Corporal Raymond Holwig died during the fight for the strategically important Pacific Island in July 1944.
“Wiconisco Marine killed on Saipan” – July 7, 1944
A New York Times correspondent’s 1874 visit to Wiconisco Township
A dispatch to the New York Times from August 1874 details life and work in the thriving Dauphin County mining community.
World War I draftees paraded through Elizabethville in 1918 before marching off to war
On a sunny Saturday in August 1918, more than 150 young men prepared for entry into the U.S. Army at the town park in Elizabethville, PA.
“The sweet strains of music were heard” – Memorial Day in Williamstown
Photographs taken on Memorial Day 1907 in Williamstown, Pennsylvania show a community commemorating its war dead.
“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.
When the Klan came to Williams Valley | 1924
A recent visit to a cemetery in Schuylkill County inspired an examination of a dark chapter of local history.
“A reign of terror” – A violent 1838 election riot provoked outrage in central Pennsylvania
Workmen on the Wiconisco Canal assaulted poll workers in Halifax, threw out votes, and started their own election.
“Big Lick” – Photographs from the 1860s show a Pennsylvania coal mine with an odd name
The images reveal pictures of industry growing on the side of Big Lick Mountain in Upper Dauphin County after the Civil War.
“Incidents of a by-gone age” – A description of life in the Coal Region before the Civil War
Uncover rare firsthand accounts of 19th-century life in Pennsylvania's coal region before the Civil War. In this exclusive interview, Catherine Myers shares her experiences growing up in Williams Valley, offering unique insights into daily life, culture, and the early days of coal mining history. Read the full story.
“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.