"Sherman was right when he said war was hell." Private Luke Higgins of Pottsville, PA wrote home to his sister from the front lines of France during World War I. In his letter, he described hellish scenes of dead bodies, artillery barrages, and mud everywhere as the American Expeditionary Force launched an offensive. Read the full story.
"Over here you don't see any baseball. Soccer is the game." Clarence Morgan of Port Carbon, PA wrote home to his mother and shared that he had tried playing soccer, but quickly learned he preferred American football to the "beautiful game." Read more.
On October 2, 1918, Lt. Ivan L. Lautenbacher of Schuylkill Haven, PA fell in the Meuse-Argonne Offensive with the 316th Infantry, 79th Division. His own letter home before the battle foreshadowed the danger. A community mourned; a posthumous Distinguished Service Cross honored his resolve despite suffering from pandemic influenza while in combat. Read the full story.
From Shenandoah, PA to a rain-soaked military hospital in France, Bugler Joseph A. Nicholas writes of a shattered leg, ether, exhaustion, and pride at going “over the top” in the Meuse-Argonne during WW1. He survived to come home, but his letter holds the war’s ache and grit in every line. Read the full story.
Two striking images reveal the anthracite industry’s decline in Lorraine, near St. Clair, Pennsylvania. By 1938, the once-thriving patch town had nearly vanished, leaving only two homes standing. Discover what happened to this lost community, echoing the fate of many others in the Coal Region. Read the full story.
Discover the inspiring story of Catherine Marie Fischer, a courageous nurse from Wilkes-Barre who fell victim to the deadly 1918 influenza pandemic while caring for soldiers at Camp Dix. Her selfless service and dedication made her a local hero, forever remembered in Coal Region history. Read the full story.
On November 11, 1918, news of the armistice ending World War I reached Pennsylvania’s Coal Region, sparking joyous celebrations. As peace finally arrived after four brutal years, local headlines announced the end of the conflict, and parades filled the streets. Explore these historic Coal Region newspaper stories marking the conclusion of the Great War. Read the full story and the headlines.
Uncover rare photographs of a schoolyard turned into a makeshift hospital during the devastating 1918 flu pandemic in Lykens, Pennsylvania. With hundreds falling ill daily, US Army medical teams were called in. Dive into this horrific chapter of American history and see these remarkable images from the pivotal moment.
The Zimmerman brothers from Wiconisco, Pennsylvania all served in the US Army during the First World War.
Henry Leander Kramer served in the US Army during World War I and returned home to work as a coal miner in his hometown after the war.