Swatara State Park is showing off all the beauty of the fall season right now. Here’s what LebTown captured on a recent trip to the park.
Joshua Groh
Josh Groh is a Cornwall native and writer who began reporting for LebTown in 2019. He continued to regularly contribute to LebTown while earning a degree in environmental science at Lebanon Valley College, graduating in 2021. Since then, he has lead conservation crews in Colorado and taken on additional freelance writing opportunities. His focuses at LebTown include local history topics, outdoor recreation, and aspects of the membership program. You can find him biking out on the Rail Trail in his free time.
Posted inPeople & Places
At the top of the county, the magnificent Boxcar Rocks are one of Lebanon’s best hiking spots
High up in the northern mountain ridges of Cold Spring Township, a largely unmarked trail leads to one of the great natural wonders of Lebanon County in the form of the Boxcar Rocks.
Posted inHistory
The sad story of the six-level “Tower House” that once stood atop Mt. Gretna’s Governor Dick
Oil businessman and philanthropist Clarence Schock’s remote summer retreat on the mountain proved to be a favorite target of “youthful vandals” for decades.
Posted inHistory
A beginner’s guide to the barn architecture of Lebanon County
When settlers first began to tend the land of Lebanon County and the rest of Pennsylvania Dutch country, they created one of the richest and longest-lasting architectural cultures of the area through the construction of their barns.
Posted inCommunity Shoutouts
Christmas gift assistance from the Salvation Army still open for applications
Applications for the Angel Tree program may be submitted online until October 9.
Posted inPeople & Places
Did Lebanon’s butterflies have an off season in 2020?
“It’s very anecdotal.” Here’s what might have contributed to a lack (or not) of butterflies in the Lebanon Valley this summer.
Posted inHistory
The one-room schoolhouses that once made up rural education in Lebanon County
Public schooling has changed a lot since the days of the “Little Red Schoolhouse” nestled in the countryside of the Lebanon Valley.
Posted inHistory
Northwest Elementary School served many in its 42-year history
Before the school is redesigned as a commercial space, LebTown reflects on the school’s history and status in 2020.
Posted inPeople & Places
Rail Trail visitors now enjoying drinking water thanks to Eagle Scout’s project
A local Eagle Scout chose to install a combined water fountain and dog bowl just north of the Cornwall trailhead of the Lebanon Valley Rail-Trail.
Posted inHistory
The life and legend of Joseph Johns, escaped slave and Union Township mountain man
Over a century after his 1906 death, charcoal producer Joseph Johns (also known as “Old Black Joe”) continues to draw fascination.
Posted inUpcoming Events
Community Concert Association announces virtual fall season, free registration
The season includes performances by a tenor trio, an Electric Light Orchestra tribute troupe, and a saxophone maestro, all free to register for until the end of August.
Posted inHistory
Lebanon’s lost “Little Hollywood” sector and the Lebanon County Housing Authority
In a decade of change, a new local authority transformed one of Lebanon’s poorest neighborhoods into one of the city’s first public housing projects.
Posted inPeople & Places
Cornwall Manor in mourning for massive chestnut tree felled by recent weather
No residents were hurt when the 150-year-old tree toppled onto the Buckingham Mansion porch on Monday evening.
Posted inNews
New rent and utility relief assistance program open for county residents
The Lebanon County Coalition to End Homelessness is providing assistance for applicants looking to receive some of the $800,000 in relief money from state and federal sources.
Posted inCommunity Shoutouts
Tour de Lebanon a hit despite pandemic, raises $8K for Coleman’s bike playground
The two-week event in July brought in over $8,000, most of which is set aside for the construction of the new bike playground at Coleman Memorial Park.
