Executive Director Molly Jobson invites veterans and interviewers to record firsthand accounts of military life as part of the Veterans History Project.
A-Ten-HUT! – Local veterans – and anyone interested in conducting interviews with local veterans – are invited to take part in an opportunity for unique firsthand recollections of U.S. military life to be archived and preserved forever in the Library of Congress.
Morgan Log House Historical Society Executive Director Molly Jobson is facilitating the effort locally at the 850 Weikel Road historic site in Towamencin Township for the Veterans History Project.
“Leading up to the 250th anniversary of our country in 2026, Morgan Log House would like to contribute to this project,” Jobson said.
According to the Library of Congress, the Project collects and preserves, and makes accessible, the recollections of veterans who served from World War I through more recent conflicts and peacekeeping missions.
The idea is future generations can watch the interviews, view photos, and read documents directly from veterans to better understand what they saw, did and felt during their time in the military.
Jobson said the interviews take about an hour. Anyone not familiar with conducting interviews will be given needed training and supplied with questions, she said.
“The Library of Congress would love to be able to conduct all of these oral histories, but unfortunately, due to funding and staff power, it isn't possible,” Jobson said. “The Library of Congress has put together a step-by-step guide for individuals or sites to conduct these interviews and then submit them to the Library of Congress.”
The goal, she said, is to have multiple days throughout the year where Jobson and volunteers teach community members how to conduct oral histories.
“These community members then would interview the veterans willing to share. This would be just one way the community can play a vital role in capturing these histories,” she said.
Morgan Log House started its “reach-out process” in March.
“Our goal is to not only connect the local American Legions and local VFWs, but also do general calls to the public for veterans and community members,” she said.
The effort is also a tenet of Morgan Log House Historical Society’s push to make the medieval European log home of Daniel Boone’s grandfather and its property a gathering site for the community.
“My goal for Morgan Log House is for it to become more of a community site and I'm hoping this project will be a new and unique way to connect with those who might not know about Morgan Log House,” Jobson said.
Morgan Log House landed on the U.S. National Register of Historic Places in Pennsylvania in 1973.
In February 1702, William Penn granted merchant Griffith Jones 600 acres of land in Towamencin, which included the log house. Six years later, Edward Morgan purchased 309 of the 600 acres of land, including the “dwelling house.”
Jobson said Morgan was the first one to live on the property. Prior to buying the land, Morgan, who arrived in Pennsylvania in 1698, settled in Gwynedd.
Eventually, his daughter, Sarah, would marry Squire Boone, before moving to Birdsboro, Berks County, where they would have their son, Daniel, the future famous explorer and frontiersman.
Descendants of Morgan include author Lowell Thomas, who publicized the life of T.E. Lawrence, also known as Lawrence of Arabia, and Walter L. Morgan, the founder of the first mutual fund in the United States.
Morgan would eventually deed the property to his son, John, who then sold it to Evan David in 1741. Then, Schwenkfelder John Yeakel purchased it in 1770 before selling 82 acres to Mennonite Yellis Cassel four years later.
Morgan Log House remained part of the Cassel clan for almost 100 years, then Frederick Bower bought the house and 62 acres in the late 1800s.
By 1965, the property was owned by William Nash, who wanted to subdivide and develop the land. However, the house was condemned two years later, and ironically, recognized as a historic structure too. In 1970, Towamencin Township bought the property.
At present, the two-and-a-half-story white oak log and stone house features a center chimney, a large fireplace, original hardware, a spring room in the basement, an undivided attic, and three rooms each on the first and second floors.
Call Jobson at 215-368-2480 to take part in the Veterans History Project.
View video interviews and read more on the project here.
Watch an example of a Veterans History Project below of a veteran who was stationed on the U.S.S. Lansdale (no relation),
