Built in 1851, the Philadelphia and Reading Railroad depot on East Union Street is Pottsville's oldest surviving railroad building — and it has a Civil War history worth exploring. Watch the new video.
“The people flocked in by thousands… it seemed as if its whole population had been poured forth.” On a cold April day in 1861, Pottsville, PA came to a standstill as hundreds of young men marched to the railroad depot and into a civil war that had just begun. Crowds filled the streets, handkerchiefs waved from every window, and the sound of cheers followed the train as it pulled away. The soldiers went into history as the "First Defenders." Read the Full Story.
On a recent drive through Pottsville, I pulled off the road for a quick photo—and ended up staring at one of the city’s oldest surviving witnesses to history. It’s the last remnant of the Philadelphia & Reading Railroad’s original passenger depot: a brick head house built in 1851. One important moment in American history still hangs over the place. Read the full story.
In the decades after the Civil War, Pottsville, Pennsylvania celebrated "First Defenders Day," April 18th, as one of its most important holidays. On that day in 1861, citizen soldiers from Schuylkill County were among the Pennsylvanians racing to protect the nation's capital from possible rebel attack in the first days of the Civil War. Union … Continue reading Pottsville, PA celebrated “First Defenders Day” as a tribute to its Civil War veterans
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.
In April 1861, soldiers from Pennsylvania's Coal Region raced to defend the US Capitol. 160 years later, some of those scenes repeated themselves.