Cumberland Sunday Times from Cumberland, Maryland • Page 24

St. John Neumann Remembered On George's Creek 1 Px KNAPP'S MEADOW Most folks attribute the survival of "the old stone house in the meadow" to its fine 18th century craftsmanship. Others say it's the conscientious workmanship, and others the rock-solid German built Into it in 1790. It is true that probably no other structure in Allegany County has withstood (he past two centuries as well as the "oid stone house." But a handful of residents here on the George's Creek wonder If, indeed, it is the craftsmanship, or the workmanship, or the German character that is responsible for the longevity ot the house. They wonder if part of the answer isn't supernatural.

They look to events on the other side of the planet this past week and canonization of St. John Nepomucene Neumann Philadelphia's "Little Bishop" has set them a-thlnking. For it was in the old stone house nearly 140 years ago where St. John offered Catholic Mass for the Immigrant German farmers and miners in one of the first duties as a Redemptionist father out of Baltimore. "The place has always had a hallowed eerie? atmosphere about it as long as I can remember," says its present owner, Miss Virginia Brumage, an art resource teacher with the Allegany County Board of Education, "I grew up right across the street thinking all.the lime that ghosts lived in there," she said.

"My God, I'm a grown woman now and I'm not superstitious or anything, but 1 still wonder." Mrs. Josephine (Knapp) Carter, of Railroad Street, Lonaconing, is blood-related into the old house, but admits "I've never been in it." RELICS of St. John's still in this area are the white wine cruet, once owned by Mrs. Josephine (Knapp) Carter above, while four brass candlcholrlers arc owned by the Meyers family, below from left, Jimmy, son of John who is (second from left), and John's sisters Catherine and FROSTBlJRG.KlEYsili And Tri-Statc News 24 Cumb rland Sunday Tlnies, Sunday, Defaney 's YOUNG PEOPIES SHOP Infant through Fourtetn 24 W. Main Frostburg Fashions for your children 689-8089 SPECIAL MEETING! MT.

SAVAGE WATER GO, Monday, June 27, 1977 p.M, ML SAVAGE FIRE HALL J. A. Blubeugh, president tss MARDI-6RAS CRUISE TO BERMUDA From Baltimore for 7 days with transportation from Cumberland Deporting September 27 limiled space coll for choice of cabins. mm ELIZABETH 2 CRUISE TO ST. THOMAS AND SAN JUAN from New York for 7 days wilh transportation, from Cumberland.

Departing October 15. limited space call for choice of cabins. UMTHSPWC-MMEMLT WILLETTS TRAVEL INC. ItiH tf Itote M-UMi21 Ml MMiMm 'Barrel Of Fun' Donations Asket LONACONING Al members of the Goodwi Fire Company have bee asked to get their goods or groceries donation in for the "Barrel of Fun scheduled at the annua Firemen's Carniva scheduled (or July 7, 8 and 9 The annual parade will tx held on July 7 and th "Barrel of Fun" grocerie, will be given away on July according to Gene Kidwet! publicity chairman for tin carnival committee. Personal ELLERSLIE Mr and Mrs.

Lewis Kendall Tampa, Fla. are visiting his son, Mr. and Mrs. D.L Kendall and family. Beoufif'ul selection 1 of Dried and Silk Flowers al thwir In.

2 tocolions: 16 Broadway, Frjlbg. Dial UN, UbsrlySl. Cumb. Dial 722-4MO Neither have Misses Mary and Catherine Meyers and their brother John, also of Coney. They too, of former inhabitants of the house.

But the Meyers' have something from the old house never consider parting with six of the candle holders used by St. John when he said Mass in the house in the 1840s Mary and Catherine have two of the nearly Uvo-centuries-plei brass holders, while John has another pair. A cousin, Raymond Fisher, of Bcthesda has the third pair of six-inch holders. "They were just passed down through my father's side of the family," said Miss Mary Meyers "There were no specific instructions for their care, and there were no other reasons for their preservation other than the fact that they were the candleholders used when Mass was said in the old stone house," the retired school teacher added. The holders were passed down lo the Meyers' through their father's mother.

Father lo the Meyers' was George Meyers, whose mother was a Knapp, the German Catholic farming family that settled into the house in the early 1800s and for whom the "meadow" is named. According to both Miss Meyers, and her relative Mrs Josephine Carter, who once possessed a small stonewear wine cruet also used in the old house, there was no spoken tradilion of any one priest using the relics in the Masses. "It was simply that they were the only ones' used in the house before St. Mary's Church was built," said Mrs. Carter.

Mrs. Carter, a widow, was in possession of the white wine cruet until 1965 when she put it on display during the centennial celebration of St. Mary's. "A brother from SS. Peter and Paul's in Cumberland (founded by the new saint) saw it and said that it would be nice if it were placed in the monastary for preservation," said Mrs.

Carter. "If I had known then that Bishop Neumann was going to be canonized, I would never have let it go," she declared. According to history both spoken and written the newly ordained John Neumann made four' day, four-night journey Baltimore to Cumberland on wagon to visit the German- Speaking people in Western Maryland; and southwestern Pennsylvania. Only a month off the boat from his native Bohemia (now Czechoslovakia) before his or-, dination, the new father then rode from Cumberland to the George's Trains MIDLAND Michael Cullen, a cadet second lieutenant in the Army ROTC at West Virginia University, is attending five of advanced training at Fort Bragg, N.C. son of Tintolhy Cullcn of here, he is majoring in civil engineering al where he is a senior.

Meet Monday ACCIDENT The Garrett County Board of Education will meet Monday at Northern High School at 11 a.m. lo lake formal action on the 1978 fiscal year budget. The meeting is open to (he public. Creek area to offer Mass, baptize and perform other sacramental functions for the German immigrants. builder, it Is believed that a John or William VanBuskirk, a renegade German count, constructed the three-story house out of native timber and stone.

Miss Brumage, acquired the house at public auction five years ago, fully cognizant of the fact that it was used as the Catholic meeting house in the 19th century. "As soon as I bought it the Sisters of Notre Dame at St. Joseph's in Midland (three miles north of here) began visiting the house, taking notes and writing letters," Miss Brumage said. For it was at that time that the Little Bishop's canonization appeared imminent, and a museum was being formed in his honor in Philadelphia. Miss Brumage has been in correspondence with Sister M.

Patricius Gorman-SSND, at the mother house in Wilton, about placing' a plaque in St. John's honor on the property. "there was some talk about placing a shrine here on the property, but lately Sister Patricius is writing about a plaque," she said. Since assuming Miss Brumage has torn away virtual generations of plaster from the walls, uncovering two five-foot hearths hidden in the walls and four smaller ones in separate rooms. "When I bought the house I wanted to restore it to as close to the original plan as I possibly could," she said.

That necessitated peeling away dozens of layers of wallpaper built up over the years. It was inhabited up until the year before she bought it. Uncovered in the walls, next to the stone, where many items dating from (he turn of the cetjT tury (shoes, ink wells, etc.J.liv eluding a "slave hole" that was used to hide slaves as the house was a stop on (he Underground Railroad. But nothing was found that could be dated lo the time of St. John Neumann.

Last year she had a new roof installed, pointed up the stone walls and capped the chimneys. In the next couple of years she hopes to have the three-foot virgin timber beams adjusted and have the walls sealed. Eventually, she hopes to move inside from her adjacent trailer home. Is she afraid of the ghost of ghosts she feels may inhabit the house? Miss Brumage muses: "If (here is.a ghost, whose better side could I possibly be on? THIS STATUE of the recently canonized 'Little Bishop' has been placed In St. Mary's Church, Lonaconlng, conunemoriatlng his visits to the region before the hcurch was bulil In UW5.

"The had come to Western Maryland to farm," said Mrs. Carter, "and were living in the oid stone house at the time the Redemptionist fathers were sending priests into this area." Thus, as residents of the largest house in the George's Creek area at that time (coal and iron ore mining were still in their very infancy), the Knapps hosted Father. Neumann during his stay It was Mrs. Carter's and the Meyers' great-grandfather Henry Knapp who lived in the house at the time. But the house, reminds Miss Brumage, was already bid during St.

John's visits in the 1840s. The cornerstone of the house was laid in 1790. Although there are no records extant to its STONE HOUSE, owned by Miss Virginia Brwnage, i left, Is where Father Neumann i celebrated mass during the 18406. Watteiisehaidt On Dean's List Robert J. Wattenschaidt son of iVlr.

and Mrs. John Watlensehaidl, Weslwood Road, Bel Air, has been named to (he dean's list at Slippery Rock (Pa.) Stale College for the spring semester. Mr. VVallenschaidt graduated from Valley High School in 1S74 and attended Allegany Community College for two years before transferring to Slippery Rock, where he is a student the School of HealUi Physical Education, Parks and Recreation. Frostburg Play Tickets On Sale Tickets for the Frostburg Community Theater's production of "Life With Father" are available at the Froslburg Community Center on South Water Street from 9 to 5 p.m.

tickets will be accepted allcr 5 p.m. by Sharon Carey, 689 8319. Fire Hydrant Check Tomorrow CLARYSVILLE The Clarysville Volunteer Fire Company wil! check all fire hydrants, in Eckharl tomorrow between 7pm and 9 p.m., according the chief Paul G.Adams, Hydrants are checked yearly arid the water may become muddy in some of Ine homes. En lire Slock Spring Summer Dresses OFF 4 LADIES STORE Armstrong Streel, Keyser, W.Va. Meet Tomorrow MIDLAND A special meeting of the ladies auxiliary of the Midland' Fire Company will be helH tomorrow at 7:30 p.m.

Reunion LONACONING Tho at the nock Road. on 1EMILSAPSHOW coming to Frostburg Wednesday, July 6, 1977 two shows 7:00 and 9:30 p.m. Health Physical Education ne Frostburg State Campus by FROSTBURG LIONS CLUB TICKETS thfOU9 TtCKIT IQCAT.ONS tor.