Contains pamphlets, booklets, and annual reports from various water and power companies on the Susquehanna River. They include information about dams, hydroelectric projects, and how electricity is generated; maps and history of the region; and pictures of the river and hydroelectric stations.
Collection consists of the minutes, bylaws, financial records and membership lists for the Lancaster County Librarian Association, originally the Lancaster County School Librarian Association.
The Exchange Club was a service organization located in East Hempfield Township. Collection includes membership lists, history, board minutes, correspondence, financial records, activities albums, state level Exchange Club records, and programs.
Preferred Citation: Title or description of item, date (day, month, year), Collection Title (MG#), Series #, Box #, Folder #, (or Object ID), LancasterHistory, Lancaster, Pennsylvania. URL if applicable. Date accessed (day, month, year).
Access Conditions / Restrictions
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Credit
Courtesy of LancasterHistory, Lancaster, Pennsylvania.
Hubley Manufacturing Company Catalogs and Newsletters
Description
This collection contains catalogs and price lists of the items made by the Hubley Manufacturing Company in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. The primary products were toys and decorated repeating cap guns, rifles and holsters. The first miniature toys were made of cast iron; later, plastic became the prominent material. In its earlier years, the company made a line of "metal art goods," which included lamps, tables, bookends, doorstops and knockers.
Admin/Biographical History
"The Hubley Manufacturing Company of Lancaster, Pennsylvania, one of the oldest and largest makers of toys in the United States, was founded in 1894 by John E. Hubley to manufacture equipment and accessories for electric trains. Financial difficulties forced Mr. Hubley to sell the entire stock in 1909. At this time the electric train business was discontinued and the cast iron toy business started. Among the first toys produced were a coal range, circus wagons and mechanical banks, all collector's items today.
Included in the 68,000 square feet of floor space in the Hubley plant were a die-cast room, warehouse, tool room, paint room and all the special assembly machinery. Besides making their cast iron toys, the company made castings for other companies in Lancaster which were without foundry equipment.
By 1940 increased freight costs and foreign competition forced the company to look for other materials. During World War II scarcity of metal forced the company out of the toy business and into war-related items. After the Korean conflict ended and regulations on metal were suspended, cast iron toy production resumed.
Following common manufacturing methods of the time, Hubley toys of the 1890s, and for a time thereafter, were cast in sand molds in two parts which were then riveted together to form the toy. All toys were designed by John Hubley, who had remained deeply interested in children's playthings since the time he first made his own children's wooden toys.
In 1936 Hubley started casting in multiple cavity steel dies. Die castings were broken off, trimmed, and tumbled in revolving cylindrical machines. They were then taken to the paint department where they were given baked enamel or lacquer, air-dried paint finishes in various colors. At one time, a dozen girls were employed in the paint department. Portions of the earlier toys were handpainted and some were dipped.
Each different toy was started on its own moving assembly line where parts were added, details sprayed on, oiling and inspection took place and the assembly completed. For example, a fire engine took shape on one line. It started as a red chassis. The rubber-tired wheels were added, followed by the spraying on of the radiator, bumpers and headlights. The driver was added, and the ladder, fire axes and other accessories followed. Near the end of the line, the toy was individually boxed and packed in a corrugated container. In 1949, due to union disputes, the foundry was closed. This was a difficult decision for the firm, since Hubley was one of the first companies to devote their entire factory to die casting.
The Hubley Company maintained a designing department where ideas were conceived and developed for model forms. Design engineers kept up-to-date on the models and style changes by attending automobile shows and studying advertisements. Their designs changed when the larger counterparts changed. After items were conceived and models developed, the toys were analyzed for pricing. The more play features a model had, the more expensive it was.
Hubley is now a division of Gabriel Industries, Inc. of New York City and is still making die-cast metal vehicles." 1
1 Bland, Ann S. "Automotive Cast Iron Toys." Old And Sold Antiques Auction & Marketplace. http://www.oldandsold.com/articles/article184.shtml (accessed October 21, 2011)
Society of the 28th Division, American Expeditionary Forces (MG-0028)
Description
Records of the Society which was formed to continue the traditions of the 28th Division, American Expeditionary Forces, which began in World War I. Includes membership lists, post minutes, correspondence, financial reports, convention programs, scrapbooks, and Divisional histories.
Red Cross, Lancaster County Chapter Collection (MG-0035)
Description
Contains information on the Lancaster Chapter of the American Red Cross. Includes histories, committee manual, chapter by-laws, meeting minutes, lists of directors and officers, policies, reports, and a memo on the influenza epidemic of 1918.
This collection contains genealogy for some of the descendants of Philip Lefever. Family history includes family sheets for several descendants, the family crest and a family tree. Copies of the will and estate inventory of Martin K. Lefever are among the documents. Minutes are preserved from the Adam Lefever Descendants Reunions, 1945-1979. There are also legal papers and information for the Philip Lefever Cemetery and Philip Lefever Burial Ground Association, including the rededication of the cemetery in 2001.
Records of an organization founded by business and church leaders to overthrow commercialized vice in Lancaster by sending agents into the community to check for prostitution, obscenity, drinking, and gambling. Collection includes by-laws, minutes, annual reports, treasurers' reports, agents' expenses, reports on findings, correspondence, newspaper clippings, 25 books of agents' on-duty reports, and investigative reports. The Rev. Clifford G. Twombly was identified with this movement, as was the late William H. Hager, department store merchant.
This collection contains documents pertaining to the planning and preparation for the Freedom Train visit to Lancaster, as well as the corresponding Rededication Week celebration. These documents include press releases from The American Heritage Foundation describing the Freedom Train project, correspondence between The American Heritage Foundation and members of the Lancaster Freedom Train Committee discussing the Committee's plans for the celebration and their fundraising efforts. There is also correspondence between the Mayor of Lancaster, Dale E. Cary, and John W. Beyer discussing the formation of the Freedom Train Committee, the monetary contributions of the public, and the roles different organizations were taking in the Rededication Week celebration. The collection also includes a list of the Lancaster Freedom Train Committee members, materials regarding the formation of the committee, and various form letters sent to businesses thanking them for their contribution to the celebration. There are a number of publications in this collection, including information for the media and local churches, a large booklet detailing the goals and origins of The American Heritage Foundation, as well as a complete list of the cities the Freedom Train would be stopping in and the various railroads it would be using during its journey.
Admin/Biographical History
"The 1947 - 1949 Freedom Train was conceived as an opportunity to reflect on the meaning of American citizenship at a time when the nation was finding a new and central role in world affairs."1
The Lancaster Freedom Train Committee was assembled in 1948 to plan the Rededication Week celebration in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, and prepare for the Freedom Train's arrival. The Committee was made up of 19 individuals who were responsible for fundraising, planning events and programs for the celebration, and working with community to make sure the visit went according to the plans of The American Heritage Foundation. John W. Beyer served as General Chairman of the committee, and the Mayor of Lancaster, Dale E. Cary, served as Honorary Chairman.
John W. Beyer was born on September 19, 1914 in Palmyra, Lebanon County, Pennsylvania, to Caroline and Robert Beyer. He graduated from Upper Leacock Township High School in 1932, and then attended Franklin and Marshall College. After graduating 1936, Beyer attended the University of Pennsylvania, and received his law degree in 1939. Beyer began practicing law in 1940 as a partner in the law offices of Arnold, Beyer & Homsher. Beyer served in the Lancaster County District Attorney's office from 1943 to 1953, when he resigned from the position. Beyer served on many committees and was involved in multiple civic organizations including the Lancaster Aero Club, the Lancaster Exchange Club, and the Lancaster Symphony Orchestra. He died August, 14, 1990.
Dr. Dale E. Cary was born December 26, 1880 in Waynesburg, Greene County, Pennsylvania, to Elizabeth and Marcena Cary. He attended school in the Waynesburg County public school system, and later attended Waynesburg College. Cary spent three years teaching, and two years as assistant principal in the Brownsville Public School system before deciding to attend medical school at Jefferson Medical College. In 1911 Cary came to Lancaster, where he served a one-year internship at Lancaster General Hospital. He later started a private practice, and became one of two physicians serving the Lancaster City Schools. In 1941 Cary became Lancaster General's Medical Director, a position he held until 1945. Cary served three terms as Mayor of Lancaster, holding office from 1938-1950. He died on May 19, 1958, and is buried in Greenwood Cemetery.
Contains records starting with the purchase of land for construction of the Northern Market in Lancaster. Includes financial documents of stockholders, minutes, lease agreements, tax returns, ledger books, bank statements, and forms. Also, some personal papers of Menno B. Hess, a member of the Board of Directors.