Tag: Gettysburg crime
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Truth and Legend on the John Forney Farm
The Legend of John Forney, his wanderings, his farm, and the role of his property in the Battle of Gettysburg was forged during his own lifetime. Forney’s property today is home to the Eternal Light Peace Memorial, and tales of the disaster of Iverson’s Brigade on his land are told on most tours. Further, ghost…
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The History of the Gettysburg Homestead Orphanage and its Ghost Stories
Wherever you go on vacation, you should take one of the city’s ghost tours. Nothing gives you a better idea of the local folklore, history, and values. When you go to Gettysburg, you should definitely take one of the ghost tours . . . a different each night you’re there, even. Gettysburg claims to be…
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Michael W. Hofe: The Gettysburg Cop Who Memorialized William McLeod
We normally stick to the Civil War-era history of Gettysburg but are making an exception in the case of Gettysburg police officer Michael W. Hofe (1947-1996). Michael Hofe is the other unrecognized hero of the William McLeod story. Thanks to the 1993 robbery of the Adams County Historical Society and Corporal Hofe’s dogged investigation, we…
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Madness in Gettysburg: Ephraim Albert Shot His Wife, Not a Dog
The name Ephraim comes from the Bible and means “fruitful” or “doubly fruitful.” By all appearances, Ephraim Albert appeared to fit the definition. He was a farmer who was the son of a farmer—the youngest of at least three, possibly more, kids in fact. And Ephraim was similarly fruitful. In the 1870 Census, he’s shown…
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Brother v. Brother: William Weikert, Adultery, and Dogfighting
The person easiest to track in this story is William Henry Weikert, son of John George Weikert. Mercifully, nearby Weikerts in the same generation did not have a son named William Henry. When talking about men named George Weikert in Civil War Gettysburg, we have to get precise. It doesn’t help to go to middle…
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The Troubled Life of John T. Weikert, Wounded Veteran
To understand John Thomas Weikert, it helps to know something about war trauma and family violence. One of the underreported aspects of the Civil War was the number of veterans who were scarred both physically and mentally. Harrowing images exist that show us disfigured men who had to struggle with disabilities for the rest of…
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You Can Never Go Home: Nicholas J. Codori, Gettysburg’s Prodigal Son
It might have seemed like a storybook ending. Just before Christmas in 1916, after fifty years missing, when friends and family had given him up for dead, Nicholas J. Codori returned to Gettysburg. The town’s wayward native son, relatives of which were still living in town or nearby, had come home. But this is not…
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Growing Up Palm: The Turbulent Upbringing and Life of Alfred S. Palm
You may recall from the story of Mag Palm that, at her lowest point, she attempted to drown her son and commit suicide. That son was Alfred S. Palm, named after his father, and the local papers reported the incident. You may also recall that Mag suffered through a kidnapping attempt that bore some resemblance…
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The Men behind the Infamous Mag Palm Kidnapping
The Mag Palm kidnapping attempt is perhaps the most told event of her life. It has some striking similarities to the kidnapping of Catherine Payne in the motivations that triggered it. In the story, Mag is blindsided by three white men who attempt to load her into a wagon to be sold South into slavery…
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Annie Keefer’s Unique Journey: Born of Scandal, Raised by Relatives?
You may recall the story of Isadore Keefer, his out-of-wedlock relationship with Caroline Shenabrook, who had three children with John Wolford of Adams County. You may recall that Annie Keefer resulted from the encounter between Isadore and Caroline. Annie Keefer (sometimes recorded as Anne) was born about 1867 in Adams County, Pennsylvania.