The envelope was addressed to Mr. and Mrs. Arthur Troutman with a return address of the administration offices of the Pennsylvania State University. My mother tore open the envelope and read: Dear Mr. and Mrs. Troutman: This is to inform you that your son, James, was recently involved in a drinking incident in his dormitory… … Continue reading The Drinking Incident
Autobiography
Diane and Bryce
It was during the first term of my second year at Penn State and I was going to one of Tim and Ed’s Saturday night parties. Tim Toward of Tower City (that’s easy to remember, right?), a Pre-Med major, and Ed Stutz of New Philadelphia, majoring in History. I had met them the previous year … Continue reading Diane and Bryce
The Other Farm
John Jacob Troutman (1895 - 1965) and his wife Edna M Moyer (1894 - 1966) actually owned two farms. Unlike Twin Meadows Farm, the second one didn’t have a name, or if it did, I never knew it. We always called it The Other Farm. Satellite image of The Other Farm as it looks today. … Continue reading The Other Farm
I Couldn’t Go Home Again
The Great Stone House on my grandfather’s Twin Meadows Farm was my favorite of all the places I’ve lived. It had large rooms, and once the Gerharts moved out, I had my own bedroom and a year-round playroom. Add in a finished basement and a real spooky attic (I loved to go there during the … Continue reading I Couldn’t Go Home Again
The Dogs of Twin Meadows Farm
We lived in the Great Stone House, as I’m now dubbing it, on my grandfather’s Twin Meadows Farm from early in 1952 when I turned three to early in 1957 when I turned eight. Probably the best years of my life. It’s certainly my favorite house of any place I’ve ever lived. And the dogs! … Continue reading The Dogs of Twin Meadows Farm
The Moyer Connection
One of the minor lingering mysteries that I wanted to solve about my relatives was how I was related to high school classmate Suzanne Berger. When she and I first met back in eighth grade, she told me we were related, but other than we were cousins of some sort, I never knew just how. … Continue reading The Moyer Connection
Mary and Paul Addendum
Just wanted to add a correction and a few additional thoughts to my previous post. Aaron and Mary Haak’s gravestone First of all, Aaron’s last name was not misspelled on his and Mary’s marriage application. His last name really was originally spelled Haag, as his parents were Moses and Catharine (Knoll) Haag, and all of … Continue reading Mary and Paul Addendum
Mary and Paul
When we moved into the house on West Main Street in Richland, PA, in November, 1957, we were warned by the previous owners that the next door neighbors didn’t get along well with children and could get downright nasty. This is a photo from 2013 of the duplex house where we lived in 1957 with … Continue reading Mary and Paul
A Bike Ride to Coleman Park
I have no memory of whose idea it was or how I got involved, but it was when we still lived on the hill on West Main Street, so it was probably during the summer of 1962 or 63. Most likely it had something to do with the Boy Scouts, as I was still active … Continue reading A Bike Ride to Coleman Park
El Español Tossed Me a Cudve
If I could change just one thing about the way my parents raised my sister and me, it would be their attitude toward Pennsylvania Dutch. Both of our parents and their families were fluent speakers of Dutch as well as English, but they gave both sets of grandparents strict instructions not to speak Dutch to … Continue reading El Español Tossed Me a Cudve