The Pennsylvania Chautauqua at Mount Gretna grew from a wooded picnic grove in 1892 into a lasting center for education, culture, and summer programs.
History
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Who Knew? Twists and turns for the Horseshoe Pike
Cornwall Borough historian Bruce Chadbourne examines early roads and maps of the Cornwall estate to trace the origins of the mysterious Jackson House in his latest Lebanon Valley history installment.
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A life of service: Remembering Revolutionary War veteran John Weidman
Lt. John Weidman, a Revolutionary War soldier who served under George Washington at Valley Forge and numerous battles, went on to become a surveyor, iron manufacturer and associate judge in what is now Lebanon County.
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252 years ago, Lebanon resolves to unite with to preserve American liberty
The Lebanon Resolves, a six-point document drafted by seven prominent citizens on June 25, 1774, declared support for colonial unity and a “Congress of Deputies” more than two years before American independence.
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Who Knew? Jackson House, on the road to Lebanon County
Cornwall historian Bruce Chadbourne traces the history of the Jackson House, named for longtime Cornwall Iron Furnace manager James Patterson Jackson, who lived there from the 1860s until 1892.
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Healing, curative powers said to flow from Mount Gretna spring
In the late 1800s, drinking water from a spring in the Pennsylvania Chautauqua was thought to be a cure-all for numerous health conditions.
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Mount Gretna’s CLSC ‘circle building’ goes from classroom to coffee shop
A historic 1902 building in Mount Gretna, originally built for the Chautauqua Literary Scientific Circle adult education program, will reopen Friday as a coffee shop and bakery.
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How rifles made in Lancaster & Lebanon became known as Kentucky rifles
The well-known “Kentucky” rifles were actually born in Pennsylvania, including those that were crafted by renowned gunsmiths in today’s Lebanon County.
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Historical Lebanon County plant samples are housed in the Smithsonian collection
The Smithsonian collection houses dozens of specimens collected in the Penryn Park area, which is now the YMCA-run Camp Rocky Creek.
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Ongoing research uproots knowledge about enslaved worker Governor Dick
By scouring thousands of pages of documents, Kathy Lindert is piecing together the lives of Cornwall Iron Furnace’s enslaved workers, including Governor Dick.
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Bindnagle Evangelical Lutheran Church has served Lebanon County for centuries
The original log structure was standing in 1754, and the current building was erected in 1803 to serve a growing Lebanon County population.
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Tragic N. Annville Twp. explosion & fire 50 years ago remembered by eyewitness
Tragic event that claimed two lives, injured four, recalled 50 years later.
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When did the Pa. Turnpike’s Lebanon-Lancaster interchange open?
The Pennsylvania Turnpike opened in 1940, and its eastern expansion led to the Lebanon-Lancaster interchange opening in 1950 after about two years of construction.
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Lecture explores Lebanon County’s ‘resolve’ to break free of England
Lebanon County’s contributions to the American Revolution were discussed during a lecture celebrating the upcoming 250th anniversary of the nation’s birth on July 4, 1776.
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Who Knew? The Alden Villa connection to James Garfield
Cornwall historian Bruce Chadbourne examines how President James Garfield’s 79-day suffering after his July 1881 assassination affected Lebanon Valley residents, including craftsmen working on Alden Villa who memorialized his death in a hidden inscription.
