Call Number:

04

Repository:

Perkasie Historical Society

Extent:

2.5 linear feet

Language:

English

Date:

1917-1946 (bulk) and 1917-2001 (inclusive)

Creator:

Perkasie Historical Society

Abstract:

Many men and women from Perkasie, Bucks County, Pennsylvania and the surrounding area served in the military during World War I and World War II. The Perkasie Historical Society World Wars collection, 1917-2001 (bulk 1917-1946), primarily consists of photograph albums and clippings scrapbooks that document their involvement. It also includes pamphlets, ephemera, ration books and cards, training manuals, and printed histories of various military divisions. Of special interest is a scrapbook with photographs of all of the WWI servicemen from Perkasie and short typed biographies about each soldier's service.

"Perkasie" comes from the Lenape word "Pokesing," meaning "where the hickory nuts were cracked." It is located in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, midway between Philadelphia and Allentown.

Reserved by William Penn for his family's use, the tract of land known as "Perkasie Manor" embraced most of current-day Hilltown and Rockhill Township. It was laid out and surveyed in 1708. When the Borough of Perkasie was incorporated in 1879, it had 68 residents and covered 1,640 acres.

Perkasie served as a stop along Reading Railroad's North Penn Division, also known as the Bethlehem Branch. It was the third-largest station along the North Penn Line and became a trade center. In 1891, 19 of the 22 trains that operated along the line stopped in Perkasie. The line was later acquired by the Southeastern Pennsylvania Transit Authority (SEPTA). SEPTA terminated passenger service along the line in the early 1980s.

On June 26, 1988, about 15 percent of the town, including many historic buildings, was burned down in what became known as The Great Perkasie Fire. This massive fire was started by two 12-year-old boys who were playing with a lighter near the coal bins behind the Shelly & Sons lumberyard.

Bibliography:

Borough of Perkasie, Bucks County, PA. "A Short History of Perkasie, PA; excerpts from The History of Perkasie, as recorded by James I. Moyer." Accessed March 22, 2013. http://www.perkasieborough.org/history_of_perkasie.html

This collection is divided into two series, World War I and World War II, and primarily consists of photograph albums and clippings scrapbooks that document Perkasie and the surrounding area's involvement in the two wars. It also includes pamphlets, ephemera, ration books and cards, training manuals, and printed histories of various military divisions.

Of special interest is "Memoirs World-1918-War Perkasie," a scrapbook created shortly after World War I by J. Richard Sterner and Clarence Harr of the Perkasie Tobacco Fund for Hartzell-Crouthamel Post No. 280, Perkasie of the American Legion. The scrapbook contains photographs of all of the WWI servicemen from Perkasie as well as short typed biographies about each soldier's service.

Other WWI-related materials include Paul Sine's photographs (well captioned), clippings scrapbooks, and a copy of the Perkasie World War I Draft Board Report.

Materials relating to World War II include: the Charles Nase collection, consisting of photographs of basic training in Tennessee as well as photographs of Europe during and immediately after the war; and Henry Hager's photographs, newspaper clippings, and scrapbook. Also included are: WWII clippings scrapbooks; pamphlets and ephemera; ration books and cards; and a printed volume compiled by the Community Service Group with photographs of servicemen from Perkasie and nearby Silverdale, Blooming Glen, Hagersville, Keelersville, Kellers Church, and Rockhill.