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
Schuylkill County’s Civil War veterans signed resolutions supporting American entrance into World War I – April 1917
The aging veterans who were the first to arrive at the US Capitol in April 1861 pledged their loyalty to the Union once more as America entered World War I.
“For my age I’m doing well” – Charles Kershner remembers his life in Schuylkill County
In the final part of this 1927 interview, Charles Kershner reviews his life, his marriage, and his health as an active 79-year-old Civil War veteran.
Charles Kershner describes Pottsville in the 1850s and details his service in the US Army after the Civil War
In part two of this interview from 1927, Charles Kershner reveals his experiences on the western frontier with the 5th United States Cavalry.
A Pottsville Civil War veteran recalls his teenage years in a community at war and enlisting to fight for the Union
This remarkable 1927 interview with Charles Kershner explores the aging veteran's service in the Civil War.
How Schuylkill County football fans “watched” the Pottsville Maroon’s 1925 NFL Championship
As the Pottsville Maroons battled to a 1925 NFL Championship victory in Chicago, their loyal fans in Schuylkill County gathered at Pottsville's Hippodrome.
A bit of Thanksgiving perspective from the pandemic of 1918
An editorial from a newspaper in Pottsville during the 1918 pandemic reminds us to be thankful for life amid a time of death.
A Scottish immigrant’s remarkable working history in 1850s Schuylkill County (Part 2)
This is a piece continued from last week. You can read Part 1 of our brief series on the remembrances of Robert Weir from 1914 HERE. After describing his arrival in the Coal Region in 1852, Robert Weir turned to discussing his work in Schuylkill County as a hoisting engineer in various collieries in the … Continue reading A Scottish immigrant’s remarkable working history in 1850s Schuylkill County (Part 2)
“My brains and my wits” – A Scottish immigrant recalls his arrival in Schuylkill County in 1852
An 84-year-old sat down with a Pottsville Republican reporter in October 1914 for a discussion about what it was like to live and work in Schuylkill County in the mid-19th century. Robert Weir came to the Coal Region from Scotland in 1852 and found work in the coal mines in the vicinity of Branchdale, Forestville, and Heckscherville. … Continue reading “My brains and my wits” – A Scottish immigrant recalls his arrival in Schuylkill County in 1852
“The Mine Mule Affected by the European War” – 1914
In October 1914, war raged on the European continent. In what was then called the "Great War," industrial-scale war was waged on a massive scale for the first time. Americans were paying attention. A commentator for the Pottsville Republican noted a curious thing about the suddenly mechanized armies smashing each other to pulp on the battlefields … Continue reading “The Mine Mule Affected by the European War” – 1914
