Monroe County Historical Association

Who killed the Rev. Horatio Howell, a minister from Delaware Water Gap and chaplain to the 90th Pennsylvania Regiment, during the Battle of Gettysburg?

Why would a Confederate soldier intentionally shoot a Union chaplain?

Three veterans of the 90th Pennsylvania, all survivors of the battle, travel to Gettysburg in 1913 for the 50th reunion of that three-day fight. Will they meet the rebel who felled their beloved chaplain, and if they do, how will they react?

These are the questions author and historian John H. Abel explores in his newest book, “Silent Legacies.” During the program, Mr. Abel will discuss the book and reveal the story of the real-life Rev. Howell — once pastor of the church where the lecture will be held — who inspired it.

John Abel makes his home in northeast Pennsylvania with his wife, Beverly. He is a member of the Monroe County Historical Association and chairs the History Committee.

Abel also is the author of “The Murder of Theodore Brodhead,“ a gripping account of the area's first murder.

When not writing, Abel can often be found on the golf course at Pocono Manor or in a local trout stream.

• Gettysburg Sentinels — Top 5 Facts About Chaplain Horatio Howell
• Wikipedia — Horatio Stockton Howell
• Gettysburg Stone Sentinels Reverend Horatio Howell

The presentation is free, but reservations are suggested due to limited space. For additional information or to make a reservation, please contact the Monroe County Historical Association office at 570-421-7703 or email admin@monroehistorical.org.

If you are unable to attend in person, look for a video of the program to be posted here after the event.

Dr. Thomas Mounkall discusses how cross-regional connections influenced many of the significant people and places in eastern Monroe County over the years, and explains how to see our area in a wider geographical context.

The presentation highlighted these cross-regional linkages, and attendees received a unique perspective on local history and how world history is being understood and taught.

Dr. Thomas Mounkhall is retired from a 40-year career teaching world history at the secondary, undergraduate and graduate levels. In addition, he has directed world history teacher training programs across the country and in Cambodia.

He has also taught many courses for seniors at the Lifetime Learning Program at SUNY New Paltz, N.Y., and for almost two years at The Older Adult Learning Community (TOALC) in East Stroudsburg.’

The presentation will highlight the life of Clara Adams (1884-1971), a world-renowned socialite and world traveler who lived in Tannersville. Although not a pilot, Adams played an important role in the promotion of early commercial aviation. Her flights as a pioneering passenger helped popularize air travel when it was still in its infancy.

In 1928, Mrs. Adams was the first female paying passenger on the inaugural flight of the Graf Zeppelin, which traveled from North America to Germany. In 1936, she was the first to fly on a trans-Pacific flight from San Francisco to the Philippines in a flight that lasted 56 hours, 22 minutes. She was also present in New Jersey when the Hindenburg crashed in 1937.

Jim Werkheiser is a life-long resident of Monroe County and a founding member and former president of the Pocono-Jackson Historical Society. He began his career as a history teacher but soon became a guidance counselor at East Stroudsburg High School, a position he held for 38 years.

After retirement, his love of history returned and he became involved with volunteering to share Monroe County’s history with others.

Anthony M. Stevens-Arroyo, Ph.D., uses the religion of the Native American Lenape as the starting point to describe how religious concepts have shaped social interactions for people entering this region through the centuries.

Reflecting the history of Europe, the earliest churches in what became Monroe County were identified with specific ethnic groups. Over two centuries, these racial and ethnic divisions have been subject to social dynamics.

Stevens-Arroyo will sketch the dynamics of religious interactions as believers adapt to changing social circumstances. The Second Great American Awakening, abolition movements before the Civil War, and labor organizing during the Gilded Age will provide examples of how religion in Monroe County has been both a great uniter but also a great divider.

Similarly, it will be shown that the tourist industry was a major factor in bringing greater religious diversity to the Poconos. Religious divisions lessened in the post-World War II period, especially after the Catholic reforms of the II Vatican Council.

Stevens-Arroyo is a professor emeritus and former director of the Studies of Religion Program of Brooklyn College. With a doctorate from Fordham University in the theology of Comparative Religions, he has published extensively on religious movements in history. Since moving to Monroe County in 2007, he has become an active member of many organizations and serves as a member of the board of MCHA.