Collection consists of records by Cassius Emlen Urban, a Lancaster architect. He supervised the construction of the Lancaster Post Office at 120 N. Duke St., Lancaster. Many letters from James H. Windrim, supervising architect of the Treasury Department, Washington, D. C. Book of correspondence contains details of the construction. Also includes letters he wrote to his son, Rathfon, dated February 14-29, 1939, while on the Italian liner, Roma.
Admin/Biographical History
C. Emlen Urban
Throughout Downtown Lancaster numerous iconic buildings make up the city's landscape giving it its unique and ornate character. Landmark buildings such as the Greist Building, the Watt and Shand Department Store, Hager Building, Southern Market, along with many more churches, residential units including the facade of the Fulton Opera House were the design of Cassius Emlen Urban. Urban was Lancaster's first architect and one of the most significant influences on the city. 1 Urban modernized the city's landscape as he designed buildings in a new era where technologies never before available to architects made it possible for himself to leave such a grand impression.
Urban was born on February 20, 1863 in Conestoga Township to a Civil War veteran Amos Urban, a distinguished citizen known for his modesty and community service. Urban finished high school in 1880 and would get his architectural training through an apprenticeship with Scanton, PA architect E.L. Walter. Later in 1884 Urban would move to Philadelphia where he served as a draftsman to Willis G. Hale. Upon returning to Lancaster roughly a year later Urban would open his own practice in Lancaster.2
Only a few years after Urban opened his practice through a family connection he would receive a commission to design Lancaster's Southern Market. Urban's career would take off leading him to design many more iconic buildings in Lancaster and Hershey as well. Urban, through his membership at the Hamilton Club made acquaintance with Milton Hershey who hired him to design such buildings as Hershey Chocolates original company offices and even his own mansion.3
Urban spent the majority of his life in Lancaster with the exception of his time studying as a young man. Urban is remembered for his buildings designed in Queen Anne and Beaux style architecture.4 Shenk in his A History of Lancaster County wrote of Urban, "Few men of Lancaster county can point to a finer array of useful and beautiful work than can Cassius Emlen Urban."
Nicole O. Sturla, "Cassius Emlen Urban: Lancaster's First Native Architect," Susquehanna Monthly Magazine, September 1980.
2 History of Lancaster County, ed. E.M.J. Klein (New York: Lewis Historical Publishing Company Inc., 1924), 443.
3 "Urban, C. Emlen; 1863-1939," Hershey Community Archives, accessed September 30, 2014. http://www.hersheyarchives.org/essay/details.aspx?EssayId=34&Rurl=%2Fresources%2Fsearch-results.aspx%3FType%3DBrowseEssay.
4 "Introduction," To Build Strong and Substantial: The Career of Architect C. Emlen Urban, (2009): 2-3.
The Almanac Collection consists of almanacs printed in Lancaster County and other locations. They contain long-range weather predictions, calendars, moon phases, planting guides, and natural remedies. Many publications also contain articles and poems about historical events and persons, as well as government and political information, housekeeping information, recipes, songs, titles of sheet music, music for a variety of instruments, times and places of the Meetings of the Friends on the Continent of America, and engravings and descriptions of battles. Some almanacs are illustrated.
System of Arrangement
Organized by language. Each series has paper indexes arranged alphabetically, chronologically, and by box and folder numbers.
This collection contains the diaries of Gilbert and Edith Bushong.
The first diaries in this collection (Folder #1), written by Gilbert Bushong who is 14 years old, are dated from 3m 17 1850 - 5m 29 1852 and April 20, 1853. The topics covered are the everyday events of family life and farming activities. He also writes about school life, and butchering hogs, and trips to visit family and friends.
The second part of this collection (Folder #2-5) was written by Edith Paxson Bushong and dates from December 31, 1858 - April 5, 1862, after Gilbert presents her with a new diary journal on his return from a trip to Lancaster. Edith writes mostly about the welfare of her family and friends, including news of marriages, births, illnesses, and deaths.
She also writes about life on the farm, her housework routine, and news of the Civil War, including the battle at Gettysburg.
Admin/Biographical History
Gilbert Bushong was the son of Henry Bushong and Esther Valentine. He was born on 2 December 1836 in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania and died on 10 December 1911 in Chester County, Pennsylvania. He was a farmer in Eden Twp., Lancaster County. Gilbert was a member of the Society of Friends (Quakers) and an abolitionist who helped, with family members Henry and Jacob Bushong, to run the Underground Railroad for runaway slaves during the Civil War at Bird-in-Hand, Pennsylvania.
Edith D. Kinsey Paxson was born on 14 January 1836 and died 2 December 1914 in Chester County, Pennsylvania. She was the second daughter of Elwood H. Paxson and Elizabeth Moore White. She married Gilbert Bushong on 20 December 1855. The Bushongs owned a farm along what is now Valley Road, Route 372, on the eastern side of Eden Twp. and received their mail at May Post Office. They are buried together at Sadsbury Meeting Cemetery in Chester County.
Children of Gilbert and Edith Bushong:
1. Dr. Charles Henry Bushong (1 October 1856-20 December 1903). He was married twice, to sisters who were twins, Anna W. Keene and Nora E. Keene. One died and he married the other.
2. Frances E. Bushong (18 May 1858-16 November 1861).
3. Marion E. Bushong (20 March 1860-March 1937). She married Sanders M. Collins on 20 December 1884. Their children were Edith Bushong Collins (1886-1966) and Wallace Collins (b. 1899). Edith never married. She kept house for her father and was a school teacher. Wallace married Marion Chandler.
4. Marvin E. Bushong (7 June 1878-27 October 1936). He married Lydia Rakestraw on 10 September 1903. Their children were Henry Rakestraw Bushong (b. 28 July 1904) and Gertrude (b. 4 August 1909). At 21, Marvin was appointed a Justice of the Peace of Eden Twp. and in 1908 was elected Clerk of Quarter Sessions at Lancaster County. Later, he was associated with the Pennsylvania Water and Power Company, and in 1933 was vice-president of the Safe Harbor Water Power Corp.
