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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
) Letters (LHo-LOC sh 85076240) 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 �230 North President Avenue
  1 document  
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.
Documents
Less detail
Collection
Lefever Genealogy (Descendants of Philip Lefever)
Title
Lefever Genealogy (Descendants of Philip Lefever)
Object ID
MG0573
Date Range
1923-2003
  1 document  
Collection
Lefever Genealogy (Descendants of Philip Lefever)
Title
Lefever Genealogy (Descendants of Philip Lefever)
Description
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.
Date Range
1923-2003
Creation Date
1923-2003
Year Range From
1923
Year Range To
2003
Creator
Lefevre family
Storage Location
LancasterHistory, Lancaster, PA
Storage Room
Archives South
Storage Wall
Side 12
People
Brandt, Kathleen
Brenneman, Mabel
Brubaker, Ann Mary Lefever
Brubaker, John H.
Buckwalter, Nancy
Buckwalter, Naomi
Buckwalter, Nathan
Dagen, Florence Lefever
Dagen, Jacob Jr.
Dagen, Jacob L.
Dagen, Lester L.
Eaby, Christian Earl
Eshleman, Arlene
Eshleman, Chester L. Jr.
Frey, Furry H.
Gontner, Lizzie
Hess, Edith A. Lefever
Houser, Emma Lefever
Huber, Christian
Huber, Elizabeth Lefever
Kirk, Ethel
Knight, Mary Lefever
Lefever, Adam K.
Lefever, Ruth M.
Lefever, Benjamin M.
Lefever, Charles
Lefever, Charles J., Sr.
Lefever, Charles R.
Lefever, Christian
Lefever, Clair
Lefever, Edna
Lefever, Elizabeth
Lefever, Elizabeth M. Gerlach
Lefever, Emilie A.
Lefever, Enos
Lefever, Ernest
Lefever, Frank K.
Lefever, Gertrude M.
Lefever, Gladys Brenneman
Lefever, Harry M.
Lefever, Henry
Lefever, Henry K.
Lefever, Isaac
Lefever, John A.
Lefever, John M.
Lefever, Leon
Lefever, Martin
Lefever, Martin K.
Lefever, Martin M.
Lefever, Mary Buckwalter
Lefever, Mary C.
Lefever, Mengen
Lefever, Parke M.
Lefever, Paul S.
Lefever, Philip
Lefever, Walter F.
Martin, Anna G. Lefever
Martin, Reba Mae
Meck, Robert A.
Mellinger, Catherine
Metzler, Mary L. Lefever
Morrow, Grace
Mylin, Amanda C.
Mylin, Frank H.
Mylin, Martha Lefever
Rohrer, Betty P. Lefever
Sensenig, Gladys
Shimp, Charles
Shimp, Verna Lefever
Smith, Dottie
Stoltzfus, Amos L.
Stoltzfus, Clarence L.
Stoltzfus, Elmer L.
Stoltzfus, Marjorie E. Lefever
Williams, Steven A.
Subjects
Family records
Cemeteries
Genealogy
Business records
Family reunions
Search Terms
Business records
Cemeteries
Clippings (Books, newspapers, etc.)
Correspondence
Family records
Family reunions
Finding aids
Genealogy
Grave Concerns, Inc.
Harvest Presbyterian Church
Letters
Manuscript groups
Minutes
Newspaper clippings
Obituaries
Philip Lefever Burial Ground Association
Philip Lefever Cemetery
Wills
Extent
1 box, 21 folders, 1 binder, .75 cubic ft.
Object Name
Archive
Language
English
Object ID
MG0573
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-573
Classification
MG0573
Description Level
Fonds
Custodial History
Processed and finding aid prepared by KV, February-March 2014.
Documents
Less detail
Collection
Sphinx Club Records
Title
Sphinx Club Records
Object ID
MG0341
Date Range
1912-2000
Subject Headings: Associations, institutions, etc. Business records Letters Minutes (Records) Obituaries �230 North President Avenue • Lancaster, Pennsylvania 17603-3125 717.392.4633 • www.LancasterHistory.org Search Terms: Accomac Inn Alfred’s Victorian Restaurant Associations, institutions, etc
  1 document  
Collection
Sphinx Club Records
Title
Sphinx Club Records
Description
This collection contains the official records of the Sphinx Club in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. The minute books date from 1912-1985. Histories of the club were prepared in 1934 and 1962. Dinner programs, membership lists, meeting and speaker schedules, correspondence and speeches make up the bulk of the collection. There are images of some of the earliest members, as well as articles about the statue of the Sphinx.
Date Range
1912-2000
Year Range From
1912
Year Range To
2000
Date of Accumulation
1912-2000
Creator
Sphinx Club (Lancaster, Pa.)
Storage Location
LancasterHistory, Lancaster, PA
Storage Room
Archives South
Storage Wall
Side 08
People
Appel, Roberts R.
Browne, George I.
Cooper, John Wallace
Cramer, Margaret Snader
Cramer, William Stuart
Davidson, Paul
Dippell, Marion Fox
Dippell, Victor William
Distler, Theodore A.
Donner, M. M.
Dotterer, Ray H.
Duke, Robert W.
Hager, E. M.
Hager, Nathaniel Ellmaker
Hamblin, Dora Jane
Hartman, Edwin Mitman
Hartman, Mr.
Herman, Emma Garrigan
Herman, Theodore F.
Honig, Margaret
Honig, Stanley
Jefferson, Thomas
Jordan, Paul
Jurgelski, Susan
Kell, R. M.
Kilby, Tom
Kunkel, Arthur King
Lincoln, Abraham
Maugans, David
Mencken, Henry Louis
Michalak, Beverly
Michalak, Stanley
Moore, C. Eugene
Parks, Cynthia
Poole, H. Herbert
Roosevelt, Franklin Delano
Roy, John
Rudisill, Carl
Rudisill, Flo
Sayres, Alfred Nevin
Schmitchew, Peter
Schwalm, Ted
Smith, Howard P.
Steinmetz, Rollin
Thornley, Richard
Twombly, Clifford Gray
Subjects
Associations, institutions, etc.
Business records
Letters
Minutes (Records)
Obituaries
Search Terms
Accomac Inn
Alfred's Victorian Restaurant
Associations, institutions, etc.
Business records
Bynden Wood
Conestoga Bridge
Correspondence
Finding aids
Flyers
Franklin and Marshall College
Hamilton Club
Huachung University
Letters
Manuscript groups
Membership
Minutes
Mount Gretna, Lebanon County, Pennsylvania
Obituaries
Outings
Poetry
Republican Party
Restaurants
Sphinx Club
St. Peter's Village, Chester County, Pennsylvania
Trivia
World War II
WWII
Extent
1 box, 21 folders, 1 cubic ft.
Object Name
Archive
Language
English
Object ID
MG0341
Location of Originals
LancasterHistory, Lancaster, Pennsylvania
Notes
Preferred Citation: Title or description of item, date (day, month, year), Collection Title (MG#), Folder #, (or Object ID), LancasterHistory, Lancaster, Pennsylvania. URL if applicable. Date accessed (day, month, year).
Access Conditions / Restrictions
Original documents may be used by researchers--contact Research@LancasterHistory.org prior to visit or request at Reference Desk.
Copyright
Collection items 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.
Accession Number
2004.MG0341
Other Numbers
MG-341
Classification
MG0341
Description Level
Fonds
Custodial History
Processed by DW. Finding aid prepared by KK, March-April 2014. Added to database 3 January 2022.
Documents
Less detail