Elizabeth and Henry Drinker of Philadelphia were no friends of the American Revolution. Yet neither were they its enemies. The Drinkers were a merchant family who, being Quakers and pacifists, shunned commitments to both the Revolutionaries and the British. They strove to endure the war uninvolved and unscathed. They failed. In 1777, the war came […]

The bloodstains are gone, but the worn floorboards remain. The doctors, nurses, and patients who toiled and suffered and ached for home at the Army of the Potomac’s XI Corps hospital at the George Spangler Farm in Gettysburg have long since departed. Happily, though, their stories remain, and noted journalist and George Spangler Farm expert […]

This week on It’s History! we travel to Old Economy Village in Ambridge, PA. We learn about the history of the Harmonist Society by exploring the historic village they built in the 1820’s. The Harmonists emigrated from Germany seeking religious and economic freedom and gained world recognition for their devotion and prosperity in western PA. […]

In the summer of 1913, thousands of veterans of the battle of Gettysburg returned to the battlefield. Most were revisiting a time and place in their personal history that involved acute physical and emotional trauma. Contrary to popular belief, veterans were not motivated to attend by a desire for reconciliation, nor did the Great Reunion […]

PA Press Club with U.S. Rep. Dwight Evans. Watch more PA Politics and Policy on cable and the PCN Select Streaming Service.

Join It’s History! as we explore the history of Saltsburg, PA with the Rebecca B. Hadden Stone House Museum. Located in a historic stone house, the museum is operated by the Saltsburg Area Historical Society. The museum details how the area grew from first settlement, to a canal and railroad stop, to a regional trade […]

Join It’s History! for a tour of the Cumberland County Historical Society museum in Carlisle. Founded in 1874, the museum includes exhibits on the Carlisle Indian Industrial School, the Underground Railroad, and more than thirty carved animals by folk art wood carver Wilhelm Schimmel.

In 1863 when the Union Army began accepting African American men, Camp William Penn was established outside Philadelphia to train them. During the course of the war more than 10,500 soldiers comprising 11 infantry regiments were trained at the camp before leaving for battle. Camp William Penn soldiers fought in many battles, won Medals of […]

William Goodridge was born in Baltimore to an enslaved mother and a white man. He was not allowed to be legally sold as a slave and was instead indentured to a tanner in York, PA. He was freed at 16 and went on to become a barber. Goodridge would later become a very successful businessman […]

On this episode of It’s History!, we go to Franklin, PA to visit DeBence Antique Music World.  Join us as we explore their collection of antique mechanical music devices and see the progression from music boxes to vinyl records.  The tour will also highlight some of the museums rare instruments like phonographs, band organs, and […]