I'm on a quest to photograph and research all of the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission's historical markers. This is my quest journal so you can join me on my adventures every Wednesday! Blog owned and written by Laura Klotz. Marker images used with permission of the PHMC. Header image created by Rachel Peeples.
Between the winter weather and a rather annoying sinus infection, I haven't felt too terrific lately. I hope my readers are in better shape! I'm certainly not sorry to be saying goodbye to January, and they're promising warmer temperatures for the first week of February, so fingers crossed.
I'm sure that as cold as it is here, though, it's much colder up in Monroe County at the gateway to the Poconos, where today's marker stands by the county courthouse.
I hate winter. I know I say that a lot, but I mean it more than usual this week. This week's quest was delayed by the fact that I took a nasty fall on the ice in my driveway and was pretty banged up for a couple of days. It could have been a lot worse though, I'm okay!
It's been almost a year since I paid my inaugural visit to lovely York, but I've still got plenty of markers to share from that county. So let's head out that way and read about one of Benjamin Franklin's printing endeavors, shall we?
I'm not a big fan of winter, as you might have guessed from previous posts. The temperatures this week have been remarkably unpleasant, even for January. So I'm heading back to my sunny weekend in Gettysburg for today's quest.
I'm sure that Dwight Eisenhower doesn't require much of an introduction. He was a hero of World War II, President of the United States, and so on. I imagine that at least some of my readers are also aware that, after his Presidency, he retired to a beautiful farm on the outskirts of Gettysburg, which today is a historic site toured by thousands of visitors annually. However, that's not where we're going, because that's not where his Gettysburg marker can actually be found.
Happy New Year! It almost feels strange to be updating the blog again, but in a good way. As it turned out, taking a hiatus in December was probably the best thing I could have done, since my regular job was (and still is) a bit topsy-turvy. This unfortunately meant that I didn't really get to go much of anywhere, and I definitely didn't get to collect any new markers. But even so, it's good to be back. I hope all of my readers had a wonderful holiday season.
Meanwhile, for today we'll take a run back to beautiful Lancaster, where I hope to be in several weeks, and learn about a local artist and his unique local roots.
As my longtime readers know, I wrap up the blogging year in December by looking back at the events and accomplishments of the previous year and talking about what I hope to do in the year ahead. I'm doing it a little earlier than usual for 2021, in part because my work schedule is very heavy; I'm in retail and I'm technically management, so I've been working more hours than usual due to the holidays. To be perfectly honest, I'm having trouble sometimes remembering what day it is! I also have a lot of pain at this time of year, due to my chronic health issues and the cold temperatures basically hating each other, and every opportunity to rest is needed. So rather than potentially mess up my update schedule, I've decided that I'll take the month of December off from blogging, and start fresh in 2022.
2022. That doesn't even sound like a real year, does it?
My final historical project for the year was to create a calendar of some of my favorite images that I've taken in the course of writing the blog. Some of them you might recognize, but others either haven't been shared yet or weren't part of the post about the subject. If you'd like to add some of Pennsylvania's beauty to your office or living space, the details are here.
What are some facts about MarkerQuest™?
Earlier this year I made the transition from blogging every other week to blogging every Wednesday. It wasn't a decision I made lightly, but there are so many markers that if I'm to have a prayer of getting through anywhere close to half of them, I needed to step up my game. The blog now has more than 100 posts, which means we've hit more than 100 markers (since some posts have multiple markers in them). It's a start!
I did get to travel a bit more in 2021 with the restrictions being reduced, so I introduced lots of new counties to the blog - Monroe, Luzerne, Northumberland, York, and Adams Counties all got their first posts. I was also able to add Erie and Beaver Counties, thanks to guest contributions; John Robinson, a retired member of the PHMC, and my own very distant cousin Ron Bauerle both sent me pictures of markers from the far side of the state. I don't know when I'd have been able to add those without their help and I'm very grateful. I also want to thank Mike Korb, who cordially invited me to Wilkes-Barre for the 150th anniversary of the American Institute of Mining Engineers, and Larry, from the For the Historian bookstore in Gettysburg. And as always, I continue to appreciate the support of the Historical Marker Database and the PHMC itself. I hope my kind friend Karen Galle is enjoying retirement.
In keeping with tradition, let's see what the most popular posts of this past year have been. Quakertown's Fries Rebellion of 1799 (Bucks County) spent more than two years as my most-read post of all time, but it has finally been edged out by the Moravian Cemetery in Bethlehem (Northampton County). But of the posts actually published in 2021, the ten biggest hits were:
10) George Taylor, Lehigh and Northampton Counties
9) Oley Moravians, Oley, Berks County
8) York Liberty Bell, York, York County
7) Colonel Jacob Stroud, Stroudsburg, Monroe County
6) Mahanoy Plane, Frackville, Schuylkill County
5) Casimir A. Sienkiewicz, Doylestown, Bucks County
4) Ashland Boys' Association, Ashland, Schuylkill County
3) Northkill Amish, Bernville, Berks County
2) Little Lithuania, USA, Shenandoah, Schuylkill County
1) Christ Little Tulpehocken Church, Bernville, Berks County
I know my friends in the Berks History Buffs are to be credited with the popularity of the Berks County posts! I also more recently became part of the Bucks County History Group, who have welcomed my posts very warmly, and I appreciate all of you in both groups. In total, the blog has received more than 42,000 hits, which is close to twice as many as I reported in last year's summation post.
The blog's Facebook page has 212 followers as of this writing, almost double the number at this time last year, including several historical groups. I'm a little overwhelmed.
What's coming up for MarkerQuest™?
I honestly don't know! These last two years have been so unpredictable that I'm almost afraid to guess. I do know that (at least as of right now) my beloved Zenkaikon is scheduled to return to in-person status in March of next year, so I'll be enjoying a few days in beautiful historic Lancaster. I would dearly love to be able to return to Adams County, because two days in Gettysburg were not nearly enough. I also have some hopes of day trips, but we'll see what the better weather holds.
I was able to promote the blog through the publication of Laury's Island: The Lehigh Valley's Forgotten Park, which came out a little over a year ago; the COVID situation meant that promotion had to be a bit on the quiet side, but the Barnes & Noble at the Lehigh Valley Mall very graciously hosted me in October for a book signing. My book is on the shelf in the local history section, and it feels as good as I always thought it would. I've encountered a number of people on Facebook who - much to my delight - recognized my name and shared how much they and their families enjoyed the book, which means a lot to me. (I was especially gratified to be able to help one of Judge Laury's descendants work out her own exact connection to him, and she shared with me a photo of her father, who is the judge's spitting image.) And yes, there is another book in the works.
I will be appearing at the Moravian Bookshop in Bethlehem this coming Saturday, December 4th, from 2:00 to 4:00 p.m. I'll be signing copies of Pip the Mouse and His Magical Christmas, a children's book I coauthored a few years ago. The Moravian Bookshop is the oldest continually-operating bookstore in the United States, and one of the oldest in the world, and it's always a treat to be there. Unfortunately I'll need to leave for work as soon as the event is over, so I can't stay and talk to people; but if you're in downtown Bethlehem I'd love to say hello.
Whatever you celebrate, I hope it's peaceful, warm, and full of joy. I look forward to resuming my weekly posts in January, and wish everyone a Happy New Year.
To all of my readers, my supporters, and the friends which MarkerQuest™ has gained over the last three years - thank you for joining me on this adventure. It wouldn't be nearly as much fun without you and I hope you'll continue to be a part of the MarkerQuest™ crew in the coming year.
I intended to go to Lehigh County in this week's post, but while setting up my research I made a mildly embarrassing discovery. The marker I planned to cover is actually one of a pair, and I haven't 'caught' the second one yet. This will require another dual-county post to talk about them both, which is great - I love hitting two at once - but since I don't have that second one yet, it'll have to wait. It may have to wait until the new year; we shall see.
So instead, we'll take a trip back to scenic Doylestown, in Bucks County, and learn about a local Renaissance man. He had his fingers in a lot of pies - finance, military, transportation, and art.
As of this writing, there's a distinct possibility that we could see our first snowfall in the next several days. Other parts of the state have already seen snow. (Ever notice that snow is a four-letter word? I kind of want to censor it.) I'm not a Game of Thrones fan, but even I know that winter is coming, and I'm trying to prepare - in between retail shifts, of course.
This week's quest was supposed to have been Lehigh County, but I realized as I was preparing it that I was missing a necessary component. So I'm jumping ahead to the next one on my schedule.
