A Forgotten Hero of the Civil War

Posted by on Nov 20, 2013 in | Comments Off on A Forgotten Hero of the Civil War At seven o’clock on Thursday evening, April 18, 1861, approximately 475 Pennsylvania citizens-turned-soldiers, comprising the ranks of five volunteer militia companies, arrived in Washington D.C., to protect the nation’s capital. The first shots of the American Civil War were fired less than a week earlier at Fort Sumter, in Charleston Harbor, South Carolina, and it had been just...
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The Rise and Fall of “Young Napoleon”

Posted by on Nov 20, 2013 in | Comments Off on The Rise and Fall of “Young Napoleon” On Wednesday evening, November 13, 1861, President Abraham Lincoln paid a visit to the residence of George Brinton McClellan (1826–1885), who he had recently appointed general in chief of the Union Army. Located on Lafayette Square, near the White House, McClellan’s luxurious dwelling also served as his Washington, D.C., headquarters. Accompanied by Secretary of State William H. Seward...
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Executive Director’s Letter

Posted by on Nov 20, 2013 in | Comments Off on Executive Director’s Letter This year’s annual theme adopted by the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission (PHMC), “William Penn’s Legacy: Religious and Spiritual Diversity,” once again provides a focus to examine the Commonwealth’s rich history and its influence on the many traditions and values that have shaped the American experience. Historic sites such as Ephrata Cloister and Old Economy Village illustrate the...
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The Mills Brothers Trace Roots to Bellefonte

Posted by on Nov 20, 2013 in | Comments Off on The Mills Brothers Trace Roots to Bellefonte Most musicologists agree: The internationally renowned Mills Brothers was the greatest vocal group of the twentieth century, a conclusion supported by mounds of evidence and unprecedented “firsts” in the world of entertainment. These family singers were the pacesetters, style blazers, and patternmakers in their field, and the first African American performing artists to attract a...
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