Photograph of the mining town of Lykens, Pennsylvania | 1860s

Lykens, PA just after the Civil War Jake Wynn Public Historian Dauphin County Pennsylvania Coal Region

A photograph by Isaac Kunkel shows the mining community of Lykens, Pennsylvania in the years after the Civil War. The image is among the earliest taken of this northern Dauphin County community. Read the full story.

Fourth of July cannon disaster at Lykens, PA | 1854

Explosion of a cannon during a patriotic occasion in the 1850s

In 1854, a festive cannon salute in Lykens, Pennsylvania turned tragic on the Fourth of July. One man was killed, another lost an arm, highlighting the hazards of 19th-century holiday revelry. Read the full story.

Remembering Civil War soldier Joseph Workman | Wiconisco, PA

Detail Joseph Workman grave at Wiconisco's Methodist Cemetery - Spotsylvania Civil War

On the anniversary of Joseph Workman's death during the Civil War, I'm remembering the Wiconisco native who joined the 96th Pennsylvania in 1861. Wounded at South Mountain and captured at Spotsylvania, he succumbed to his wounds in Confederate-controlled Richmond. His weathered monument in Calvary United Methodist Cemetery is a reminder to remember the young man who died for his country. Read the full story.

A Bloody Day in the Life of a Civil War Soldier | YouTube Short Documentary

A painting of the Bloody Angle at Spotsylvania Court House on May 12, 1864 - Civil War

Step into May 1864 through the eyes of Henry Keiser, a Pennsylvania corporal facing brutal combat during the Civil War. This short student documentary brings his vivid diary to life, revealing the raw realities of the Civil War in a way you won’t forget. Read the full story and watch the video.

Photographs show makeshift emergency hospital in Lykens, Pennsylvania during pandemic | 1918

Uncover rare photographs of a schoolyard turned into a makeshift hospital during the devastating 1918 flu pandemic in Lykens, Pennsylvania. With hundreds falling ill daily, US Army medical teams were called in. Dive into this horrific chapter of American history and see these remarkable images from the pivotal moment.

Lykens miners determined to save their workplace at historic Short Mountain Colliery | October 1933

In 1933, mineworkers in Dauphin County fought to save their jobs as the Great Depression threatened to close the Short Mountain Colliery.