On June 19, 1863, an overcrowded passenger train jumped the tracks in Northern Dauphin County. Six people died in the disaster.
The Gettysburg Campaign’s Forgotten Railroad Disaster
Jake Daubert Goes From Williams Valley to the Big Leagues
Jake Daubert played his first professional baseball in Williams Valley in 1906. By 1910, he was playing in the big leagues.
A Central Pennsylvania Newspaper Marches to War in 1861
Four young men walked out of the offices of the Lykens Journal in 1861 to join the Union Army. Only one came back.
Honoring Civil War Veterans: Memorial Day 1889
A writer in Lykens, PA describes the town's Memorial Day ceremonies in May 1889.
Practicing for War – Blackout Drills in May 1942
In May 1942, vast swaths of Central Pennsylvania went dark. Local air raid wardens planned blackout drills to prepare for enemy bombers.
“Now, Let the Eagle Scream” – Elizabethville Prepares for War in April 1898
The Elizabethville Echo describes the scene as the United States marched to war with Spain in April 1898.
“A Shocking Mining Accident” in Williamstown, Pennsylvania – April 1872
"The excitement is great," reported the Lykens Register in April 1872. Williamstown Colliery had just experienced its deadliest accident to date.
Williamstown Takes on the Harrisburg Giants – July 1905
In an exhibition game in July 1905, the Harrisburg Giants traveled to the Upper End to take on Williamstown.
Poor Sportsmanship? – An Incident on a Williams Valley Ball Field in 1894
An ugly incident on the baseball field in August 1894 prompted an angry response from one Williamstown resident.
“The Homeliest of Villages” – Lykens, Pennsylvania in the 1850s
Dr. Charles H. Miller describes his hometown in an 1876 pamphlet. It gives a wonderful description of Miller's childhood in the growing village of Lykens, Pennsylvania.
