Date of Award
Spring 5-2017
Document Type
Thesis
Degree Name
Bachelor of Arts (BA)
Department
English
First Advisor
Dr. Christine Perrin
Recommended Citation
Koontz, Abigail, "From Edenville: Essays" (2017). Honors Projects and Presentations: Undergraduate. 13.
https://mosaic.messiah.edu/honors/13
COinS
Comments
Three miles outside of Edenville sits the Borough of Chambersburg, about 13 miles north of the Mason-Dixon line. Chambersburg lies between Pittsburgh and Philadelphia, in a region commonly referred to as Alabama. You could say I live in Alabama.But Chambersburg has a city life of its own, with a Main Street branching off from the square where Route 30 and Route 11 intersect. South Main Street takes you past the M&T Bank, the Cumberland Valley Animal Shelter and Thrift Store, the old Capital Theatre, and several Mexican goods stores, like El Gallo Garcia and La Michoacana. Next you pass the Franklin County Shelter and its wooden benches filled with men and women waiting for the doors to open at night. Heading west from there takes you over the train tracks bordered by row houses, the First Lutheran Church, and a CVS. Finally, South Main Street takes you to the Southgate Mall and Shopping Center, Southgate to everyone in town. Just beyond this lies the Projects, or the public housing section. My parents always told me to avoid the Projects. Watch out for who’s around you when you’re there. If you drive through the parking lot of Southgate, lock your car doors. My mother, sister and I used to cut through Southgate Mall on our way to school, avoiding eye contact with the people sitting on the sidewalks and loitering outside of stores such as Big Lots, Chinawok, Las Palmeras and the Family Dollar.