Group proposed to preserve Quincy Township ‘firsts’ and other history

Shawn Hardy, Waynesboro Record Herald
·2 min read

The Quincy Township Park Committee is looking to preserve the community’s past for its future.

At its July 7 meeting, the committee will discuss creating the Quincy Township Heritage Park Historical Society.

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The Rev. Lee E. Daywalt, a Quincy Township supervisor, will present the concept to the park committee at the meeting, which begins at 6:30 p.m. in the township office 7575 Mentzer Gap Road. Anyone interested in being involved can attend. Concept sheets will be distributed, ideas discussed and a little Quincy history shared.

“The township has a rich history and heritage that ought to have a home and an organization that works together to display and preserve artifacts and photos for the enjoyment of the community,” said Daywalt, who also is administrator of Preserving Our Heritage Archives & Museum in South Mountain.

According to Daywalt, Quincy Township is home to Pennsylvania’s first state park —Mont Alto State Park; Pennsylvania’s first tuberculosis treatment facility, originally known as the White Pine Sanitorium, today the South Mountain Restoration Center; and Pennsylvania’s first forestry college, known at its founding as Mont Alto Forest Academy, today the Penn State Mont Alto Campus.

Franklin County’s Standard Oil pumping station was at Knepper’s Station and the Tomstown Pump is one of Franklin County’s oldest water systems, he added.

Businesses of note include the Metcalfe Engine Co., also known as Quincy Engine Co.; Quincy Orphanage and Home; and Wertz Family Fruit Farms, which has a connection to the Underground Railroad.

“These are just a few of the places that deserve having their stories, photos and artifacts preserved,” Daywalt said.

Efforts have already begun in the township office.

Photos on the walls depict one-room schools once located throughout the township, as well as the beginnings of the Quincy Orphanage and Home.

The Tomstown School bell is on display along with a series of photos taken when Route 997 was built through Quincy from 1924 to 1927.

“These are just seeds to get the organization started and spark interest in preserving Quincy Township’s history and heritage,” Daywalt said.

This article originally appeared on Waynesboro Record Herald: Quincy Township Heritage Park Historical Society proposed