The Restoration of Old Bethel: An Example for the Future

Posted by Susan Hartman on Nov 30, 2013 in | Comments Off on The Restoration of Old Bethel: An Example for the Future Introduction To a world in a state of con­stant change, today’s goals and cherished values may well be­come tomorrow’s prohibitions. The original idea of restoration – getting people to return to an undervalued old part of town – was understood only in positive terms, until gradually, it be­came apparent that some people at least were moving out or being moved out as a...
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Baird of the Smithsonian

Posted by Marcia Bonta on Nov 30, 2013 in | Comments Off on Baird of the Smithsonian “You see sir, I have taken (after much hesitation) the liberty of writing to you. I am but a boy, and very inexperienced, as you no doubt will observe from my description of the Flycatcher.” In this way, young Spencer Fullerton Baird, seventeen years of age, introduced himself by letter to John James Audubon. His accurate description and measurements of the flycatcher enabled Audubon...
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The Early Years of Reading Socialism

Posted by William Pratt on Nov 30, 2013 in | Comments Off on The Early Years of Reading Socialism Socialist candidates were often elected to local public office in the early twentieth century. and it was not unusual for members of the party to serve as mayors and councilmen in some towns and cities. In I 912, it was estimated that approximately 1,200 Socialists held offices across the country. Though many held very minor posts, Socialists often believed that their movement would continue to...
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Geography and Resources: The Story of Adaptation

Posted by William Hummel on Nov 30, 2013 in | Comments Off on Geography and Resources: The Story of Adaptation The country itself, in its soil, air, water, seasons, and produce, both natural and artificial, is not to be despised. – William Penn Man is a creative and inventive creature capable of either adapt­ing to the environment, when need be, or adapting the environment to suit his particular needs. In the words of Max Savelle, “the history of the Anglo­American colonies is . . . a history...
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A Tradition Brewing

Posted by William Cissna on Nov 29, 2013 in | Comments Off on A Tradition Brewing Perhaps not considered as noble as spirits­ – the clear, silvery gins, the South’s prized bourbons – nor as trendy as wines – particularly Califor­nia’s pale, refreshing whites – ­beer, nevertheless, has been a staple of the American lifestyle for more than three centuries. Pennsylvania’s earliest brewing traditions eventually emerged as an influential...
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A Brief Brilliance: Pennsylvania’s Early Automakers

Posted by Louis Schafer on Nov 29, 2013 in | Comments Off on A Brief Brilliance: Pennsylvania’s Early Automakers Many Pennsylva­nians, born near the turn of the century, grew up during the infancy of the auto­mobile. Their earliest memo­ries, quite often, were from the seemingly far-removed horse­-and-carriage era, a world of dusty roadways, wooden hitching posts, watering troughs and musty stables. It is literally impossible for a young American, born into today’s fast-moving world, to appreciate...
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Ben Austrian: The Chick Painter of Reading

Posted by Michael O'Malley on Nov 29, 2013 in | Comments Off on Ben Austrian: The Chick Painter of Reading His name isn’t exactly a household word. But chances are his century old creation – a plump little chick sporting a fancy French name – has been seen by countless homemakers in Pennsylvania, as well as throughout the world. Revered in Reading, Berks County, and throughout southeastern Pennsylvania as “the chick painter,” Ben Aus­trian depicted a chick for Bon Ami...
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Pennsylvania’s Musical Publishers: Fueling a Nation’s Fervor

Posted by Alfred Holden on Nov 29, 2013 in | Comments Off on Pennsylvania’s Musical Publishers: Fueling a Nation’s Fervor A dynamic America was frenetically modernizing and vigorously expand­ing during the historic decades before and following the open­ing of the twentieth century. While the West, or open land, was essentially closed with the 1889 admission of four new states, and two more the fol­lowing year, the country gen­erated a diverse output of agricultural and basic indus­trial goods. National produc­tion...
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An Evil and a Remedy: The Lottery in Pennsylvania

Posted by Trina Vaux on Nov 29, 2013 in | Comments Off on An Evil and a Remedy: The Lottery in Pennsylvania Jackpot! For thousands of years the lottery has offered mankind the opportunity to accrue something for nothing-or at least a lot for a little. Usually in fact, it returns nothing. But the potential exists, and for many the dream of winning is irresistible. As most know, a lottery is any contest based on chance, which offers a prize, and which requires participants to pay a fee or buy something....
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Chronology of Events Relating to Pennsylvania During the Year 1776

Posted by Louis Waddell on Nov 29, 2013 in | Comments Off on Chronology of Events Relating to Pennsylvania During the Year 1776 January 1776   1 Defeat of the American assault on Quebec involves heavy losses of troops from Pennsylvania. 2 The Second Continental Congress, sitting in Philadelphia, pro­tests against brutality employed by the British Army in the war against the colonies. The Pennsylvania Committee of Safety, operating in Phila­delphia, begins to vote recommendations for officers to command the 4...
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