100th Graybill Reunion
Saturday, September 7, 2019
10 AM – 3:30 PM
Graybill's Grove, Heister Valley Rd., Richfield, PA
The program will feature talks by attendees about their memories of the Reunion.
Music will include the Hunsberger Family and taped band music, courtesy of the Greenwood Band.
Additional parking will be available at Basom Park.
History of the Graybill Reunion
In the summer of 1918, two Graybill families, Elmer W. and Irvin had a meal together on a Sunday afternoon. They decided to meet again the next year in the fall, inviting any other Graybill families to a picnic in the grove north of Richfield on land owned by a former relative. The meeting or picnic was held as
scheduled but neither of the two Graybills who had planned it were present for both had died during the intervening year.
The picnic was a success and an organization was formed and plans were made for an annual reunion to be held on the first Saturday of September.
For many years this day was not only a reunion for the Graybill families, but actually became the Richfield picnic, since a very large percent of the inhabitants trace their ancestry back to the pioneer settler, John Graybill. One of the highlights of this organization was the selling of trees to individuals. Anyone who
was willing to give a certain amount of money toward the Graybill Reunion Association had a sign painted with their name on it. The sign was
then nailed to their tree. For a number of years, The Beaver Springs Girls’ Band, attired in their colorful uniforms and playing skillfully, appeared at the reunions. They were a real treat to both the young and the elderly, many of whom had never seen or heard anything like it before.
The late Hon. E. E. Ferster was the leading figure in promoting this organization. The Graybill Reunion continues today. Graybill’s Grove is currently owned and maintained by the Richfield Community Center.