Horner Generosity Helps Barn Preservation
Generosity, Care and Concern
In April of 2019, Mary Dolliver traveled East to hear a program sponsored by Historic Gettysburg-Adams County (HGAC) at the G.A.R. Hall in Gettysburg, entitled “Historic Horner Homestead House” presented by John Horner. Mary attended the program and then spent several hours the next day at John and Mary Horner’s home.
After she returned to her home in California, Mary Dolliver wrote, “Starting this year, and for the next 10 years, I would like to make a donation to HGAC of $1,000. It will be given in the name of John and Mary Horner. I want to help continue the work they have aspired to for so many years.”
As a result of this generous gift, “The John and Mary Horner Fund for Barn Preservation” was established by the HGAC Board of Directors. Proceeds from the Fund will be used for the preservation of historic barns in Adams County through the HGAC Barn Preservation Project and Grant Program. As John and Mary Horner put it, “We are grateful that we are blessed by this act of generosity, care and concern.”
What a Difference a Year Makes!Since that initial gift of $1,000 one year ago, The John and Mary Horner Fund for Barn Preservation has grown to over $6,000, which will be used to provide matching grants to barn owners to make needed repairs. One barn owner recently wrote in his application for an HGAC Barn Grant, “For us, the barn represents a direct physical connection to our ancestors and history--stretching back more than two hundred years, and rather than bulldozing it, we are committed to brining it back to life.”
This year’s success is thanks to generous donations from the following individuals: from California: Mary Dolliver, C. Robert and Judith Moore; from Maryland: Harold and Annette Robinson; from Pennsylvania: William and Jennifer Aldrich, Stephen Ambor, Douglas and Virginia Cooke, Ken and Connie Farabaugh, Bruce S. Horner, John and Mary Horner, John B. Horner (in memory of the late Mildred Horner Reale), John and Susan Klapper, Andrew Larson, Kathryn and Ronald Rock, Joseph and Rose Tripi, Richard
and Ruth Jean Unger; from Utah: Nile and Ann Horner; from Washington: Louise Horner, Richard and Judith Miller, Gary and Susan Sterner.
At HGAC, we meet a lot of wonderful people who own these great old barns. We remember one old farmer who was up in his years when someone asked him, “What are you most proud of in your life?” He thought for a moment and replied firmly, “My barn.”
