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Archiver > Scotch-Irish > 1998-02 > 0888640885


From: Curt Sanders <>
Subject: Re: Pennsylvania
Date: Fri, 27 Feb 1998 23:41:25 -0500


>A few months ago I traveled US highway 30 in Pennsylvania. Near
>Chambersburg, PA I noticed three (3) things that attracted my
>attention:
>
>1.An area know as St. Thomas, founded in 1737, was named for
> General Thomas Campbell. Who was Genl. Campbell?
I grew up in St. Thomas and we still don't know what he really did. I'll
try to find and official answer for you later. He really is only know for
settling the area and starting the local Luthern Church.

>2. North-west of Chambersburg there is a residential area known as
> Scotland. Is there any historical significance about this area?
It was one of the Ulster Irish settlements that poured down from Harrisburg
into Cumberland County into Franklin County in the mid 1700s. It was named
"Scotland" because most of the inhabitants were from Scotland. There is no
real significance other than that. It's claim to fame is the Scotland
School for Veteran's Children -- which started after the Civil War to house
orphaned children of the vets. A very good school with a terrifying high
school football team!

>3. US highway 30 is also called 'Heritage Route". Is there a historical
> background for this road? By any chance was it a "feeder route"
> to Wilderness Road down the Shenandoah to Cumberland Gap?
No. It heads west not south. Hence not really feeder route for most of the
Scot-Irish to the south. It really didn't "exist" at the time of the
migration for the Ulster Irish folk to western PA. Present US 11 ("The
Molly Pitcher Highway") and its parallel I-81 are historically the route of
the migration. Also, US 30 was more a creation from the American Civil War.
It is, still today, often called the "Lincoln Highway". It helped link
troop movements from the west to the east.

There is a lot of local history in Franklin and Cumberland counties
regarding the Scot-Irish. If you are observant, as you were, you see a lot
of the legacy in the names. Hope this helps. I don't live in Franklin
County anymore and only go there to visit my folks.

Cheers, Curt Sanders

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http://www.paonline.com/csanders
genealogy and amateur radio N3TLJ
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