How much do we really value our history? In Mercersburg, the Justice William Smith House is the birthplace of the right to bear arms in America because Smith’s Rebellion was a test case of English Common Law in America that became the Bill of Rights in the 1776 Pennsylvania Constitution and ultimately the Bill of Rights for the U.S. Constitution.

James Smith, leader of Smith’s Rebellion, served as a delegate from Westmoreland County and signed the 1776 Pennsylvania Constitution along with William Duffield, delegate from Cumberland County, who attempted to stop the pack train carrying illegal trade goods in 1765 that was destroyed at Sideling Hill.

Dr. William Pencak, professor of history at Penn State University, stated that the Smith House was the most important pre-Revolutionary War property west of the Susquehanna river. Dr. Richard Pencek, professor of art and architecture at Penn State, also remarked that the events that happened at the Smith House were as important as the Boston Tea Party.

I challenge the town council to take an active part in saving this house instead of their expressed neutrality. After all, the heart and soul of a community is its heritage.

For more information about the history of Smith’s Rebellion, go to http://smithrebellion1765.com.

Karen Ramsburg, president

Committee to Save the Justice William Smith House

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