A new tradition was born when Schuylkill County celebrated its first Thanksgiving in November 1845.
Schuylkill County’s first Thanksgiving – November 27, 1845
U.S. Navy admiral: anthracite coal won the Civil War
In 1906, Admiral Robley D. Evans declared anthracite coal a vital strategic resource and used the Civil War as an example.
Photographs: A colliery in Schuylkill County
Coal Region photographer A.M. Allen captured images of a colliery near Mahanoy City in the years after the Civil War.
“An enduring monument” – A trip inside Williamstown’s opera house and public hall
A newspaper clipping from 1872 takes us into a long-demolished building at the heart of Williamstown, PA.
Christmas in a Coal Region ‘patch town’
A writer from Kalmia Colliery in Schuylkill County details Christmas celebrations in a newspaper dispatch from 1877.
“Assaults upon the senses” – The sights and sounds of the Coal Region in the 19th century
A visit to the Coal Region in the 19th century could be an overwhelming and memorable experience.
“They died for you and me” – Captain John T. Boyle’s 1879 Memorial Day Poem
The veteran of the 96th Pennsylvania read his poem at Memorial Day festivities in Harrisburg on May 29, 1879.
