Land of the Living Snowflake

 

This is an important, commemorative year for the “Land of the Living Snowflake”, now called Edinboro. The year 2015 marks the 175^th anniversary of the community's incorporation on April 3, 1840. The town then had a population of 232 citizens and a land area of 500 acres, although the saga actually began centuries earlier.

The First Peoples of the region were the Eriez, Iroquois and Cornplanter peoples. They referred to the land as Conneatutee, meaning “the land of the living snowflake”. The first known white settlers were surveyors for the Holland Land Company, Alexander Hamilton (1774 - 1847) and William Culbertson (1765 - 1843).

According to a history written by retired emeritus history professor at Edinboro University Russell Vance Ph.D :"They followed Indian trails to Waterford and to the shores of a lake the Indians called Coniate, the “Land of the Living snowflake.

They traveled to the area in 1796 and built a log cabin on the shores of Lake Conneatutee,

 now called Edinboro Lake.

According to Vance in the same history: “The surveyors reported that the area was in a beautiful valley that had excellent possibilities for the establishment of productive farms and that they planned to settle here.”

Hamilton remained the winter in the cabin that year while Culbertson returned to Lycoming County. He returned that spring with his wife and a numbers of settlers who began to clear the forests and the Edinboro saga began.

Washington Township was actually first called Conneatutee Township until the name was changed in 1834. Edinboro was likely named after Edinboro, Scotland since many of the early settlers were of Scottish decent.

 EUP Sports Management students (L) Josh Robson, Alexis Miller and Anthony Romanini met with area runner  Maria Schall of MJ's Runner Club to make plans for Edinboro's 5K Run/1 Mile Fun Walk celebration.

The Ediboro Area Historical Society (EAHS) has been planning several events to commemorate the 175 anniversary. Among the events will be; a 5 K Run and Fun Walk, a special celebration at Goodell Gardens, Founders Day on Saturday July 18, a traditional Blueberry Social on the first Sunday of August and plans are being moving forward towards a special Christmas display in mid-November.

The 5K Run and 1 mile Fun walk will be held on Saturday May 2. The event was organized by local resident and runner Maria Schall and the students of EUP's Sports Management team. The event will take place on the Doug Watts Cross Country Trail. For more information contact Rebecca Wehler at rwehler@edinboro.edu

The registration deadline is April 20. Register at 175bororun.eventbrite.com or forms can be obtained at Brink Ink, 5430 Rt.6

For more information on the 5K and other upcoming events, Edinboro Celebrates.

Special bookmarks funded by Hurry Hill Maple Farm Museum and the EAHS commemorating the contributions of Virginia Sorensen are being distributed by the Edinboro Public Library.

Miracles on Maple Hill and author Virginia Sorensen will be in the spotlight on Saturday June 27 at 2 p.m..

“We will dedicate the new Pennsylvania Historical Marker to Sorensen, Agriculture and the Maple Industry on Saturday, June 27,” Allan Montgomery of EAHS,said. :”The dedication will happen at Culberston Stables Square on Rt. 6 west just outside of town. The maple industry was very important to Edinboro throughout it's history.”

Sorensen was a resident at the time she wrote the classic children's book in 1956. The following year.she was awarded the Newbery Medal for excellence in American Children's Literature. The book is based loosely on many of the locations and people who then lived in the Edinboro area.For example, the Kreitz Sugar House on Kreitz Rd. near Drakes Mills was used by Sorensen as the setting for the Sugar House in her novel; the school nurse at Edinboro School, Anne Biehler became Annie-get-your-gun, the truant officer in the novel and Tony Beigel, the real life local hermit, became Harry the Hermit who raised bees and goats. He had a self serve stand with a sign at the end of his steep driveway which read"Take Honey, Leave money. Gone for the Day".

Hurry Hill Maple Farm Museum in Edinboro has dedicated a room to Sorensen, various artifacts about the places and people in her book. The Museum is also the repository for her Newbery Medal.

Janet Woods and the Hurry Hill Maple Farm Museum Association and the EAHS worked cooperatively over many months to win the new historical marker for Sorensen and the Edinboro region.

Sorsensen loved the Edinboro area, the people, maple sugaring and the long, snowy winters. From the Erie Hall of Fame Web page on Sorensen, who was nominated for the honor by Janet Woods of Hurry Hill Maple Farm Museum:

“Virginia loved living in Edinboro and commented in one newspaper article that she wanted to stay here forever. From Virginia Sorensens Newbery Award acceptance speech, she writes:
We arrived in Pennsylvania in September, and enjoyed passionately what happened almost at once to the maple trees. That breathless, unbelievable inner light! But soon they faded, the leaves fell and were burned along the village streets on smoky, chilly evenings. Then, one morning, the piles (of leaves) were white. Winter set in. Edinboro, old-timers told us with an odd, fierce pride, had the worst winters in the world. The name the Indians had left in the valley, Conneautee, meant, Land of the Lingering Snow. And it did linger, from late October on steady and white and deep. The village was isolated by muddy roads and dangerous pavement and sudden blizzards.”

The location for the historical marker is close to the Edinboro Library where Sorsensen visited frequently with her friend Marian Kelley who worked there. She would always be there, according to Janet Woods when the Bookmobile would arrive from Erie.

The new Historical Marker will read:

Miracles on Maple Hill

This award winning novel for children was inspired by author Virginia Sorensen's time in Edinboro. In it, she illuminates the centuries-long agricultural traditions of the rural maple syrup industry in Erie and Crawford Counties and the restorative qualities of country life. Miracles on Maple Hill won the 1957 Newbery Award for its distinguished contribution to American literature for children.

Most years during the annual March Maple Taste and Tour weekend there's plenty of outdoor activities, such as horse drawn wagon rides at Hurry Hill, but this March was the Land of the Living Snowflake throughout the Edinboro and northwest region of Pennsylvania.

Last Fall several of us visited Hurry Hill Maple Farm Museum https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=1059723177971313563#editor/target=post;postID=4252214385039170055;onPublishedMenu=allposts;onClosedMenu=allposts;postNum=10;src=postnameeum

For more information on Hurry Hill Maple Farm Museum, go to their Web Page, Here.

We also visited Hurry Hill March 15 for the annual Maple Taste and Tour Open House but this year because of the deep snow it was impossible to get to the Sugar House back in the woods. Winter 2014-15 sure lived up to it's Native American history! But there was plenty to see and do, sample and learn at the Museum. It was great fun and hundreds of people enjoyed a weekend visit.

And for more information on the Edinboro Area Historical Society, Here.

March is Maple Month in the Edinboro region which enjoys a rich heritage in maple syrup and products. In October, EAHS will be at Hurry Hill Maple Farm Museum serving real maple sundaes every Sunday in the month.