A riddle presented itself one cold November day on the Lebanon Valley Rail Trail: “Here in Cornwall, what is gray, disappears in spring and reappears in fall?”
History
Posted inCommunity Shoutouts
A short history of Lebanon’s love affair with fasnachts
Fasnachts, the sugary, fried donuts customarily prepared and eaten on Shrove Tuesday, are a Pennsylvania Dutch staple in Lebanon County.
Posted inHistory
Got ghosts? Here’s a list of Lebanon’s most haunted locales
With Halloween around the corner, here are some of Lebanon’s more spooky locations and a bit of backstory for each.
Posted inHistory
New royal frigate will be named for WW2 warship with Campbelltown connection
That ship, which exploded in a dramatic assault on a German shipyard during World War II, was honored when a second ship was named in her honor. Now, a third ship will bear the name – an unusual honor in Britain’s Royal Navy.
Posted inHistory
Fort Swatara: Lebanon County’s garrison during the French and Indian War
There were no major battles near Fort Swatara; however, several soldiers and many settlers were killed, and several women and children were kidnapped by marauding Indians.
Posted inHistory
The former Eagle Hotel/Hotel Weimer was once a symbol of luxury in Lebanon
In 1957, the Hotel Weimer was sold for about $250,000 to one of the world’s largest hotel chains, Milner Hotels Management Inc., “in what was termed the greatest property transfer in local history.”
Posted inHistory
The Heinrich Zeller House (Fort Zeller): Lebanon County’s secluded historical treasure
The historic one-and-a-half-story structure is located west of Newmanstown, off of Pennsylvania Rte. 419 in Millcreek Twp.
Posted inHistory
Remembering Lebanon County’s once-prominent cigar industry
From 1916 to 1933, Lebanon ranked 12th in Pennsylvania in cigar production. In 1927, Lebanon produced $1,230,600 worth of tobacco products.
Posted inHistory
Lebanon County’s sweet, delicious, and cool ice cream history
In the history of Lebanon County, manufacturers of the frozen treat range from mom-and-pop shops to fairly large businesses.
Posted inHistory
William L. Saylor: A Lebanon County Civil War Legend
Although he was only one of the 2,128,948 Union veterans who served during the Civil War, he surely contributed to preserving the Union, ending the rebellion of the Confederate States of America and abolishing the institution of slavery throughout the United States.
Posted inHistory
Lebanon native helped design Starship Enterprise
The Lebanon area has a connection to the original Star Trek series—the late Walter Matthews “Matt” Jeffries” designed the studio model of the Starship Enterprise, a.k.a. U.S.S. Enterprise.
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
Lebanon County Courthouse: Remembering Lebanon’s most iconic landmark
In the history of Lebanon, there have been scores of impressive landmarks constructed, but none as iconic as the Lebanon County Courthouse.
Posted inHistory
The story of the Pushnik brothers and how they established some of Lebanon’s favorite diners
Pushnik’s Diner. The Gin Mill. The Waterfall Room. For decades, the Pushnik brothers were some of the most successful and magnanimous restaurateurs in Lebanon County.
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.