Harry Houck, Edwin Armstrong and the Superheterodyne Receiver

Harry Houck (1897–1989), a pioneer of radio technology, was born and raised in New Cumberland, Pennsylvania. At the age of 14, he built his first ham radio rig and began transmitting and receiving messages. He graduated from Harrisburg Technical High School in 1916 and then joined the U.S. Army shortly after the United States entered World War I on April 6, 1917. In February 1918 Sergeant Houck...
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Courageous Cumberland County

Anxious to persuade a Scottish cleric, the Rev. Charles Nisbet, to become the first president of Dickinson Col­lege, its founding trustee Dr. Benjamin Rush wrote the Presbyterian worthy in 1784, describing central Cumberland County. The town of Carlisle lies 120 miles to the westward of Philadel­phia and about 18 miles from the river Susquehannah. It consists of about 300 houses, most of which...
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Letters to the Editor

Filled the Bill I appreciated the article entitled “Against All Odds: Chevalier Jackson, Physician and Painter” in the summer 1992 edition. Following a double mastoid ear operation at the age of seven, I moved with my family to Philadelphia in 1924, and my mother and I commuted at least weekly for ear treatments from Dr. Arthur J. Wagers, a friend and colleague of Dr. Jackson. It was...
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Letters to the Editor

Bird’s-Eye Views I very much enjoyed Linda A. Ries’ article, “Pennsylvania Places Through the Bird’s-eye Views of T. M. Fowler,” in the winter 1995 edition of Pennsylvania Heritage. We have some bird’s-eye views in our collection, and I have always enjoyed looking at them. Now, thanks to this research on Fowler, I can appreciate them even more. Barbara D. Hall...
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Maurice K. Goddard: The Commonwealth’s Conservation Czar

There is a point in crossing the top of the Allegheny Mountains between Pittsburgh and Harris­burg at which a traveler sees, at every turn, only trees. It is one of the most spectacular views on the North American Continent. The scene lacks the frenetic energy of Niagara Falls, or the awe-filling majesty of the Grand Canyon, but this several­-hundred-square-mile panorama of second-growth forest...
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Letters to the Editor

A Doc in the House Every Pennsylvania resident and visitor is indebted to “Doc” Goddard for his foresight and determination [see “Maurice K. Goddard, The Commonwealth’s Conservation Czar” by Ernest Morrison, Fall 2002]. No matter where you travel in this beautiful state, what you don’t see – polluted streams and rivers, desecrated scenic areas, and...
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Meet Our Readers

Pennsylvania Heritage is a unique benefit for the members of the Pennsylvania Heritage Society (PHS). The magazine has won prestigious design and editorial awards and is widely read throughout the Keystone State in libraries, schools, historical societies, and, of course, by PHS members. Many, after enjoying each issue, pass it on to relatives, friends, and neighbors. In addition to enjoying the...
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