87. The Summer of 1947

When Nancy and I were growing up in Gettysburg in the Forties, we loved our summer activities like swimming at the local pool or one of the numerous parks nearby. A favorite of ours for both swimming and picnicking was Caledonia State Park, 18 miles west of Gettysburg. According to news reports in the summer of 1947, Caledonia was officially recognized by Pennsylvanians as its number one State Park.

Yes, the water was always cold, but the setting and the access to forested picnic areas, made a summer visit to Caledonia enjoyable and memorable.  

Over the years, members of our family have continued to visit Caledonia. As recently as this past summer, our daughter and her husband camped at this very popular State Park.. 

Laurel and Fuller Lakes, about 18 miles north of Gettysburg, were also popular. Nestled in the forests of Pine Grove Furnace State Park, the water was just as cold as Caledonia but we still remember those lakes fondly. 

Nancy learned to swim in another popular location a few miles south of Gettysburg called Natural Dam where her parents rented a cottage for family and friends for several summers.

In the summer of 1947, I was a member of the staff at Camp Nawakwa, a Lutheran Leadership Training Camp in Brysonia thirteen miles north of Gettysburg. The Camp had a large pool that was mine to enjoy any time I wasn’t working. The only downside was, I had to clean it every few weeks. 

Also, that summer Nancy was hired as a counter clerk on weekends at Murphy’s 5 & 10 on Baltimore Street. It was a job she held until she entered Shippensburg State Teachers’ College in the fall of 1949.