The lives and machinations of so many artists and historical figures have not been fully researched and illuminated. Johannes Bard (John Bart/Bardt), 1797-1861, is one of those historical figures who left us a legacy of superb watercolors from the first decades of the 19th century. Bard resided in the environs of Littlestown in Union Township, Adams County, Pa. The social pressure of assimilation must have led the Bardt family and Johannes Bard to Anglicize their names to create more acceptance. It was a common practice for many German speakers to Anglicize their names to gain greater acceptance in the early 19th century. The Bardt family acquired warrants early in the history of York (now Adams) County. Surnames were recorded as Bardt, Bard and Bart. For the purpose of this article, in reference to the artist, we will use Johannes Bard, although his gravestone reads Bart. Bard painted fanciful pictures of the German Methodist Church where he served as a lay leader. The late Dr. Fred Weiser, noted historian, believed the watercolor rendition of a church with steeple illustrated here is actually the Holy Cross Church in Union Township that Bard attended in his youth. Bard is buried next to the former Barts Centenary United Methodist Church. Bard made his living as a blacksmith. Bards works appear to shed light on an idealized version of life in early Adams County. His practiced calligraphy and watercolor fraktur portrayals of churches and places that take the viewer to a netherworld of color and Pennsylvania German symbolism. His work shows great skill, and he ranks among the earliest recognized fraktur artists residing in Adams County His fraktur is Germanic in genre, but a quintessential American motif appears as the central symbol of some of his most familiar work, the American eagle. In the first decades of the 19th century, the eagle with a sheath of arrows in its talons and an olive branch in its other clutch symbolized war and peace. America was entering a new era when the British were defeated in the War of 1812 and America was suddenly much further on its path and on the world stage. The old motif of Lady Liberty was being replaced by the American eagle to reflect a new reality for America. A fraktur illustrated here featuring an eagle, pinwheels, tulips and hearts is a taufshein for Michael Unger and dated 1834. The Battle of Gettysburg in the summer of 1863 ravished the county almost eight miles in circumference, its aftermath profound in many ways. Items of material culture and textiles were either destroyed or used in hospital care. The tragic impact of such an event has dominated the earlier story and culture of Adams County that once was part of York. Historians and the public have parsed every aspect of the many stories ad infinitum. The fact that Adams County has a renowned early watercolorist, Johanne Bardt (1797-1861), whose works reside at museums including Winterthur, has hardly been noted by historians and art lovers within this county, even though his works sell for thousands of dollars. York has the prolific early artist Lewis Miller. So, why has the historical and art community not recognized this highly skilled artist? Bardt is known for his fraktur renditions and scenes that surround his early church, and Miller produced a large body of watercolors that depict the life and times of many events and locations throughout the region and elsewhere. J. Fritz, Gettysburg Institute of History