Past Calling: A factory and the boys who worked there
2 min read1,172 views and 21 shares
This month on Past Calling, we reveal the story of the founder of a historic AME church in the county, and take a peek inside a factory.
CategoryHistory
Reflecting on the Gingrich Memorial Pool, pt. 1: Early history & design
9 min read2,744 views and 605 shares
In the first half of a two-part feature, LebTown examines the Gingrich Memorial Pool in the context of designer Wesley Bintz’s nationwide legacy.
How Lebanon welcomed the motorcycle fad of the early 1900s and provided riders for World War I
5 min read544 views and 55 shares
In the first two decades of the twentieth century, Lebanon took part in a vehicular fad that influenced leisure, work, and war.
100 years ago, Lebanon grappled with a very different pandemic—the Spanish flu
6 min read5,696 views and 1,548 shares
When the Spanish flu swept into Lebanon in October of 1918, businesses, schools, and more shut down. Here’s how we got through it then.
Past Calling: The man with the umbrella
2 min read585 views and 37 shares
In honor of Black History Month we are featuring an image of this popular Lebanonian from the first half of the 20th century.
Local entrepreneur uncovering history of home to some of Lebanon’s finest
5 min read4,215 views and 666 shares
Cumberland Street is known for its historic business district properties. But somewhat less recognizable (though no less interesting) are its distinct residential structures.
How a local florist became one of Lebanon’s first ISPs, Nothing But Net
5 min read1,137 views and 105 shares
Royer’s Flowers started Nothing But Net during the internet’s nascent years as a way to connect to customers.
The Mann Building has stayed true to its historic purpose as a business hub
6 min read1,251 views and 122 shares
For nearly 12 decades, the Mann Building has served as a business hotspot for Lebanon entrepreneurs. Here’s the history behind this historic downtown landmark.
Who was Henry Houck, the beloved ‘Apostle of Sunshine’?
7 min read318 views and 73 shares
The Palmyra native whose name adorns a Lebanon elementary school was a beloved statesman and educator who began teaching at the age of 16–walking to school both ways.
The history of Lebanon’s Bologna Drop
3 min read319 views and 68 shares
The annual New Year’s Eve Bologna Drop has been going on since the turn of 1998.
“Pennsylvania Alcatraz”: The maximum security prison planned for Mt. Gretna
7 min read3,404 views and 714 shares
In the 1930s, Mt. Gretna was nearly home to a maximum security prison. Here’s how the $3 million Depression-era project fell apart.
Past Calling: Lebanon High’s 1913 football stars
2 min read221 views and 15 shares
Revisit early 20th century Lebanon, its leatherheads and its land surveyors, in this month’s Past Calling, brought to you by LebTown and the Lebanon County Historical Society.
A long-lost Colebrook church and the American saint who founded it
4 min read645 views and 194 shares
A solitary monument along Route 117 is all that’s left to remind us of the Colebrook church founded by the first male American to be canonized, St. John Neumann.
Matchbook mix-up: a Lebanon genius is finally getting credit for his invention
6 min read402 views and 123 shares
Joshua Pusey is typically credited as the inventor the matchbook back in 1892, but Lebanon businessman and inventor Charles Bowman also holds a claim to the title.
Remembering a few historic veterans that made Lebanon County proud
5 min read673 views and 206 shares
Veterans Day, as we know it, dates back to 1954 and has roots in the celebration of World War I’s Armistice Day in November of 1919, but some of Lebanon’s prominent veterans were being recognized long before that.