Name of interviewee: Edwin (Ned) Harrington
Date of birth/age at interview: April 12, 1920/85
Interviewer: Rhonda Heffern
Interview date: Feb. 4, 2005
Interview location: Carversville Christian Church
Interview length: 54 minutes
Time span discussed: 1930s to 2005
Summary: Ned gives us a full recounting of many interesting events in his life. With a twinkle in his eye, he also tells us tales of many Carversville characters, houses, and events. Sprinkled throughout the video are interesting photos of people, Carversville buildings.
Time markers:
00:00 – interviewer introduces Ned’s life and accomplishments
02:04 – family background, early family moves and his school, Penn Charter
02:55 – learning the printing trade, printer’s apprentice;
03:30 – Harvard then Haverford College; becoming “almost a Quaker” at Haverford
03:51 – senior when Pearl Harbor occurred; went to work in family business; then drafted
04:32 – 3 years, became sergeant major; good training; fluent in Italian working with POWs
05:32 – soil management courses at Univ. of Penn on the GI Bill; with wife Betty found house in Carversville
06:40 – Carversville has not changed
07:00 – soils analysis business; working on their circa 1762
07:51 – mother’s many Quaker relatives lead to discovery of relationships with most Quakers in Solebury Township
08:47 – history of property, 5-story school building in 1859 demolished before their arrival, several photos of the site; uses of building over many years: Excelsior Normal Institute, Hillside Park (resort), sanatorium, private home, Carversville Christian Orphanage
13:38 – photo of the stone steps leading from the village to the school; location of school marked on property
15:30 – contacting orphans, reunions in his house, learning more about the orphanage
16:30 – clearing his land with Arthur Vasey, was like jungle; goat herd helped; donkeys, sheep
19:00 – resident ghost Lindsey Johnson who was superintendent of the orphanage
20:00 – photos showing Carversville buildings; 60 houses before 1900 in village, descriptions of Carversville houses and businesses; unofficial Solebury Township historian, researching 400 houses
22:12 – more on village structures and businesses; mill was first building in the village
25:30 – the “4th floor ladies” of the Carversville Inn; Dr. Brugler, a people and animal doctor
27:12 – floods of 1885 and 1955, photos illustrating how the Paunacussing Creek damaged buildings and the streets
29:00 – water analysis business grows as result of 1955 flood; sold soil analysis business
30:30 – retires; began writing the history of Carversville; writing many other histories including the Carversville Christian Church, 20 other books; three assistants
33:34 – more on specific buildings and their often whimsical stories, old and recent photos including the Stover’s family mill and houses, the blacksmith shop, the post office, and the general store
39:24 – Noel Barrett’s building, now antique shop featuring toys, Barrett personality on the Antiques Roadshow
41:15 – Carversville social life in the 1950s; Carversville Day
42:13 – favorite recollections of Carversville; knows almost everyone there;
43:00 – 1955 flood destroyed the Honor Roll of Carversville Veterans; new one created from Ned’s photos, mounted on the Inn
44:17 – the Civil War monument in the cemetery
44:34 – tales of the town’s personalities including Miss Kissy Worthington, old Zake Clausson, Byron Quinby, Warren deLongue, the elite Stover family, tinsmith Aaron Overpeck and his cabinetmaker sons, artist, artist and scoutmaster Charles Hargens, Barney Pearson, Harry and Agnes Foster, Pat Michener, George Shaw
51:01 – in 1894 the one-room schoolhouse was moved downhill on a horse-drawn sled, Dr. Hellyer’s dentist office
52:26 – Jim Kling ran hotel; losing the liquor license a blow to the village
53:15 – farewells; “I could go on for hours”
Ned Harrington recording 1.
Ned Harrington recording 2.
Ned Harrington recording MAM.
