Community Day – 2013

CHARLESTOWN COMMUNITY DAY 2013

CELEBRATING CHARLESTOWN – PAST, PRESENT AND FUTURE

The year 2013 is the 40th anniversary of the Charlestown Historical Society and one of
the events we are planning for this year is a day of celebrating all that Charlestown Township has to offer. Everyone is invited to participate in any or all of our activities for the day. The
Township and several Township organizations including the Parks and Recreation Board, Trails Committee, Brightside Farm, and the Open Space Commission are sponsoring Charlestown Community Day. The Charlestown Historical Society is also part of the planning for Charlestown Community Day.

Some of the planned activities for the day include:

Charlestown Park will have food, crafts, vendors, picnic facilities, hiking trails and live
music. There will be opportunities to meet with Township officials to hear about present and
future plans for development, open space and upgrades to our parks and recreational facilities.

Bus tours of the Township will start and end at Charlestown Park. The tours will feature
stops at historic sites, which will include the Jacob Wisner/Rapp House, Charlestown Village,
Charlestown Methodist Church, the Mill, Charlestown Revolutionary Cemetery, and the
Hopewell School. An art exhibit will be held in the Mill in Charlestown Village.

MAP  of Tour

The Jacob Wisner/Rapp House will be open for tours. One of George
Washington’s men, Jacob Wisner, lived in the house. A drum, possibly from the American Revolution, was recently found in the attic of the Wisner/ Rapp House. Maybe you will be the person to research the history of this drum. The house is on the list of National Historic Sites. The home is the headquarters of the Charlestown Historical Society. Members of the Historical Society have been creating an archival history of Charlestown for many years.

Brightside Farm is adjacent to the Wisner/Rapp House. Five generations
of the Pyle Family farmed this land.  Brightside Farm is now owned by Charlestown Township. There is a Community Garden on the site open to all Charlestown Residents. Contact the Township Office at 610-240-0326 for more information. Activities on Charlestown Community Day at Brightside Farm will include tethered balloon rides (weather permitting), pony rides, games, animal displays and trail hikes.

The Great Valley Nature Center will be one of the bus stops. The GVNC has an Indian Village
representing the life of the Indians who lived in the Charlestown area. GVNC also has birds of
prey including eagles. Naturalists will hold some of the birds and tell us about their habits. You
will learn about the wonderful camping programs the Great Valley Nature Center offers.

CHARLESTOWN COMMUNITY DAY COMMITTEE
INVITES ALL TO GET INVOLVED

Call any of the following people for additional information about the below listed ways to help:
John Pittock, CHS President, (610-827-1486), Sue Stass, Trails Committee, (610-933-9766), or
Barbara DeWilde, (610-827-7530).

1. HELP PLAN THE DAY – Everyone is invited to help plan the day. The committee
meets at the Jacob Wisner/Rapp House the second Tuesday of month from 10-12 noon.
February 12, March 12, April 9, May 14 are the meeting dates.

2. RESEARCH THE HISTORICAL DRUM – A drum was found in the attic of the
Jacob Wisner/Rapp House in the fall of 2012. A Google search for a picture of a
Revolutionary Soldier shows one with a drum that looks very much like the found
drum. Question – Is it really an American Revolutionary Drum or a copy? If a copy,
how old is it?

3. DID GEORGE WASHINGTON AND HIS MEN MARCH THROUGH CHARLESTOWN AND WHERE?
The Battle of the Clouds took place on September 16, 1777. Did George Washington
and his men march through Charlestown after the battle? (Others have found that they
did.) If so, what route did they take through Charlestown?

4. ALL ARTISTS ARE INVITED TO PAINT CHARLESTOWN
Adults, young people, children are all invited to paint or draw a picture of a scene in
Charlestown Township such as a spring house, historic building, animal or topic of
your choice. The paintings will be displayedCharlestown Community Day on June 1,
2013 at the Society’s Wisner/Rapp House. With permission of the artist, some of the
paintings may be put in the Charlestown Historical Society’s annual “Scenes of
Charlestown” calendar.

PLAN TO COME TO THE CHARLESTOWN COMMUNITY DAY ON JUNE 1, 2013. THIS WILL BE A GREAT OPPORTUNITY TO SEE WHAT YOUR TOWNSHIP HAS TO OFFER AND TO MEET YOUR NEIGHBORS.