“It is almost impossible to form a word, on account of the noise and confusion caused by about 800 men around me…” Just days into his service in April 1861, a Pottsville, PA ironworker-turned-officer found himself swept into the chaos of war—writing from a crowded Philadelphia camp as soldiers drilled, trains moved south, and the Union rushed to hold itself together. Read the full story.
“With many regrets at leaving our families and friends behind us, we still had the consolation to know that we have enlisted our lives and honors in the most noble cause…” In April 1861, as volunteers poured into Camp Curtin, a Schuylkill County printer-turned-soldier captured the surge of patriotism, noise, and uncertainty at the very start of the Civil War - writing his letter on a tin pan between drills as his war began. Read the full story.
“He goes warmed by a spirit of true patriotism.” In April 1861, a 19-year-old printer from Pittston put down his tools and marched off to war. His letters from Camp Curtin in Harrisburg capture the excitement, uncertainty, and raw emotion of the Civil War’s opening days. Read the full story and the start of a new "Letters from War" series.
Built in 1851, the Philadelphia and Reading Railroad depot on East Union Street is Pottsville's oldest surviving railroad building — and it has a Civil War history worth exploring. Watch the new video.
“There is but one feeling expressed, and that is, the government must be sustained.” That line appeared in a letter written from Eckley, Pennsylvania just days after the attack on Fort Sumter in April 1861. In the Coal Region, the news sparked a surge of patriotism as young men began volunteering for the US Army. Read the Full Story and Letter.
“The people flocked in by thousands… it seemed as if its whole population had been poured forth.” On a cold April day in 1861, Pottsville, PA came to a standstill as hundreds of young men marched to the railroad depot and into a civil war that had just begun. Crowds filled the streets, handkerchiefs waved from every window, and the sound of cheers followed the train as it pulled away. The soldiers went into history as the "First Defenders." Read the Full Story.
On a recent drive through Pottsville, I pulled off the road for a quick photo—and ended up staring at one of the city’s oldest surviving witnesses to history. It’s the last remnant of the Philadelphia & Reading Railroad’s original passenger depot: a brick head house built in 1851. One important moment in American history still hangs over the place. Read the full story.
Step inside Eckley’s 1861 Church of the Immaculate Conception - built for Irish Catholic mineworkers and later deconsecrated, then immortalized in the film, The Molly Maguires. Today, it stands restored as part of Eckley Miners’ Village, a testament to faith and community in Pennsylvania’s Coal Region. Read the full story.
A haunting interview from 1861 reveals Private John Lanahan’s remorse after fatally shooting Major Arnold Lewis in a whiskey-fueled rage. Discover how an Irish immigrant’s fleeting moment of violence led to a shocking public execution – and a cautionary tale for other Civil War soldiers. Read the full story.
Step into 1861 Pottsville, where railroad stations buzzed, coal cars lined the tracks, and iron foundries thrived. An illustration from a travel guide reveals a booming town on the brink of war and rich with industrial promise. Read the full story.