In December 1873, a 4,000 foot tunnel was completed through Big Lick Mountain in Dauphin County. Williamstown Tunnel opened up Bear Valley for profitable coal mining.
The completion of Williamstown Tunnel – 1873

In December 1873, a 4,000 foot tunnel was completed through Big Lick Mountain in Dauphin County. Williamstown Tunnel opened up Bear Valley for profitable coal mining.
In May 1945, the West Schuylkill Press-Herald published a photograph taken during the Battle of the Bulge showing a tank destroyed by Sgt. Irvin Schwartz.
A 1990 study by a defense contractor details the experiences of Irvin Schwartz and his comrades in the hellish Battle of Dom Bütgenbach in 1944.
In as much detail as he could get by US Army censors, Irvin Schwartz describes his unit's action in the Battle of the Bulge in December 1944.
Irvin Schwartz's letter home to Schuylkill County in January 1945 explained the bleak holidays he spent on the front lines of the Battle of the Bulge.
A letter from Corporal Irvin Schwartz from December 1944 is excerpted in the West Schuylkill Press-Herald.
As the Pottsville Maroons battled to a 1925 NFL Championship victory in Chicago, their loyal fans in Schuylkill County gathered at Pottsville's Hippodrome.
The West Schuylkill Press-Herald announced Irvin Schwartz's promotion to corporal in December 1944 and that Schwartz's family received war souvenirs from Europe.
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.
The game ended in a scoreless tie. But that doesn't mean the circumstances surrounding this game aren't fascinating.