Author Randy Holland tells the story of how an epic legal battle fought over many years in the English courts between Quaker William Penn, proprietor of Pennsylvania, and Lord Baltimore, proprietor of Maryland, had the unintended effect of ensuring Delaware’s future as a separate and independent state rather than a part of Maryland or Pennsylvania. […]
Nicholas Dukes and Captain Adam Nutt were two men with much in common. Both were prominent members of Pennsylvanian society in the 1880s, both had studied law under the same mentor, and both shared an intimate connection to the beautiful Lizzie Nutt: Dukes was her debonair fiancé, Nutt her doting father. Yet Dukes soured on […]
Mark Singel, a Johnstown native and Penn State graduate, won election as Lieutenant Governor in 1986 as Robert Casey’s running mate. In 1993, Governor Casey was stricken with Appalachian familial amyloidosis, a rare and usually fatal liver disorder. The governor required a multiple organ transplant, which was still experimental at that time. While the governor […]
The Rosenbach Museum & Library in Philadelphia was established in 1954. It houses works of fine art, rare books, and manuscripts collected by Dr. A.S.W Rosenbach and his brother Philip. Join It’s History! as we explore the collection which includes Bram Stoker’s handwritten notes for “Dracula,” James Joyce’s manuscript for his novel “Ulysses” and more. […]
From abject poverty to undisputed political boss of Pennsylvania, Lincoln’s secretary of war, senator, chair of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, and a founder of the Republican Party, Simon Cameron (1799–1889) was one of the nineteenth century’s most prominent political figures. The political changes of the early nineteenth century enabled him not only to improve […]
This episode of It’s History! features the Johnstown Heritage Discovery Center. The center houses many features including an exhibit on immigration to the area, a children’s museum, and a gallery on the areas steel industry. Watch with us as we explore the rich history of Johnstown depicted from the many points of views of its […]
Carrying to the plate baseball’s heaviest and loudest bat as well as the burden of being the club’s first African American superstar, Allen found both hits and controversy with ease and regularity as he established himself as the premier individualist in a game that prided itself on conformity. As one of his managers observed, “I […]
Join It’s History! as we tour the former U.S. Navy cruiser U.S.S. Olympia. The ship served as Commodore George Dewey’s flagship at the Battle of Manila Bay during the Spanish-American War in 1898. It was also used for anti-submarine escort duties during WWI. The U.S.S Olympia is a National Historic Landmark and is operated by […]
Shortly after a dismembered torso was discovered by a pond outside Philadelphia in 1887, investigators homed in on two suspects: Hannah Mary Tabbs, a married, working-class, black woman, and George Wilson, a former neighbor whom Tabbs implicated after her arrest. As details surrounding the shocking case emerged, both the crime and ensuing trial-which spanned several […]
Located along the Philadelphia waterfront, the Independence Seaport Museum houses a variety of art, artifacts, and other items relating to the maritime history of the Port of Philadelphia and the Greater Delaware River Valley. Come along with It’s History! as we tour the museum’s latest permanent exhibit, “Patriots and Pirates,” which tells the story of […]