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Lou Bernard
Lock Haven
It's no secret that I'm a fan of Henry Wharton Shoemaker. I write about the man practically every other column. Shoemaker was a writer and folklorist who lived in Wayne Township, and spent his adult life collecting and publishing folklore stories from central Pennsylvania. And that, those stories, are kind of where the friction comes in.
Shoemaker was very controversial. Mention him in any "local history" crowd, and you'll get at least one person who goes crazy, insisting that Shoemaker made up his stories wholesale. Shoemaker himself repeatedly claimed to have not made the stories up, but simply written down what was told to him.
I believe that. I've often written columns defending the man, and making a persuasive case that it wasn't Henry Shoemaker who made up the stories, but his sources. Often, I've made a decent, well-researched case that demonstrates that Shoemaker reported the stories accurately as told to him, and I am often met with a blunt, badly-researched statement that amounts to "NO, NO, NO! SHOEMAKER BAD!" I tell you, it's maddening.
Recently there was a letter to the editor accusing Shoemaker of making up the story of the Tiadaghton Declaration of Independence.
Just for backstory, here's a summary: Local history has it that on July 4, 1776, a group of men known as the Fair Play Men met under an elm tree in Pine Creek Township. There, they signed a document declaring themselves free from England, but what with the chaos of those times, never delivered it. The document is said to still be buried out there somewhere.
The letter accuses Shoemaker of making up the entire story, quoting mentions he made in some of his books and articles about this incident. It brings up Shoemaker writings from 1912, 1917 and 1947. What it doesn't mention is anything previous to that.
For instance, the fact that the Tiadaghton Declaration is mentioned in Linn's History.
John Blair Linn's "History of Centre and Clinton Counties" is known as one of the most thorough and accurate books about our local history. I'm going to save you the trouble of running for your copy -- It's on Page 654. Linn says, "The territory of Pine Creek was the theatre of another remarkable event…This is a well-authenticated story: On the Fourth of July, 1776, a number of men of Pine Creek and its vicinity assembled on the plains of Pine Creek, before spoken of, and formally declared the independence of the colonies. No doubt they passed written resolutions, but they have not been preserved."
So there is a non-Shoemaker mention of this incident in our local history books. Linn's History was published in 1883, which was, by the way, when Henry Shoemaker was three years old. So really, are we to believe that a three-year-old Henry Shoemaker convinced John Blair Linn to write about a fictional incident? Because if he was that kind of prodigy, he really should be getting more respect.
Or is it more likely that the story predates Shoemaker, who therefore clearly did not make it up?
Let's take a look at J.F. Meginniss's "Otzinachson," published in 1857. On page 471, it says,"In the summer of 1776 the leading Fair Play Men and settlers along the river above and below Pine Creek, received intelligence from Philadelphia that Congress had it in contemplation to declare the Colonies independent of Great Britain...Accordingly, on July 4, 1776, they met in convention, in considerable numbers, on the level plain west of Pine Creek...A series of resolutions were drawn up and passed, absolving themselves from all allegiance to Great Britain, and henceforth declaring themselves free and independent!"
As I mentioned, this source was published in 1857, which happens to be 23 years before Shoemaker was born. You want proof Shoemaker didn't make up the story? I think we have it. Accusing Shoemaker of things that happened before he was born is like accusing Justin Beiber of starting the Vietnam War.
Look, it's not my job to tell anyone who they get to like or hate. I'm a big fan of Henry Shoemaker and his work. If you're not, that's fine and you're welcome to it. But if you're going to accuse him of making things up, make sure you do your research first.