Black Harrisburg’s Resistance to Slavery

Posted by on Nov 29, 2013 in | Comments Off on Black Harrisburg’s Resistance to Slavery In April 18, 1825, a fugitive slave from Mary­land was found by his owner in Harrisburg and was imprisoned in the Dauphin County jail. A hearing on the matter was held in the courthouse that day, with Judge Bucher presiding. It took most of the day to con­vince the Judge that the slave should be returned to the custody of the slaveholder, during which time, according to the Pennsylvania...
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“A New County to Be Called Snyder”

Posted by on Nov 29, 2013 in | Comments Off on “A New County to Be Called Snyder” Snyder is a small rural county covering 327 square miles with a population exceeding thirty thou­sand. Situated near the center of the Commonwealth, it is bounded on the northwest by Jack’s Mountain, on the southeast by the Mahantango Creek and on the en­tire eastern end by the beautiful Susquehanna River. Most of the remaining boundaries are unrelated to natural features. Geologically,...
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Executive Director’s Message

Posted by on Nov 26, 2013 in | Comments Off on Executive Director’s Message “George Washing­ton slept here.” No other state – besides Virginia, of course – claims a closer connection to the life and times of George Washington than Pennsylvania. Travels during his extraordinary military and political careers took him to dozens of settlements and sites across the Commonwealth. Many of these places survive and offer vivid reminders of the presence...
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The Lincoln Train is Coming!

Posted by on Nov 25, 2013 in | Comments Off on The Lincoln Train is Coming! On Saturday morning, April 15, 1865, news of President Abraham Lincoln’s assas­sination reached Philadelphia. The treacher­ousness of the crime created a mix of feel­ings surging from fear and horror to inconsolable grief. A galvanized nation began mourning immediately. Printer cranked out broadside that were posted throughout Philadelphia lamenting the “Martyred Father.”...
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Elizabeth Meyer Flag at Pennsylvania Military Museum

Posted by on Nov 20, 2013 in | Comments Off on Elizabeth Meyer Flag at Pennsylvania Military Museum No less than two dozen communities throughout the country claim to be the birthplace of Memorial Day and Boalsburg, Centre County, continues to staunchly defends its claim. According to local tradition Emma Hunter and Sophie Keller met at a cemetery adjacent to the village’s Zion Lutheran Church on an October Sunday in 1864 to place flowers on the grave of Hunter’s father Reuben, a physician who...
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Jeffrey B. Johnson, A Connoisseur of Color

Posted by on Nov 20, 2013 in | Comments Off on Jeffrey B. Johnson, A Connoisseur of Color One of the first things you notice about Jeffrey B. Johnson — in addition to his easy smile and dulcet voice — are his hands. As he passionately speaks about his work, he often gestures and it’s hard not to take note of his thin, elegant fingers. They belong to a master craftsman. Johnson, who lives in Harrisburg, is an exceptionally talented conservator, paint analyst, gilder, designer, artist,...
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