Flag of Company B - 1864

My great great grandfather was Conrad Petsinger 

His story of hiding the American flag in his clothing has been passed down every generation.  My sister visited Soldiers and Sailor Memorial Hall in Pittsburgh PA and was able to see the flag and photograph it.  As the picture shows, the white stripes are in fairly good condition, the red ones are tattered.  Upon seeing the pictures on my iPhone my Mom said "it makes me shiver."  It was hard for her to comprehend she was viewing the flag that she had heard about as a young girl.  

Historic Lemont Village and Strawberry Festival

"The village of Lemont grew as a result of its position at the end of Nittany Mountain and its location at an important early crossroads, functioning for decades as a  transport/commercial center."

I have driven through Lemont hundreds of times, but most times staying close to the main road, while rushing to the quaint post office or stopping by the Cafe Lemont for a Latte and bite to eat.  


But, today was different.  Today the Lemont Village Association Strawberry Festival pulled me further back, up the hills to the Village Green and Granary.  

"The completion of the railroad further enhanced commercial activity in Lemont, much of it directly connected with transportation. Thompson and Company erected a large side for unloading farm machinery, as well as for loading grain, fruit, hay, and livestock brought in for shipment by local farmers."

"By 1877 track had been laid as far as Spring Mills, in eastern Centre County. In 1880 the corporate name was changed to the Lewisburg and Tyrone Railroad Company, with immediate plans to complete the line to Bellefonte.  In 1885, growth continued eastward along the foothill of Nittany Mountain and farther north along Pike Street." 

The Granary beckoned me.  The interior of the mill is surprisingly cool and large--I am told 14 x 100 feet. The building itself, supported by huge solid beams has an indestructible feel. One can easily imagine the floors vibrating with the hum of the mill wheels as the grain was rapidly being processed.  The place smells like dust and aging wood.   Farm implements hang like ghosts on the wall.  Reminders of days long ago, hard work done by hands.


Nooks and crannies abound in the Granary.  Ladders going up, stairs steep and dark going down, somewhere I did not go this day.  A door artistically painted draws you over to take a closer look.  Streets sign in a jumble become an artistic sculpture.  It was quiet on this journey in to the past, a cocoon of history and long ago times wrapping itself around you, if you let it.

The 30^th Annual Strawberry Festival, benefits the Granary Project of the Lemont Village Association.  Money raised goes toward continuation of the work for restoration of the buildings and toward construction of proper rest room amenities and storage space.

Strawberry smoothies made by a bicycle powered blender run by the Centre Region Bicycle Coalition

My journey off the main road and back into the Village was truly a walk back in time to a quieter and more simple era.

For more information about this treasure in our midst, Lemont, and future sponsored events by Lemont Village Association, it is worth a visit to their web site

Lemont Village Association.  

or 

Visit Living Places to read more about Lemont's history.