On April 18, 2021, John Hoptak and Jake Wynn will present a series of live videos on Facebook commemorating the 160th anniversary of the First Defenders.
The First Defenders – 160th anniversary live event from Pottsville
Letters from War – Holiday greetings from the front lines in Nazi Germany, November 1944
Desperate to share Christmas cheer and hopes for a happy New Year, Pfc. Irvin Schwartz wished holiday greetings to friends and family through the newspaper.
When Schuylkill County soldiers raced to defend the Capitol in April 1861… and unfortunate modern parallels
In April 1861, soldiers from Pennsylvania's Coal Region raced to defend the US Capitol. 160 years later, some of those scenes repeated themselves.
Letters from War – The first letter from inside Hitler’s crumbling “Third Reich,” October 1944
In his first letter from inside Germany, Pfc. Irvin Schwartz describes interactions with residents of newly occupied Nazi territory.
“Sever all connection” – A group of Civil War veterans boycotted a Coal Region newspaper in 1883
Civil War veterans in Tower City, PA were infuriated by an insulting story about them in a local newspaper. So they took action.
Grudge Match: Lykens and Williamstown football teams dueled for championship in remarkable 1904 game
The game ended in a scoreless tie. But that doesn't mean the circumstances surrounding this game aren't fascinating.
A Pottsville minister’s letter to President-elect Abraham Lincoln – January 1861
Samuel F. Colt served as the minister at Pottsville's Second Presbyterian Church when he wrote his letter on behalf of Senator Simon Cameron.
Letters from War – Dining with a French family before returning to the front lines, September 1944
A fascinating letter from Pfc. Irvin Schwartz about dining with a French family after liberation of their town.
A painting of a US Army cavalryman at Pottsville – 1863
It appears to show a Pennsylvania horse soldier among the coal-rich mountains and valleys of Schuylkill County.
Four Christmases – Holiday excerpts from Henry Keiser’s Civil War diary
Four diary entries from the Civil War document the evolution of holiday experiences of a soldier from Pennsylvania's Coal Region.
