Washington County: From Ice Age to Space Age

Posted by Harriet Branton on Nov 30, 2013 in | Comments Off on Washington County: From Ice Age to Space Age Southwestern Pennsylvania was for centuries a happy hunt­ing ground for Indians who were living there as long as two thousand years ago. In fact, as the result of archaeological discoveries made at the Meadowcroft Rock Shelter near Avella between 1973 and 1975, University of Pittsburgh anthropologists have proven conclusively that Ice Age people roamed the forests of Washington County even...
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A Philadelphia Family at the “Centre of the Universe”

Posted by Kathleen Greulich on Nov 30, 2013 in | Comments Off on A Philadelphia Family at the “Centre of the Universe” For forty years after the Civil War, a Victorian home on South 21st Street in Philadelphia was con­sidered “The Centre of the Universe” by its promin­ent residents and their visitors. American writers and actors were drawn to this cultural center by the talented parents of Richard Harding Davis, the flamboyant archetype war correspondent who thrilled readers at the turn of the...
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Toward Freedom: Pittsburgh Blacks, 1800-1870

Posted by Ann Wilmoth on Nov 29, 2013 in | Comments Off on Toward Freedom: Pittsburgh Blacks, 1800-1870 Throughout the antebellum period in the United States, two of the most volatile issues were the abolition of slavery and Blacks’ civil rights. Conventions, meetings, and written memorials to state and federal governmental bodies regarding these concerns abounded. Both Black and white residents of cities and towns became involved in the slavery question, while Black residents, primarily,...
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From the Editor

Posted by Michael O'Malley on Nov 20, 2013 in | Comments Off on From the Editor After a long winter of brutal back-to-back snowstorms, and a cool spring, summer is finally here! And what better time to discover all that Pennsylvania has to offer travelers of all ages! This edition of Pennsylvania Heritage is your “go to” guide for exploring the Keystone State’s culture and heritage-especially our African American history. The Pennsylvania Historical and...
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Remembering Place: Black National Historic Landmarks in Pennsylvania

Posted by Kenneth Wolensky on Nov 20, 2013 in | Comments Off on Remembering Place: Black National Historic Landmarks in Pennsylvania The National Historic Landmarks (NHL) program was established by the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966 and refined by amendments to it in 1980. The federal law requires the U.S. Department of the Interior to certify the historic authenticity of NHLs based on strident criteria, including association with events, people, and great ideas; distinguishing characteristics in architectural or...
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From the Editor

Posted by Michael O'Malley on Nov 20, 2013 in | Comments Off on From the Editor Because each edition of the magazine has a long lead time – from manuscript development and illustration acquisition to final design and printing – it’s sometimes challenging to write about a season that’s several months in the future. The nor’easter in late October that deposited nearly a foot of snow on parts of central Pennsylvania – and brought the Weather...
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Cremation’s Fiery Beginnings

Posted by Gretchen Dykstra on Nov 20, 2013 in | Comments Off on Cremation’s Fiery Beginnings Franz Lee Rickaby (1889–1925), a bone-thin man of thirty-five, was a much-loved professor of English and drama at Pomona College in Claremont, California, when he died of rheumatic fever. An adventurous wanderer, he left a respected historical legacy with folklorists when Harvard University posthumously published his collection of songs of the Midwest lumberjack, Ballads and Songs of the...
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Letters

Posted by PA Heritage Staff on Nov 20, 2013 in | Comments Off on Letters Fiery Beginnings Thank you for the article entitled “Cremation’s Fiery Beginnings” by Gretchen Dykstra in the Winter 2012 issue of Pennsylvania Heritage. It is exciting to see this footnote of history featured in your publication. As one of the researchers who prepared the National Register of Historic Places nomination for the LeMoyne Crematory in 1995 I noticed a few minor...
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