 10 years ago.
They have been at 
this location for about seven and half years.
The vegetables they sell here are organically grown so they have no pesticides, herbicides or chemical fertilizers used in their production. The selection available the day I was there looked very good. When I asked Kitty if they ever get swiss chard, she told me that she had just told her husband the night before she was going to order some. She took my telephone number and offered to call me when the order comes in! Now that is what I call GOOD SERVICE!
Ever since my husband’s bout with cancer, we have tried to eat more nutritious food and those with fewer chemical additives. He takes a lot of vitamins, and we both use a lot of herbal supplements for various things. We are really happy that we stumbled upon this store. We will be going there a lot while we are here.
I also make my own homemade soaps. They have a very good selection of oils including coconut, almond, and grapeseed. I use all of
those in making my soaps, and they are very hard to find.
The Rose Garden Natural Foods Co. is located at 30 West Street in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. They are open Monday thru Friday from 9:00 a.m.until 4:00 p.m. and on Saturday from9:00 a.m. until 4:00 p.m. If you go in, ask for Kitty and tell her you read her at FabGrandma.
The Sound of Frogs
Yes, that is what I said. The field next to our campsite are alive with the sound of frogs. I thought at first it was crickets, but being a girl from Georgia, I knew that it is too cold for crickets. When I asked the locals, they said that they are called “Snow Frogs”. I have never heard of snow frogs, but you never know, that might be what they are. When I wake up in the middle of the night, that is what I hear. They are very loud, so sometimes it keeps me from going back to sleep. I guess it could be worse, it could be jet planes like we experienced last year at Holiday Trav-L-Park in Virginia Beach. I will take frogs over jets any day (or night).
Weikert’s Egg Farm
While I was out yesterday, I also went by Weikert’s Egg Farm. It is at 2559 Fairfield Road in Gettysburg, about 3 miles from Granite Hill Campground, where we are working. I have been seeing their sign every time we go somewhere since we got here and have been wanting to go see what they have for sale. So, while I was on the loose alone, I went in there.
They sell eggs and BEEF, which is surprising because I would have thought eggs and CHICKEN. The eggs they sell come from free walking chickens. That means the chickens are not in cages, they can walk around in the chicken barn, eat as much a they want, and lay their eggs in a nest. I didn’t get any eggs while I was there because I didn’t need any but I will be going there next time I need them.
They advertise their beef as “Naturally Fed Beef”. To quote from their flyer, “Unlike most commercially produced beef, our cattle are fed an all natural diet of corn, hay, and wheat without any special feed additives to speed up the animals’ growth. This means there are no hormones, implants, or any other artificial substances used to enhance growth.
In addition, the crops grown on the Weikert Farm to feed the cattle are also grown without the aid of chemicals such as pesticides, insecticides, herbicides, or chemical fertilizers.” end of quote.
I was glad to see this advertisement because Fabgrandpa’s endoctrinologist, Dr. Singh, told us he should not eat beef because the beef on the market has too many hormones added to it for someone who has a thyroid problem. Ever since he told us that we have cut our beef consumption drastically. I MIGHT buy a pound of ground beef once a month, and only use about a half pound in a pot of chili. So, I bought one rib steak from them yesterday and we split it. It really did seem to taste better than what we are used to getting at the supermarket.
Weikert’s eggs were priced from two dozen small eggs for $1.50 and up, depending on the size. They have both white and brown eggs. Their beef prices were comparable to what I would have to pay at the grocery stores in town. T-bone steaks were $8.89 per pound, Rib steaks were $7.99 per pound, and Chuck roast was $3.49 per pound. They also have beef by the quarter at $1.05 per pound live weight. For more information, click here for their website.
Four Seasons Bakery and Cafe in Gettysburg
Today was laundry day, so I went out by myself. Usually when I am out by myself, I go to the places I really shouldn’t go.The place that grabbed my attention last week when we were driving around town was the Four Seasons Bakery and Cafe. When I saw it I made a mental note to myself of its location. (I know those of you who know me well know that any note to myself is mental!) So, that is the first place I headed before going to the laundromat.
The Four Seasons Bakery and Café is located at 100 Chambersburg Street in Gettysburg. The menu includes soups, sandwiches, pastries, coffee and tea. There is a wide variety of cookies, pastries, pies, and cakes for sale as well as bread and foccacia of the day. It was hard for me to choose, but I finally settled on a cheese danish. I was not disappointed! The pastry was crisp and light, with a generous amount of a cream cheese filling. The price for the danish was $1.85.
The service was quick and the staff friendly and they smiled a lot. I did not have time to stay for lunch, but based on the yummy treat I had today I know I will be back.I think I can get Fabgrandpa to go in there too, because they have his favorite, Reuben Sandwiches. Oh, and I was going to take a picture of the danish, but I forgot to do it before I ate it!
Here are some examples of the menu 
offerings:
Scratch Reuben $8.50
Grilled Marinated Portobello Mushroom Sandwich $7.95
Cream of Leek and Potato Soup Bowl $4.75
Caramelized Local Pear Salad $5.25
Croissant $1.85
Scones $1.50
Cannoli $1.50
They had cannolis today, and I love them, but I just walked away! But don’t you know if they had had some cream puffs, I would still be there.
Four Seasons Bakery and Café is open Tuesday through Saturday 6:00 a.m. til 5:00 p.m. and on Sunday from 8:00 a.m. til 5:00 p.m. If you are ever in Gettysburg, this would be a good place to stop for lunch.
My Two Daughters
I have two daughters. For most of their lives I have been of the opinion that the two of them were as different as night and day. The older one, Rebecca, has dark, extremely curly hair. She is an artist. She was the kid no one liked in school because she could flip through a book and know everything in it. She never had to study but always made the all A Honor Roll. She went to college on a full four-year academic scholarship. She graduated with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Painting and Sculpture. She is 33 years old and has never married.
Emily, the younger one, has brown wavy hair. She is a surgery scheduler for a pediatric ear, nose, and throat doctor. She made good grades, but she had to study hard and work for every A she got. She moved in with her boyfriend, who is now her husband of 15 years, the summer between her junior and senior years of high school. She worked her way through college, and paid for it with the Georgia Hope Scholarship and student loans. She graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Biology.
When you look at the facts, you would certainly think that the two of them are different. But, this past year, I have discovered that they really are more alike then they think. The things in life that are important to them are the same. They each want a family who loves them, to be respected by their co-workers and friends, and to be happy in their work. They both love me, even though they may show it different ways.
Another way in which they are alike is that they both have a love for books and reading. Both of them gave me books last month. Both of them were on subjects that I really needed to read.
“Making A Living Without A Job” by Barbara Winter was from Rebecca. It is a wonderful inspiration, with testimonials and illustrative stories of women and men who have pondered their talents, devised a plan, and gone into self-employment to change their lives for the better. It is about earning a living doing something you enjoy doing.
Emily’s gift was “Choosing Forgiveness” by Nancy Leigh DeMoss. Subtitled “Your Journey to Freedom”, it is a very good read and was very helpful to me in my life at the point I received it. The author writes about how when you hold on to your anger and hurts that others have piled on you, then you give that other person power over you to keep you imprisoned by those emotions. Only by letting go of the issues, forgiving others, and asking for forgiveness of the people you have wronged, can you let yourself out of that prison and truly be free. It opened my eyes and my heart so much.
Rebecca is job hunting at the moment. She was an art teacher at a private school but left there last spring to pursue promoting her own artwork. Emily is also job hunting. She has decided to change careers, and has taken the exam to become a middle school science teacher. So even in their sameness in being teachers, they are so very different in the subjects they teach. I wish them both good luck in their chosen paths, and hope we can get together very soon. I miss them both very much.
