Orwigsburg in Schuylkill County, Pennsylvania — The American Northeast (Mid-Atlantic)

Frederick Hesser
⎯⎯⎯
Hartman Tragedy

Orwigsburg's Memorial to America's Bicentennial

— 1776 - 1976 —

Frederick Hesser / Hartman Tragedy Marker image. Click for full size.

Photographed by William Fischer, Jr., September 13, 2023

1. Frederick Hesser / Hartman Tragedy Marker

Inscription.
Frederick Hesser Drummer Boy with General Washington's Continental Army in 1976. Schuylkill County Sheriff, 1814-1817. Crier of Schuylkill County Court, Orwigsburg. Buried St. John's U.C.C. Cemetery, Orwigsburg, 1846.

Hartman Tragedy In the fall of 1755, while Mrs. Hartman and son Christian were at a mill, Indians came to the Hartman home. They shot John Hartman and son George, set fire to their home, and captured daughters Barbara, 11 and Regina, 9. At the close of the Indian Wars Mrs. Hartman and Regina were reunited through the singing of a German hymn. Barbara was killed by the Indians.

Erected 1976 by Orwigsburg Bicentennial Committee, Lions Club, Jaycees, Fort Lebanon Chapter DAR, and Orwig Descendents.

Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Colonial Era • Settlements & Settlers • War, US Revolutionary • Wars, US Indian. A significant historical year for this entry is 1976.

Location. 40° 39.281′ N, 76° 6.009′ W. Marker is in Orwigsburg, Pennsylvania, in Schuylkill County. It is on Market Street (Pennsylvania Route 443) east of Warren Street, in the median. Touch for map.

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Marker is at or near this postal address: 120 West Market Street, Orwigsburg PA 17961, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in Pennsylvania’s Anthracite Coal Region.

It is also in the American Northeast,

in the Mid-Atlantic,

in Appalachia,

and specifically in Northern Appalachia. Globally, it is in North America,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once the Haudenosaunee (Iroquois) Confederacy

and also one of the original Thirteen Colonies.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 2 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: Site of First Schuylkill County Courthouse (within shouting distance of this marker); Veterans Memorial (about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line); History of Orwigsburg (about 400 feet away); St. Paul's Evangelical Lutheran Cemetery (approx. 0.2 miles away); Revolutionary War Memorial (approx. ¼ mile away); Rocky Graziano (approx. 1.2 miles away); Archie Moore (approx. 1.2 miles away); Rocky Marciano (approx. 1.2 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all

Photographed by William Fischer, Jr., September 13, 2023

2. Frederick Hesser / Hartman Tragedy Marker

Looking east

markers in Orwigsburg.

Related markers. Click here for a list of markers that are related to this marker.

Also see . . .
1. A history of the Hesser family, 1708-1945 (Hesser, 1947). Internet Archive website entry (Submitted on September 15, 2023, by William Fischer, Jr. of Reynoldsburg, Ohio.)

2. Regina Hartman. Gardner Digital Library website entry (Submitted on September 15, 2023, by William Fischer, Jr. of Reynoldsburg, Ohio.)

3. Orwigsburg History. Borough website entry (Submitted on September 15, 2023, by William Fischer, Jr. of Reynoldsburg, Ohio.)

Washington's Drummer Boy Came to Orwigsburg image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Newspapers.com

3. Washington's Drummer Boy Came to Orwigsburg

The Call, Schuylkill Haven PA
Thursday, March 4, 1976, p.1

Credits. This page was last revised on July 20, 2025. It was originally submitted on September 15, 2023, by William Fischer, Jr. of Reynoldsburg, Ohio. This page has been viewed 850 times since then and 102 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on September 15, 2023, by William Fischer, Jr. of Reynoldsburg, Ohio.

Frederick Hesser⎯⎯⎯Hartman Tragedy

Orwigsburg's Memorial to America's Bicentennial

— 1776 - 1976 —

Frederick Hesser
⎯⎯⎯
Hartman Tragedy