Inkwell made of blown glass encased in square block constructed of 3 laminated layers of cork. Paper pasted onto entire underside of stand reads, "Presented to the Lancaster County Hist. Scty. by Miss Ida V. Lipp. This Inkstand was used by William Lechler in the old Courthouse which stood in "Center Square," Lancaster, Pa."
removed pressure adhesive label "29.37" upon cataloging. Ink residue in glass container. Top and sides dark with ink. Sides and corners worn.
Object ID
1925.037
Notes
It is presumed that William Lechler served in some official capacity in the Old City Hall. Unable to make positive identification through research by volunteer Greg Ziegler, 26 Oct 2017. There is more than one William Lechler. Various items found are:
- "Mr. J. William Lechler of (Lancaster) city" married Harriet H. Boyer. (Intel. Journal, 11 Apr
1866.
- Paid as juror serving in Court of Common Pleas on 16 Oct 1865 (Intel. Journal 4 Oct 1865)
- Paid as constable in 1822.
- Paid as petit or grand juror in 1823.
- Estate inventory 1902, Lanc. (b. 1826)
- There is a tailor in the 1882 City Directory
- There is a cooper who died 1830 in Lanc. City.
Find A Grave has:
- William Lechler b. 8 Sept 1806 d. 9 May 1881 buried in Lancaster Cemetery, plot 728.
- William Lechler b. 1826 d. 1902. Wife is Charlotte. Buried Woodward Hill Cemetery in
Reproduced copies of seals of citizens of Lancaster County, Casts were taken from documents of the Lancaster County Courthouse - deeds, justice of the peace, notary public, personal. Includes Penn's Grant seal.
Pennsylvania Coat of Arms once hung over the judge's bench at the old Lancaster county courthouse (1786-1853). Lancaster served as the capitol of of the Commonwealth of PA from 1799 to 1812. Made of oak,
Upholstered wingback commode chair has four turned Sheraton legs. Has replacement of original soiled handsewn homespun linen (remnants in this file), now an orange fabric with potted and vining flower design. Solid pinewood seat under cushion has center hole with fitted removable wooden disc.
This chair was from the Pownall home at Gap, where it was used by Dickinson Gorsuch, Maryland slaveholder, during his recovery from wounds sustained during the Christiana Riot of Sept. 11, 1851. His father and two others were killed during the skirmish at the home of freedman William Parker, and Dickinson was transported to the Pownall home for recovery. William Parker later published his story in the "Atlantic Monthly" in 1866, making it highly publicized.
This incident "is an important example of the struggle over the 1850 Fugitive Slave Act and the escalating tension between the North and the South. This act gave slave owners broad powers to recapture runaway slaves". (ExplorePAhistory.com)
Polaroid photos of chair before re-upholstery, in file.
Likely Lancaster or Chester Co.
Provenance
Provenance: Chair owned by the Pownall family & given in 1973 to the Lancaster County Historical Society by Mrs. Levi Pownall of Lancashire Hall (569-7279).
It was initially loaned to the Heritage Center (# L.77.9 and # 161.64.80) but soon donated to HCLC. Board minutes of Dec. 8, 1975 include Richard F. Smith's Museum Committee report noting a donation of a "Sheraton armed wing chair commode, used by the Pownall home in nursing Dickinson Gorsuch following Christiana Riot in 1851." Later unsigned note (Bruce Shoemaker?) states John Aungst of LCHS was consulted & chair was removed 11/9/84 from list on LCHS loan form, settling an apparent question of ownership.
