The Canal Boat That Traveled to Water by Wagon
The completion of a canal boat in Orwigsburg, Schuylkill County, turned into a large celebration in the town. It had to be loaded onto a wagon and taken to the canal, several miles away.
Read MoreMadame Elnora, Charles Lee, and the Sunday School Circus
A boa constrictor spending the cold Bradford County winter in woolen blankets, wagons to paint, acts to rehearse, and horses to train. One performer in the entourage was a cartwheeling youngster who later rose to national acclaim. All of them were part of Charles Lee's Great London Shows, which wintered in Canton. During the traveling season, the wagon train of performers wheeled into such places as Troy, Towanda, LeRaysville and Montrose before continuing into New York, Connecticut and Massachusetts.
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The Forgotten Charcoal Burners of the Middle Susquehanna Valley
Charcoal burners, commonly known as colliers, worked deep in Pennsylvania's forests, converting enormous quantities of wood into the fuel needed to manufacture iron. They often lived in temporary huts near their charcoal hearths, sometimes for much of the charcoal-making season. Charcoal was particularly suitable for early iron-making because it was rich in carbon, burned at high temperatures, and contained relatively few impurities.
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Madame Elnora, Charles Lee, and the Sunday School Circus
A boa constrictor spending the cold Bradford County winter in woolen blankets, wagons to paint, acts to rehearse, and horses to train. One performer in the entourage was a cartwheeling youngster who later rose to national acclaim. All of them were part of Charles Lee's Great London Shows, which wintered in Canton. During the traveling season, the wagon train of performers wheeled into such places as Troy, Towanda, LeRaysville and Montrose before continuing into New York, Connecticut and Massachusetts.
Read More