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Cumberland County History
“Learn by Doing” was the theme of the early youth work called boys and girls club work which later became the 4-H Club Program. The first such club that we are aware of was a Boys Corn Club conducted by Dr. W.T. Phillipy of Carlisle in 1905.
The first boys and girls pig club started June 4, 1918 in the Good Hope School District, Hampton Township. This club was sponsored by the Farm Bureau and the members included Robert Roth, Roy Shaull, Esther Shaull, Ada Shuman, Paul Ebersole, Robert Shuman and Murray Shuman. The second boys and girls pig club was organized in the Newville Area in May 1919 by J. Brady Miller with the cooperation of the Mifflin Grange.
The boy's potato club was organized in 1920 in the Newburg Area with the following as members Everett Myers, Frank Hensel, Roy Davidson, John Rebok and Mark Shuman.
February 17, 1924 was the date Cumberland County Farm Bureau changed its name to the Cumberland County Extension Association.
The first record of a girls club being organized was a girls canning club in Mifflin Township in 1924. Organization of clubs in Camp Hill and Newburg soon followed.
The 4-H Baby Beef Club was organized May 1, 1926 with an enrollment of 27 boys and girls under the leadership of H.B. Markley, Mechanicsburg and Jacob Kline, Livestock Dealer, Mechanicsburg. The club was sponsored by the Mechanicsburg Chamber of Commerce. It is our understanding that this club is one of the first Beef clubs organized east of the Mississippi. County Members have shown seven State Farm Show Champions.
The boys and girls clubs were first called 4-H clubs in 1929. The first 4-H Home Economics roundup was held in Boiling Springs Park in 1930.
The 4-H Light Horse & Pony Club was organized in 1955 under the leadership of local leaders Mrs. Homer Goodhart and Mr. Felding Belt along with Assistant County Agent, John Witherow.
An interesting note was found in the 1939 report-the county dairy demonstration team placed first at State College. The demonstration was presented also in Springfield, MA and Philadelphia. The team consisted of Helen Konhaus and Harold Loy.
Records indicate that the First County Dairy Show was held at Rudy’s Woods on August 11, 1926. The first show manager was Ivo V. Otto and he continued in this capacity until 1938. The boys and girls dairy fitting and showmanship event started at this time when youth would show the cattle and be judged on their fitting and showing skills.
The first fifty years of 4-H in the county emphasized individual 4-H project work and the club experiences: participation in club meetings, club activities, county 4-H roundups, district and state competitions exhibiting project animals and items made for project completion.
However, starting in the late forties with Pennsylvania Club week the second fifty years of 4-H devoted much attention to the development of life skills at county, regional and state levels. These activities included demonstrations, public speaking, consumer education, citizenship, leadership, decision making experiences and county 4-H Exchange programs.
The first leader training for 4-H and adult home economics was held in 1951.
Thanks to Alan Wentz, Cumberland County’s first urban 4-H agent, 4-H career projects such as “My Future is What I Make It” were introduced to our county in 1976 with a membership of 1126. 4-H career project enrollment reached a high of 2662 4-H members in the county in 1979. A series entitled “After Graduation-What Next” followed up in the late 80’s.
Records indicate that “Mulligan Stew” a 4-H TV series arrived on the scene in 1977 reaching a county membership of 833 members. Thirteen hundred and fifty nine county youth chose the educational nutrition based program in 1978. “Blue Sky Below My Feet” TV educational series followed in the late 80’s. This TV series provided education pertaining to food and fiber used in the space program. Cumberland County’s membership peaked at 596.
Embryology projects, became popular in the nineties, reached an all time high of 1,132 youth enrolled in 1997. Enrollment for the “Meet the Plants” a school enrichment project reached 426 members in 1995.
The success of the County’s 4-H program over the years was mostly due to the superb way in which adult leaders worked with their club members. They spend endless hours providing leadership in all phases of the club work.
Notes compiled by Kent Strock, a fourth generation Extension volunteer and Duane Duncan, County Extension Director.
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