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.
Oliver Wendell Holmes Sr. vividly depicts restless minds, repeated headlines, and the shock of war in a powerful essay from the dawn of the Civil War. Discover his profound insights into life’s upheaval when a nation stands on the brink. Read the full story.
Thomas P. Hunt wrote to his nephew in Virginia in May 1861 as the nation descended into Civil War.
We chat with our friend and author Ryan Quint about his new book on the Battle of Dranesville.
In the decades after the Civil War, Pottsville, Pennsylvania celebrated "First Defenders Day," April 18th, as one of its most important holidays. On that day in 1861, citizen soldiers from Schuylkill County were among the Pennsylvanians racing to protect the nation's capital from possible rebel attack in the first days of the Civil War. Union … Continue reading Pottsville, PA celebrated “First Defenders Day” as a tribute to its Civil War veterans
Pottsville resident Nicholas Biddle became one of the first casualties of the Civil War in April 1861.
As the United States spun into a political crisis in January 1861, Schuylkill County's representative wrote home to his constituents about his beliefs.
This week's "Gazette" has flag raisings, assassinated US Army officers, talk of blockades and neutrality, and a letter from a Pittston soldier at war.