The Fire House, Forts, and Cemetery

The Fire House, Forts, and Cemetery. . , Linglestown High School , In 1876, construction began on the Linglestown High School building. Primary, intermediate, and secondary levels were taught in this school. The secondary school was established in 1910 and was composed of a two year course. The first graduating class in 1912 consisted of six students. This brick building was a school until 1931 when it became the location of the Linglestown Fire Company., Lillie Pitman was the teacher at Linglestown High School in 1921. The pump was just outside the door, and it was a student's chore to bring in a pail of water each day for watering the plants and washing the slate chalkboards., Linglestown Fire Company , On February 10, 1937, the fire company moved into the former Linglestown school building. The building was purchased with a mortgage of $775.00. Noted from the History of Linglestown compiled by Nevin W. Moyer, a hand pumper was purchased in 1850 from the Hummelstown Fire Company No. 1 by the Paxton Fire Company of Linglestown., Mr. Moyer's history states that the pumper had the date of 1805 inscribed on it. He also records that this fire engine was pulled by hand by approximately one hundred men from Hummelstown to Linglestown., The story is told of how the boys of town would sneak the old fire engine out of the firehouse on the 4th of July and Halloween and pull the truck up and down the town yelling like [I]ndians and ringing the bells. Dr. W.C. Smith, the president of the fire company, chased after the boys, who then ran away and left the engine behind. The doctor, with the aid of a few men he mustered from the village tavern, pulled the fire engine back to the fire station., In about 1898, the keeper of the Eagle Hotel of Linglestown somehow secured this fire engine, he then had the village blacksmith cut it down and used the wheels and part of the frame to make a rig to haul beer kegs, ice, and supplies for the hotel., The Town of St. Thomas, later known as Linglestown, was founded shortly after the end of the French and Indian War, 1754 to 1763. The early settlers of Paxton Township took refuge from hostile Indian attacks in a number of frontier forts., Fort Patton , Looking westward on Linglestown Road, one can imagine a trail that lead [sic] to the Susquehanna River and north to Fort Hunter. Fort Patton was located more than a mile from this village, where as many as 16 soldiers, known as the Paxton Rangers, were stationed. This stone structure was torn down around 1896., Fort Gilchrist , Fort Gilchrist, still in its original location and partially restored in 1946, is located on Linglestown Road. The structure was originally built as a one-and-and-half storey log fort, featuring 24 "Heavenly Lord Hinges," hinges in the shape of the letters "HL". It was believed that these hinges kept the witches out., Church of God Cemetery , Early in 1827, a contract was drawn up between Simon Lingle, Executor of the Estate of Thomas Lingle, and the group of individuals forming the Church of God for a piece of land between Market Street and Blackberry Alley. This land was known as lot number 5 in the plan of the new addition to the town of St. Thomas. The congregation's first House of Worship was constructed on this lot the same year, with most of the work being done by men of the church. Adjacent to the first church building were plots that contained the earliest graves from 1801., In 1844, lot numbers 6 and 7 were purchased by the Church Council from Jonas Schoenar for the sum of $120.00. One lot was used to enlarge the cemetery, and the second lot was used as the site to build the second church building in 1870. The second Bethel Church was struck by lightning during a funeral service in September 1893. It was torn down and replaced by the third building in 1905, further east in the village. In the distance to the northwest, you can see the fourth Church of God, which was constructed in 1972.