And a plea to consider what the Confederate battle flag meant to the local soldiers who fought and died in the Civil War.
“Thoughts for Tomorrow” – Remembering the sacrifice of Schuylkill County’s Civil War soldiers
Article in ‘The Atlantic’ highlights opioid addiction and economic distress in the Coal Region
Olga Khazan's January 2020 article highlights how depression, economic peril, and stress ushered in the opioid crisis in Northeastern PA.
“1917” – A film experience that brings the horror of World War I to life
A scene from the film mirrors the experience of a Coal Region doctor who served with the British in WWI.
Remembering the Stockton Mine Disaster | December 18, 1869
On December 18, 1869, six people were killed when a mine cave-in swallowed their homes in Luzerne County.
A remembrance of a boyhood in Schuylkill County during the Civil War
A memoir from the 1930s describes the hard life of a breaker boy in Civil War-era Schuylkill County.
Schuylkill County’s first Thanksgiving – November 1845
On November 27, 1845, Pottsville, Pennsylvania observed its first official Thanksgiving, following a proclamation by Governor Francis Shunk. This New England tradition had slowly spread to other states, and by the 1840s, Pennsylvania embraced the holiday. Businesses closed, church services were well attended, and the quiet streets reflected a community in celebration. Explore how this first Thanksgiving in Schuylkill County set the stage for a tradition that would later be declared a national holiday during the Civil War. Read the full story.
“The Youth owned the town” – Celebrating Halloween in Pottsville in 1893
Halloween could get pretty rowdy in the City of Pottsville in the 19th century.
Trove of panoramic maps of Pennsylvania online via the State Archives
A recent comment on our blog pointed out an amazing resource made available by the Pennsylvania State Archives.
Birds-eye View of Pottsville – 1889
The Schuylkill County seat got into the panoramic map craze in 1889, creating a fantastic resource available to modern researchers.
“Something more than a river” – The West Branch in “Sons of Molly Maguire”
Author Mark Bulik eloquently describes the labor wars that consumed Schuylkill County in the 1870s.