Pennsylvania History

At the end of the last century, Johnstown, Pennsylvania, was a booming coal-and-steel town filled with hardworking families striving for a piece of the nation's burgeoning industrial prosperity. In the mountains above Johnstown, an old earth dam had been hastily rebuilt to create a lake for an exclusive summer resort patronized by the tycoons of that same industrial prosperity, among them Andrew Carnegie, Henry Clay Frick, and Andrew Mellon.

In Frontier Country, Patrick Spero addresses one of the most important and controversial subjects in American history: the frontier. Countering the modern conception of the American frontier as an area of expansion, Spero employs the eighteenth-century meaning of the term to show how colonists understood it as a vulnerable, militarized boundary. The Pennsylvania frontier, Spero argues, was constituted through conflicts not only between colonists and Native Americans but also among neighboring British colonies.

The early settlement of the region around Pittsburgh was characterized by a messy collision of personal, provincial, national, and imperial interests. Driven by the efforts of Europeans, Pennsylvanians, Virginians, and Indians, almost everyone attempted to manipulate the clouded political jurisdiction of the region. A Colony Sprung from Hell traces this complex struggle. The events and episodes that make up the story highlight the difficulties of creating and consolidating authority along the frontier.

When George Washington was 21 years old, he went on a dangerous mission into the wilds of the Ohio River Valley to deliver a message from the Virginia colonial governor to a French military base, Fort Le Boeuf, a message to prevent war between England and France. The journey was harrowing and dangerous as Washington, joined by frontiersman Christopher Gist and Iroquois leader Tanacharison, also called the Half-King, braved the bitter cold of an unforgiving winter. Washington wrote of his journey as a report to the governor, but he gave an incomplete portrait of the goings on of his journey,...

How much do you know about the state of Pennsylvania? There’s so much to learn about the Keystone State that even its residents don’t know. In this trivia book, you’ll learn more about Pennsylvania’s history, pop culture, inventions, sports, and more! This book is full of facts about Pennsylvania. Some of the facts you’ll learn in this book are surprising, some are sad, and others may give you the chills. But the one thing they have in common is they’re all interesting!

Amish Recipes! The Amish and The Mennonites live in a large concentration in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. The cuisine of these groups is that of simple and traditional Americana with roots in German style cooking. Indeed they are often referred to as the Pennsylvania Dutch. Their food is important to their social life in the form of church socials, potlucks, wedding, fundraisers and other events. I've talked to many Amish members and asked them what dishes that they considered true authentic and traditional Amish cuisine. This book contains the list of what they felt were the best dishes to ...

If you’re looking for a book that gives you a great snapshot into what was going on in Pennsylvania during the American Revolutionary War, and for that matter the newly founded United States, I think you’ll find this book ideal. Going through the state of Pennsylvania’s Revolutionary War Pension Archives I picked out, what I felt, were interesting and detailed stories of our forefathers’ efforts in fighting that war. As you read their detailed stories in their own words, as they told them to the court in order to obtain pension benefits, I think you will be amazed at the wide range ...

As English and German settlers migrated to Pennsylvania, they brought their beliefs in magic with them from the Old World—sometimes with dangerous consequences. In 1802, for example, an Allegheny County judge helped an accused witch escape an angry mob. But Susan Mummey was not so fortunate. In 1934, she was killed in her home by a young Schuylkill County man who was convinced that she had cursed him.

Set against the breathtaking backdrop of Pennsylvania’s Juniata Valley, this sweeping narrative masterfully blends historical fiction and documented events to illuminate the early American frontier. Juniata: A Chronicle of Land, Legacy, and Witness traces the sacred bond between people and place—beginning with the spiritual worldview of pre-Columbian shamans, through the clash and co-existence of Lenape and Tuscarora tribes, to the arrival of Swiss Anabaptist settlers who sought peace in a land scarred by war. Anchored by the deeply human experiences of the Longacre, Varner, De Lancey, ...

The life and medical practice of Reuben Harris Muth, M.D., a rural saddlebag doctor, is reconstructed from an extant set of physician’s daybooks, chronicling his professional activity from 1858 until 1898, including patients seen and the fees charged. The daybooks also provided a modicum of hints at other activities in his life, including his farming business and the whereabouts of his wayward son. However, there were no personal letters or diaries available. Thus, other primary sources and local newspaper accounts were utilized to fill out the most likely details and actions of his life,...

In the shadows of Northeastern Pennsylvania, a clandestine empire emerged—one that would become synonymous with the essence of organized crime. The Bufalino Mafia Crime Family takes you on a gripping journey through the tumultuous history of the notorious Bufalino crime syndicate. This meticulously researched and fascinating narrative unveils the hidden layers of a mafia family that left an indelible mark on American criminal history.

Nothing Like It in the World is the story of the men who built the transcontinental railroad. In Ambrose's hands, this enterprise comes to life. The U.S. government pitted two companies - the Union Pacific and the Central Pacific railroads - against each other in a race for funding, encouraging speed over caution. As its peak the work force approached the size of Civil War armies, with as many as 15,000 workers on each line. The surveyors, the men who picked the route, lived off buffalo, deer, and antelope.

The first half of the 19th century was an era of upheaval. The United States nearly lost the War of 1812. Partisanship became endemic during violent clashes regarding States’ Rights and the abolition of slavery. The battle between Andrew Jackson and Nicholas Biddle over the Second Bank of the United States epitomized a nation in turmoil: Biddle, the erudite aristocrat versus Jackson, the plain-spoken warrior. The conflict altered America’s political arena. In 1832, President Andrew Jackson vowed to kill the Central Bank, setting in motion the infamous Bank War that almost bankrupted the...

As Seen in Scream Magazine Disturbed is set in the Coal Region of Northeast Pennsylvania, a grimly haunted region with a bloody history of conflict between oppressed miners and wealthy coal barons. Many believe that even today, the ghosts of the Molly Maguires – a secret Irish organization that waged war against oppressive labor practices in the 19th Century – still roam the landscape. Into this setting arrives Jonah Frost, a young man with a history of mental illness. Little does he know his new home is inhabited by its former resident, hell-bent on continuing her life’s vendetta. ...

A Heinz 57 selection of tales of the strange, unexplained, and unsolved from the great Keystone State of Pennsylvania.

Ed Nebinger was inspired to write these memoirs by his realization of how greatly privileged he had been to be able to grow up in a wonderful part of America during the Great Depression. The Lehigh Valley is a beautiful, fertile area, surrounded by picturesque mountains, and populated by a talented and productive people of diverse ethnic and cultural backgrounds. The years he spent growing up in the Pennsylvania steel town of Bethlehem before World War II proved to be pivotal ones in our country's history.

Rebecca Mendenhall is counting the days to Christmas, when she'll wed Johnny Whittier in their Quaker Meeting House. But in September, a division is formed between Rebecca and Johnny. The Fugitive Slave Law is enacted, making it illegal to aid runaway slaves in Pennsylvania, punishable by heavy fines and prison sentences. Rebecca's parents are avid abolitionists and Johnny' father is not, believing Quakers must abide by the laws of the land. Division's among the Quakers on how to deal with this new law splits their Meeting House in two: Rebecca in one house and Johnny in another. Will ...

In August 1862, the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania quickly responded to President Lincoln’s request for more troops. An overwhelming response of volunteers would provide the Union with eighteen infantry regiments that would serve for a period of nine months. Individual motivations to enlist were as varied as were the volunteers themselves. Many wanted the attractive recruiting bounties, and others sought the adventure. The majority in the recruiting lines were there with the sentiments of “right” and “duty”, a symbol of their honor and manhood. These devoted groups of mostly central...

General Robert E. Lee's movement north shifted the war out of the central counties of the Old Dominion into the Shenandoah Valley, across the Potomac, and beyond. The first installment carried the armies through the defining clash at Battle of Brandy Station, after which Lee pushed his corps into the Shenandoah Valley and achieved victory at Second Winchester. Major General Joseph Hooker used his cavalry to probe the mountain gaps, triggering a series of consequential mounted actions.

It is the author’s opinion that it is not an exaggeration to say that if anyone wishes to experience one of those rare moments of true happiness that occurs in a lifetime, they should go to the maintains and search for a teller of the old tales. When sitting amidst the scenery that is woven into the heart and soul of the stories themselves, cares of this present hectic age seem to melt away, and the listener is indeed transported to another level – a finer “phase” of existence that everyone should be able to experience whenever they so desire. It has been this writer’s privilege ...