The Craighead House- Carlisle, PA

 

Craighead House (Courtesy of Comm. to Restore)

Recently I was alerted to the fact that the Cumberland County Master Gardeners, and other volunteers, are helping to maintain a pollinator garden at the Craighead House  in Carlisle, Pa. With the help of organizations such as Chesapeake Bay Foundation and the Yellow Breeches Watershed Association, plus other generous individuals, this property is being transformed into an educational center on nature, the environment, and local history. This month I visited the property and was pleasantly surprised by all the features there.

Pollinator Garden

The Craighead property includes the original house built in 1886, currently in restoration, property along the Yellow Breeches limestone stream, a popular fly-fishing spot, and grounds where nature thrives. From the 1800’s through the 1990's three well-known nature lovers spent time at the Craighead House -  twin brothers Frank Jr. and John plus their sister Jean Craighead George. Frank and John are best known for establishing falconry in the U.S. and their study of grizzly bears in Yellowstone National Park. Writing more than 100 children’s books related to nature, including Newberry Award winners Julie of the Wolves and My Side of the Mountain, Jean was cited as a Conservation Hero by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

Aster w/Clouded Yellow

From an article on the Cumberland County Master Gardener site: “The garden beds include a pollinator bed that was funded through the Chesapeake Bay Foundation and the Yellow Breeches Watershed Association. The beds are maintained by volunteers, several of whom are Master Gardeners. In 2021 Craighead House was approved as a Master Gardener demonstration site focusing on educating the public about pollinators, native plants, and invasive species.”

There were fall blooms in the garden and many pollinators visiting during our visit on October 15, 2021.  We were amazed at the size of the bees on the Mountain Mint  and the variety of bees, butterflies and other pollinators on the Aster flowers and Golden Rod. Native plants surround the house along the porch and around the property. The property looks like it might have when the family came for summers in the 1930’s.

In various places around the house area there are signs with information about pollinator plants, invasive plants and native plants. A springtime and summer visit will no doubt show blooms on many of the plants that are now going dormant. 

According to Gerald Almy, a trout fishing enthusiast, the Yellow Breeches is one of the four most hallowed limestone streams in  Pennsylvania for trout fishing. Worth noting is that Falling Spring in Franklin County is among them. Glancing out along the stream with autumn colors starting to show there was a man fly-fishing in the gently flowing water. There were a few benches placed along the banks facing the stream. A pleasant and calm resting spot. Boating or fishing can be accessed from the grounds at the far end of the parking lot.

Kitchen Wall (Courtesy of the Sentinel)

The house is being restored and I wandered around the wrap-around porch looking in windows. The kitchen area was filled with storage boxes but I noticed some drawing on the walls. My thought was that when it was abandoned it was visited and graffiti added. I was surprised to see the front door open so, after calling out, I ventured in. Rooms were empty of furniture and I went to the kitchen. WOW!

All the walls in the kitchen were covered with more than 250 drawings, paintings, cartoons, and doodles, in addition to some well-done art sketches. One of the dates is 1929 and others as recent as the 1970’s.  I discovered in the brochure that the artwork that was done by several generations of family and friends is being preserved during the restoration. Many are signed with a date or other identification. One local resident, Tom Benjay, has taken on the task of trying to identify the artists.

Shared by Ann Dailey "an interesting tidbit on the artwork in the kitchen: the first painting was done on a bit on a whim by one of the uncles in 1929 (the cats and mice around the stove pipe flu), but it started a 70 year Craighead tradition which ended in 1999 when the author Jean Craighead George and her son painted the last two animals on the only white space left.  It was the last time that the family got together at the house for her 80th birthday. Her famous brother, Frank, one of the naturalist twins, died in 2001."

Postcards for sale (Craighead House website)

An area created by local Eagle Scouts provides an area for the many community events held there along with programs and presentations highlighting nature topics. Storytimes with read aloud of Jean's nature picture books, interactive insect programs, and occasional community days with crafts, games, treats and interactive activity stations featuring owls, bats, "quill" craft, spider hunt and more are organized for the public.

The Craighead House is located at 318 East Old York Road, Carlisle, PA 17015.  Parking is available in the gravel parking lot located off Old York Road to the left of the house. The grounds are open daily to the public, free of charge, from dawn to dusk.

Photos: Carol Kagan except for Kitchen Wall & Craighead House & postcards

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