Hempfield
JANUARY 18, 2023
SERVING THE LOCAL COMMUNITIES SINCE 1954
A Passion For Civil War History BY CATHY MOLITORIS
h en she was in ninth grade at Columbia High School, Cindy Beaston watched the movie “Gettysburg” as part of a class assignment. Viewing the film set her on a trajectory that would influence the rest of her life. “My mom and I rented the movie from Blockbuster, and I watched it over and over for a week straight,” Beaston recalled, noting that the assignment required her to memorize the names of characters. While viewing the film, she particularly became interested in the story of Confederate Gen. James Longstreet. “I needed to know more,” Beaston said.
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Since then, Beaston has become a Civil War buff, and she’ll present two lectures this month, showcasing her knowledge of the war. She will speak about “U.S. Grant: Bulldog of the Union Army” at Hempfield recCenter, 950 Church St., Landisville, on Thursday, Jan. 26, and she’ll discuss “Sallie Ann: A Very Special Soldier” at Columbia Public Library, 24 S. Sixth St., on Monday, Jan. 30. Both lectures will begin at 6 p.m. For the Grant lecture, Beaston will delve into the life of the man who became the 18th president of the United States. “Everybody’s heard the name Ulysses S. Grant, but everyone doesn’t know who he really was,” she said. Her talk will
Cindy Beaston
cover his cadet days at West Point, the poverty he experienced after his achievements in the Mexican-American War and his rise to fame in the Civil War. At the library, Beaston will share the accomplishments of Sallie Ann, a brindle bull terrier who played an important role with the 11th Pennsylvania infantry. “She went into every battle,” Beaston stated. “She knew the calls, knew the drills.” Beaston will bring her own brindle bull terrier, appropriately named Sallie Ann, to the talk. Beaston works as a lifeguard and swim instructor at Hempfield Rec, but her free time is spent fulfilling her passion for history. She joined the Civil War Roundtable at Lititz Public Library, but when it disbanded, she started her own group in Columbia. The Gen. Welsh Post 118 Roundtable is named for a Columbia general and meets monthly at the Columbia Public Library. Beaston has presented numerous lectures on Columbia’s Civil War soldiers, and she is in the process of writing a historical fiction book about these heroes. A few years ago, Beaston got to meet the actor Tom Berenger, who portrayed Gen. Longstreet in “Gettysburg.” She took the opportunity to tease him a bit about her passion, telling him, “I’m a Civil War historian, and it’s all your fault.” In all seriousness, Beaston hopes her presentations will help people remember an important time in our country’s past. “I can see these events and these people in my mind, and I try to get people to imagine what it was like,” she said. “I feel like I have formed relationships with these soldiers, and I want to honor them.” For the Hempfield Rec lecture, reservations are requested by calling 717-898-3102. For the lecture at the Columbia Public Library, reservations are not needed.
VOL XXXVIII • NO 41
Look Inside
Author To Present Lecture BY ADRIAN ESCHENWALD
On Thursday, Jan. 26, LancasterHistory, 230 N. President Ave., will host its first Regional History Colloquium of 2023, featuring a lecture provided by Andrew Diemer. The event will open its doors at 5 p.m., followed by Diemer’s lecture at 5:30 p.m. Diemer is an author and a history professor at Towson University, and he will discuss his most recent
book, titled “Vigilance: The Life of William Still, Father of the Underground Railroad.” The book describes the life of William Still and the role that he played during the American Civil War. “(The book) focuses on his whole life, but heavily concentrates on the Underground Railroad,” said Diemer. “Looking at the Underground Railroad is essential; it shapes the rest of Still’s life.” Still was born in New Jersey in 1821 to parents who had escaped slavery on the Eastern Shore of Maryland. Still’s father was a former slave who purchased his own freedom, and his mother was a former slave who fled the South. “Still’s family drove his involvement in the Underground Railroad and the pursuit of civil rights,” said Diemer. Diemer was first intrigued by Still’s story while writing his first book, an academic study of free black communities struggling with citizenship rights. Diemer’s perception was that Still only aided with the freeing of slaves through the Underground Railroad and out of the public eye, but he was surprised to discover that Still often gave speeches and wrote public letters to support the cause.
Andrew Diemer
See Author Talk pg 6
Lessons For Life
INSIDE THIS ISSUE Business Directory . . . . . .3
BY ADRIAN ESCHENWALD
House Of Worship . . . . . . .3
When Hempfield resident Craig Sylves’ son, Duncan, was young, he would ask his father the one question that every curious child asks: Why? Craig tried giving his son all of the conventional responses, answering Duncan’s questions with “Well, because I’m older than you,” and “Because I said so.” Young Duncan never relented, and Craig began referencing a fictitious book of his own design. Each time his inquisitive son would ask a question, Craig’s response was simply “It’s in the adult handbook.”
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See “Adult Handbook” pg 5
Stranger Than Fiction . . . .3 Birding Field Trips Posted . .4 Classifieds . . . . . . . . . . . .6 Sports . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .8
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