Notable Figures of M-town

50th Annual Middletown Fair

Notable Figures in Middletown History

George Fisher

John Fisher and his wife, Grace, granted their youngest son, George Fisher, tracts of land totaling 691 acres and 53 perches, plus allowances—land that would later become Middletown. George Fisher settled in the area in 1752 and officially laid out the town in 1755.

A Quaker by faith, George Fisher passed the bar in 1787 and practiced law until retiring to Pineford Farm in Middletown. In 1809, his son, also named George, established a new town called Harborton, which was later renamed Portsmouth in 1857 before merging with Middletown. George Fisher lived to the age of eighty-seven and is buried in Saint Mary's Catholic Cemetery, Middletown.

Col james burd

James P. Burd, born on March 3, 1726, near Edinburgh, Scotland, immigrated to the United States at the age of twenty-one. Coming from a prominent family with property holdings, James was the eldest of eleven children and received a quality education, establishing himself as a commendable scholar. Arriving in Philadelphia by the spring of 1748, he rented a storeroom from Samuel Carpenter for forty-five pounds per year, venturing into the merchant trade.

In 1752, James Burd married Sarah Shippen, the only daughter of Edward Shippen, Esq., the founder of Shippensburg.

They relocated to Shippensburg, then a frontier village, where James managed a plantation for his father-in-law and actively participated in the fur trade and Indian affairs.

On June 10th, 1774 Col. James Burd met with a group of nearly 200 residents from Middletown at his home “Tinian” to establish the Middletown Resolves. The Middletown Resolves are a group of resolutions formally protesting the oppressive acts of King George & Britain’s Parliament against the American colonists.

In 1775, as a member of the Committee of Safety in Lancaster County, he contributed to organizing colonial military forces. Retiring to civilian life in 1776, James Burd passed away in 1793 at "Tinian," his farm in Highspire at the age of 67. He was buried beside his wife, Sarah Shippen Burd, in the old Presbyterian Church graveyard at the corner of Union and High Streets. Together, they had eleven children. On June 4, 1860, their descendants moved their remains to the Middletown cemetery where they are buried today.

John Winebrenner rife August 14, 1846 - April 17, 1908

A U.S. Congressman born in Middletown, Pennsylvania, he began his career as a tanner before enlisting in the Union Army. Serving with distinction during the Civil War, he was a Private in Company D, 94th Regiment, Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry. After the war, he became president of the Middletown and Hummelstown Railroad Company and was active in local politics, serving on the Middletown City Council (1871, 1877–78) and later in the Pennsylvania State House of Representatives (1885–86). In 1889, he was elected as a Republican to the Fifty-first and Fifty-second Congresses, serving until 1893. Choosing not to seek re-nomination, he returned to his role as president of the railroad company, a position he held until his passing at age 61 in Middletown, Pennsylvania. He was interred, Middletown Cemetery

Henry Luther "Hinkey Haines" December 23, 1898 - January 9, 1979

Hinkey Haines was a rare dual-sport professional athlete, excelling in both American football and Major League Baseball. A standout for the New York Giants football team, he holds the unique distinction of being the only athlete to play on national championship teams in both baseball and football. He won the 1923 World Series with the New York Yankees and later captured the 1927 NFL Championship with the New York Giants.

Haines made his Major League Baseball debut on April 20, 1923, at the age of 24. Though his baseball career lasted only one season, he frequently served as a defensive replacement and pinch runner. Notably, he scored in each of his first three pinch-running appearances. Over 28 games, he recorded nine runs, four hits, two doubles, three RBIs, three stolen bases, and a .160 batting average. Defensively, he was flawless, posting a 1.000 fielding percentage on 17 chances.

In the 1923 World Series, Haines appeared in two games. Though he went hitless in his lone at-bat, he made a crucial impact as a pinch runner, scoring the tying run in the decisive game. He remained in the game as the center fielder when the Yankees secured the final out, clinching the championship. That game marked his final professional baseball appearance.

Transitioning to professional football, Haines played as a quarterback for the New York Giants from 1925 to 1928, leading the team to its first NFL championship in 1927 alongside backfield teammate Joe Guyon. He later played for the Staten Island Stapletons in 1929 and 1931, also serving as their coach.

Following his playing days, Haines became the Giants’ offensive coach from 1926 to 1931 and later worked as an NFL official.

In his later years, he settled in the Philadelphia area, where he became involved in Little Theater as both an actor and director.

Haines was born in Red Lion, PA in 1898, passed away on January 9, 1979, in Sharon Hill, Pennsylvania, and was laid to rest in Middletown Cemetery in Middletown, Dauphin County, Pennsylvania.

Helen Twelvetrees December 25,1907 - February 13, 1958

Helen Twelvetrees was an American actress born in New York. As a teenager, she attended a fine arts school and, driven by her love for film, pursued a career in Hollywood. She quickly secured roles in silent films before transitioning to talkies, where she starred alongside notable actors such as Clark Gable and John Barrymore.

Among her most popular films was The Painted Desert (1932), in which she co-starred with Clark Gable. She also appeared in Millie with Robert Ames and State’s Attorney alongside John Barrymore. Her contributions to the film industry were later honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 6263 Hollywood Blvd.

As her career declined, Helen married Jack Woody, with whom she had a son, Jack Woody Jr. Their marriage was tumultuous, marked by her husband's repeated suicide attempts—including one dramatic fall from a hotel window, which was broken by a canopy 12 stories below. The couple eventually divorced, and Helen continued to travel with her son and alleged husband.

In the latter years of her life, she took on one final film, which failed commercially. In 1958, she passed away under circumstances widely believed to be suicide, though the exact cause of her death remains disputed. Helen is interned in the Middletown Cemetery