Read Their Stories

Escape to Freedom From a Life of Slavery

Scholars estimate that thousands of fugitive slaves passed through Pennsylvania. African American communities, Quakers, and other staunch abolitionists aided many runaways along their journey through the state. One man who escaped from his master’s grip was Charles Bell. His freedom eventually led to faithful service for some forty years as an attaché at Bucknell University in Lewisburg. Prior to his passing in December 1912, Bell shared his story of escape to freedom, which began on a night in August 1849.

October 24, 2025 · Terry Diener

The Folktale of Mr. Never Fear of Clinton County

Pennsylvania folktales have been around for hundreds of years. They’ve been told, retold, and added to. Are they true or just a tall tale told before a roaring fire, in a dimly lit cabin or a crowded lumber camp of northern Pennsylvania? Whatever the listener decides, there is usually a moral associated with the story. Such is the case with the Clinton County tale of Mr. No Fear, shared by folklorist Homer Rosenberg.

October 17, 2025 · Terry Diener

Deadly Blast At the Big Mill in Danville, Montour County On October of 1896

On Thursday, Oct. 8, 1896, nothing appeared out of the ordinary at the Montour Rolling Mills of the Reading Iron Company. The Number 5 boiler exploded shortly before 8 pm. The explosion ripped through the building, sending part of it into a Northumberland Street home like a rocket. Most of Danville felt the explosion, which shook some buildings and rattled windows.

October 10, 2025 · Terry Diener

The Austin, Pennsylvania Dam Break in Potter County

Following the September 30th, 1911, dam break in Potter County, newspaper headlines carried sensational headlines of the deaths and devastation. The collapse of the dam led to improved regulations for dams across Pennsylvania and the country.

October 03, 2025 · Terry Diener

Lee Family Massacre in Present Day Union County

A small stone along busy U.S. Route 15 in Union County marks the site of what was described as “one of the most revolting crimes of the Pennsylvania frontier.” The Lee family massacre resulted in the death of seven people and six others taken captive by Native Americans.

September 26, 2025 · Terry Diener

The Mifflin County Native who was an Unsung Hero in the Battle of Lake Erie

Commodore Oliver Hazard Perry defeated the British fleet on Lake Erie in September 1813. A great deal of credit must be given to a Mifflin County native, Daniel Dobbins of Lewistown, Pennsylvania.

September 19, 2025 · Terry Diener

Circuiting Riding Preachers in the Susquehanna Valley

Historians report that the circuit riding preacher made his appearance in the North and West Branches of the Susquehanna Valley almost as soon as the settlers had arrived. Their lives were difficult, filled with hardship and rejection, but later rewarded when the seeds (of the Gospel of Christ) they planted resulted in converts and churches.

September 12, 2025 · Terry Diener

James Caldwell’s Recollection of the Early Settlement of the West Branch Valley

An 1875 newspaper interview with one of the oldest settlers of the West Branch Valley provided valuable insight into the trials and hardships of pioneer life. At the time, James Caldwell had spent seventy years in that section of northern Pennsylvania.

August 31, 2025 · Terry Diener

The Susquehanna River: From an 1853 Perspective

American landscape artist T. Addison Richards took an 1853 journey on the Susquehanna River, sketching scenery and providing his thoughts during stops along the way. His work appeared in Volume seven of Harper's Weekly magazine that year. This story includes his perspective on parts of the middle Susquehanna Valley.

August 23, 2025 · Terry Diener

Trust and Obey

Pennsylvania certainly stands prominently among the states that produce musicians and songwriters, including many of Christianity's most famous hymnwriters. We feature another composer from northern Pennsylvania, Daniel B. Towner, a native of Bradford County, who is best known for providing the music for "Trust and Obey," inspired by the testimony of a young man at a Dwight L. Moody revival in Massachusetts.

August 15, 2025 · Terry Diener