That Was the Week That Was: The First Battle of Harrisburg

Posted by on Nov 26, 2013 in | Comments Off on That Was the Week That Was: The First Battle of Harrisburg It is widely conceded that the major military event of summer 1861 was the First Battle of Bull Run on Sun­day, July 21. The battle lasted only one day, but it caused great humiliation and forced important changes in the North’s subsequent approach to conducting the war. The creation of the Military District of the Potomac under Gen. George B. McClellan several days later signaled a reform...
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The Legend of Jay Gould

Posted by on Nov 26, 2013 in | Comments Off on The Legend of Jay Gould He was the quintessential nineteenth century Robber Baron. One writer called him “The Mephistopheles of Wall Street.” A newspaper editor branded him “one of the most sinister figures that have ever flitted bat-like across the vision of the American people.” He even proclaimed himself “The Most Hated Man in America.” And even though his notoriety stemmed...
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The Difference This Day Makes

Posted by on Nov 26, 2013 in | Comments Off on The Difference This Day Makes On February 1 of this past year, a day of crisp blue skies and mild chill, voices swelled above the Liberty Bell as they have every first day of February for the last fifty-five years. With prayer and in song – and in remembrance, determination, and hope – African Americans in Philadelphia celebrated National Freedom Day, the anniversary of the signing of the Thirteenth Amendment to...
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A Blast from the Past: Cornwall Iron Furnace

Posted by on Nov 26, 2013 in | Comments Off on A Blast from the Past: Cornwall Iron Furnace Driving on narrow sinuous back roads through lush, verdant forests – just a half dozen miles north of the busy Pennsylvania Turnpike – unsuspecting travelers can’t help being struck by an odd-looking complex of Gothic Revival-style buildings and structures. This place, this curious collection of buildings, both large and small, appears to have been literally plucked from a far...
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Jr. High Quiz

Posted by on Nov 26, 2013 in | Comments Off on Jr. High Quiz “Spell ‘millennium.'” It’s Sunday afternoon, one o’clock, when my family and I gather in front of our television for our favorite show. The picture fades in and out, snowy at times, for these were the days before cable – but we couldn’t miss this show. The poor reception was due to the distance as this special program was only shown only on Channel...
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Living for Reform

Posted by on Nov 25, 2013 in | Comments Off on Living for Reform For too long, Joseph A. Yablonski (1910-1969) – known to most simply as Jock – had seen things go wrong in the United Mine Workers of America (UMWA), once a respected labor union. He had served in its hierarchy but with an increasingly troubled conscience. What mattered to him most was that things had to change and he had to lead the charge to change them. He ardently believed that...
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