How many of Lebanon County’s 32 roadside historical markers are you familiar with? From a Revolutionary War outpost to a unique renting arrangement involving roses, here are six that we’re betting you haven’t heard about before.
Category: History
Posted inHistory
Lebanon County Courthouse: Remembering Lebanon’s most iconic landmark
In the history of Lebanon, there have been scores of impressive landmarks constructed, but none as iconic as the Lebanon County Courthouse.
Posted inHistory
The story of the Pushnik brothers and how they established some of Lebanon’s favorite diners
Pushnik’s Diner. The Gin Mill. The Waterfall Room. For decades, the Pushnik brothers were some of the most successful and magnanimous restaurateurs in Lebanon County.
Posted inHistory
Union Center: How a 520-acre Coleman estate was converted into a “worker’s paradise” for 20,000 union members
In one of the most striking property transformations in the history of the Lebanon Valley, the lavish Gilded Age estate of John Percy Coleman Alden was transformed in the 1950s into a holiday complex for some 20,000 members of the Amalgamated Clothing Workers Union of America.
Posted inHistory
Flying over the Lebanon County of decades past
Compare aerial images of Lebanon County from 1993 to ones taken in 2019.
Posted inHistory
Through the decades at Key Drive-In—Lebanon’s drive-in theater
LebTown looks back on Key Drive-In Theatre, from its construction in 1950 to its closing in 1992.
Posted inHistory
20 years later, local historian discovers personal connection to Lebanon Regiment
Jonathan Peifer, a brick mason from Myerstown, was 19 years old when he enlisted for service in the 93rd. He was wounded at the Battle of Chancellorsville.
Posted inHistory
‘Everyone in Lebanon can be proud’ of the 93rd Regiment’s role in the Civil War
They became known as the 93rd Pennsylvania Volunteers, or the Lebanon Infantry, and their history has been kept alive today through organizations such as the Perseverance Fire Company and the Perseverance Band of Lebanon.
Posted inUpcoming Events
Historic Schaefferstown to host Cherry Fair craft show, mansion tours June 26
Farming demonstrations, heirloom gardens and mansion tours are among the attractions planned for Historic Schaefferstown’s Cherry Fair and Early American Craft Show on Saturday, June 26.
Posted inHistory
Then and now with Market Square Service Station
Despite self-service gas stations being in every state except Oregon and New Jersey, some full-service stations still have open doors, including in Lebanon County.
Posted inHistory
In remembrance of George Rentz, a Lebanon-born pastor who sacrificed himself for his men in World War II
Many American men and women have given their lives up for their country, displaying incredible fortitude and bravery in the face of war. Lebanon can claim one particularly extraordinary man among the country’s heroes: Navy Chaplain George S. Rentz.
Posted inHistory
The College Hill Chix: How a star Fredericksburg baseball team rose to local acclaim and national attention
During the heyday of amateur sports in the Lebanon Valley, one Fredericksburg baseball team rose from amateur games to a national semi-pro tournament, state championships, and more. This is the story of the College Hill Chix.
Posted inPeople & Places
Cleona’s Lorraine Koons embraced ‘Rosie The Riveter’s’ call to wartime service
From 1942 until the end of World War II in 1945, Koons worked at Middletown Air Depot, mainly in the fuselage department, mostly repairing B-17 bombers and C-47 cargo planes. Toiling in a crew that also included four men, Koons worked eight-hour shifts six days a week.
Posted inHistory
How the vaudeville-era star singers the Trix Sisters went from Newmanstown to international fame
Helen and Josephine Yeiser, both hailing from Newmanstown in Millcreek Township, boasted wit and musicianship that made them international stars of vaudeville a century ago. Behind the stardom, though, the Trix Sisters’ story is one of family.
Posted inHistory
Is the Lebanon Farmers Market, built on the site of a 19th-century prison and gallows, haunted?
“Personally, I don’t go downstairs to the restroom after dark,” a woman who works at Lebanon Farmers Market said. “I can’t put my finger on it, but it just doesn’t feel right.”
