Friends of Old Annville, Inc. was incorporated as a nonprofit organization in 1981. Our mission is to promote historic preservation and to develop an awareness and appreciation of the rich history of the town of Annville, Pennsylvania (read a recent History of Annville and two older histories, Croll in 1895 and Bierman in 1899).
One focal point of our efforts is Historic Old Annville Day an annual day-long celebration of historic Annville held annually on a Saturday in June. Friends of Old Annville also sponsors the Quittie Creek Nature Park project, maintains the Historic Annville Train Station, and publishes the bimonthly Landmark newsletter, archived copies of which can be read online at this site.
Please tour this website to explore the activities and projects of Friends of Old Annville. You can even join Friends of Old Annville through this site.
NOTICE: Saturday, June 9 has been set as the date for 2012 Historic Old Annville Day
From the opening wine and cheese social, to the tasty buffet meal by Chef Mike Folmer, to the newly unveiled game of Annville Jeopardy, to the final presentation and readings by Phil Billings, the 2011 Friends of Old Annville Annual Dinner Meeting was lively and enjoyable. The annual event, held at the Annville American Legion from 6-9 PM on Saturday, November 12, drew 50 people, including FOOA members from as far away as Mechanicsburg and New Jersey.
Over dessert and coffee, Paul Fullmer unveiled his new game, Annville Jeopardy, which tested our knowledge of both historic and current Annville trivia. Unlike regular Jeopardy, everyone who answered a question correctly (or not) won a prize. Owen Moe then provided a pictorial review of FOOA activities in 2011. After a report by Paul Fullmer on the sales of the Annville Township book and the re-election of five board members, Dennis Flake presented Façade Improvement Grant checks to two of the four 2011 grant recipients. Owen Moe then presented FOOA’s 2011 Historic Building Award to Nevin and Eileen Hoover for the restoration of their home at 125 West Main Street.
Phil Billings (above) then presented his talk, “How I Discovered Annville,” in which he used readings from Porches, Porches 2, and When We Talk About War. We thank Phil for his presentation and for the perspective and insights his work provides about the people of Annville. FOOA made available that evening Phil’s three books, Annville maps, the Annville Township book, and Old West Annville, and sales were brisk. All in all, it was a good way to end the year.
Nevin and Eileen Hoover were awarded Friends of Old Annville’s 2011 Historic Building Award for their restoration of their fire-damaged historic home at 125 West Main Street. (Pictures show two views of the rennovated home and FOOA President Owen Moe awarding the plaque to the Hoovers at the November 2011 annual dinner meeting of FOOA.) The original Marshall home, a log structure built in the early 1800's, is an Annville landmark. The Historic Building Award, consisting of an engraved bronze plaque, is given annually for a major restoration/rehabilitation of a historic building in Annville.
The Hoover home was extensively damaged in a fire in April, 2010 and we feared our town might lose this key historic building. Undaunted, the Hoovers moved forward, and the renovation work was carried out by Reynolds Restoration Services of Harrisburg.
The first owner, John G. Marshall was born in Annville in 1793 to Dr. David and Elizabeth Marshall in a large wood-frame house which once stood at 21 W. Main Street. His grandfather, Didier Marshall, was one of the first settlers to come to Annville, arriving around 1740. Shortly after his marriage to Elizabeth Behm in 1823, John signed a deed dated April 3, 1824, to purchase two lots at 125-127 West Main Street. It is unclear, however, whether he built the present house or moved in to the home of Steven Rigler listed on the property in the 1820 Census. Like his father before him, John served as a physician in Annville, conducting his practice from the home, which also housed 11 people in 1840. The home also served as the offices of another Annville physician, Dr. Warren Brubaker, in the mid 1900’s. 
A quote from the 1899 history of Annville by Elijah Bierman describes this home and owner in 1839: "A few doors farther west on the northeast corner of Main street and Letitia alley we find Dr. John G. Marshall's comfortable home and office, and as we enter we are courteously received by the genial doctor and tendered a seat. Dr. Marshall born February 10, 1793, died December 13, 1846, is forty-six years of age, a graduate of the medical department of the University of Pennsylvania, class of 1819, the senior in years and practice of his medical associates of the town, and by instinct and training an eminently successful member of the healing art. To set a broken limb or to amputate a malignant or crushed member of the body is his forte and delight. His practice is extensive in town and country. He is a son of David Marshall, born January 21, 1749, died September 4, 1832, who was a successful doctor here for many years."
On June 10 Arcadia Publishing released a pictorial history entitled Annville Township as part of its Images of America series. The Friends of Old Annville partnered with Paul Fullmer to create this block-by-block pictorial history that incorporates information from walking tours spanning several decades. A part of the proceeds from the sale of each book benefits Friends of Old Annville. More than 225 historic pictures taken at locations along Main, Queen, Maple and other streets as well as at Lebanon Valley College fill 128 pages. Street addresses provided in the captions allow the reader to engage the dynamics of history by comparing the past with the present. Images from the archives of the Friends of Old Annville as well as from local residents and community groups serve as powerful testimonies to entire communities of ages past and the contributions they have made to the present. Most of the pictures have never been published before.
The Friends of Old Annville price for the book is $20.00 (sales tax included is in that price). If you would like to order a copy of the book, please fill out and mail in the downloadable Book Order Form.
The town of Annville celebrated its 23rd Annual Historic Old Annville Day on Saturday, June 11, 2011. This event brought great crowds of people into downtown Annville to sample the wonderful foods, to visit the tables of vendors and public service groups, to wander the historic district, to listen to music, and to shop at local businesses. The event is an annual project of Friends of Old Annville. The day also featured several special events including an art show and sale at the Suzanne Arnold Gallery of LVC, a model train exhibit at the historic railroad station on North Moyer Street, an open house at the old Fink's bakery at 25 East Main Street, and a book signing event for FOOA's new book, Annville Township. The drawing for the FOOA raffle was also held at 1 PM at the bandstand on Old Annville Day. The 2011 raffle winners are:
William Heeter (Annville) - $500 Alexis Schaeffer (Leesburg, VA) - $250 Mary Kreider (Annville) - $100
Pictures shown below give a flavor of the day (counter clockwise from top: Quitapahilla Highlanders, Face Painting, Family Fun, Enjoying Egyptian Food at the Coptic Church, and Folk Singer Jay Smar).
Special thanks go to members of the HOAD Planning Committee: Mike Bowman (General Chair), Jill Palanzo (Vendors), Laura Charelian (Fund Raising), Michelle Poorman (Publicity), Dennis Flake (Entertainment), and Annville Township Commissioner Jim Scott (Township Liason). Thanks also go to our financial sponsors from the Annville business and professional community (see attached Donor List), to the Annville Police and Union Hose Fire Police, and to the Annville Department of Public Works.
On Historic Old Annville Day, Friends of Old Annville presented its 2011 Property Pride Award to Sandi and Kevin Hostetter for recent rennovation work and re-painting of their historic home at 412 West Main Street in Annville. The Hostetters purchased the home in 1971 and recently carried out both interior and exterior rennovation work. The home is of log construction, probably dating back to the early 1800's or late 1700's. Sandi is proud of her rennovated kitchen that retains it old-fashioned look with installed wainscoting. The work on the home was carried out by Gary and Randy Felty, both of whom are show on the picture with Sandi and Kevin (Hostetters are to the right) as they display their Property Pride Award, a framed painting of their home by Annville artist Jenny Paulson.
At its 2010 Annual Dinner Meeting on November 12, Friends of Old Annville presented its 2010 Historic Building Award to Lebanon Valley College for the college's $2.3 million restoration of its
Humanities Center.
The restoration, led by John Milner Architects of Chadds Ford, PA, involved repointing of all of the mortar joints of the building, restoration or replacement of the decorative terra cotta elements, recladding the copper dome of the large cupola, and restoration of the impressive parapet at the main entrance of the building. Milner Architects specialize in historic rennovations.
The restoration took nine months to complete. The current building was built in 1905 in the Tudor Gothic style following a fire in 1904 that destroyed the original college administration building. The building now stands as the architectural centerpiece of the college and a key historic landmark in Annville. See Sept-Oct 2009 Landmark for story on the rennovation of this building.
David and Sarah Porche of 243 East Main Street own one of Annville's historic gems. Their home, built in the late 1890's by David Saylor in the Queen Anne Revival Victorian style, is one of the grand late 19th century homes on East Main Street in Annville built by and for Annville industrialists. Owned for many years by the Light sisters, and then operated as the Maison Main Bed and Breakfast, the home has three stories, six porches and, when built, used a system of rain spouts which led through the walls of the home into a large cistern once positioned on the third floor. Rainwater from the cistern was used in a plumbing system built into the home: it constituted the first indoor bathroom in Annville.
This beautiful home has recently been in need of repair and painting of its exterior. The Porches decided to do all of the work themselves, working throughout the summer of 2010 (and then some) to complete the job. The highly detailed nature of the painting is shown in the photo at the right. The Porches applied to the Facade Improvement Grant Program of Friends of Old Annville for assistance with this hugh project. Their grant proposal was accepted by FOOA and our organization awarded David and Sarah a check for $2457 at the Annual Dinner Meeting on November 12. We thank the Porche family for their months of hard work in caring for this beautiful historic Annville home.
Visit our recently updated Tour of East Annville
See www.oldwestannville.com
for a website dedicated to the history of Old West Annville.
See Artful Images of Annville by Laura Charelian
Annville Township
Annville Senior Community Center
