The girl, the witch and the old oak tree
October 10 , 2013 Filed in: Holidays
It’s that time of year when pumpkins appear on doorsteps, the moonlight casts eerie shadows across the land, and people have imaginings of hauntings, ghosts, and other unworldly creatures that can sometimes get the best of them. Read More...
Town clock comes to East Stroudsburg in 1913
September 09 , 2013 Filed in: East Stroudsburg
On the morning of October 7, 1913, the residents of East Stroudsburg heard the ringing of the bell of their first town clock. Town clocks were a source of pride for many communities, and a number of local businessmen and community leaders worked to ensure that this type of symbolic improvement could be secured for East Stroudsburg Read More...
Henryville was site of Pocono People’s College
August 08 , 2013 Filed in: Education | Henryville
This time of year, students and teachers are getting ready to head back to the classroom as a new school year begins. The same was true during the 1920s when the Pocono People’s College opened in Henryville. Read More...
Doctor’s orders: Take two baths and call me in the morning
July 07 , 2013 Filed in: Health
During the mid to late 19th century, many people sought alternative remedies of every kind to help cure their ailments. One of the treatments that was in vogue at the time and was purported to cure an array of illnesses and afflictions involved the healing powers of water.
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Liberty Bell toured U.S., stopping in East Stroudsburg
June 06 , 2013 Filed in: Revolutionary War
Since its arrival in Philadelphia in 1752, the Liberty Bell has had great historical significance. William Penn created Pennsylvania with the guiding principle that citizens would have the right to practice their religion without persecution and that they would have the ability to create and enact their own laws. In 1751, the Pennsylvania State Assembly ordered a large bell from the Whitechapel Bell Foundry in London for the State House in Philadelphia. The Assembly ordered a Bible verse be added to the bell — “Proclaim liberty throughout all the Land unto all the inhabitants thereof” (Leviticus 25:10). The bell arrived in Philadelphia in 1752 aboard the ship, Hibernia. Read More...
First burial at Arlington National Cemetery was Monroe County man
May 05 , 2013 Filed in: Civil War | Tobyhanna Twp
Pvt. William H. Christman of Tobyhanna Township, Monroe County, was buried on the grounds of the Arlington estate on Friday, May 13, 1864. It is not known how he was chosen, but he was the first person to be buried at Arlington National Cemetery. Read More...
The bicycle comes to Monroe County in 1890s
April 04 , 2013 Filed in: Transportation
In the 1890s, a wonder in technological innovation came to Monroe County — the bicycle — and this simple and personal form of transportation revolutionized the population. Up until this time, anyone who needed to travel did so by foot, by horse, by wagon, or by rail. Easy access to an automobile was still a generation or two away. Read More...
The early days of photography
March 03 , 2013 Filed in: Business
With the advent of early forms of photography, many Monroe County citizens lined up to have a remembrance of themselves taken. Unlike today when we experience being photographed regularly, folks living in the mid-19th century would dress in their best attire for portraits, knowing that this would perhaps be the one and only likeness taken of them in their lifetime. Read More...
Fort Penn played important role in local history
February 02 , 2013 Filed in: Forts | Native Americans | The Strouds | Stroudsburg | Revolutionary War
In 1775, Jacob Stroud, a military veteran of the French and Indian War, was placed in charge of the Lower Smithfield Military Company. He began this post at the rank of captain and was ultimately promoted to colonel. One year later, Stroud was ordered by the executive council to build a stockade around his stone home. This fortified structure, which became part of Jacob Stroud’s command, was called Fort Penn. Read More...