Book of the Month

Chele’s Pick

by Michele Tester

My Memories | by Charlie Harbaugh | published in 2025

This month, my Book Club pick is My Memories by Charlie Harbaugh of Sabillasville. Charlie was born in the Waynesboro Hospital in Pennsylvania on March 23, 1944, and he has resided in Sabillasville his whole life.

In his memoir, Charlie recounts his memories and tells us his stories—from growing up on his family’s farm to his family’s rich local history, from his memories of grade school and high school to his many jobs on the farm, and to eventually buying the farm. Charlie takes us on a journey with him, an intriguing journey full of hard work and sacrifice, of childhood friends and the pranks they played, of his Faith in God, of endurance and success, and of heartache and joy.

Charlie’s memoirs were recorded and documented by Lisa C. Cantwell during a series of personal interviews with Charlie at his farm in Sabillasville, from July 2024 to May 2025.

“The American farmer is an enduring sort. They are often heroic types, braving the elements and taking life-threatening risks to put food on the table for their families and beyond. Their families are no exception; they work alongside and forsake many an outside pleasure to keep up the farm,” said Cantwell. “Many of us see Charlie driving the roads of the lower part of the valley most evenings. He’d often stop along our road if he saw us outside to chat about the ‘state of the valley.’ The conversations included who bought the old farm on the hill, those menacing crop-eating deer, and the latest bear sighting—that sort of stuff. Eventually, he’d share an amusing anecdote about his childhood or a story from the past about moonshine-makers hidden in plain sight.”

Having not stayed in the hometown I was born in, I was fascinated reading about Charlie’s deep roots, about how Charlie has lived in the same house for all of his 81 years, since the day he came home from the hospital as a baby. Charlie tells of the different crops, produce, and animals they have had on the farm over the years. At 17 years old, Charlie knew he had to make some money, so he started to grow and sell sweet corn. He has spent 64 years raising corn, becoming the “King of Corn” from Sabillasville to Baltimore! And, in 1995, he went into the flower business.

Charlie would get up before school, around 5:30 a.m., and start his chores. “My brother Bill stayed in bed too long, and Dad came in and yanked him out. Daddy kept me working until it started to get dark.”

Charlie met his wife, Vonnie (“Bunny”), on a double date. They dated for two years, then married. They raised three boys. They have five grandchildren and one great-grandchild.

Upon finishing reading My Memories, I had a new appreciation for farming and the tenacity and perseverance it takes. Farmers have to be physically and mentally tough, able to handle long hours and physically demanding labor, and be adaptable to unpredictable challenges like weather and volatile market fluctuations.

Go on a journey with Charlie and read about his life and all that he has experienced and accomplished. He has lived quite an amazing life thus far, and there is no doubt that he still has a lot more in store. Charlie is a beloved legend in the Harbaugh Valley and beyond.

Charlie Harbaugh’s memoir, My Memories, is available at the Harbaugh family produce business at 6801 Harbaugh Road in Sabillasville.