FRANKLIN COUNTY, Pa. — As the nation moves closer to its 250th anniversary and celebrates the lives of the brave men and women who served to ensure freedom at great cost, we look back at the heroes of Franklin and Washington County throughout history.
Sgt. George Hezekiah Imes, leader on the battlefield and the community
George H. Imes (1844-1892) was the one of the ten children born to Samuel Jones Imes (1818-1893) and Sally Moore Imes (1821-1894). He was the eldest son born on October 8, 1844, in Mercersburg where he was raised around the farms that his father helped work. Those early years helped to instill in Imes the strong community and family fundamentals that would help him in both his military career and the extraordinary life after.
George H. Imes, the soldier
On March 11, 1864, at the age of 19, Imes enlisted as a private in Company D, 43rd United States Colored Infantry in Harrisburg. In less than one month he advanced to the rank of corporal. Then on May 30, 1864, he was promoted once again to the rank of sergeant. He would spend the next 17 months fighting alongside his fellow troops with the Union against the rebel Confederates in the American Civil War (1861-1865).
The 43rd regiment engaged in some of the most significant battles of the war including the Siege of Petersburg (June 9, 1864), the Battle of Hatcher’s Run (February 5, 1865), and the Battle of Appomattox Courthouse on April 9, 1865, where Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee surrendered to Gen. U.S. Grant leading to the end of the war.
George H. Imes, the family man
After leaving the military in October 1865, Imes returned home to Harrisburg where he would settle down into civilian life. On August 4, 1870, he married Lucinda Clark Armstrong (1843-1932) and 1873 they welcomed their first child, a baby girl named Aura Channing (1873-1951). They would have four more children, Otha Stanley (1875-1932), Amy Allison (1877-1940), Jessie Garfield (1879-1930) and George Lake (1883-1957), who would go on to become a civil rights leader, college professor and minister.
George H. Imes, the community leader
Imes became a teacher in Harrisburg as he worked to raise his young family. In 1880, he became one of four black principals in the capital city when he took over the reins of the Hygienic School. He was remembered as a strong community leader whose work with local churches and community organizations had a great impact on his legacy. According to his obituary, he was also an editor for the Harrisburg Times and once ran for the seat of lieutenant governor of the state of Pennsylvania. George H. Imes died of failing health on August 24, 1892, at the home of his parents in Harrisburg.
While George Imes may not have been a decorated hero of war, his time as a solider and the life he lived afterward as a community leader during a time when racial discrimination and segregation were still commonplace in America, proved the resilience and determination of the kind of man he was. He stood out among his peers as a great orator and left a lasting impact on the people of Harrisburg. He is remembered for his strength of character and his loyalty to family, peers, and his community. Every quality that truly makes someone a hero.
This concludes a five-part series of the men and women who fought for our country and made a lasting impression on the lives and legacies of Franklin and Washington Counties. But there are so many more that deserve recognition. Readers may visit the local historical societies and museums listed below to learn more about the true heroes of our region.
Franklin County Historical Society: https://www.franklinhistorical.org/
Washington County Historical Society: https://washcohistory.org
Allison-Antrim Museum: https://greencastlemuseum.org
