Becky Brackbill
15856 GREAT COVE RD
17233
Municipality: Ayr Township
Structure: 3427
GPS: 39.859849 -78.034868
Horses – History tells us that the Spaniards brought them to the New World in as early as the 16th century. A necessary means of travel, not only utilized by early settlers of America, but the Native Americans as well. The old house and store in Webster Mills, Pennsylvania was built in the early1800’s. As an operational General Store, and sometimes…a Post Office, horses were a necessary inventory to have on hand. But during the years of operation, whilst the Civil War was fought in America, the horse became a much more needed commodity. Due to the store’s proximity to the Mason-Dixon Line, there were a great many raids, by the Confederate Army, on the old store in Webster Mills. On such a day, in June of 1863, word was received that 250 Confederate Calvary were riding rapidly North on a raid. In an effort to NOT endure such grave losses, a group of boys seized the horses, and frantically, started up to the woods to hide such, but not quite in time, as Colonel Pentz from the CSA, captured one of the boys and demanded to know where the others were located. After empathetically denying the whereabouts of the others, Col. Pentz finally turned the young man free. The Confederate Army did, however, confiscate and destroy the entire stock of goods in the store. At no time, during this particular raid, was a disrespectful word ever spoken to the women of the house. Colonel Pentz was described as a “true gentleman”. Three days later Colonel Pentz was killed in the battle of Gettysburg. The store is in operation today as the Yankee Mercantile. And horses have been known to leisurely graze on the surrounding pasture…with no fear of capture.
(Historical Credit given to “The Memoirs of David Hunter Patterson”) Becky’s Own –painted by Joe and Becky of the Yankee Mercantile.
