More Microfilm goodies from 1863

Can’t get enough of teeny tiny print and great quotes from local Bethlehem History?  Here are some links to the microfilm containing letters and cultural references from 1863.  And for those of you who care more about the quotes and less about old newspapers, here are some quotes that highlight the contents of the prints linked.

1863 – The Letters

1/15/1863——-Letter begins by hoping that Moravians will continue to visit soldiers at camp.  The letter continues to account the happening at camp, and also asks that the people from home write to their loved ones who are fighting about happy positive things instead of the dark distresses of life at home.

“But there are so many dwellers in tents who do get messages, and they feel so good, it puts the whole camp in better spirits.  Here and there sits one mystified by the silence of home correspondents, who can not appreciate the sense of loneliness and symptoms of ‘nostalgia’ (as the surgeons have it,) which creep over the volunteer when the mail brings him no letter, it makes separation deeply sad.”

“Send on, then, dear friends, letters that will hold up, rather than weigh down, the heart of the soldier who is trying faithfully to do his whole duty.  Don’t lose your faith as to final success.  Grit at home tells upon grit on the field.”

2/19/63 ———Chaplain William Henry Rice updates the people at home about the soldiers’ movements after the Battle at Fredericksburg.

“The camp was still there, no change; we left it, admonished of the work before us by the roar of distant cannon, playing the first overture in the Fredericksburg Opera: we returned with the thunders of an hundred guns, the rattling of ten thousands of muskets, the shrill music of countless shells ringing in our ears; our hearts heavy with the terrible realities of our first battle field and that not a victory.

“All got along swimmingly that night, and the daylight when it brought, not the greeting of the home cock of the morn, but of the trumpet notes “fall in” never revealed a muddier and more astounded set of soldiers.  But “fall in” was the word, and if the regiment didn’t fall in, it certainly waded in.”

4/23/1863——- On April 15^th, Hagen wrote home about his visit to the soldiers in Washington.  Washington DC and its surrounding landscapes are described by Hagen in a way that allows the reader to imagine the scenes of war and desolation.

“As we approach Washington, we begin to realize that we were near the seat of war.  Fortifications and soldiery were all around us, and military matters constituted the prominent feature of the scene.  But there was one object full in our view which is ever new and interesting to the traveler, namely the magnificent Capitol.  Despite the cost and circumstance of war, it is fast approaching its completion.”

“While there the tomb of Washington’s mother, in the rear of Fredericksburg, was pointed out to me.  A large white monument marks the sacred spot—but in front of it the rebels have large earthworks, near which one of their brigades was drilling.  Shameful sacrilege! To stand, as it were, on the very grave of her who bore the Father of our Country, and from thence to draw the best blood of our nation’s heart—witness the late fearful carnage on this ground—in order to uphold and perpetuate that monster crime, and “sum of all villainies,” which has entailed upon us this sanguinary war.”

6/4/1863——– On May 28^th, the 46^th writes to the newspaper about their recent battle at Chancellorsville.  This is a very upbeat letter claiming that the soldiers are able to enjoy themselves through the hardships.

“Should and of your readers suppose that our Colonel or other officers live better than we, let them dispel the illusion, for it is no uncommon thing to see our Colonel sitting among a group of his boys, on the ground, and hear his ‘thank you’ as he receives a piece of bacon just done brown.  Don’t imagine, if you please, that such fare and such hardships—as many might term them—grieve the soldier, for never does he laugh or sing louder, and never is he more jolly than when wading through mud and fording streams.  In short he loves to be on the move, and heeds but little the condition of the roads.”

6/11/1863——–This letter is in defense of the Eleventh Corps generally and the 153^rd specifically.  The 153^rd had the reputation for being cowards in battle, but as this letter iterates, the 153^rd fought as bravely as they could in some truly difficult circumstances.

“It had been commanded, till recently, by Franz Sigel.  No sooner was he got rid of, than the command was given to General Howard, an utter stranger to every man in his command.”

“The corps formed the extreme right wing of General Hooker’s army, who, in undertaking the movement, resorted to the bold manoeuvre of dividing his own forces to attack a united adversary”

“Our right wing rested upon nothing – neither a hill nor a defile, not even a wall or fence.  This was wrong; but instead of making up for the weakness of the position by masses of soldiers, the corps, the weakest one in the army, was left without intrenchments, two miles from the center, where Hooker entrenched himself.”

“Yet the troops, instead of being massed in columns, capable of throwing their strength into any direction, and of offering a stubborn resistance to any change, were spun out into a gossamer line, like the poor victim of the guillotine strapped upon his board, leaving but two men at any given point to receive the shock of any mass to be hurled against them.”

7/23/1863——– The following is written by Alex Selfridge to his parents, printed in the Moravian with permission from his parents.  The letter accounts the major happenings of the Battle of Gettysburg, as well as the month that followed.

“One fellow rushed from the rebel line, risked both his own and our fire, scaled the breastworks and jumped in among our boys.  The first thing he did was to distribute his cartridges among the boys them to give it to ‘em.  This happened only a few feet from where my company lay.”

“When the fighting was over we went into the woods and there beheld the horrid ghastly sight of men lying dead, mangled and cut in every conceivable way.  It is only at such times when one can fully realize what a terrible thing war is.”

8/20/1863——-Presentation to Colonel J.L. Selfridge of a medal commending him for his service, given to him by his regiment.  While printed in the Moravian, the following extract from a letter contained in the Pittsburgh Evening Chronicle of August 12th.

“The medal is made in the shape of a star, (the insignia of the corps,) bearing the following inscription: “Presented to Colonel James L. Selfridge by the officers of the 46th Regiment Penn’a Volunteers, as a token of their high esteem and regard,” and the names of the battles in which the regiment and Colonel have participated as follows: “Winchester, March 23rd, 1862,” “Middletown, May 24th, 1862,” “Winchester, May 25th 1862,” “Cedar Mountain, August 9th, 1862,” “Sulpher Springs, August 27th, 1862,” Rappahannock, August 29th, 1862,” “South Mountain, September 14th, 1862,” “Antietam, September 17th, 1862,” “Chancellorsville, April 30th, May 1st, 2d, 3rd, 1863,” “Gettysburg 1st, 2d, and 3rd of July, 1863.””

1863 – Cultural References

4/16/1863——-Resolution of Respect – this is an agreement between the soldiers of the 153^rd Regiment on how to respect and honor the dead.

“At a meeting held on the 8^th day of April 1863, by Company A, Captian Owen Rice, 153^rd Regiment Pennsylvania Volunteers, in Camp near Potomac Creek Bridge, VA, the following preamble and resolutions were unanimously adopted.

Whereas, it has pleased Almighty God, to remove from our midst after severe illness, our esteemed comrade, Charles B. Shafer, thereby again bringing forcibly to our minds, that, ‘in the midst of life we are in death,’ therefore –

Resolved, That whilst we mourn the loss of our departed comrade, we bow with humble submission to the will of God; knowing that ‘He doeth all things well.’

Resolved, That in the death of our beloved comrade, we have lost a good soldier, as well as a good companion, and one, who was ever ready when called upon to do his duty.

Resolved, That we must truly and heartily sympathize with the bereaved mother and relatives in this their hour of trial and affliction; and may God in His infinite goodness and mercy, grant unto them ‘that peace of mind which passeth all understanding,’ and give them grace to hear their loss with Christian fortitude.

Resolved, That a copy of these resolutions be transmitted to the mother and relatives of deceased, and that the same be published in the Moravian, Easton, Argus, and the Correspondent and Democrat.”

9/3/1863——–An article of Female Modesty gives a clear idea that women in the Moravian town of Bethlehem were meant to be seen and not heard.  The following quote, shown here in full, makes it clear that self sufficiency and forwardness were great faults in women and should be avoided at all costs.

“Among the faults which disfigure the character of the present day not the least is a practical under valuing of modesty by too many of the young of the female sex.  This evil does not manifest itself in gross forms.  It is not a want of chaste manors; it is not absolute immodesty.  Self-sufficiency and forwardness are its distinguishing features.  It discards humility as an antiquated virtue, and smiles at an unobtrusive deportment as a relic of a former age.  The world progresses, and in some work on female education many young persons seem to have found, or fancy to have discovered, a law of progress with regard to female behavior too.

The family is one of those relations of life in which such a want of modesty may but too often.  Daughters usurp the places of their mothers, not indeed in the kitchen, but fully in the parlor.  They attempt to rule the house.  Restraint is irksome to them, advice is “old fashioned;” retirement is not to be thought of.  To make themselves prominent, to follow their whims and caprice and annicments regardless of others; to be pert and bold and even impudent; all this appears to be looked upon as a matter of course, a prerogative of young misses in the nineteenth century.”

The Cemeteries – “Fine and Private Places”

Cemeteries are not always particularly spiritual places. The more ornate they become the more they may demonstrate the futility of  our experience with death. We build decoration with opposable thumbs. Little else is within our powers.

Other than the cemeteries of mass tragedy: war battlefields, plague, natural and man-made calamity… modern cemeteries are not where people die. Not where the spirit leaves the body but, where the body itself comes to rest. Often accorded more respect and privacy than received when quick with soul and spirit.

In the early days of Touchstone’s Civil War/Cemetery Project, pre-funding or certainty, I walked the Bethlehem grave yards making these photographs as studies and demonstrations of our respect and good faith to the families and organizations that maintained them. Peter Beagle’s cemetery novel, A Fine and Private Place walked along, as well as Andrew Marvel’s poem from which it was taken. My twin notebooks from those days labeled: THE RESTING PLACE and A RESTING PLACE.

Each of the three cemeteries studied represented three separate faces of America. Its social and economic landscape progressing through the first century of America’s existence.

God’s Acre is the oldest. Smallest.  Most simple. Flat Moravian stones. The Acre’s grass carefully trimmed away from them. At the Peifer grave, Bill George and I discussed the personal hell Peifer had experienced, contrasting the peace of God’s Acre. The terms: “At Peace” and “At Rest” developed more significance.

God’s Acre is truly dedicated to a Moravian view of the peace of God’s simple order. My dad dropped me there school mornings at the Moravian School while he went on to teach in Nazareth another Moravian Community. We lived in yet another. The aesthetic is constant.

God’s Acre personally resonates with plain wooden seats, chapel hymns, and brick walks with squirrels accepting peanuts. Memories of names from the original Moravian community read again, unchanged generations later. In which small flags flapped over graves, held in badges bearing the mark of The Army of the Republic: the Union forces. Cemeteries’ ages can be judged by the war badges. The commemorations of its citizens wars. Gods Acre is small. Certainly filled before too many badges of the wars of our republic could accumulate.

God’s Acre was where A Resting Place began. Where members of the Touchstone Ensemble came to say words on Veterans Day before James Peifer’s grave, promising the good faith of their efforts. In late twilight we began.

Microfilm from The Moravian 1862 including quotes

One of the most rewarding and time consuming efforts I have made during the research portion of the Civil War Project has been to comb through microfilm of The Moravian newspaper for letters from soldiers and other interesting tidbits.  In this entry I have included links to my best finds from 1862 and are divided between letters and cultural references.

Since the scanned documents can be quite a challenge, even once magnified, I have also included some of my favorite quotes that I discovered along the way.  I hope this entry will help illuminate the history for our readers, and be a cerebral treat for all those nerds out there who get as excited about old newspapers as I do.

1862 – The Letters

6/5/1862—–This letter is about a retreat at Winchester by the 46^th  regiment.

“The men seem to think but little of the clothing they lost, but regret the loss of keepsakes, which cannot be replaced.”

“Segt. H. had command of a gun of Knapp’s Pennsylvania Battery at Front Royal, and after two hours hard fighting was shot in the leg.  The ball was immediately removed, and he again took his post and continued there until compelled to leave, an hour later, by overwhelming numbers.  When he left, the hospital was in flames and rebel guards were stationed around the building to prevent egress.  There seems to be but one feeling, and that of hatred toward these heartless beings.”

10/9/1862——Alex Selfridge recounts his time being held captive by the rebels.

“The room was about 10 by 40, with windows at one end and a partition at the other, making it quite dark in some parts of the room.  It was literally covered with filth, vermin, a horrid stench pervaded the whole, and almost every inch of available space was occupied.  Some of the unfortunate inmates had been confined in it 13 long months.  Two old men were crazed, and lay in their filth in on corner, only stirring when their rations were brought in.”

10/16/1862——- Below is a dedication and presentation of sword to Col. Selfridge from his soldiers.

“We cannot bestow upon you any greater compliment than, that we believe, whether in defense or attack, it will be wielded by an arm and grasped by a hand, as true as the steel of the blade of which it is composed.”

8/14/1862——-Col. Selfridge writes from the Battlefield near Culpepper, Aug. 11.  Selfridge tells his brother of the terrible fight they have just endured.

“We have but 130 left in our regiment.  My horse was killed; he was completely riddled.  The blanket presented to me by Mr. Caleb Yohe and David Luckenbach, saved my life.  It is riddled with balls; my saddle also.  I had a ball through my boot, one through my coat near the shoulder, and one through my hat.  I am much bruised, but no blood was drawn.”

8/16/1862 – Reference to Chaplain William Henry Rice being asked to give words of encouragement at the send off of the newest recruits in Bethlehem.

“Before leaving the ground, however, and at the request of the soldiers, Mr. Wm. Henry Rice, who has volunteered to accompany this band as Chaplain, responded in a few words, returning thanks, and earnestly entreating the effective support and loyal sympathy of all those whom they leave behind, justly remarking that the soldier is robbed of his courage, and will contend in vain upon the battle field, if treason be suffered to lurk unpunished in the rear.  Those sentiments were warmly applauded.”

9/25/1862——-Chaplain William Henry Rice writes home asking for religious reading material and gospel books.

“Give each man a testament.  He will feel the want of it before long.  Men who rarely looked into a bible at home, open its pages at camp.  Of course, on the other hand, many who profess Christ at home neglect His word at camp.  Your ‘Moravian’ package is therefore not at all confined in its good influence to Company C.  It is medicine to the soldiers sick in body.  Depend upon it, many a soul, too, had been refreshed.”

12/25/1862——On this day there were two letters accounting the soldiers’ lives on the march.  The first two quotes are from the letter from the 129^th regiment and the other is from the 46^th regiment.

“We were forced to leave behind, in charge of a Brigade surgeon, more than sixty sick men of our regiment.  This being left behind the regiment, is one of the great trials of a soldiers life.  Another sever trial is to be sick with your regiment; a sick man never feels so much out of place and in the way of others, as in camp or on the march.”

“The Sabbeth day will always be remembered as the day on which we made one of the most ‘exhausting tramps: rapid marching all day rests few and short,’ weather very warm, and road wearisome and rough.  We got to Snickersville at evening and encamped, as we all supposed, for the night.  All at once the order “Fall in” came upon our worn out and astounded men.  We did fall in, and marched.”

“A soldier does not know what is before him.  Whenever he thinks most that he is to remain quiet and have a good time, orders to march are received, and tents struck, knapsacks packed, line formed, arms shouldered, and then comes the command, ‘Right Face—Forward March!’”

1862 – Cultural References

5/8/1862——–This is a write up on a speech given at Citizen Hall by Prof. McCoy about ‘His seething rebuke of secret and open foes of our country, both home and abroad.”

“We are sorry to confess that even our community still harbors some of these secret traitors who, recreant to the duty which they owe to the mother that bore them, and unmindful of shame, not only stand apart, cold-hearted from an active support of their country’s case, but secretly go about whispering their slanders, hatching discontent among the ignorant, and plotting mischief against the laws of the Constitution.”

5/20/1862——-A report on the 46^th after their attack at Winchester, and a reference to a painting called “Camp Scene on the Lehigh.”

“As they were in the recent retreat of Gen. Bank’s army from the valley of Shenandoah, and exposed to the overwhelming attacks of the enemy, the greatest anxiety prevails in our community to obtain intelligence from them.  Up to the time of our going to press, however, the only reliable information we have received, is to the effect that Col. Knipe, after being wounded, was taken prisoner; Lieut. Col. Selfridge, Capt. Luckenbach and Lieut. Horace Jones are safe with the army at Williamsport.  Others, including Lieut. Alex Selfridge, are known to be at Hancock, MD.  There is cause for the apprehension that many are left behind in the power of the enemy.”

8/7/1862———New Enlistments are named on this day on the 7^th of August 1862, as well as a description of their send-off.

“On the night of the late county meeting, a considerable gathering took place at out Citizens’ Hall, and stirring addresses were delivered, which served to deepen in the bosoms of our citizens the conviction that our country at this crisis demands great individual effort, self-sacrifice and devotion in order to rescue it from impending danger.”

“Mr. Wm. Henry Rice, who has been pursuing his theological studies at Yale College, has offered his services as Chaplain of the regiment, and we trust that he may be accepted.”

Hidden Women of War

A Resting Place is full of characters; some come straight from the research, some that sprang from the imagination, and many more who are a combination of the two.  Aiden, the Irish soldier, is one of those characters.  Aiden helps tell the story of men at war.  But there’s one major difference between Aiden and fellow comrades.  Aiden is a woman.

Miss Abigail Gillespie in rehearsal as the Irish Soldier, Aiden, the secret female fighter. Photography © H. Scott Heist 12 / splintercottage.com

Our research never turned up an account of a soldier named Aiden, let alone one who was female.  But, in Bethlehem Boy, the diary of James Peifer reveals, “We have two female soldiers aboard, and create quite an excitement.”  One the very next day Peifer writes, “8 a.m: One of our females has defected, some Dutchman reported. (he was, however, knocked out)  She is taken to the provost marshall.  She unpacked her apparel and started out…. Our ladies have left us, still wearing their uniforms.”

The first time I came across that passage I read it over and over again.  I thought, could I really be reading this right?  There were women who chose to fight?  In a time where white men made all the rules and where women stayed at home to look after the family, there were women quietly breaking barriers and fighting for what was important to them.   It’s hard to know what really happened to the women soldiers, no one, including Peifer, revealed much to illuminate these details, but just knowing these women existed is enough for me.

Maybe it’s just the excitement of knowing that women did more than sit at home knitting socks that I find so inspiring.  It’s not that I think knitting is unimportant, because in truth it was crucial work.  But in a fight that was about equality, about standing for what we believe in, and for the right to be our own masters  rather than being owned by others, there is something  so inspiring and even satisfying in knowing beyond doubt  that women did more for this country than we can ever imagine.   I never did find any other accounts of women in battle, but considering that Peifer wrote about it makes me believe that there must be other women who pushed their way into the fight.

To them I say thank you.  We may not know who you are, but you will be remembered.

Building an Elephant

Yesterday I spent four hours rehearsing under a warm blue sky with over fifty of my fellow cast mates and awesome production team.  As I stood with students from the Lehigh Valley Charter High School for the Performing Arts, where I am often times a substitute teacher, I couldn’t help but remember what I love about theater in general, and this project specifically.

I get such a charge of making things with others.  Theater has always been an opportunity to come together with sometimes perfect strangers and make something that not only didn’t exist before, but simply could not have existed without everyone participating.  A Resting Place is an amazing example of this.  This play was made for our community, for the Civil War anniversary, and for Touchstone Theatre.  It will be produced five times in five venues on three days, thus insuring it will never be quite the same twice, and once it is over, perhaps will never be performed by anyone ever again.

When rehearsal was over my brain kept going.  Thinking about all the tasks I have to accomplish this week, wondering how much time I could spend on each project, considering what just happened during practice and how I would jump in to rehearsal the next time it’s my turn to lead.  Instead of going home to enjoy what was left of my Sunday I found myself back at the theatre, where my fellow apprentice Rob White and Mock Turtle Marionette founder Doug Roysdonare hard at work building a nine foot elephant puppet that will lead our show’s pageant wagon.

Apprentice Rob White and Mock Turtle Marionette founder Doug Roysdon building the frame of what will be a very large elephant puppet.

I spent over an hour filming them build the inner chamber of their bad boy.  I got to learn something about the value of “chimpanzee engineering,” as Doug affectionately referred to it.  He defined it in a way that I think goes well with the show we are creating, “First you try something, and if it doesn’t work, you try something new.  You do that until you get it right.”  I asked him what kind of right to wrong ratio he has come to expect and he smiled and said, “Well, you always get it right in the end.  That’s what makes it magic.”

Well said Doug.  Well said.

The Pageant Wagon and a Big Caldron of Ideas Pushing

Today, a talk with Jp Jordan, Touchstone’s Artistic Director, about institutional memory, the ways of the world and how A Resting Place fits into all that.

…and how the Pageant Wagon finally rounds the bend. Behind a nine-foot elephant.

Jp begins discussing A Resting Place: “All of Touchstone leads to Catharsis.”

A Resting Place is a premium title. Looking at it from the physical… yes the graveyard is the resting place, that is the past, but further considering the primary divisions we see in the present, in today’s politics, the society still isn’t “at rest”. So it’s something to work with.

Also a good fit for us. The zen of the project… isn’t unique in the History of Touchstone’s community based theatre. Just sort of a next step. A celebration of people and freedom. Life. All of Touchstone leads to catharsis. And that’s how we free ourselves from certain parts of our past.

After doing Steelbound, Touchstone moved along to Quixote, learning from its experiences with the community. In that regard, A Resting Place matches up well, working with current issues before us. Again, the the role of catharsis. Working edges off “hot” button issues. War and race. Creating more common ground than before. Through theater.

Close up on the research

Some may be wondering what kind of research has gone into creating A Resting Place.  The links below are the best examples of the research collected over the past year and a half. 

I must tip my hat to former apprentice Mariel Iezzoni.  Her elegant and comprehensive look into our hometown’s past is inspiring.  Her love of the project was contageous.

Civil War Research – The overview

That love led me to my own search through all the Moravian newspapers for the purpose of recovering all the letters I could find.

The Letters

The raw letters can be hard to get into, even for all of us nerds.  In the document below I attempted to break each letter down into a short description, accompanied by three quotes and a highlight on what about it has dramatic interest. 

Bethlehem and its Boys

Still to come are the scans of the microfilm I combed through in order to find all those letters.  Most of it probably won’t be readable, but if you magnify the screen you might find some cool stuff.  Also in future posts are looks at more Civil War characters and a peek into the rehearsal process. 

The Playwright Speaks

For those who missed playwright Alison Carey‘s visit, it’s not too late to hear her thoughts on the play and process of A Resting Place.

Check out what she has to say!

A Resting Place plays April 13-15. For more information, check out http://www.touchstone.org

Close up on Dr. Fickhardt

Rehearsals are in full swing and the actors all want to know more about the characters they are playing.  I thought this would be a good opportunity to to focus on one of those characters and let our readers know just a bit more about the real-life Dr. Fickhardt and his influence in Bethlehem.

Actor Bob Cohen portrays the character of Doc Fickhardt in A RESTING PLACE. © h scott heist 12

While we could always stand to know more, my research turned up some very interesting bits about a local doctor with great patriot.  In July of 1863, when news reached Bethlehem that General Lee had crossed the Potomac and had made his way with his troops into Pennsylvania, Dr. Fickhardt took this opportunity to inspire more men to join the war effort in a speech in front of the Eagle Hotel.  The words printed from the speech simply state, “Men, all I can say to you is fight!”  It was after this speech that his two sons signed up for the war.  Unfortunately the inspiration of their father did not prevent them from being killed soon after enlisting.

Below are just a few quotes collected from microfilm copies of The Moravian printed during the time of the war.

On 8/13/1863 The Moravian printed the following in their local news section:

The beginning of this article explains how the 34th regiment was welcomed to Bethlehem.

“Despite the great heat, and a threatening thunderstorm, they were met and warmly greeted at the railroad depot by a highly respectable crowd of waiting friends, and escorted them into town to the music of the fife drum.  In front of the Eagel Hotel [present day hotel Bethlehem] they were addressed in a spirited welcome speech by Dr. Fickhardt.  He spoke in forcible terms of the day of darkness and gloom in which their company had offered themselves to the service of their country; assured them of the gratitude and admiration of their fellow citizens, and believed that their names would descend with a halo of glory to succeeding generations — for though they had not been in the battle — they had been prompt and eager to venture their lives in defense of our liberties, whilst many shrank back cowardly from the sacrifice.  They had seen hard service — irksome service — doing mere police duty, but had attracted admiration and praise wheresoever they had gone, and had returned with honor, &c.

The speaker embraced the opportunity to bestow some well merited encomiums upon the 153rd Regiment, who had returned some weeks ago without affording us the opportunity of giving them a public reception.”

Rehearsal for a scene in a church. Cathleen O'Malley directs the chorus to where they will listen to Doc Fickhardt making an impassioned speech. © h scott heist 12

On 3/10/64 The Moravian printed this in their local news section:

“Death of Fred. W. Fickhardt.– The untimely end of young Fred. Fickhardt of the 112th Pennsylvania artillery, noticed among our obituaries, has deeply affected our community; and together with the illness of his brother Augustus, in the hospital at Washington, who still lingers in a very critical condition, has called forth the liveliest sympathy for the afflicted family.  The internment is to take place here.”

On 3/17/1864 The Moravian printed this in their local news section:

“Death of Aug. Fickhardt — As will be seen from our obituary column the sickness of Augustus Fickhartd, which we noticed last week together with the decease of his elder brother Fredrick, terminated fatally.  He was already gone when we penned those lines.  The sympathy of the entire community with our esteemed friend Dr. Fickhardt and his family over their grievous loss was manifested by a very numerous attendance at the funeral of the two brothers on Tuesday last.  Rev. E.N. Potter delivered a touching address upon the words, 2 Sam. i. 23; and Rev. D. Bigler conducted the remainder of the services in the Church and on the grave-yard.”

There are many interesting characters in A Resting Place, and the further we get into the process and the more the cast asks for details, the more I will enlighten our readers here.  Hopefully this taste of history will lead to more questions and more answers the closer we get to opening night.

Christopher Shorr talks through a scene in A RESTING PLACE. © h scott heist 12