I’m one of those people who got hooked on “The Office” TV show during the pandemic. I watched all of the episodes over and over, and got to the point that I could (and did) sometimes recite long stretches of dialog along with the characters (sorry again to my hubby!) The show is based in … More Ain’t no mural like a Scranton mural (times three!)
I’m fascinated with the idea of witness trees, which are trees that have witnessed significant historic events. I’d argue that there are also witness buildings and other features of our landscape (large boulders, hills and mountains, rivers and streams, old roads and rail lines) that have also witnessed history and are still around. Fredericksburg, established … More Witness Tree, Witness House: Brompton on Marye’s Heights in Fredericksburg, Virginia
It’s a rock formation on top of Buck Mountain, not far from Eckley Miners’ Village in northeastern Pennsylvania. There are many outcroppings of rock, but this particular one is unmistakable—it’s literally a stone couch sitting near the edge of the road. Whether it’s a natural phenomenon or the creation of humans is unknown. Five newspaper … More The Legend & the Curse of the Stone Couch of Buck Mountain
While visiting the Luzerne County Historical Society Museum in Wilkes-Barre PA this past weekend, I came upon a large metal bald eagle. Clearly old, the white paint on its head faded, it’s a weathervane that, according to the sign, adorned the top of the second Luzerne County Courthouse (1804-1858). There have been four Luzerne County … More Before there was a Court House Deer in Wilkes-Barre, there was a Court House Eagle
Sometimes you do get a second chance. A couple of years ago, I discovered the existence of letters in family records written by a young Civil War soldier who was killed on the battlefield in Virginia. John Williamson lived and worked in Eckley, a coal mining town in northeastern Pennsylvania, and he wrote dozens of … More The tale of a bridge, the father of Pocahontas and second chances
I have family from Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania but only became a regular visitor recently. On one of my first trips, I was informed that my pronunciation of “Barre” is wrong. The source of my pronunciation is my grandmother, who I distinctly remember pronouncing the “Barre” in Wilkes-Barre as “Bearuh”—just a soft little “uh” at the end. … More Wilkes-Barre–how the heck do you say it??
Their views are very different—one contemplates the Korean War Memorial on the Luzerne County courthouse grounds in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania while the other, 37 miles south, gazes down at the town of Jim Thorpe from the front lawn of the Asa Packer Mansion. They’re life-size, they’re made of cast iron, and they’re both well over a … More Cast iron brothers? The case of the deer from Wilkes-Barre and the elk from Jim Thorpe
He died on June 30, 1862 in a field near Charles City Crossroads, a rural area of fields and woods 13 miles southeast of downtown Richmond, Virginia. His remains are still there, buried where he fell or reburied at the national cemetery a mile away. There is no way to know. Sergeant John Williamson is … More “I will remember them”
If you’ve seen my most recent posts, you know that I’ve recently written a book about the Court House Deer of Wilkes-Barre. He was interviewed for articles in a local newspaper in the late 1800s and became quite a celebrity. While I was writing the book, I did research about the reporter who wrote the … More Deer fandom and crazy serendipity
ChessieWriter 