Local History
FIC: Stories of items “Found in Collection” #1 – Andersonville Prison
The following is the first in a series of blog posts titled “FIC: Stories of Items “Found in Collection”. FIC is a museum industry term for items that were, well, …
Read MoreBringing The Giant to Its Knees, A Brief History of the Giant’s Despair Hillclimb: Part II -The Golden Anniversary Brings About A Golden Age 1951 – 1985
In 1951 after being dormant for 35 years, Giant’s Despair was reborn. The revival of “The Giant” coincided with a post-war boom in auto racing interest throughout America. American G.I.s…
Read MoreFrom the Wilkes-Barre Record – A Ghastly Find!
As the afternoons get darker and the wind howls and moans, we thought we would share this spooky newspaper clipping from 130 years ago… From an article in the Wilkes-Barre…
Read MoreThe Badge of a Freemason – A Wilkes-Barre Masonic Apron
One of the most well-known Masonic symbols is the apron. Freemasonry is a fraternal organization for men that teaches a system of ethics using symbols, rituals and ideas drawn from…
Read MoreThreads of History – Swetland Family Samplers
In 1842, The Hand-Book of Needlework by Miss Lambert explained that “no feminine art affords greater scope for the display of taste and ingenuity than that of needlework. The endless…
Read MoreFrances Dorrance and the Indian Survey – A Crusader for Local History
Rather archaically named, the Indian Survey was the first statewide archaeological survey in Pennsylvania, and was only made possible through the hard work of Frances Dorrance (1877-1973), the Luzerne County…
Read MoreWilkes-Barre’s Comic Book Grail – Joe Palooka #1
What’s your favorite hobby? Does it have any insider jargon? Most hobbies do. Comic book collecting is no different; its most common bit of jargon may be “grail.” Collectors will…
Read MoreDid You Know that Wilkes-Barre Had a Palm House?
Shortly after I started as Executive Director of LCHS, I came across an image of Wilkes-Barre’s “palm house.” I was fascinated. “How cool!,” I thought, “What were the circumstances for…
Read MoreBringing The Giant to Its Knees: A Brief History of the Giant’s Despair Hillclimb – Part 1: The Birth of “The Giant,” 1906-1916
Certain parts of our culture are as old as time itself. Other things remain unchanged throughout the course of their lifetimes, creating a rich, deep tradition. Motorsports is one such…
Read MoreWill You “Capitulate” to Reading Our Blog?
Welcome! This is the first post in our LCHS blog! We plan to post regularly and to focus on our amazing collection of objects, documents and published materials that relate…
Read More