newville historical society

I visited on a Saturday when they were open due to the annual Fountain Festival. For an all volunteer organization that operates out of an old two story residence this place is packed with items nicely displayed from around the Newville area. Since it does not have a budget to buy thins most items are either donated or lent to them for display.Presently they have a display set up in one of the rooms in conjunction with the 150 th anniversary of the Battle of Gettysburg. They also own an excellent collection of period clothing from this era with several pieces, including hats on display. The nice thing is that the clothing is not behind glass so you can really get close and see the workmanship. The back room has a great deal of memrobilia from the J. S. Coffee Company which operated in Newville around 1917. The other local company prominently featured is Cloverdale Spring Co. Which started bottling products in 1919 using water from a spring three miles away via a pipeline. Pepsi bought them in 1961 and eventually phased Cloverdale products out. In 1964 a new plant was built next to the original plant and is still used today for Pepsi distribution. Newville was also the first home of the Pennsylvania State Police. Worth a visit if you around the area when they are open. They do rotate displays depending on the season.