COMMUNITYCOURIER - Morgantown/Honey Brook Edition -
When Juliana Flora was searching through boxes of her father’s mementos after he passed away, she came upon an unexpected treasure recollections about Historic Joanna Furnace written in 1936 by her great-greatgrandmother, who was the daughter of ironmaster Levi Heber Smith. The discovery led Flora to write a book, titled “My Childhood at Joanna: Recollections of Daisy Emily Smith Morris.” Flora, president of the Hay Creek Valley Historical Association (HCVHA), the nonprofit organization that maintains the historic site, held a book launch on Aug. 1 at Joanna Furnace, which was a thriving iron-making community in the 18th and 19th centuries. Flora explained how the book
Juliana Flora
came about and offered visitors signed copies to purchase. A portion of all proceeds from book sales will benefit the HCVHA and Joanna Furnace. Flora recalled the moment she found the document. “I had many surprise finds in the boxes, but it was the biggest surprise,” Flora said. “It wasn’t in a binder or anything. It was just 36 pages of handwritten words on what would have been stationery paper at the time. It was like she was speaking to me.” It took Flora a year to transcribe the document and add photographs and commentary with the help of her sister, Edith Bissell, who read excerpts of the book at the recent book launch. “We didn’t change very much because she was a very eloquent writer,” Flora pointed out. Flora said that her greatgreat-grandmother wrote a lot about the ironmaster’s mansion, calling it the “the hub of the universe.” Daisy lived in the mansion until she was 11 with her family. When she was 11, they moved to Philadelphia, but they would spend their summers at the furnace,” Flora said. “Her father would spend more time there
because he was in charge of the workers.” The ironmaster’s mansion is no longer in existence. It was torn down in the 1950s by Bethlehem Steel, which once owned the furnace property. The company eventually deeded the land to the HCVHA in 1979. “An interesting story is that Daisy was living in an apartment in Bryn Mawr. She knew that her mansion had been torn down, so my dad went to get one of the bricks from the mansion and brought it to her,” Flora said. “He knew how much it meant to her and her heartbreak at it being gone, and he wanted her have a piece to remember.” Flora noted she felt it was important to share the information contained in the document with others. “This is (Daisy’s) memory of this place and I’m hoping future generations can enjoy it,” she said. “The iron industry was important to the area, but with this book, I want to bring the people (who lived and worked at Joanna Furnace) alive.” To honor her ancestors, Flora remains an active volunteer at Joanna Furnace. “I got (reconnected) with Joanna Furnace and fell in love with the place. Now, I am in my second year of being president of the (HCVHA) and I feel very blessed,” she stated. “Every time I go there, I think about the people that lived there. Joanna Furnace is my happy place.” To learn more or purchase the book, visit www.brook shackbooks.etsy.com.
Gillen Visits Fort Indiantown Gap In his capacity as secretary of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives’ Veterans Affairs Committee, Rep. Mark M. Gillen welcomed the nation’s newest Black Hawk helicopters to the Fort Indiantown Gap Air National Guard facility. Gillen also went airborne for a tour of the base in a Black Hawk. The purpose of the visit was not only to assess readiness, but also to thank those who serve.
Rep. Mark M. Gillen saw the newest Black Hawk helicopters at Fort Indiantown Gap.
Twin Valley Student from pg 1 Last year, Maddie was the top fundraiser in the club, raising $2,458. As the 202122 fundraising overall, Maddie is now in charge of creating, setting up and seeing through all of the club’s fundraising events throughout the upcoming school year. For her dedication to the club and her fundraising efforts, Four Diamonds recently named Maddie as a member of the 2021-22 Mini-THON Student Leadership Council. In her new role, Maddie will serve as an advocate and leader for Four Diamonds and Mini-THON and will be one of the representatives for more than 90,000 students who are part of the organization. Maddie, who joined the TVHS Mini-THON club her freshman year of high school, applied to be a member of the council after learning about it from Gail Frassetta, a liaison with Four Diamonds. “I didn’t think I was going to get it because I haven’t had as much experience as people going into their senior year,” she noted. The Mini-THON Student Leadership Council provides feedback and shares ideas with the Four Diamonds staff throughout the school year to help improve the Mini-THON program. Council members also serve as mentors for other MiniTHON leaders and assist in Mini-THON recruitment presentations, among other duties.
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Because of the pandemic, many schools, including TVHS were unable to hold their typical Mini-THON event for the 2020-21 school year. Instead, TVHS held a car wash in the high school parking lot on April 27, followed by an abbreviated outdoor Mini-THON from 5 to 8 p.m. on the school’s football field. The club also sold MiniTHON T-shirts. The TVHS Mini-THON club has been able to raise more than $140,000 since its formation in 2014. This year, the students broke their own fundraising record and earned $30,056 by hosting multiple fundraisers, including “Laps for Leukemia,” “Dine and Donate” at local restaurants and car washes. Even though school is not currently in session, Maddie has already held a fundraiser for Four Diamonds, organizing a “Dine and Donate” event at P.J. Whelihan’s in
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Downingtown in July, which raised $300. Maddie said she is looking forward to being a member of the Mini-THON Student Leadership Council. “I (want to) continue to learn, grow and spread awareness,” she stated. “I am extremely appreciative to have this opportunity, and I am excited to see what the future holds for the cause.” For more information about Mini-THON at TVHS, visit www.facebook.com /TVHSminithon.
Maddie Morgan
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