Looking Back

Adams County’s Forgotten Centennial

by James Rada

When Adams County, Pennsylvania, turned 100, no one cared enough to throw a party.

While surrounding counties celebrated various anniversaries in the late 19th century, Adams County’s big anniversary—its centennial—went relatively unrecognized and uncelebrated.

As Adams County’s centennial approached, a group of public-spirited citizens met in the mid-1890s to talk about how the county’s big birthday should be celebrated.

“It was believed at that time, however, that as Gettysburg had had so many notable occasions in connection with the Battle field, and as the people were so accustomed to big days, that as a rule but little interest would be taken. It was also thought that as manufacturing interests were few in Gettysburg, as well as in the county, sufficient means would not be forthcoming to provide for an occasion such as celebrating Adams County’s Centennial Year ought to be,” the Gettysburg Compiler reported.

And so nothing was done. The new century came, and the January 22 date for the county’s centennial anniversary quickly approached and nothing had been done.

The Star and Sentinel reported, “It is the common opinion that there should be a celebration of some sort, but opinions differ as to just how it should be carried on.”

When nothing developed, the Star and Sentinel blamed the battlefield for the failure to have a celebration for two reasons.

“We regret to admit that, to a certain extent, the Battle of Gettysburg, while it has benefitted the town and surrounding county in many ways, has done nothing for it from an industrial standpoint. It has prevented the location of factories here and has retarded the growth of the few we have,” the Star and Sentinel reported.

Because of this lack of growth, there wasn’t a sufficient business base to financially support a celebration.

The second reason had to do with the battlefield and its events pulling attention from other county events and history.

“Has the glamour of monument dedications, National Guard encampments and G. A. R. reunions so blinded the eyes of Adams County’s citizens that they do not remember the days of the Conestoga wagon, of the Indian massacres and of these dark but glorious days of the Revolution?” the Star and Sentinel reported.

As the days ticked away, some county citizens worked frantically to gain support for a celebration. Professor Aaron Sheely wrote in the Star and Sentinel, “It was hardly supposed for a moment that Adams County, whose people are noted for their intelligence and energy, and which stands for so much that is great and good would permit so important an event to pass by unimproved—an event so great in its possibilities for showing forth to the world its achievements of a most eventful century—an event so useful for affording the opportunity to arrange, condense and put in tangible and useable form—our shamefully fragmentary local history—an event so important for enabling us, even at this late day, to form a collection of books, manuscripts, folk lore, and other data pertaining to the early history of this region, as also a collection of local Indian antiques yet available, besides quaint and curious household furniture and utensils, and farming implements of the olden time, and a collection of battle relics that should be made the most complete possible.”

William Tipton supported the display of local history artifacts that could be displayed for a number of days, but he also supported having a grand parade on the anniversary day. He and others envisioned a “Centennial parade consisting of school children, secret societies, G. A. R. veterans, ex-soldiers and sailors, squads of men in the uniform of the Continental Army, floats representing the early settler’s life, Conestoga wagons as memories of the old wagoning days; after the parade a meeting with addresses and music,” the Star and Sentinel noted.

January 22 came and went with no celebration, parade, or history display. The Compiler did publish a four-page supplement to its regular weekly newspaper. It was filled with articles about the history of the county and some drawings and was well received. However, even this wasn’t published until January 23, the regular publication day for the newspaper.