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Exploring the history of Pennsylvania’s Coal Region

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Civil War

“Our Pottsville Volunteers” – A song about Schuylkill County’s brave Civil War soldiers

Posted on September 15, 2020September 12, 2020 by Jake Wynn

When the Civil War broke out in 1861, the bravery and courage of the volunteer soldiers of Schuylkill County immediately became the stuff of legends. The famed "First Defenders," a group that included a sizable number of men from Pottsville and surrounding communities, were among the first to arrive in Washington to protect the United … Continue reading “Our Pottsville Volunteers” – A song about Schuylkill County’s brave Civil War soldiers

Posted in Civil War, Schuylkill CountyTagged Civil War, Coal Region, Pennsylvania, Pottsville, Schuylkill County, Poetry, 1863, Music, Primary Source, Philadelphia, Song, MilitaryLeave a comment

A powerful letter on slavery and the Civil War from a one-time resident of Northeastern Pennsylvania

Posted on August 18, 2020August 12, 2020 by Jake Wynn

"ABOLISH SLAVERY" - A remarkable letter from an Irish-American soldier in the Civil War and his evolving anti-slavery beliefs.

Posted in Civil War, Luzerne CountyTagged 1862, Civil War, Honesdale, Immigrants, Immigration, Ireland, Irish, Letter, Luzerne County, Michigan, Newspaper, Pittston, Pittston Gazette, Primary Source, Slavery, US Army, Wayne County1 Comment

An 1863 assassination attempt on a US Army commander near Pottsville

Posted on July 30, 2020July 30, 2020 by Jake Wynn

On August 8, 1863, Brigadier General William Whipple was nearly gunned down on the outskirts of Pottsville, Pennsylvania.

Posted in Civil War, Schuylkill CountyTagged 1863, Assassination, Cass Township, Civil War, Coal Region, Draft, Molly Maguires, New Castle Township, Pottsville, Schuylkill County, US Army, Violence, York Farm Tract, Yorkville1 Comment

“The Confederate Flag Torn Down” – An incident in Port Carbon in 1905

Posted on June 23, 2020June 22, 2020 by Jake Wynn

In 1905, outraged Union veterans in Port Carbon, Pennsylvania came together to take down a confederate battle flag.

Posted in Civil War, Schuylkill CountyTagged 1905, Civil War, Civil War Memory, Civil War veteran, Coal Region, Confederates, Decoration Day, Memorial Day, Pennsylvania, Port Carbon, Schuylkill County, Veterans6 Comments

How did Schuylkill County Civil War soldiers feel about Confederate monuments? An example from 1903

Posted on June 13, 2020July 10, 2020 by Jake Wynn

Schuylkill County Civil War veterans took a stand against the construction of a Robert E. Lee monument at Gettysburg in 1903.

Posted in Civil War, Schuylkill CountyTagged 1903, Civil War, Civil War Memory, Coal Region, GAR, Gettysburg, Newspaper, Pottsville, Schuylkill County, Veterans5 Comments

A reporter’s view of situation in Heckscherville and Schuylkill County in 1863

Posted on May 20, 2020May 17, 2020 by Jake Wynn

A New York Times reporter's observations about the Schuylkill County mining village of Heckscherville in 1863.

Posted in Civil War, Schuylkill CountyTagged 1863, anthracite, Cass Township, Civil War, Coal, Coal Region, Heckscherville, Labor, Labor History, Mining, Molly Maguires, Pennsylvania, Schuylkill CountyLeave a comment

A New York Times reporter documents the turbulent situation in the Coal Region – 1863

Posted on May 17, 2020 by Jake Wynn

In the spring of 1863, a journalist documented the chaotic and changing situation in the Coal Region as the Civil War raged on.

Posted in Civil War, Coal RegionTagged anthracite, Beaver Meadow, Carbon County, Civil War, Coal, Coal Mining, Coal Region, Economy, Hazleton, Labor, Labor History, Lehigh Valley, Mauch Chunk, Milnesville, New York, New York Times, Pennsylvania, Pottsville, Schuylkill County, Scranton2 Comments

“Richmond has fallen! Richmond is ours!” – A victory poem from April 1865

Posted on April 3, 2020April 4, 2020 by Jake Wynn

Claude Merchant's April 1865 poem summed up the feelings in Pottsville, Pennsylvania after the Confederate capital fell to US forces.

Posted in Civil War, Schuylkill CountyTagged 1865, 19th Century, Civil War, Coal Region, Miners Journal, Newspaper, Pennsylvania, Pottsville, Richmond, Schuylkill County, VirginiaLeave a comment

A racist conspiracy theory found root in Schuylkill County in 1862

Posted on March 10, 2020March 9, 2020 by Jake Wynn

Some white residents of Schuylkill County believed former slaves were going replace them in the coal mines during the Civil War.

Posted in Civil War, Schuylkill CountyTagged 1862, Abraham Lincoln, African American, Antietam, Civil War, Coal Mining, Coal Region, Conspiracy, Emancipation Proclamation, Newspaper, Pennsylvania, Pottsville, Pottsville Standard, Race, Schuylkill County1 Comment

Captain Richard Budd – Civil War veteran and pioneer of Williamstown

Posted on February 4, 2020February 3, 2020 by Jake Wynn

Budd served during the Civil War and later became a prominent citizen in Dauphin County's largest mining community.

Posted in Civil War, WilliamstownTagged anthracite, Civil War, Coal Mining, Coal Region, Dauphin County, Immigration, Ireland, Obituary, Pennsylvania, Schuylkill County, Veteran, Williams Valley, Williamstown, Williamstown CollieryLeave a comment

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