Notable Historic Stories and Articles about
Lebanon County, Pennsylvania
Enjoy this growing list of interesting articles about the amazing history of Lebanon County.
(The articles are sorted under the following categories.)
Buildings and Infrastructure - Business - Culture and Craftmanship
A slice of history - Lebanon Bologna
Before the Pennsylvania Farm Show, there was the Mt. Gretna Farmers’ Encampment
Ever wondered how ice would have been harvested at the Colebrook Ice Dam?
How a local florist became one of Lebanon’s first ISPs, Nothing But Net
How Chinese cuisine made its way into Lebanon County
How Italian restaurants got their start in Lebanon County
How World War I ushered in the century of oil
Krim’s beverages – the little Lebanon business that made a big splash in the soft drink world
Krim Beverage — Lebanon's soft drink giant
Lebanon County during Prohibition: Bootlegging, moonshine, & speakeasies
Lebanon-made Miller Organs were shipped worldwide 150 years ago
Past Calling: A factory and the boys who worked there
Roll models: Remembering Lebanon roller rinks of decades past
San Giorgio, the national pasta company born in Lebanon
The Bon Ton: Remembering its 67 years as “Lebanon’s Greatest Store”
Buildings and Infrastructure
19th century Cornwall Iron Furnace steam engine gets needed overhaul
110 years since the Lebanon Court House burned
A beginner’s guide to the barn architecture of Lebanon County
A Blast From The Past: Cornwall Iron Furnace
A peek back at Lebanon’s once-elegant Colonial Theater (1923-2000)
The Restoration of Cornwall’s Historic Alden Villa Mansion
A long-lost Colebrook church and the American saint who founded it
A look at the historic cottages of Mt. Gretna - (a Photo Story)
A salute to the Samler Building, Lebanon’s downtown icon
Boyer / Weaver Mansion: Do you remember the mansion on Maple Street?
Chestnut Street Log House, Lebanon, PA - (a Photo Story)
Colebrook Mill deemed “At Risk” by PA preservation nonprofit
Comfort Station in Downtown Lebanon was a good place to go
Cornwall Manor’s Buckingham Mansion: An Elegant Estate Spanning 258 Years of Lebanon County History
Donaghmore Mansion and the historic Patch estate - on the Lebanon Catholic school property
Heinrich Zeller House (Fort Zeller): Lebanon County’s secluded historical treasure
Historic Annville mill in need of buyer to maintain “longest operating” status
Historic Schaefferstown seeking state grant for Schaeffer House fireplace restoration
Historic society holds walking tour of “at risk” Colebrook Mill
Is the Lebanon Farmers Market, built on the site of a 19th-century prison and gallows, haunted?
Isaac Meier Homestead: "The Old Fort" of Myerstown
John Immel House: A Lost and Forgotten Lebanon County Landmark
Key Drive-In—Lebanon’s drive-in theater: Through the decades
Krall Barn to add new element at Union Canal Tunnel park, funding still needed
LCBC plans to open a renovated Tabor Church as its 14th campus on April 7th
Lebanon County Courthouse: Remembering Lebanon’s most iconic landmark
Let’s take a look at Lebanon’s historic Philadelphia & Reading Railroad Station
Light’s Fort a poster child for need of local historical preservation
Local entrepreneur uncovering history of home to some of Lebanon’s finest
Memories are all that remains of Mount Gretna’s Million Gallon Pool
Northwest Elementary School served many in its 42-year history
Once at risk, the Cornwall & Lebanon Railroad Station is a historic gem
Palmyra UCC celebrates 125 years
“Pennsylvania Alcatraz”: The maximum security prison planned for Mt. Gretna
Red heads, blue eyes: The literary connections of Lebanon’s new public house
Reflecting on the Gingrich Memorial Pool, pt. 1: Early history & design
Reflecting on the Gingrich Memorial Pool, Pt. 2: Work & play
Remembering Lebanon's First Modern City Hall Building (1873-1963)
Schaefferstown boasts oldest gravitational conveyance pipe system in the United States
The Colebrook Furnace ghost story
The Colonial Theater - Gone but not forgotten
The former Eagle Hotel/Hotel Weimer was once a symbol of luxury in Lebanon
The Mann Building has stayed true to its historic purpose as a business hub
The one-room schoolhouses that once made up rural education in Lebanon County
The sad story of the six-level “Tower House” that once stood atop Mt. Gretna’s Governor Dick
Where was the Good Samaritan Hospital’s first site in Lebanon?
Weigley Mansion: Lebanon County's Most Magnificiant Historic House
Culture and Craftmanship
100 years ago, Lebanon grappled with a very different pandemic—the Spanish flu
20 years later, local historian discovers personal connection to Lebanon Regiment
Custom-made grandfather clock brings Lebanon County history to life
Flying over the Lebanon County of decades past
How a Christmastime brawl in Myerstown ended up catching the attention of a few Pennsylvanian Founding Fathers
How Lebanon County has celebrated Halloween across the generations
In Search of Lebanon County’s African-American Heritage
Local historian Bruce Bomberger on documenting the history of today
Lebanon County: Small in Size – Rich in Heritage
Lebanon County’s sweet, delicious, and cool ice cream history
Lebanon Daily News photos, memorabilia donated to Lebanon County Historical Society
Lebanon’s lost “Little Hollywood” sector and the Lebanon County Housing Authority
Lebanon native helped design Starship Enterprise
Lebanon’s most amazing geological feature, next to a long-forgotten resort in Cold Springs
Lebanon’s nightly playground dances of the 1950s-1970s
Moravian Settlement, Bethel Township, Lebanon County
Pennsylvania Dutch themed Christmas Cards
Recounting Lebanon County’s brief UFO frenzy of the 1960s
Revealing the Unique History of Lebanon County, Pennsylvania, Clockmakers
Salem Evangelical Lutheran Church recognized as Lutheran nexus
Salem Lutheran’s past holds many lessons on history of religion in county
St. John’s Episcopal Church in news has Lebanon County ties
Tabor Day and the incredible journey of a Lebanon church
The historical ties connecting the Pennsylvania State Police to Lebanon County
The history of Lebanon’s Bologna Drop
The Legend or Haunting of the Hounds of Colebrook Furnace: Lebanon County, PA
The Meaning of St. Valentine’s Day, from the Daily News in 1914
The Paxton Boys, an early case of viral fake news witnessed from Lebanon’s Hebron Moravian Church
This is your chance to add to the list of Pennsylvania Historical Markers in Lebanon County
This Presidents’ Day, remembering Lebanon’s links to our country’s highest elected office
Throwing corn kernels (aka “tic-tacking”) is a long-time Mischief Night tradition for our region
Wish you were here: Lebanon County postcards of decades past
What’s in a name? The story behind every municipality name in Lebanon County
Your guide to the long-abandoned underground passages of Lebanon, PA
Entertainment
At the turn of the century, Valley Glen Park was the place to see and be seen
Betty Harte, Lebanon’s silent film era star
How Hollywood starlet Diana Gibson settled down in Mt. Gretna
How the vaudeville-era star singers the Trix Sisters went from Newmanstown to international fame
Geography and Weather
‘A cruel blow’: Tropical Storm Agnes devastated Pa. in 1972
A decades-long project almost dammed the Swatara Creek and radically altered northern Lebanon County
A look back at some of the worst snowstorms in county history
Gretna’s now-gone Lake Duffy was named after a Lackawanna County WWI hero
Interesting Places
Camp Strause began as a logging operation & favorite Boy Scout hangout
Clarence Schock Memorial Park at Governor Dick
Coleman Memorial Park - a history
Governor Dick Observation Tower
Lebanon County: Miners Village at the Cornwall Iron Furnace
LebTowns: North Cornwall & Karinchville
LebTowns: Toytown & the “Cornwall Commons”
Market Square Service Station: Then and now
Riding back in time at the Quentin Riding Club
The stories behind six lesser-known historical markers that can be found in Lebanon County
This Central Pennsylvania township does -- and doesn't -- exist - Cold Springs Township
Military and Wars
93rd Regiment’s role in the Civil War
Charles D. Marquette - Lebanon County's Congressional Medal of Honor Recipient
Finding a Lebanon connection in an unexpected place: Key West’s Fort Taylor
Fort Swatara: Lebanon County’s garrison during the French and Indian War
HMS Campbeltown, eight decades after it exploded in a strategic World War II raid, its bell resides peacefully in Campbelltown
How Lebanon, PA witnessed World War One, which ended 100 years ago this week with Armistice
Lebanon’s “Hiker” statue honors veterans from 3 turn-of-the-century conflicts
New royal frigate will be named for WW2 warship with Campbelltown connection
Remembering a few historic veterans that made Lebanon County proud
Remembering when the PA National Guard helped defend the Mexican border after mustering in Mt. Gretna
Story of man (now living in Lebanon County) held as Vietnam War POW now being preserved
William L. Saylor: A Lebanon County Civil War Legend
With National Medal of Honor Day, recalling origin of Gap’s Marquette Lake
People
Aaron McCord, Lebanon's Chief of Police, Murdered in the Line of Duty in 1890
Ann Coleman and James Buchanan (15th President of the United States)
Bible of the Eisenhauer family – ancestors of President Eisenhower – is undergoing conservation
Charles D. Marquette - Lebanon County's Congressional Medal of Honor Recipient
Cleona’s Lorraine Koons embraced ‘Rosie The Riveter’s’ call to wartime service
Clothes salesman, civic leader, Boy Scout patron: the life of John Sherman Bashore
Pushnik brothers and how they established some of Lebanon’s favorite diners
Former Lebanon reporter, Les Stewart, still unsettled by Palmyra slaying, 25 years after trial
James Buchanan: Life Before the Presidency (a Lebanon County Connection)
Lindley Murray, the Harper Tavern native who left behind an educational legacy in Lebanon and beyond
Luther Harpel - Lebanon's Pioneering Photographer
Matchbook mix-up: a Lebanon genius, Charles Bowman, is finally getting credit for his invention
More than 50 years later, unsolved Peggy Reber murder still haunts Lebanon
Past Calling: The man with the umbrella
Sarah Tyson Rorer, the pioneering dietician who moved to Colebrook
Remembering Tim Stine on the anniversary of the 1990 HACC fire in downtown Lebanon
The life and legend of Joseph Johns, escaped slave and Union Township mountain man
William L. Saylor: A Lebanon County Civil War Legend
Who was Henry Houck, the beloved ‘Apostle of Sunshine’?
Sports
100 years since Babe Ruth played for Lebanon
A look back at Lebanon Valley College’s trip to the NCAA Tournament
A still unrecognized victory: When the Pottsville Maroons “won” the NFL Championship
Boro Rams, the Bologna Bowl, and the heyday of Lebanon’s independent football teams
Dick Shiner - Lebanon's Longtime NFL Quarterback
Fifty years before Jackie Robinson: the Lebanon Grays, the Cuban Giants, and the Middle States League
Frank Reich - Lebanon's High School, College and NFL Quarterback & NFL Indianapolis Colts Head Coach
Hometown heavy-hitters: Lebanon’s famous baseball players
Jamie Beyerle Corkish - Lebanon's Olympic Gold Medalist
Kerry Collins - Lebanon's High School, College and longtime NFL Quarterback Star
Past Calling: Lebanon High’s 1913 football stars
Sam Bowie - Lebanon's High School, College, U.S. Olympics and NBA Basketball Star
Taking a few laps back into Lebanon’s little-known racing history
When John Heisman coached a Penn football team in Mt. Gretna
When Lebanon Valley met Happy Valley: Penn State’s 109-7 blowout of LVC
Transportation
How Lebanon welcomed the motorcycle fad of the early 1900s and provided riders for World War I
Trolley cars: Before World War II they were the best way to get around Lebanon City
Trolley Car era in Lebanon County, Pennsylvania - (1891 1942) - (Video)
When Robert Coleman’s two-foot railway snaked through the hills of Mount Gretna