2020 Retrospective, 2021 Plans

When I wrote my 2019 post about what I hoped to do in the next year, I never could have imagined that 2020 would be... well, 2020. Then again, nobody could have seen that coming.

Underground Railroad, Harrisburg, Dauphin County

As I write this, my region is feeling the effects of Winter Storm Gail. Jim Cantore, famous fan of "thunder snow" from The Weather Channel, has traveled over to Bethlehem to experience the storm firsthand. When he shows up, you know it's serious. I've got chili in the slow cooker and we're planning to basically just graze and try to relax. I hope everyone affected by the storm is warm and safe.

Before I get into today's quest, a quick word of thanks to everyone who has sent congratulatory messages on the publication of Laury's Island. The response has been more than slightly overwhelming - I was even interviewed by my local TV news station! (It will air next Monday, December 21st. Details are on this page down at the bottom.)

I had planned, as my last quest for 2020, to talk about the two historical markers dedicated to George Taylor. However, I seem to be missing a couple of the photographs I need for the post; I know I took them, but for the life of me I cannot find them. So we'll leave Mr. Taylor until the new year, by which time I should have either found or replaced the pictures, and today I'll add one more new guest photographer to this blog. My parents were in Harrisburg some weeks back, and while they were in the vicinity, they were kind enough to send me a few pictures of markers they encountered.

Colonial Mansion, Lancaster, Lancaster County

Last time, I said that I thought I'd be able to make an announcement in my next blog post. Those of you who follow the blog's Facebook page may have already seen it, but I've published my first history book! I'm altogether pleased with the results and I look forward to hearing what my readers think of it. You can read all about it on this page. 

In an effort to keep myself organized (my friends can tell you how very good at that I am not), I made a list of the subjects I was going to cover for the remainder of the year. I kind of chuckled when I checked the list and realized that I would be heading back to Lancaster County for this week's entry, because I was thinking about it recently. The Allentown Farmer's Market has an Amish bakery, where I got some pies last week for Thanksgiving, and their sign proudly mentions that their goods come from Lancaster County. 

Anyway, I collected the pictures for this post when my best friend Andrea and I were in the city earlier this year, so with December being as dismal as it is currently, it's good to go back to that sunny day in June. (All social distancing cautions were observed, I assure you.) We had smoothies and saw a lot of dogs.

Heckewelder House and John Frederick Wolle, Bethlehem, Northampton County

November, which Louisa May Alcott once called "the most disagreeable month," is a little more than halfway done. It was actually snowing earlier, and I don't really care for that at all. But I'm a little bit warmed by the knowledge that I will soon be receiving something special in the mail - a proof copy of my newest book, my very first history book! You might say it's a MarkerQuest side quest, as it doesn't focus on the subject of a marker; it's a bit of Lehigh Valley apocrypha which has been all but forgotten, and I'm looking forward to reviewing it and approving it for distribution. I will probably be able to confirm the launch and provide a link by the next time I update the blog, so stay tuned!

Meanwhile, for today's post we'll take yet another trip into the Moravian heart of Bethlehem. I did not originally intend for this to be a two-marker quest, but as I was putting the pieces together I realized that it made sense. Although the two markers are for different subjects, they have something very significant in common, and writing about one without the other just didn't feel right.

John O'Hara, Pottsville, Schuylkill County

Before I get started with the latest post, I wanted to offer a small shout-out to the women of the Herstory Club! This internet collective is made up entirely of women of all ages who focus on the study of history, and I was recently welcomed into the ranks. I'm very excited to be in the club and appreciate the kind greetings I've received, so thank you!

November is here and I hope you are all well! At this time last year I was battling what turned out to be pneumonia, but so far I've been much luckier this autumn. The weather hasn't been the most conducive to going out to collect markers, but I've still got some stockpiled from before the lockdown, so we're going to take a trip back to Schuylkill County today to look at one of Pennsylvania's native authors.

Switchback Railroad, Jim Thorpe, Carbon County

I love this time of year - mostly - but today is an especially gloomy and foggy day here in northeastern Pennsylvania. On the plus side, it's my day off, so at least I don't have to go anywhere.

Today we're going to make one final visit to Carbon County, as this is the last of their markers which currently exist. Perhaps in the future they'll get another and I'll be able to cover the dedication. In the meantime, though, I can mark Carbon County as completely finished on my personal marker list, after I finish telling you about today's subject. 

Pennsylvania is, of course, the site of many "firsts". Some of these are well known; we had the first hospital in the United States, the first theater, the first subscription library, the first zoo. Others are less famous, like the first completely air-conditioned building in the country and the first license plate to display a website address. And then there's today's subject, which was the world's first roller coaster.

Emmaus, Lehigh County

October is here, which means that this utterly bizarre year is slowly drawing to a close. I've been trying to get out and enjoy the autumn sunshine while I can - this is actually my favorite time of year, in most respects - but it isn't always easy.

A fun little sidebar for my readers, before we get into the meat of this week's post. If you weren't aware, the PHMC has its own channel on YouTube, where they share a lot of videos related to Pennsylvania history. I recently participated in their webinar about how markers are selected and created. It was hosted by Karen Galle, my direct contact in the organization, and you can watch it here. It was really very interesting! Thanks Karen!

Now, about today's marker - it's a first for this blog. The majority of communities don't have their own specific markers, as the markers are more likely written about a person or location within the community's borders. There are some which do, however, and our subject today is one of them. I deliberately chose to write about this one today because yesterday, if he were still with us, would have been my beloved grandfather's 90th birthday, and this particular community has a connection to our family tree.

Fairmount Water Works, Philadelphia, Philadelphia County

Autumn returns to Pennsylvania! It's my favorite time of year, and I hope that the weather will be nice enough to let us all get out and enjoy it.

As I mentioned in the post about Hilda Doolittle, my birthday was at the beginning of September and I spent part of it collecting markers for this blog. There was one in particular that I wanted to get while we were in Philadelphia, and it was a bit of a haphazard drive to find it (fortunately, I myself was not doing the driving). See, I got pictures of today's subject a few years ago, before I started this project, but the marker isn't located in quite the same spot so I never saw it. I couldn't very well write about the marker without a photo of the marker, so I needed to find it!

Although I had the information from the PHMC website about its location, we were still just slightly surprised to come across the marker. We were stopped at a red light, so Kevin urged me to get out of the car quickly to snap the photo. I managed to do so, probably to the utter confusion of the twenty or so people who were in the vicinity (assuming, that is, that they noticed me at all), and today's blog post thus became feasible. Remember, kids, don't try this at home, because I have no idea what I'm doing.

Hilda Doolittle (H.D.), Bethlehem, Northampton County

I'm celebrating two birthdays this week, after a fashion. One is my own; we spent the day at the Franklin Institute in Philadelphia, which is currently hosting Madame Tussaud's wax figures of the Presidents (yes, all of them) as well as some other historic notables. This is a limited engagement, with restricted entrance due to you-know-what, and will only run until January 3rd of next year. I very much encourage my readers to go if you have the opportunity, because it was really awesome! We also spent part of the day running around gathering markers for this blog, because that's what we do when we go somewhere.

The other birthday takes place tomorrow. Poetry enthusiasts (like my friend Rachel, who first mentioned today's subject to me a few years ago) may already be aware that tomorrow will be the 134th birthday of one of the most unique voices of the 20th century.

Old Jail and Fulton Opera House, Lancaster, Lancaster County

Hello, and welcome to the end of August. There should have been an update two weeks ago, but I ran into a lot of trouble following a visit from Tropical Storm Isaias, and I was too busy dealing with the fallout of a flooded basement to be able to give the blog the attention it deserves. In the meantime, Blogger changed its format, so I've also had to spend some time learning how to use the new tools; if anything looks 'off' as you read this post, please let me know so I can try to fix it.

To somewhat make up for the skip, I'm pulling out my folder of markers in Lancaster and giving you a double entry. The Old Jail of Lancaster once sat on the property now occupied by the Fulton Opera House, and there's a marker dedicated to each building, so it makes sense to write about them together. It's not always a pretty history, but the truth is that so much of history really isn't pretty, and it's not my job to make it look nice. It's definitely interesting, though, and it's a long one too, so let's get started.

Trucker's Mill, Slatington, Lehigh County

July is almost over, which is jarring to realize when you consider what a weird year this has been. The summer is flying, almost like 2020 itself is in a hurry to be finished. I hope my readers all continue to be well and safe.

Tomorrow would have been my maternal grandmother's 89th birthday if she were still with us, which is also hard to imagine, and she and my grandfather would be celebrating their 70th wedding anniversary. (Pop always said they got married on her birthday so he didn't have to worry about remembering two different dates. I always said he was the smartest man I ever knew.) So in honor of the occasion, I thought that this week I'd wander back over to Nana's hometown of Slatington, to talk about some of Pop's ancestors. It always sounded a little peculiar in my head, but while it's my grandmother who grew up in the little borough, it's my grandfather whose family founded the place.

The Dorsey Brothers, Shenandoah, Schuylkill County

I admit that I've never been a particular fan of jazz or big band music. I don't ardently dislike it or anything; it just isn't a genre to which I was exposed much when growing up, and as an adult I'm really more of a soft rock kind of person. So while I knew of the existence of the Dorsey Brothers, and was aware that they were pretty big names on the circuit, the name never meant much to me beyond an occasional pop culture reference. And I definitely never knew they were from Pennsylvania.

That changed last fall, when Kevin and I went to Knoebels and I collected some markers along the way. I already told you about Victor Schertzinger, who was born in Mahanoy City; maybe twenty minutes after I photographed his marker, we were passing through the town of Shenandoah and spotted two markers standing side by side in a bank parking lot. What do you know - Shenandoah is the hometown of Tommy and Jimmy Dorsey.

Kinzua Viaduct, Kane and Mount Jewett, McKean County

Today's post is full of all kinds of special stuff! Not only am I about to announce the winners of the blog's first-ever giveaway, but it's also our first foray into the western side of Pennsylvania. The whole state is in the 'green phase' now, so it's a little easier to do some traveling to collect markers, but it also means I've gone back to work so finding the time to do that traveling is more of a challenge. 

More on that in a minute, however, because I'm sure that first you want to know who won the prizes! As you might recall, the prizes being offered included a copy of the Spring 2020 issue of Pennsylvania Heritage magazine, a replica of the Commonwealth's original charter, and a reproduction of a map showing the development of the counties. They were all purchased from the online store at Shop PA Heritage, and the purchase supports the continued work of the PHMC. (As noted on the giveaway page, the PHMC neither endorsed nor sponsored the giveaway.) Winners were chosen using the free spinner at Wheel of Names.

Congratulations to the following individuals: Stephanie Brown, John Robinson, and Warren Nast! I'll be contacting you directly via email to tell you about your prize and get your mailing address so I can send it to you. If you didn't win this time around, fear not; there's going to be another giveaway later this year, maybe in the fall as part of my birthday celebration.

Moving on to the focus of today's post, we're venturing west of the Susquehanna River for the first time, to the northern reaches of McKean County. I had fully intended to visit today's subject myself (and may yet), but because of all the shutdowns, a lot of plans got canceled or curtailed. You may recall that earlier this year, I did a post about Ole Bull's Colony in Potter County, courtesy of some photos provided by my sister Liza; the ones in today's quest log were provided by our other sister, Lisa. She stopped there on her way to Erie some while ago, before any of the COVID-19 stuff started happening, and was kind enough to share her photos with me so I could share them with all of you.

Thomas Mifflin, Shillington, Berks County

I've gone back to work since I last updated this blog, and I just want to remind everyone that COVID-19 is still a thing. Please keep wearing your masks - and wearing them correctly. I have seen entirely too many people in recent days who are doing a spectacular job of protecting their chins.

Speaking of work, it directly led to today's blog post. Andrea and I were both feeling a little nostalgic for our annual trip to Lancaster, as I wrote last time, and by happy coincidence, we were asked to drive down there last week to get some supplies from one of our sister stores. Naturally, that involved some marker hunting on my part, and I came home with the single biggest haul of marker pictures I've ever collected on one trip. I think I got seven or eight in Lancaster itself, and also today's marker, which was only slightly out of our way in Berks County. It's been several months since I did a Berks marker, so we're overdue!

(Also, one final reminder - I'm still doing that giveaway! Just sign up for the mailing list to enter! Winners will be announced in my next post.)

Lancaster County

I think my best friend Andrea is feeling a little wistful about our annual trip to Lancaster. Normally we're there every spring for Zenkaikon, but - like the vast majority of fan conventions - it was canceled because of COVID-19. We're planning to take a run down there sometime in the coming weeks to collect some more of my markers, but for this week's post she asked me to write about "something from Lancaster." So I thought, why not write about Lancaster itself?

Philip Ginter, Summit Hill, Carbon County

Before I get started with today's post, I wanted to point out the nifty addition to this blog. You can now sign up for a mailing list to be notified by me personally when I post a new quest update. Just plug your contact info into the handy gizmo to the right of this post. I promise you won't hear from me more than three times a month, at most, and I won't ever use your contact info for anything else. You'll get links to the newest blog posts, some information about various events being arranged by historical groups in Pennsylvania, and sometimes little surprises. Like this one:

To properly inaugurate the mailing list, I'm conducting a giveaway! Who doesn't like free stuff? You know you do! So click here and I'll tell you all the details without clogging up this post.

Meanwhile, on with the regular programming. For today's adventure, we'll head back to Carbon County - haven't been there in a while - and read about a man whose name is spelled two ways. I first talked about Philip Ginter, or Ginder, in my post about the Carbon County marker, and at the time I promised I'd tell you more about him later. Well, it's later.

Lafayette, Bethlehem, Northampton County

May is here, and it's actually starting to look like it where I live! Several of my neighbors have planted fields of canola, and it's a massive lift to the spirits to drive to the grocery store past fields of beautiful yellow flowers, stretching for acres. I'm so grateful to the farmers who decided to put in that crop.

I didn't know what to write for today's post. I'm actually starting to run out of my backlog of 'saved' subjects; I've done all of the markers I've collected for several counties. (That's not to say that those counties are done, just that I need more material from them.) My younger sister lives with us, and I remarked that today I needed to do a blog post. She wanted to know if I've written about bread yet, which as my longtime readers know, I have not. I've made bread - yesterday was my first attempt at homemade bread and it went very well; I have dubbed it "existential bread" because we joke that people are baking to stave off the sensations of existential dread. I'm probably not as funny as I think I am.

Anyway, I gave her two possible topics for today's post and she picked the one you're about to read. So it's partly because of Liza that we're learning about the Marquis de Lafayette.

Victor Schertzinger, Mahanoy City, Schuylkill County

Anyone else having trouble remembering what day it is? I will admit that if I didn't have a reminder on my phone to tell me that today was a blog update, I probably would have forgotten. The joke in my house is that April was canceled; it's still March and it will continue to be March for the foreseeable future. By that logic, today is March 53rd.

I hope that you and your loved ones are all safe and healthy. As of this writing, the lockdown is scheduled to end in a little over two weeks. Hopefully I'll be able to go out and collect some new markers, but in the meantime, I've still got my handy backlog. Today we're featuring one that I collected while passing through Mahanoy City on my way to Knoebels last fall; I simply cannot take a trip anywhere without getting at least one of these markers for the blog. I do wonder at times whether anyone notices me hopping out of the car to take the pictures, and what goes through their mind. I always carry some of the blog's business cards, just in case, but so far no one has actually approached to inquire after the nature of my quest.

(To be fair, when I'm playing a video game, people don't usually approach to ask my character what the heck she's doing either. So it fits with the blog's theme.)

Mahanoy City is actually known as the birthplace of cable television. I know there's a marker for that too, so when I spotted this marker from the car, I assumed that's what it was. In my defense, both of these markers are on Centre Street, but at very different locations. Still, I can't be disappointed with what I caught instead.

Lehigh County

I hope that all of my readers are safe and well during this unprecedented situation with COVID-19. My heart goes out to everyone who has been affected. 

Before we get into today's quest, I wanted to share the announcement of the 2020 historical marker selections. Of course, circumstances being what they are right now, it's hard to say when the dedication ceremonies for any of these will be taking place, but I'm looking forward to a time when that becomes possible again. I'm especially excited that the Liberty Bell Museum in Allentown will be receiving a marker, since I had been surprised to find that they didn't already have one, and I will definitely be attending that ceremony whenever it gets scheduled. And my thanks to Karen Galle for promoting this blog in the article!

Moving on to the main event here, I was looking through my remaining saved markers - I have enough material to take us through June, at least, thankfully. For today's post, I thought we might wander around the county of my own birth.

Joseph Simon, Lancaster, Lancaster County

I fully expected that, when I posted this article, I would be freshly returned from Zenkaikon, my beloved annual gathering of nerds at the Lancaster County Convention Center. It was supposed to have taken place this past weekend. Sadly, however, Zenkaikon - like pretty much everything else recently - was canceled in the face of the Coronavirus pandemic. I fully understand the reasoning, of course, but it was disappointing all the same, and I just wanted to say hello to my fellow frustrated weirdos. We'll be back next year. Funny thing is, and I didn't know it when I started the article, the location of the convention is actually a little bit relevant to today's post.

Virtual Quests

I hope that all of my readers are staying safe and healthy during this incredibly weird period of history.

As you may have seen, I recently curated a post in which I tried to keep track of which historical attractions in Pennsylvania were changing their operations due to the COVID-19 situation. This became obsolete after a few days because, well, pretty much everything closed. With most of the people I know (including myself) out of work for a little while, and with the schools closed and kids at home, I thought maybe it would help if I offered some diversion.

Diversion in keeping with the theme of the blog, of course. Turns out that a lot of places offer virtual programming and online activities to keep people interested even when they can't be there in person. So I'm putting together a list, and if you have any suggestions for additions, please comment here or on Facebook to give me the link so I can check it out. Please feel free to share this post with anyone who loves history, or who has kids home from school (or are homeschooling) and want something educational to entertain them. Everything on this list is free for everyone to enjoy.

Under the cut you'll find links to online offerings both in Pennsylvania and outside of it, so even if you don't live here I hope you'll take a look at what we have. In the meantime, please do keep yourselves well, and look for my regularly scheduled quest update next Wednesday.

Last updated: March 20th, 11:30 a.m.

The COVID-19 Report

This isn't something I would normally do, but let's face it: right now we are living in some interesting times. Like the rest of the United States (and indeed, the world), Pennsylvania is experiencing difficulties related to COVID-19, or the Coronavirus, and a lot of places are closing or changing plans.

I can't really do much to help with the situation at all, obviously, although doing so is my natural inclination. What I can do, at least, is compile what I know about programming changes in order to keep you, my readers, updated on the situation at any places you intended to visit. I mostly track such stuff in my own native eastern Pennsylvania, so I don't have much information about anything very far to the west - if you know of something which should be on this list, by all means leave a comment here or on the blog's Facebook page. I'll update this post periodically with new information as I receive it; if a particular historic site interests you, I encourage you to keep an eye on its website and/or social media so you have the latest details. And you can always visit some of them by rereading posts here on MarkerQuest!

It's worth mentioning that many of these organizations are non-profits which rely on public contributions (like entrance fees) in order to keep their programs operational. If you're in a position to donate to any of them which are especially dear to you, please consider doing so. Many donations are tax-deductible, and you'll make it possible for them to continue to do what they do once the pandemic is no longer a threat. Some of these organizations also have virtual gift shops, which is another way in which you can support them during this difficult time.

Please remember to wash your hands often, don't hoard the toilet paper, and look out for your neighbors - especially if they're elderly or immunocompromised. (And believe me, you know more immunocompromised people than you think.) Thank you to the social media team at Discover Lehigh Valley for some of this information!

Last update: March 16, 2020, at 3:00 p.m.: All nonessential businesses across Pennsylvania have been ordered to close by the Office of the Governor. Trash collection will continue; essential businesses such as medical services, grocery stores, pharmacies, and gas stations will remain open. Restaurants may offer takeout or drive-thru service only. Basically, this list is now somewhat obsolete, because pretty much everything is closed. But I'll keep it up because the links may be of use to people.

Indiantown and Indiantown Gap Military Reservation, Annville, Lebanon County

This rightly should have been posted two weeks ago, but it turned out to be more complicated than I expected; I also haven't been feeling my best, thanks to all the shifts in Pennsylvania's weather.

Before we get started, I wanted to let my readers know that the PHMC has begun sharing this year's marker dedication ceremonies on its calendar. The first one will be in Chester County next month, when a marker will celebrate musician Jim Croce. I'm not sure whether I'll be able to make it there myself, but we'll see!

My initial intention with this post was to do it simply about the "Indiantown" marker. The thing is, there's not a whole lot to say about that one. So I ended up having to bundle it in with Fort Indiantown Gap, about which there's plenty more information, and the result is that you get this massive twofer - or if you want to be picky, a fourfer, since Fort Indiantown Gap has three markers to its name.

Samuel Phillippe, Easton, Northampton County

Just like my last post contained an admission that I'm not exactly a devotee of football, this one contains an admission that I'm also not into fishing. Unless it's a fishing minigame in one of my video game adventures, you're not likely to find me holding a rod and reel.

Some of my friends went to Easton last year for their annual Garlic Fest. My best friend Andrea was of the party, and she texted me photos of a couple of markers from near the festival, one of which is today's subject. I remember getting this one and thinking it was something of a strange topic to honor on a historical marker - but as I've repeatedly had cause to discover, I am not as smart as I like to think I am.

Pottsville Maroons, Pottsville, Schuylkill County

Before we get into today's quest, I wanted to acknowledge something interesting from the last one. When I wrote about the Bryden Horse Shoe Works in my native Catasauqua, I mentioned that there are six PHMC markers in the borough - and this is, at present, accurate. However, both Karen Galle of the PHMC and borough resident Ben Ferenchak reached out to let me know about the seventh marker, which was news to me. The Davies and Thomas Company has been approved for a marker, but it hasn't been installed yet due to the road construction which has been going on for some time. Hopefully that project will be wrapped up sometime this year and I'll be able to attend the marker dedication ceremony. Thank you, Karen and Ben!

Meanwhile, today we're going to be looking at a subject that doesn't usually interest me: football. After all, this is Super Bowl weekend coming up! Sure, I cheered as much as anybody else when the Eagles won the 2016 Super Bowl, because I live in Eagles Country after all; but I'm really not a big sports enthusiast as a general rule, although I did spend my final two years of high school as a member of the varsity football team. (No, really, I did. I was the equipment manager.) However, today's story is one that I find pretty intriguing despite my usual apathy for the topic, because the controversy has endured for nearly a century. Who really won the NFL championship of 1925?

Bryden Horse Shoe Works, Catasauqua, Lehigh County

Before I get started on today's post, I wanted to share something from the PHMC - today, January 15th, is Museum Selfie Day! Do you have a picture of yourself visiting one of Pennsylvania's museums or historic sites? Share it on social media and use the hashtag #MuseumSelfie so they see it! (Somewhat ironically, I do not have any such selfies.)

Growing up in Catasauqua, two things in particular stuck with me in terms of my education. One, I became an excellent speller, mostly in self-defense. Two, the town has a peculiar place in Pennsylvania's history. I mean, it's literally the birthplace of the American Industrial Revolution, thanks in part to founding father David Thomas. It has, as of this writing, six different PHMC markers, which is kind of impressive when you remember that the town is roughly a mile square in size. Most of the subjects of those markers are fairly well known to me, and indeed I've already covered Father Thomas and George Dery. However, today's subject was one that had me scratching my head a little bit, because what's so special about horseshoes?

Ole Bull's Colony, Coudersport, Potter County

Happy New Year, everybody! I heard from quite a few of you since the last post, and I really appreciate all the kind wishes for my recovery. Doc says it will take a while for my lungs to get back to normal, but I'm a little better every day and it's good to be back on the computer.

To kick off 2020, we're going to take our first trek up to Potter County. By 'we' I really don't mean myself, though, because to be perfectly honest, I've never been there. But my sister Liza, who has contributed photos to this blog in the past, went up to Cherry Springs State Park in Coudersport, and sent me pictures of today's subject while she was there.