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Collection: John Wise and History of Ballooning Collection

Title: John Wise and History of Ballooning Collection

Object ID: MG0019

Date Range: 1850-1993

September 1955. Insert 7 Letter from Robert C. Batchelder of Saint James’ Church to John Andrews commenting on the paper he wrote on John Wise. Invitation to the Lancaster Public Library. 2-21 April 1956. �230 North President Avenue • Lancaster, Pennsylvania 17603-3125 717.392.4633

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Collection: John Wise and History of Ballooning Collection

Title: John Wise and History of Ballooning Collection

Description: The John Wise and History of Ballooning Collection contains material about John Wise, a pioneering balloonist from Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, and the history of ballooning. Articles written by and about John Wise provide information about the man and his career. The bulk of Series 1 is correspondence, research notes, and drafts of "The John Wise Story," by John H. Andrews. Series 2 contains material about the ballooning hobby, other early aircraft, and the history of air mail.

Admin/Biographical History: As an adventurous and inquisitive young boy, John Wise was drawn to the skies above his native Lancaster County. He was fascinated by aerial pursuits and began to conduct experiments. He tied his cat to his homemade parachute and observed the cat's safe descent from a local church steeple.; A keen interest in ballooning developed and Wise became a famous aeronaut. Although balloon ascensions were common at county fairs and carnivals he had never observed an ascension before he made his first one in Philadelphia in 1835. John Wise completed 462 balloon ascensions including Lancaster ascensions from Penn Square and the prison yard.; In the nineteenth century many ascensions were made just for the novelty of the event, but John Wise's approach was from a scientific perspective. Each ascension gave him a chance to conduct scientific investigations of the atmosphere, pneumatics and hydrostatics.; It also gave him the opportunity to develop a more advanced flying machine. Wise was the first to observe the "great river of air which always blows from west to east" in the higher regions of the atmosphere. Today we call this phenomenon the jet stream. He also developed the ripcord safety mechanism.; John Wise promoted the advantages of balloon transportation. In 1843 he conceived a project for crossing the Atlantic Ocean and asked Congress to appropriate $15,000 for the project. Congress rejected the appropriation. Wise suggested a plan to bomb the Castle at Vera Cruz during the Mexican War and during the Civil War the Bureau of Topographical Engineers requested his services as a balloonist. He is credited with the first airmail transportation in 1859.; Detailed descriptions of his ascensions and experiments are found in his book, Through the Air, published in 1873. The last ascent of John Wise took place on September 29, 1879 from St. Louis, Missouri. This flight ended disastrously in Lake Michigan where his balloon fell and his remains lie.; Prepared by the Lancaster County Historical Society, ca. 1995.

System of Arrangement: This collection is arranged into two series.; Series 1 John Wise; Series 2 History of Ballooning

Date Range: 1850-1993

Creation Date: 1850-1993

Year Range From: 1850

Year Range To: 1993

Date of Accumulation: 1850-1993

Creator: Andrews, John H.

Storage Location: LancasterHistory, Lancaster, PA

Storage Room: Archives South

Storage Wall: Side 01

People: Albertson, Catherine; Andrews, John Henry; Atkinson, S. C.; Bache, Hartman; Ball, Charles I.; Bartlett, Mrs. R. A.; Batchelder, Robert C.; Beckwith, A.; Beller, William; Black, J. W.; Blanchard, Jean Pierre; Blitzstein, Madelin; Bradbury, Ray; Brown, Elizabeth B.; Bruce, George; Burlingame, Roger; Burr, George; Byars, W. W.; Casey, Louis; Cessna, Clyde; Coffman, Ramon; Cornish, Joseph Jenkins, III; Cox, Palmer; Douty, Esther; Douty, Esther M.; Drepperd, Carl W.; Edwards, Vincent; Elvin, Thomas; Evans, William; Field, Francis J.; Fischer, Hans; Fleck, Glen; French, Melvin; Galzer, Emmett J.; Gambetta, Francis Leon; Greeley, A. W.; Grimm, Janet; Gryzewski, Tad; Halmi, Robert; Harrell, D. Tudor; Hautrive, M.; Hayden, F. Stansbury; Hopkins, Philip S.; Hunt, E. F.; Ingle, Harold E.; Kehr, Ernest A.; Keith, Barbara; Kessler, F. W.; Klein, Frederic S.; Kouwenhoven, John A.; Kreider, Ira; Kriebel, Robert C.; Kriebel, Robert G.; Lamorisse, Albert; LaPaz, Lincoln; Lindbergh, Charles; Lindquist, H. L.; Long, Elmer R.; Lundgren, Laura May Gross; Madsen, Peter; Maier, Alfred D.; Maxwell, George T.; McCloskey, Lores; McDevitt, William; Mills, James; Myers, Wilfred; Naves, Glen W.; Nicklin, John; Pasquarella, Gus; Peers, W.; Prevost, John W.; Roland, John; Rosenfeld, Albert; Sanabria, Nicolas; Schatvet, H. C.; Serviss, Garrett P.; Smith, Philip R., Jr.; Stehling, Kurt R; Steinmetz, Rollin; Stilphen, George F.; Taylor, Florence; Thompson, Howard; Topping, A.D.; Waitt, Robert; Warner, B. H.; Watson, Marion A.; Wetherill, Richard B.; Whipple, A. W.; Wilbur, W. H.; Wise, John; Wiseman, Frederick J.; Wolcott, Charles; Wolf, Constance; Woodruff, J. C.; Wright, Wilbur; Young, Pearl

Other Creators: Lancaster County Historical Society (Pa.)

Subjects: Hot air balloons; Hot air balloons--Launching; Airships; Aeronautics; Letters; Air mail service; Hindenburg (Airship); Reconnaissance aircraft; Clippings (Books, newspapers, etc.)

Search Terms: Aeronautics; Air mail service; Airships; Aviation; Clippings (Books, newspapers, etc.); Correspondence; Finding aids; Hindenburg (Airship); Hot air balloons; Letters; Manuscript groups; Newspaper clippings; Obituaries; Reconnaissance aircraft

Extent: 3 boxes, 40 folders, 1 scrapbook, 1 cubic ft.

Object Name: Archive

Language: English

Object ID: MG0019

Access Conditions / Restrictions: No restrictions.

Copyright: Collection may not be photocopied. Please direct questions to Research Center Staff at research@lancasterhistory.org.; Permission for reproduction and/or publication must be obtained in writing from LancasterHistory.

Credit: Courtesy of LancasterHistory, Lancaster, Pennsylvania.

Other Numbers: MG-19

Classification: MG0019

Description Level: Fonds

Custodial History: This collection was cataloged prior to 1997; added to database on 28 February 2018.

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Collection: Harold Morrin Collection

Title: Harold Morrin Collection, Series 2 Birding Records

Object ID: MG0358_S02

Date Range: 1962-2004

President of the Lancaster County Bird Club from June 1972 to May 1976. Presented on 12 November 1976. Folder 37 Correspondence letters between the American Birding Association (ABA) and participants of the “Alaska Saga”, about the publication Birding the 49th State: An Alaska Saga. Letter to Mr. James A

1 document

Collection: Harold Morrin Collection

Title: Harold Morrin Collection, Series 2 Birding Records

Description: Series 2 of the Harold Morrin Collection contains personal journals, species checklists, newspaper articles, certificates, and correspondence in relation to birding in Lancaster County and all over the world.

Admin/Biographical History: Harold B. Morrin was born on 20 May 1923 in Bird-in-Hand, Pennsylvania. He was the son of Hugh B. and Hilda M. (Erisman) Morrin. His father, Hugh, passed away at an early age from complications associated with exposure to mustard gas during his service in World War I. In his 20s, Harold enlisted in the United States Army from 1943 to 1946 during World War II. During this time he sent letters to his mother Hilda M. Morrin about his life in the army, traveling, and social activities (the collection of correspondence can be found in MG0358_S01).; Harold graduated with a degree in business from Franklin and Marshall College. During his career, he served as president of the Lancaster Chapter of Administrative Management and served on the board of the National Association of Accountants. In 1985, Harold retired as secretary- treasurer of Lancaster Press and Tapsco companies. In addition to his career, Harold was also very active in the community, serving in leadership positions in many organizations. He was a member (since 1947) and past president of the Millersville Lions Club, an international service organization that provides humanitarian and volunteer services to the local community. Other involvements included the Lancaster County Philatelic Society (national stamp collection organization), North Museum Associates (local nature and science museum), the Millersville Borough Council, Lancaster County Wildlife Rehabilitation Center, Lancaster County Elementary Envirothon, Boy Scouts of America (Troop 45), past director of the Tanger Arboretum, member of the Hamilton Park United Church of Christ, Millersville pool committee, zone chairman, steering committee, board member of the Millersville Bicentennial celebration and the Lancaster County Bird Club (LCBC) (LCBC 2012).; Harold was recognized as one of the "101 of the Most Vital People in South Central PA" in the local APPRISE magazine where he was pictured on the cover in 1988. It would seem as though Harold had no time for hobbies or travel with his career and community involvement but that was not the case. Harold was an avid baseball fan, seeing games in 45 major league ballparks throughout the United States. He even witnessed Babe Ruth play!; His other two passions, birding and traveling, went hand in hand. It was not until the age of 31 that Harold began birding. In 1954, he decided to start the journey of a life-list and in that first year he was able to add 70 species to the list. By the time he finished, Harold had over 3,800 species on his life-list. Harold enjoyed traveling and documented his trips with daily journal entries and species checklists of all the bird species seen. He birded in all 50 U.S. states and Canada and traveled to all 7 continents during his lifetime.; Harold's love for birds, nature and travel continued to grow thus, his participation in the Lancaster County Bird Club grew. Harold served as president from 1972-76 and again from 1984-85, and a member of the bird club's Board of Directors for over 20 years. He was also an editor for the LCBC newsletter for many years and editor of The Natural Attractions of Lancaster County, published by the LCBC in November 1977 as a supplement to "Call Notes" which included articles about the flora and fauna found in numerous areas of Lancaster County. Harold also edited and wrote portions of the book, A Guide to the Birds of Lancaster County, Pennsylvania (1984) and assisted with the second edition in 1991. He authored Birding the 49th State: An Alaskan Saga in 1978 about his birding adventures on an Alaskan trip. In his later years, Harold led a weekly adult birding group in collaboration with the Lancaster County Parks Department. On February 9, 2001 the LCBC Board of Directors made Harold an honorary lifetime member of the club, an honor bestowed to only a few since the inception of the club. At this time they also decided to rename the Scholarship Program, "The Harold B. Morrin Scholarship Award" (LCBC 2012).; The Lancaster County Bird Club credits Harold with the development and growth of the club as one of the largest and most active bird clubs in the mid-Atlantic region. He inspired many renowned birders, ornithologists and photographers like Andrew Mack, Eric Witmer, Theodore A. Parker III, Jeffrey Lepore and Kenn Kaufman. On January 7, 2012 Harold passed away at the age of 88. His impact on the community was immeasurable and he is remembered by many as a "humble, selfless man, who devoted so much of his time and effort to others" (Crable 1999).; Works Cited:; Crable, Ad. "Harold Morrin: gently, he helps star birdwatchers spread their wings" New Era. 9 July 1999.; Lancaster County Bird Club (LCBC). "In Memoriam Harold B. Morrin" Call Notes. 2012.; LancasterOnline. "Harold B. Morrin Obituary" LancasterOnline. 12 September 2013.

System of Arrangement: Series 1 World War II Letters, 1943-1946; Series 2 Birding Records, 1962-2004; Series 3 Family Papers, 1879-2000

Date Range: 1962-2004

Creation Date: 1962-2004

Year Range From: 1962

Year Range To: 2004

Creator: Morrin, Harold B., 1923-2012

Storage Location: LancasterHistory, Lancaster, PA

Storage Room: Archives South

Storage Wall: Side 09

People: Mack, Andrew; Morrin, Harold B.

Subjects: Bird watching; Birds; Letters; Travel

Search Terms: Bird watchers; Bird watching; Birds; Certificates; Correspondence; Diaries; Finding aids; Journals; Lancaster County Bird Club; Letters; Manuscript groups; Travel

Extent: 3 boxes, 50 folders, 2 volumes, 1.5 cubic ft.

Object Name: Archive

Language: English

Object ID: MG0358_S02

Location of Originals: LancasterHistory, Lancaster, Pennsylvania

Related Item Notes: Harold Morrin Collection, Series 1 World War II Letters (MG0358_S01); Harold Morrin Collection, Series 3 Family Papers (MG0358_S03); Lancaster County Bird Club Records (MG0566); Photograph Collection

Notes: Preferred Citation: Title or description of item, date (day, month, year), Collection Title (MG#), Series #, Box #, Folder #, (or Object ID), LancasterHistory, Lancaster, Pennsylvania.

Access Conditions / Restrictions: Original documents may be used by appointment--contact Research@LancasterHistory.org prior to visit.

Copyright: Collection may be photographed. Please direct questions to Research Center Staff at Research@LancasterHistory.org.; Permission for reproduction and/or publication must be obtained in writing from LancasterHistory. Persons wishing to publish any material from this site must assume all responsibility for identifying and satisfying any claimants of copyright or other use restrictions. Publication fees may apply.

Credit: Courtesy of LancasterHistory, Lancaster, Pennsylvania.

Other Numbers: MG-358, Series 2

Classification: MG0358

Description Level: Series

Custodial History: Processed and finding aid prepared by RM, February-April 2015. Added to database 22 December 2023.

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