You can add coin designer to Benjamin Franklin's MASSIVE resume. In fact, his 1787 Fugio cent…
Category: History
Why is Friday the 13th considered unlucky?
It's Friday the 13th! A day full of dread and possible horror. But have you ever…
River Guide: Mouth of the Conestoga
Ponder this for a moment. Millions of years ago, an enormous lake once existed at what…
Grave Money: Why do some tombstones have coins on them?
Discover why do some tombstones have coins on them.
Would you believe cowboys fought in the American Revolution…and on the side of the British?
The American Revolution produced the first "cowboys." But these hard riding, clever guerrilla fighters worked for…
Aiden Lair Lodge and Theodore Roosevelt’s Midnight Ride to the Presidency
During a recent trip to the Adirondacks, I retraced Theodore Roosevelt's historic midnight ride to the…
Race Against Time! Exploring the abandoned Kingsley Tower before its destruction
A Fourth of July weekend road trip turned into a race against time as I attempt…
The busybody: Benjamin Franklin’s greatest “invention”?
Is the busybody Benjamin Franklin's greatest invention? Perhaps not, but the story behind it is.
Sickman’s Mill: A stone monument to a forgotten time
Sickman's Mill located along the banks of the Pequea Creek is a monument to a forgotten…
Side Quest: Visit the Grave of former President James Buchanan
On this Presidents’ Day, I visited the grave of Commander in Chief, James Buchanan. Born on…
Lancaster’s surprising royal connection
Pop Quiz: What connection does King George, Queen Caroline, the Prince of Wales, and the Duke…
Lititz answers the call of freedom; becomes a hospital town for Revolutionary War wounded
For eight months in 1778, the town of Lititz served as a hospital caring for hundreds…
A brief history of booze and the origins of other alcoholic terms
As with other American pastimes, alcohol and related activities developed colorful terms each with fascinating etymologies.Â
America’s first documented Christmas tree was here in Lancaster
Many of America's Yuletide customs were brought to Pennsylvania by European immigrants. Of them, a various…
The Mystery of Slanted Topped Stone Walls
Pop Quiz: This 100-year-old stone wall once corralled what animal? Click the Start Quiz button below to find out.…
This Lancaster bookworm has been reading the newspaper daily for 40 years
Lancaster's metallic bookworm has been reading the newspaper daily for nearly 40 years. But how much…
Haunted Lancaster: All aboard! The Rock Point Tunnel Railroad Ghost
Even if you don't believe in ghosts, Chickies Rock is a place of death. At least…
Hang’em High! The macabre history of public hangings in Lancaster
Almost as soon as people started living in Pennsylvania, we started executing them. Lancaster's first hanging…
In the 1700s no one ever accused Lancaster’s constables of being soft on crime
During the 1700s, no one ever accused Lancaster’s early constables of being soft on crime. Records…
Haunted Lancaster: How a doomed ferry crossing, dynamite, and grief lead to watery deaths on the Susquehanna
At its peak before the completion of Columbia's first bridge in 1814, 15 different ferries were…