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LETTER: One hundred years ago in July, Bradford’s National Guard unit was attending training in Lebanon County at Mount Gretna when a whopper of a storm hit.

How bad was it? It was bad enough that one of the Guardsmen, L.M. Peterson wrote a letter to The Era to assure the community that the soldiers were OK.

The first part: ‘Arrived at Mount Gretna at 7:30 o’clock Saturday morning. Our tents already were erected, the site having been occupied by Company K, 110th Infantry for the past two weeks. Our men were put at work unloading baggage, trending about the tents, setting up cots and other camp making routines. Second Lieutenant Beyler of K Company was in charge of the baggage unloading of the Meadville and Warren section.

‘Things had no sooner been put under canvas than we were introduced to one of the storms for which Mount Gretna is famed. Rain such as we would call a cloudburst back home poured down steadily throughout practically the entire day. Hailstones as big as hickory nuts and terrific gusts of wind accompanied the rain.

‘Many tents were blown down throughout the camp. Our company was lucky enough to have all its canvas stand up. Water a foot deep ran through the last two squad tents of the company, these tents being on lower ground than the others. Many of the companies were unable to keep their kitchen fires going and the men were compelled to be satisfied with cold food. Our cooks supplied us with hot food both at lunch and at dinner.

‘Regular Army instructors who were here during the severe storms of the past two weeks said that in comparison with Saturday’s rainfall, they were but summer showers.’

More to come.