A 1916 property map of Mount Gretna Park reveals a once-thriving amusement destination developed by railroad magnate Robert H. Coleman in 1884 that featured attractions like a carousel, bowling alley, lake, and auditorium, though most structures have since disappeared.
History
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Lebanon Farmers Market to host Blue-Eyed 6 ghost tours through October
Guests can book a historical and spooky tour of the market, built on the foundation of the old county jail that housed the six Lebanon County men accused of murder.
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Lebanon County native James Lick’s business success propelled by lost love
James Lick was one of Lebanon County’s most famous sons who contributed greatly to the betterment of society during his lifetime.
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Take a look at Lebanon County through a digital reproduction of tattered 1875 atlas
Lebanon County was a very different place when F.W. Beers published his atlas of the region 150 years ago.
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Who Knew? The Robert Spring Affair
Historical documents show how Philadelphia book dealer and notorious Washington signature forger Robert Spring found an unlikely patron in Lebanon’s George Coleman during his final years.
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Before ‘Friends in Low Places,’ Garth Brooks wowed Richland crowd for $6,500
July 14, 1990, country legend Garth Brooks performed at the Richland Carnival, visiting Lebanon County as his fame began to skyrocket.
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How Mount Gretna went from a ‘howling wilderness’ to a ‘paradise for visitors’
When the Colebrook Valley Railroad added Mount Gretna to the map in 1883, the area was untouched, untamed and—until that moment—unnamed.
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Who Knew? A brilliant mind
James Curtis Booth, a pioneering American chemist and first U.S. Mint refiner, formed a notable friendship with Pennsylvania’s prominent Coleman family during an 1843 summer stay at their Elizabeth Furnace estate.
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Lebanon County’s northern tier was once a hotel haven for road-weary travelers
Northern Lebanon County was home to numerous hotels, motels, and tourist homes in the 1900s, and were said to have been visited by celebrities.
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Lebanon HS graduate remembered as popular singer in the 1950s and ’60s
Despite humble beginnings performing at the Fort Indiantown Gap Military Reservation, Jackie Christoff Jankowski — stage name Lynn Christie — found success as a singer, performing in Japan, Buenos Aires, Canada, and throughout the United States during the ’50s and ’60s.
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Lebanon Valley College’s first Black graduate made campus history in 1902
In 1898, Alfred Charles Sumner traveled from his home of Sierra Leone to Lebanon, Pennsylvania to enroll in Lebanon Valley College (LVC). He would soon become the first Black graduate of the college.
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The ghost signs of Lebanon city
Lebanon houses many “ghost signs” advertising businesses that are no longer in existence.
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Pennsylvania’s 133-year-old Chautauqua brings the movement’s ‘four pillars’
The Chautauqua movement started in New York in 1874 and traveled to Lebanon County is 1892, when the Pennsylvania Chautauqua started in Mount Gretna.
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Who Knew? Unsung Coleman benevolence
A newly uncovered letter reveals Lebanon industrialist G. Dawson Coleman’s generous response to Mary Todd Lincoln’s financial struggles following her husband’s death, though historical records suggest she may not have been as destitute as portrayed.
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Reminders of Mt. Gretna’s past as home to PANG are still visible to those who look
Hidden remnants of Pennsylvania National Guard’s former Mount Gretna encampment, including combat trenches and concrete foundations, continue to intrigue historians and explorers in Lebanon County’s state game lands.
