Author: pamidstate

The Molly Pitcher Frock

Like people, buildings have their history.  The 44 North Bedford, home to Bedford Street Antiques, is no different.  The northern, three-story section of Bedford Street Antiques was originally a church.  Completed by the First Lutheran Church in 1852 at a cost of $7,122.50, glimpses of the original architecture can be found throughout the three floors.  During the Confederate Invasion of Carlisle, the church was struck twice. One shell landed in the supports of the roof without exploding.   Attendance was down until the shell was removed!

When the congregation built its present church on the corner of E. High and S. Bedford at the turn of the 1900s, the John W. Plank Company renovated the church into a factory for the manufacturing of women’s and children’s garments.  On the cutting edge of ready-to-wear day clothing, one of the company’s most successful lines was the one-piece cotton dress known as the “Molly Pitcher Frock.”  Plank’s garment business eventually became the Carlisle Garment Company in 1913.  In 1956, a 10,000 square foot building on the adjoining southern property was added for storage and shipping.  In its peak year of 1962, the company produced and shipped 175,464 dozen dresses and pajamas – that’s 72,105,505 pieces!  Total employment was about 300 with a payroll in 1963 of $650,000.  The company operated until 1976.

Molly Pitcher’s Poem

All day the great guns barked;
All day the big balls screeched and soared;
All day, ‘mid the sweating gunners grim,
Who toiled in their smoke-shroud dense and dim,
Sweet Molly labored with courage high,
With steady hand and watchful eye,
Till the day was ours, and the sinking sun
Looked down on the field of Monmouth won,
And Molly standing beside her gun.

Laura E. Richards

You can read Carlisle’s poem to Molly Pitcher on a visit to the Molly Pitcher Monument located in Carlisle’s Old Graveyard on East South St.
FYI: The statue of is a composite likeness of the descendants of Mary Hays McCauley, Carlisle’s Molly Pitcher.

Compliments of
Carlisle Guided Tours
Walking tours of Historic Carlisle
(717) 249-2926  (Not sure if they are still in business)

References:
Thompson, D.W. and Schaumann, Merri Lou. “Goodbye, Molly Pitcher,” Cumberland County History, Vol. 6, Number 1, Carlisle, PA, Cumberland County Historical Society,1989.

Echman, Walter. Program script on the history of the Carlisle Carpet Co., 1964.

Hoffer, Ann Kramer. Twentieth Century Thoughts-Carlisle: The Past Hundred Years, Carlisle, PA, Cumberland County Historical Society, 2002.

And just who is The Green Man of Carlisle?

Peering from behind tendrils of foliage, The Green Man watches the comings and goings of those passing by on Carlisle streets. Hopefully, he is wishing us well.

What does The Green Man look like? As varied as the personalities who created, and continue to create, him. The image can be grotesque to ward off evil; with vegetation exuding from the mouth, ears, nose or eyes to encircle the face. Other images, like those in Carlisle, are fatherly and friendly. No matter the depiction, foliage is an integral part of his make-up. Mostly carved in stone or wood, The Green Man of Carlisle is in iron.

Who is The Green Man? Where did he come from? One of history’s mysteries yet to be solved, he dates back 1000s of years and is found around the world by various names. The French called him “tete de feuilles” (head of leaves) and the Germans called him “blattmaske” (leaf mask). He can be linked to the Egyptian God Osiris, the Sumerian Tammuz, the Celtic God Kernunnos, and the Babylonian Dimuzzi. He can be found in the folk lore characters of Jack-in-the-Green, Robin Hood, John Barleycorn, The King of the May, The Green Knight of King Arthur’s realm, Pan, the Oak and Holly King, the Burry Man of Edinburgh, the Celtic Lugh, the Leaf Men of Switzerland, and even Father Christmas. (Just to mention a few.)

He was dubbed The Green Man in 1939 when Lady Raglan was intrigued by all the links.

What does The Green Man stand for? No matter his name or place, The Green Man represents the natural cycle of birth, life, death, and rebirth as seen in winter giving way to spring and the cycle beginning again. He is the protector of the earth; the caretaker of nature. His signature is foliage.

Where can The Green Man be found? The earliest images to date are from Classical Rome in the 2nd century AD, on Christian gravestones of the 4th century, and in Celtic art before the Roman conquest of Gaul. One can especially find his image in the medieval churches and cathedrals of Great Britain from the 12th to the 16th centuries. And in America, he can be found in the decorative motifs of the Victorian Era and present day new age art. He seems to be everywhere – once you recognize him!

Where is The Green Man in Carlisle? There are some 2 dozen images in Carlisle’s original 1751 grid bordered by North, South, East, and West streets. They are waiting for you to find them. Wherever you find him, who ever he is, and for whatever reason he is among us, you’re sure to find him a haunting enchanter.