LEBANON COUNTY, Pa. (WHTM) — For most of us, living to be 112 years old would be the most remarkable thing about us, if we were that fortunate and rare. Not Joseph Johns, otherwise known as “Old Black Joe.” Johns, born and enslaved in Fauquier County, Virginia, in about 1794 — that’s actually a conservative […]
LebTown
January 29, 2021 5 min read
John Sherman Bashore and the clothing store on Cumberland Street that he operated for decades. (Lebanon Daily News / Lebanon County Historical Society)
There are some individuals who become such pillars in their community that their legacy continues to be felt directly or indirectly to the current day. John Sherman Bashore was one such person.
After finding his calling as a clothier in Lebanon, Bashore became one of the best-known and most respected civic leaders in his time, through his contributions to local organizations and groups. His donation of 250 acres of land to local scouts in 1947 is still used today as the Bashore Scout Reservation near Fort Indiantown Gap.