1908: INCREDIBLE BUT TRUE!

AND ALL THESE YEARS I THOUGHT THAT PASTA WAS AN ITALIAN STAPLE BECAUSE OF IT BEING SO ECONOMICALLY AND READILY AVAILABLE! THIS FASCINATING 100 YEAR OLD ARTICLE ON THE SUBJECT IS JUST ONE OF LITERALLY HUNDREDS OF INTERESTING LOCAL "AMERICAN ITALIANS" ARTICLES AND PHOTOS I HAVE IN MY LOCAL HISTORY FILES. LAWRENCE HISTORIAN BOB IMMORDINO AND I HAD BEEN WORKING ON A VERY AMBITIOUS PROJECT ENTITLED, "CHAMBERSBURG: THE EARLY YEARS AND BEYOND." USING THE DIGITIZED CLIPPINGS AND PHOTOS IN MY COLLECTION, COMBINING MY FILES WITH BOB'S INCREDIBLE "ETHNICANA" EXPERIENCE IN AMERICAN-ITALIAN HISTORY, WE CREATED AN INCREDIBLY INTERESTING "ASTOUND!" POWERPOINT-TYPE PRESENTATION. WE BEGIN WAY BACK IN THE EARLY YEARS OF THE "BURG" WHEN THE AREA WAS ORCHARDS AND CORNFIELDS, COVERING THE EARLIER ENGLISH AND GERMAN POPULATION, AND FEATURES THE ITALIAN COMMUNITY WHO MADE UP THE ILLUSTRIOUS PAST OF CHAMBERSBURG.

AS THIS IS BEING POSTED, HAMILTON TOWNSHIP IS WELCOMING VISITORS FROM HAMILTON'S SISTER CITY, NORCIA, LOCATED NORTH OF ROME. THE MAYOR OF NORCIA AND HIS FELLOW VISITORS WILL BE VISITING VARIOUS HISTORIC SITES IN THE AREA. MANY OF THE FAMILY NAMES WHICH ARE LISTED IN THE CURRENT PRESS RELEASE RELATING TO THE VISIT ARE FOUND WAY BACK IN THE 19TH AND EARLY 20TH CENTURY IN OUR PRESENTATION. WE HAD PLANNED ON PRESENTING THE PROGRAM AT A LOCAL RESTAURANT IN OCTOBER, BUT UNEXPECTED CIRCUMSTANCES FORCED A CANCELLATION.