A modern walk to the places that saw the worst of the suffering during the 1918 Spanish Flu outbreak.
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Then and Now: Williamstown’s Emergency Influenza Hospital
“Wild with joy” – Celebrations marked end of World War I in Williams Valley
In the early morning hours of November 11, 1918, the mining towns of Williams Valley erupted with joy.
An early historian’s description of Lykens and Wiconisco at conclusion of Civil War
Richard Nolen helped build the mining communities of northern Dauphin County. In 1865, he described how much they had changed.
As Confederates invaded Pennsylvania in 1863, the coal mines of northern Dauphin County were in chaos
When the Army of Northern Virginia invaded Pennsylvania in June 1863, the coal mines of the Keystone State were left vulnerable.
“All honor to the ladies” – The women of Williams Valley cast their first vote
On November 2, 1920, the women of Williams Valley cast their first ballots under the 19th Amendment.
“Incidents of a by-gone age” – A description of life in the Coal Region before the Civil War
Catherine Romberger Myers was born in Porter Township in 1840. She spoke to a reporter in 1931 about growing up in pre-industrial Williams Valley.
“Baseball fever” – Williams Valley’s 1906 season featured pro players, violent fans
In 1906, a small valley in Pennsylvania's Coal Region caught a case of baseball fever. The towns were never the same again.
“Stick to the Union” – Factory girls supported union miners during Coal Strike of 1902
Coal miners across Pennsylvania went on strike in 1902. They couldn't have succeeded without the ladies.
Parade to raise money for World War I brought deadly influenza to Williams Valley in 1918
"Good music always has an appeal to most people," wrote a reporter accompanying a Liberty Loan Drive parade through Central Pennsylvania in the early fall of 1918. And in the coal towns of Dauphin County's Williams Valley, the bands and singers were particularly successful in attracting a crowd. On the evening of October 2, 1918, … Continue reading Parade to raise money for World War I brought deadly influenza to Williams Valley in 1918
“And where’s Williams Valley?” – An 1877 travel guide pointed visitors to western Schuylkill County
A writer and his friends rode the Reading Railroad to write a travel guide. They reached the end of the line in Williams Valley.
