Stories of our past can easily catch our interest, but they have the potential to do so much more – they can educate, inspire, and inform how we view today.

LebTown taps archives of local and regional newspapers, the Lebanon County Historical Society, and other sources to bring you original and intensely-local history stories that you won’t find anywhere else.

At its best, history helps bring us together through a better understanding of our community’s past, and inspires hope for where it might go in the future.

Enjoy this selection of the history features our readers spent the most time with over the past year.

The life and legend of Joseph Johns, escaped slave and Union Township mountain man
[Column] Nelson George Greene, Lebanon’s Hall of Famer
Reflecting on the Gingrich Memorial Pool, pt. 1: Early history & design
Reflecting on the Gingrich Memorial Pool, Pt. 2: Work & play
The sad story of the six-level “Tower House” that once stood atop Mt. Gretna’s Governor Dick
A decades-long project almost dammed the Swatara Creek and radically altered northern Lebanon County

For 60+ years, the Lebanon Area Fair has been one of county’s biggest attractions
Lebanon Catholic property contains the Donaghmore Mansion and the historic Patch estate
The Mann Building has stayed true to its historic purpose as a business hub
Lebanon’s lost “Little Hollywood” sector and the Lebanon County Housing Authority
A beginner’s guide to the barn architecture of Lebanon County
At the turn of the century, Valley Glen Park was the place to see and be seen
The one-room schoolhouses that once made up rural education in Lebanon County
Camp Strause began as a logging operation & favorite Boy Scout hangout
How a local florist became one of Lebanon’s first ISPs, Nothing But Net
Recounting Lebanon County’s brief UFO frenzy of the 1960s
How Lebanon welcomed the motorcycle fad of the early 1900s and provided riders for World War I
A look back at some of the worst snowstorms in county history
100 years ago, Lebanon grappled with a very different pandemic—the Spanish flu

How Lebanon became the home office of Late Night with David Letterman

Did we miss your favorite article from this year? Something you want us to cover next year? Get in touch with our newsroom using the contact form below.

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