Chronology of Events Relating to Pennsylvania: January–February 1776

Posted by on Nov 29, 2013 in | Comments Off on Chronology of Events Relating to Pennsylvania: January–February 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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Chronology of Events Relating to Pennsylvania During Year 1776

Posted by on Nov 29, 2013 in | Comments Off on Chronology of Events Relating to Pennsylvania During 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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Historical Sketch of Greene County

Posted by on Nov 29, 2013 in | Comments Off on Historical Sketch of Greene County Greene County lies in the southwestern corner of the state. Its many hills, the distinguishing feature of the countryside, grow more pronounced as one travels from the eastern to the western areas. The old Washington Waynes­burg Railroad, traveling through the hills, was famous for its 178 sharp turns, each of which jolted the passengers. There were some who took the trip just for the roller...
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Chronology of Events Relating to Pennsylvania: March–June 1776

Posted by on Nov 29, 2013 in | Comments Off on Chronology of Events Relating to Pennsylvania: March–June 1776 March 1776   4 The Committee of Safety compromises with the Provincial Assembly and temporarily suspends its call for a constitutional convention. 6 The Committee of Safety authorizes 3 men to conduct the manufacture of gun locks (firing mechanisms) in Philadelphia. 8 To placate dissatisfaction the Assembly decides to enlarge itself by adding 17 new members, 13 to come from western counties...
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Courageous Cumberland County

Posted by on Nov 26, 2013 in | Comments Off on 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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Berks County: Diamond of the Schuylkill Valley

Posted by on Nov 26, 2013 in | Comments Off on Berks County: Diamond of the Schuylkill Valley Since 1811, when Schuylkill County was created to include part of what had been northern Berks County, Berks has been distinguishable by its diamond shape. It approxi­mates a geometric diamond or lozenge – an equilateral paral­lelogram without right angles. Its history also seems diamond-like, as it has com­bined a very hard, cutting, and persistently pragmatic charac­teristic with a...
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Against All Odds: Chevalier Jackson, Physician and Painter

Posted by on Nov 26, 2013 in | Comments Off on Against All Odds: Chevalier Jackson, Physician and Painter After he had observed his seventieth birth­day, Dr. Chevalier Jackson described downtown Pittsburgh of 1865, his birthplace, as dark, gloomy, and dirty. His recollec­tions of 1888, the year he es­tablished a medical practice in an old tailor shop on Sixth Avenue, were particularly vivid. All winter long we lived as in a dark, cold, damp cellar. The sun was visible, on an average, four days in a...
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Old Johnny’s Vision For An Industrial Society

Posted by on Nov 25, 2013 in | Comments Off on Old Johnny’s Vision For An Industrial Society Although Colonel John Frederick Hartranft (1830-1889) was only in his thirties during the Civil War, the rank and file of his 51st Pennsylvania Volunteer Regiment fondly called him “Old Johnny.” His soldiers especially respected his ability to make the right decisions in combat and his altogether impartial and basically humane discipline. With a mind and eye trained as a civil...
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Into the Woods: The Blooming Grove Hunting and Fishing Club

Posted by on Nov 20, 2013 in | Comments Off on Into the Woods: The Blooming Grove Hunting and Fishing Club Cruising eastward across the scenic landscape in northern Pennsylvania on Interstate Route 84 toward Matamoras, Pike County, past Promised Land State Park, motorists pass through a historic, privately owned and managed wildlife reserve. For 136 years, the Blooming Grove Hunting and Fishing Club (BGHFC), chartered in 1871 as the Blooming Grove Park Association, has protected what is now 19,000...
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