These former residents of the Coal Region faced death as a wall of water smashed the city of Johnstown to splinters on the afternoon of May 31, 1889.
“Night of Horrors” – Schuylkill County natives who survived the Johnstown Flood in May 1889
Letters from War – A powerful Memorial Day letter on the eve of D-Day, 1944
In this remarkable letter, Pfc. Irvin Schwartz reflects on the meaning of Memorial Day on the eve of D-Day and his first experience in combat.
“The Confederate Flag Torn Down” – An incident in Port Carbon in 1905
In 1905, outraged Union veterans in Port Carbon, Pennsylvania came together to take down a confederate battle flag.
“Decoration Day Drunks” – Hazleton residents who imbibed too freely on the holiday to honor Civil War veterans
Not everyone in Hazleton, Pennsylvania marked Decoration Day (Memorial Day) with reverence and solemnity. The holiday, designed to honor the sacrifices of Civil War veterans who perished during the conflict, had been regularly celebrated in Pennsylvania since 1868. On Decoration Day 1889, some in the Luzerne County city "imbibed too freely" and ended up in … Continue reading “Decoration Day Drunks” – Hazleton residents who imbibed too freely on the holiday to honor Civil War veterans
“The sweet strains of music were heard” – Memorial Day in Williamstown
Photographs taken on Memorial Day 1907 in Williamstown, Pennsylvania show a community commemorating its war dead.
“They died for you and me” – Captain John T. Boyle’s 1879 Memorial Day Poem
The veteran of the 96th Pennsylvania read his poem at Memorial Day festivities in Harrisburg on May 29, 1879.
Wynning History 