David Salisbury Franks, Philadelphia, Philadelphia County

August has come to an end very quickly. It always does, and I don't know why. Tomorrow I'll be sending out the September newsletter, in which I recap the events of this very topsy-turvy month. (If you don't already receive it, why not subscribe using the form on the right side of the page? It's free and I never ask for a loan. Heck, I don't even ask people to join my Patreon, because I don't have one.) September is my birthday month, and this year I'll be celebrating a little harder than usual - my friend Rachel, who has in the past contributed images and knowledge to some of the Bethlehem posts on this blog, is coming to spend my birthday week with us and we have all sorts of adventures planned. So I'll be scuttling to get next week's post ready ahead of time.

To close out August, let's travel back to Revolution-era Philadelphia, and learn about a man who was wrongfully accused of helping to betray the infant United States.

Anna Wagner Keichline, Bellefonte, Centre County

And this is the last of the 'county firsts' for August! Kevin and I were both absolutely charmed by the little community of Bellefonte, which we visited on our way home from his birthday trip last month; it's picturesque and out of the way, nestled between the mountains of Centre County. We were actually a little sorry that we couldn't stay longer. It seemed like every turn we took brought us to another beautiful building, particularly the Centre County Courthouse, and there were a surprising number of historical markers to be found.

I decided to go with this one for the first Centre County marker because the woman it celebrates is quite extraordinary, and I was curious to learn more about her.

Fort Wheeler, Bloomsburg, Columbia County

It's been a really good month with these 'county first' posts, and I'm happy to observe that my readership seems to be on the rise! So hello to all of my new friends, and a particular wave in the direction of Shane and the rest of the gang at the Columbia-Montour Visitors Center.

We were in Columbia County on our way to Altoona last month, and we stopped in Bloomsburg for lunch and some markers. My husband is an extremely good sport. It would have been neat if Fort Wheeler had still been there for us to see, but I still get to share its interesting history with all of you.

Montgomery House, Danville, Montour County

Continuing this month's trend of county firsts, let's take our first shot at Montour County! This little county has only a handful of markers at present, and I was able to grab roughly half of them while we were on our way to Altoona last month. It's a lovely green landscape with many attractive historic buildings, and Kevin and I definitely want to go back and spend more time there. Sadly, because we were there on a weekday, the building in today's post was not open for tours; but I'm sure it's as beautiful on the inside as it is on the outside.

Altoona, Blair County

I say it a lot, and think it even more frequently, but I really do believe we live in one of the most beautiful states in the entire country. My recent trip with my husband was a perfect example of that, since out to the west there is so much open space and woodland and mountainous territory. Kevin and I had such a good time on our trip that I've really been looking forward to doing the next several blog posts - most of August is being dedicated to "county firsts"! 

To kick off that plan, I'm going to share a bunch of what I learned about Altoona. Although it's not the seat of Blair County (that honor goes to nearby Hollidaysburg, with its gorgeous courthouse), it does have the distinction of being the only incorporated city in the county, and has a number of interesting aspects to it - historical and otherwise.