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

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.
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.
In April 1861, soldiers from Pennsylvania's Coal Region raced to defend the US Capitol. 160 years later, some of those scenes repeated themselves.
In his first letter from inside Germany, Pfc. Irvin Schwartz describes interactions with residents of newly occupied Nazi territory.
Civil War veterans in Tower City, PA were infuriated by an insulting story about them in a local newspaper. So they took action.
The game ended in a scoreless tie. But that doesn't mean the circumstances surrounding this game aren't fascinating.
Samuel F. Colt served as the minister at Pottsville's Second Presbyterian Church when he wrote his letter on behalf of Senator Simon Cameron.
A fascinating letter from Pfc. Irvin Schwartz about dining with a French family after liberation of their town.
It appears to show a Pennsylvania horse soldier among the coal-rich mountains and valleys of Schuylkill County.
Four diary entries from the Civil War document the evolution of holiday experiences of a soldier from Pennsylvania's Coal Region.