Shown is a contemporary view of the William Buchanan Harsha home located in Harshaville. Architecturally, this is known as an asymmetrical pre-classical “I” house.
(By Stephen Kelley from the People’s Defender 1984)
In last week’s column, we wrote about Paul and Martha Harsha who had moved to Adams County in 1846. They were the parents of eight children. One son, Nathaniel P. died at age nineteen while serving in the Civil War. The Harsha’s daughter, Lizzie, married Carey Patton and moved to Denver, Colorado. Lizzie and Carey’s great, great granddaughter is Betty Rhodes of Mesa, Arizona. She is the wife of John Rhodes, former member of Congress and minority leader of the U.S. House of Representatives.
Paul and Martha’s oldest child was William Buchanan Harsha. He was born in 1832 while his parents were living in Washington County, Pennsylvania. He was but fourteen years old when his family moved to Adams County and bought Samuel Wright’s grist mill. He began working in his father’s mill the same year it was purchased and earned the trade from the groud up. In 1853 William B. and married to Rachel McIntire. She was the daughter of General William McIntire who lived a short distance up Grace’s Run from the Harsha farm. Paula and Martha apparently favored their firstborn and, upon his marriage, they presented him with seventy-five acres of their farm with a new brick home built on it. Paul Harsha had been a bricklayer in Pennsylvania, and it is assumed that he personally constructed his son’s wedding gift.
William and Rachel’s house was constructed in the valley below “Hillcrest”, Paul and Martha’s home we featured last week. Unlike Hillcrest, which was later painted white, the William B. Harsha home is still a natural reddish-brown in color and is referred to do as the “old red brick”. It was built just a short distance from and faced the Harsha mill.
His home was also visited by Morgan’s Raiders as they passed through the county in July, 1863. Here, they confiscated two horses, a saddle and several bridles from William B. and Rachel. Although they did not enter the living quarters of the red brick, some of the Confederates did investigate the cellar of the home. In that cool, dark area of the house, they found several stoneware jugs neatly arranged on the shelving. Thinking they were about to enjoy the culinary delights of sweet apple cider, a number of the soldiers lifted the jugs to their lips and began downing the liquid contained therein. Much to their dismay and surprise, the jugs no longer held cider, but indeed, its fermented counterpart, sour vinegar! After much spluttering and cussing, the troops road off, just as thirsty and somewhat wiser, we hope.
