MIDDLETOWN AREA HISTORICAL SOCIETY MUSEUM

Middletown's Micky Mouse, produced by the Performo Toy Company that was once located in Middletown. Many believe this is the character that Walt Disney used to create his now famous Mickey Mouse.   

The similarities between both mice have led to speculation that Walt Disney stole his most successful idea from the Performo Toy Company, Middletown PA. The wooden mouse was very popular in New York City (where Performo's distributor was located) in 1928. Coincidentally, at about the same time, Disney thought of the idea for his animation studio's new character and began drafting cartoons, which then aired as shorts, padding the time between one film and the next, and were extremely popular. Other shorts included newsreels, which showed film of events from around the world, much as does nightly news broadcast in the heyday of television broadcasting.   Visit the museum to see this artifact and learn more.  

On April 9, 1910, a disastrous fire consumed two blocks in the heart of the downtown business district of Middletown Borough. Among the losses were the Middletown Post Office, the YMCA and the Auditorium. 

The fire started on Emaus Street in the Market House (now the site of the Community Building), the fire was fanned by strong winds. It sent flames and burning timbers in all directions, some being carried several miles to ignite rural barns. The fire burned from Catherine Street to Pine Street, from Union Street to Brown Street. 

The first schools in Middletown were private schools. The first teacher in Middletown that was recorded was Mrs. Ward and the first male teacher recorded was Jacob Peeler,  who was the nail maker in town. Mr. Peeler worked his trade during the summer months and taught school during the winter months of 1808 and 1809. 

Stop in the museum and learn all about the Middletown School District and our BLUE RAIDER PRIDE!  We have many school district items in our archives. 

The Rough Wear Clothing Company was founded in 1910 by Hyman Kirschenbaum under the name “Sportsman’s Apparel Company” In New York City, New York.

In 1919 the company name was changed to Rough Wear Clothing Company which only manufactured a line of sheep-lined and leather clothing. 

The Middletown factory was well known. Their fleece-lined jackets were in demand—the employees took pride in their work. 

In the forties, special jackets were made for the New York police force, and during the WWII years the factory manufactured a half million leather jackets and flying suits for the Air Force and the Quartermaster Corps. During these years the company produced about 12,000 garments a week. Visit the museum to see articles made at the Rough Wear Clothing Company. 

The Raymond Campbell Stove Works represents a long history of industrial manufacturing in Middletown. The original structure stands today on the southwest side of Union Street between Brown and Mill Streets. (Karns) 

The Stoves works, as it continued to grow, included seven buildings: main building, foundry, foundry annex, machine shop, pattern shop, coal stove building, and enamel department. 

The company manufactured high class stoves, ranges, and heaters to wholesalers throughout the entire country. The Middletown stoves had good looks and good workmanship. 

On January 1, 1912 the business was reorganized and the name was changed to Wincroft Stove Works. The business operated until 1966 when it was liquidated, thus ending 118 years of continuous business at the same location. Visit the museum to see one of these stoves on display. 

The Union Canal was a vital link in Pennsylvania’s extensive canal system, which stretched nearly 600 miles, connecting Philadelphia with Pittsburgh and the Great Lakes. Once hailed as the “hope of Pennsylvania,” this network was a crucial part of the state's transportation infrastructure.

Spanning 80 miles, the Union Canal wound its way from the Schuylkill River to the Susquehanna River at Middletown, passing through some of the world's most picturesque landscapes. It traversed aqueducts over streams and valleys and cut through a nearly 1,000-foot tunnel north of Lebanon.

Financing and constructing the canal proved challenging. It took 35 years to secure enough investment, and construction only moved forward in 1825 after the financial success of New York’s Erie Canal. In areas where the porous limestone soil caused water loss, builders lined the canal ditch with rough planks to retain water.

Despite high expectations, the Union Canal never became the anticipated "Golden Lock to the West." It was built too small—a flaw pointed out by chief engineer Loammi Baldwin, who was dismissed for his objections. Even as the first boats reached Middletown, plans were already underway for enlargement. Over the next six decades, improvements such as raising the banks and expanding the locks helped extend its operation. However, by 1884, the canal had fallen into financial ruin. That year, the company’s annual report declared, “The Union Canal is non est; it having been sold out, property and franchise, by the sheriff of Philadelphia.”

Today, the tunnel north of Lebanon remains intact, surrounded by a small park. Remnants of the canal and its locks can still be seen along the Swatara Creek in Dauphin and Lebanon Counties. Numerous images and maps can be views at the museum.