The Pennsylvania Dutch population moved westward from south-central Pennsylvania as land became less available. Union and Snyder Counties saw many families move into the region. Congressional representative George Kremer might have seemed out of place in Washington. But he never stepped down from verbal sparring with some of his more refined counterparts, often using the Pennsylvania Dutch dialect on the House floor with southern congressional representatives such as John Randolph of Virginia.
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Bears, panthers, wolves, elk and buffalo, were all main characters in the stories shared by early settlers in the West Branch Valley. During the canal boat era, the tale emerged of a wolf that used the old Indian trail, which ran along the top of Bald Eagle Mountain, near Lock Haven, following the nightly path of a packet boat.
Theodore Long shared memories of his life growing up in Perry County. Those letters were put into book form in 1939. Life in Pfoutz Valley, the country school, homemade shoes, sleigh riding, and Christmas and the Belsnickel, are just a few of the letters in the book. In this story, Long described making apple cider and apple butter on the farm.
Dr. James Curtis Hepburn, a native of Milton, Northumberland County, spent six years in China and another 34 years in Japan, dedicated to missionary work. Among his accomplishments was the 1867 compilation and publication of a Japanese and English Dictionary, which included an English and Japanese index.
Scholars estimate that thousands of fugitive slaves passed through Pennsylvania. African American communities, Quakers, and other staunch abolitionists aided many runaways along their journey through the state. One man who escaped from his master’s grip was Charles Bell. His freedom eventually led to faithful service for some forty years as an attaché at Bucknell University in Lewisburg. Prior to his passing in December 1912, Bell shared his story of escape to freedom, which began on a night in August 1849.
Pennsylvania folktales have been around for hundreds of years. They’ve been told, retold, and added to. Are they true or just a tall tale told before a roaring fire, in a dimly lit cabin or a crowded lumber camp of northern Pennsylvania? Whatever the listener decides, there is usually a moral associated with the story. Such is the case with the Clinton County tale of Mr. No Fear, shared by folklorist Homer Rosenberg.
On Thursday, Oct. 8, 1896, nothing appeared out of the ordinary at the Montour Rolling Mills of the Reading Iron Company. The Number 5 boiler exploded shortly before 8 pm. The explosion ripped through the building, sending part of it into a Northumberland Street home like a rocket. Most of Danville felt the explosion, which shook some buildings and rattled windows.
Following the September 30th, 1911, dam break in Potter County, newspaper headlines carried sensational headlines of the deaths and devastation. The collapse of the dam led to improved regulations for dams across Pennsylvania and the country.
A small stone along busy U.S. Route 15 in Union County marks the site of what was described as “one of the most revolting crimes of the Pennsylvania frontier.” The Lee family massacre resulted in the death of seven people and six others taken captive by Native Americans.
Commodore Oliver Hazard Perry defeated the British fleet on Lake Erie in September 1813. A great deal of credit must be given to a Mifflin County native, Daniel Dobbins of Lewistown, Pennsylvania.
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