After Camp Shand was purchased by Lebanon County for $725,000 last year, the transfer of the Cornwall summer camp was celebrated on Wednesday with the new name of “Camp Rocky Creek.”
Joshua Groh
Josh Groh is a Cornwall native and writer who began reporting for LebTown in 2019. He continued to regularly contribute to LebTown while earning a degree in environmental science at Lebanon Valley College, graduating in 2021. Since then, he has lead conservation crews in Colorado and taken on additional freelance writing opportunities. His focuses at LebTown include local history topics, outdoor recreation, and aspects of the membership program. You can find him biking out on the Rail Trail in his free time.
Posted inHistory
The stories behind six lesser-known historical markers that can be found in Lebanon County
How many of Lebanon County’s 32 roadside historical markers are you familiar with? From a Revolutionary War outpost to a unique renting arrangement involving roses, here are six that we’re betting you haven’t heard about before.
Posted inHistory
Union Center: How a 520-acre Coleman estate was converted into a “worker’s paradise” for 20,000 union members
In one of the most striking property transformations in the history of the Lebanon Valley, the lavish Gilded Age estate of John Percy Coleman Alden was transformed in the 1950s into a holiday complex for some 20,000 members of the Amalgamated Clothing Workers Union of America.
Posted inHistory
In remembrance of George Rentz, a Lebanon-born pastor who sacrificed himself for his men in World War II
Many American men and women have given their lives up for their country, displaying incredible fortitude and bravery in the face of war. Lebanon can claim one particularly extraordinary man among the country’s heroes: Navy Chaplain George S. Rentz.
Posted inUpcoming Events
Root Beer Barrel at Cornwall Rail Trail reopens June 5, National Trail Day
The iconic barrel-shaped stand will open at 10 a.m. for the “grand re-opening celebration” and stay open until 4 p.m. on Saturday, June 5.
Posted inHistory
The College Hill Chix: How a star Fredericksburg baseball team rose to local acclaim and national attention
During the heyday of amateur sports in the Lebanon Valley, one Fredericksburg baseball team rose from amateur games to a national semi-pro tournament, state championships, and more. This is the story of the College Hill Chix.
Posted inHistory
How the vaudeville-era star singers the Trix Sisters went from Newmanstown to international fame
Helen and Josephine Yeiser, both hailing from Newmanstown in Millcreek Township, boasted wit and musicianship that made them international stars of vaudeville a century ago. Behind the stardom, though, the Trix Sisters’ story is one of family.
Posted inUpcoming Events
Union Canal Days returning in May after last year’s cancellation
For 31 years, the Union Canal Tunnel Park hosted Union Canal Days in spring – a weekend of tours, food, music, and more. In 2020, the event was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but 2021 will see the event returning to the park on the weekend of May 15 and 16.
Posted inBusiness & Nonprofits, History
The history behind the Lebanon Valley Craft Brewery, which survived a century of ownership changes – and Prohibition
Lebanon Valley Craft Brewery, 840 North 7th Street in Lebanon, is set to reopen, more than 60 years since the last beer was brewed at the address. The address’s history as a brewery, however, begins over 160 years ago, at a time when breweries in Lebanon were a significant local industry.
Posted inCommunity Shoutouts
Clarence Schock Memorial Park at Governor Dick celebrates new permanent art installation
The artwork, created as a collaboration between artist-in-residence Karen Beall and members of the community, is entitled “Forest Fable” and is composed of 20 clay tiles depicting tree species found in the park.
Posted inHistory
Eight decades after the HMS Campbeltown exploded in a strategic World War II raid, its bell resides peacefully in Campbelltown
Since the famous St. Nazaire raid took place nearly 80 years ago, the bell of its most important ship has been stewarded by the citizens of Campbelltown — and has even gone on some new adventures.
Posted inPeople & Places
Renewal after death: how a Lebanon man’s loss prompted the planting of a special dawn redwood grove in South Hills Park
“The tree that he tried to save saved me. It gave me purpose.” In the two years since his brother’s unexpected death, Chris Black has planted over 200 trees on his own time and expense in a new grove in South Hills Park.
Posted inHistory
Bible of the Eisenhauer family – ancestors of President Eisenhower – is undergoing conservation
The story of the Eisenhauer family, from colonial Fredericksburg farm to the highest office in the country, is the story of a fully-realized American Dream. Now, the Lebanon County Historical Society is acting to conserve a vital family artifact.
Posted inHistory
When Robert Coleman’s two-foot railway snaked through the hills of Mount Gretna
Born out of a lifelong fascination with trains, this “miniature” railway of the last Coleman family scion carried passengers all the way up to the top of Governor Dick until its owner fell into financial ruin.
Posted inPeople & Places
Icy conditions delay annual snow geese migration at Middle Creek, peak numbers expected in coming weeks
On Monday, March 1, the Middle Creek Migration Update blog recorded over 40,000 snow geese and other waterfowl. That number is expected to peak soon now that the season’s ice and snow is melting.