A local history buff has turned into something of a local history expert, sharing the tidbits he learns through a regular podcast and, starting later this month, with living history tours.
Jonathan Miller, aka the Hometown Historian, is giving three presentations at the Isaac Meier Homestead between 1 and 3:30 p.m. on Saturday, August 24. Afterwards, guests will be invited to follow a self-guided walking tour of the site. Presentations will be held at 1:15 p.m., 2 p.m., and 2:45 p.m.
Rather than simply lecturing on his topic, however, Miller will dress as a World War II veteran, assuming the man’s identity and presenting details on Myerstown in the 1940s from the perspective of a man who fought in the war.
“This is something we’ve been trying to get together for over a year,” Miller said. “I will portray a soldier from the U.S. Army Air Corps. I will be in character. conveying what that time would have looked like.
“At the end, there’s a little bit of a twist.”
From podcast to living history
Miller, 44, told LebTown he inherited his interest in history from his father.
“My dad was always a big history buff,” he explained. “He had served in World War II, and he had an interest in local history going back to the French and Indian War.”
History has always intrigued him, Miller said, so he dug into his father’s personal library. “Dad always had a ton of history books around. I read mostly about the Civil War and World War II,” he said. “I really started to get into it over the last 10 years or so.”
He had been considering doing a podcast on local history for some time, he said, but he never followed through – until “a couple of life-threatening surgeries” inspired him to go ahead with the plan. Now, he said, he’s been sharing videos about local history for just over three years.
He shares his work on YouTube, Facebook and Instagram. Presently, he said, he has about 2,400 subscribers.
“A lot of times people don’t think about what goes on outside their own back door,” Miller said. “And there are local historical organizations that do amazing things, but people aren’t aware of them.”
He hopes his local history lessons will inspire others to get involved, he added. “One of the things a lot of these historical societies struggle with is volunteers. Give them an hour, that could make all the difference for them.”
Expanding his local focus
Although he lived in Myerstown for many years, Miller said he now lives in Jonestown. His research, while focused primarily on Lebanon County, also extends into Dauphin, Schuylkill, Lancaster, and Berks counties. “And I will continue to expand as the channel grows,” he said.
Recently, Miller said, he did a presentation for the Daughters of the American Revolution in Hummelstown on the Hanover Resolves, an airing of grievances in 1774 that served as a local precursor to the Declaration of Independence.
He hopes to make a monthly series of presentations and walking tours of the Isaac Meier Homestead, each representing a different era in its history. Some will have holiday themes, such as a Haunted Halloween, delving into the murder of Isaac Meier, and a Victorian Christmas depicting Myerstown in 1880.
He also wants to prepare a program called Trolley Days, focusing on that era in the 1920s through the 1950s when trolleys thrived. Eventually, Miller said, he’d like to develop Trolley Days into a yearly festival.
Although the presentations now are stationary, with patrons able to take a self-guided walking tour afterwards, Miller said he hopes to lead the tours himself eventually. Currently, he said, a medical issue prevents him from leading a tour.
He also wants to put together a pamphlet for a driving tour to show areas further afield than a walking tour can cover.
“When I first started doing this, I was amazed,” Miller said. “I’ve learned a ton, and I’ve lived in this area all my life.”
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