The Appleseed of a Nation

Posted by on Oct 21, 2024 in | Comments Off on The Appleseed of a Nation In an article in The Atlantic magazine in 1862, Henry David Thoreau observed that it’s “remarkable how closely the history of the apple-tree is connected with that of man.” He wrote, “The cultivated apple-tree was first introduced into this country by the earliest settlers, and it is thought to do as well or better here than anywhere.” He presented to his readers the image of a westward-bound...
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Editor’s Letter

Posted by on Oct 21, 2024 in | Comments Off on Editor’s Letter The three features in this edition of Pennsylvania Heritage focus on endeavors by visionary individuals to change or improve some aspect of life in the Keystone State. One of the earliest struggles for Black civil rights in Pennsylvania — the effort to desegregate streetcars — took place in Philadelphia during the Civil War era. The operators of the 19 streetcar companies in the city at that...
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Craft Brewing: Another Revolution in Pennsylvania

Posted by on Dec 13, 2016 in | Comments Off on Craft Brewing: Another Revolution in Pennsylvania The history of brewing beer in Pennsylvania has seen heights of success and pits of disaster. The commonwealth grew from colonial home-brewing roots to become a recognized industrial center, home to some of the most notable brewers in America before the disaster of Prohibition. After bouncing back with Repeal, Pennsylvania clung to its established favorites longer than any other state, savoring...
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The Last Frontier: Venango County Indians, Oil, Ghost Towns

Posted by on Nov 30, 2013 in | Comments Off on The Last Frontier: Venango County Indians, Oil, Ghost Towns Venango County. Its name is derivation of a the Seneca Indian word earliest for explorers “French and Creek.” Its earliest explorers and settlers were the French, shortly followed by the English. At one time, the territory was claimed simultaneously by France, and the colonies of Virginia and Pennsyl­vania. But Venango County’s rich history bespeaks vigorous pioneering a spirit...
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Pithole City: Boom Town Turned Ghost Town, An Interview with James B. Stevenson

Posted by on Nov 30, 2013 in | Comments Off on Pithole City: Boom Town Turned Ghost Town, An Interview with James B. Stevenson One hundred and twenty-five years ago this summer, the placid calm of northwestern Pennsylvania’s sparsely populated but panoramic vista was ruptured when “Colonel” Edwin L. Drake’s well coughed up rich, black crude oil on August 28, 1859. The following boom years of the oil industry gave rise to numerous towns and cities, some of which were short-lived ghost towns. The...
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