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People
of the Soil Series
“Carrie in the Kitchen”
Jordan Township, Northumberland
County, Pennsylvania
The fourth in the
"People of the Soil" series, this print was reproduced from an
original pastel painting and was commissioned by
Dr. John A Romberger as a living memorial to the life of his mother,
Carrie (Bahner Romberger(1897-1983).
In the winter of 1919-1920 a farmhouse kitchen such as this was a place of
refuge, of warmth, of acceptance, of continuing toil by the housewife and
her housemaids. For the farmer and his helpers, it was a place of coffee
breaks from the routine of barn and field work outside.
The focus of the kitchen was a large cast-iron stove, typically fed by
wood. A teakettle and granite cooking pot, or two, often simmered on the
stove. Often too, a farm cat was curled up in sunny spot on the floor near
the stove; the sunny warmth belying the lingering winter snow outside.
Proverbs 31:27 She
looks well to the ways of her household,
and does not eat the bread of idleness.
“Dinner Time Ball Game”
Klingerstown, Pennsylvania
The Nobel School was a
typical "little red" school house measuring
30 x 30 feet. Originally named the Rothermel School because of the many
Rothermels who lived in the area, this little schoolhouse was built in
1865.
A school day in 1938
began with the reading of scripture, prayer and the pledge of
allegiance to the American flag. The artist has captured a Spring day at
noon recess, when the children are outdoors eating from their dinner
buckets and playing a dinner time ball game.
A 1936 Ford slowly passes a nearby house which is now occupied by
Attorney Joe Michetti and his wife Ruby.
This print is sure to add a touch of nostalgia to your home.
Proverbs 12:1 Whoever
loves instruction loves knowledge
but he who hates reproof is foolish.
Jordan Township, Northumberland County, Pennsylvania
“Cultivating the Melon Patch” is the first in a series of prints by Deanna Wiseman depicting farm life in 1920. The original pastel painting was commissioned by Dr. John A. Romberger to commemorate the lives of his parents, Carrie Bahner Romberger (1897-1983) and Ralph Troutman Romberger (1900-1974), who truly were “people of the soil”.
This 156-acre farm lay about a
mile west of Klingerstown, north of the Mahantango Creek. It is almost
entirely in Northumberland County. The melon patch was one of several
small fields in the bottomland area of the
Romberger family’s “Sunnyside Farm”.
Farming in 1920 was a
labor-intensive life. Most of the energy input came from five horses,
along with the work of
Carrie, Ralph, sometimes
John K., a house- maid, and a hired farm-hand or
two. The horse in the painting
is “Bill”, Ralph’s favorite (practically a pet). He was an
intelligent, mild mannered, and
cooperative workhorse who lived a long and useful life (1904-1931).
He who works his land will have abundant food: Proverbs 12:11a NIV
“Bridge
Over Pine Creek”
Luxemburg Road, Erdman, Pennsylvania
Until now, few people have had the opportunity to see a full view of this beautifully constructed bridge. Its narrow entrance gives no clue to its majestic stone arches. The artist has captured a scene that is only visible from the middle of the Pine Creek.
Peter Klinger, who was a son of the German immigrant, Phillip Klinger, lived in the Klingerstown area in the early 1800’s. He built a grist mill a short way down stream from the bridge and a dam in the creek upstream. This dam fed the mill race that went through the small arch of the bridge and powered the grist mill.
Brady G. Straub (1863-1949) lived along Luxemburg Road and helped to build the stone three-arch bridge with stones that were quarried from the gap of the nearby Mahantango Mountain.
Isaiah 9:10a speaks of the
permanency of stone.
The bricks are fallen down, but we will build with hewn stones...
“Early
Mahantango Valley Grist Mill”
Klingerstown, Pennsylvania
Come, step back in time to the early 1920’s. Travel the dirt road to the “Klingerstown Grist Mill” by way of the “Covered Bridge”. These nostalgic symbols of Klingerstown’s history have been preserved in this fine art print by Deanna Wiseman. In this artist’s portrayal, mill workers and townspeople engage in both work and leisure activities, taking advantage of the late afternoon sun. Autumn’s splendor will soon give way to the coming chill of winter.
The Mahantango Valley Grist Mill was built in 1808 by a man named Daniel Herb. It was conceived by the Klinger family, which immigrated from Germany to America in 1749. The mill was built to attract settlers. The family utilized water from two streams, known as the Pine and Mahantango Creeks. From these streams, the mill got its power and the village of Klingerstown grew and flourished. One of the earliest operators of the mill was Jacob Klinger. The covered bridge which stretched across the Mahantango Creek was replaced in 1941 by a more modern bridge.
Numbers 11:8 And the people went
about and gathered it,
and ground it in their mills.
“Winter
Shadows Along Fisher’s Ridge”
Klingerstown, Pennsylvania
The late afternoon sun shines on the snow-covered roof top of this Pennsylvania German style bank barn, which was built in 1840.
Winter shadows run parallel to Fisher’s Ridge. There are many springs of water in the hollow west of the house and north toward Fisher’s Ridge. This homestead is located along the Klingerstown-Hebe highway in Jordan township, Northumberland County, Pennsylvania. The house was built in the winter of 1836 and was later inhabited by the George M. and Mary S. (Rabuck) Troutman and their 4 sons.
Proverbs 31:21
She is not afraid of the snow ... for all her household is clothed in scarlet.
“Raking Hay”
Klingerstown, Pennsylvania
Raking Hay is the second in a series
of limited edition prints titled "People of the Soil". On this
summer afternoon, Carrie Bahner Romberger (1897-1983) would already have
worked long hours in the barn milking, in the kitchen preparing meals, in
the separator room, cranking the separator for the morning's milk, as well
as feeding the hogs and chickens. Raking hay was perhaps a quiet interlude
before the demands of the evening barn chores and kitchen work again
became insistent.
Deut. 11:15 And I will send grass
in thy fields for thy cattle,
that thou mayest eat and be full.
“Loading Hay”
Klingerstown, Pennsylvania
Loading Hay is the third
print in a series titled "People of the Soil".
Taken from an original pastel painting, this signed and numbered print
depicts farm-life during the early 1920's. The man on the ground by a
haycock is Dr. John Romberger's grandfather, John K. Romberger.
The half-loaded ladder wagon (pictured in the painting) is being pulled
across a field by a two-horse team. The man on the wagon is Frank Shaffer,
a hired farm hand who was skilled at loading loose hay so it would not
slip and fall off as the wagon was driven back to barn for unloading.
Though hay-making was hard work, it was also satisfying and rich in
symbolism with the promise of provisions for one's animals, and for one's
self during the coming winter.
He who works his land will have
abundant food. Proverbs 12:11a NIV
Copyright © 2000 - 2007 Wiseman Graphics
Last modified: 12/29/09