First burial at Arlington National Cemetery was Monroe County man
May 2013 | Filed in: Civil War | Tobyhanna Twp
Pvt. William H. Christman of Tobyhanna Township, Monroe County, was buried on the grounds of the Arlington estate on Friday, May 13, 1864. It is not known how he was chosen, but he was the first person to be buried at Arlington National Cemetery. Read More...
The bicycle comes to Monroe County in 1890s
April 2013 | Filed in: Transportation
In the 1890s, a wonder in technological innovation came to Monroe County — the bicycle — and this simple and personal form of transportation revolutionized the population. Up until this time, anyone who needed to travel did so by foot, by horse, by wagon, or by rail. Easy access to an automobile was still a generation or two away. Read More...
The early days of photography
March 2013 | Filed in: Business
With the advent of early forms of photography, many Monroe County citizens lined up to have a remembrance of themselves taken. Unlike today when we experience being photographed regularly, folks living in the mid-19th century would dress in their best attire for portraits, knowing that this would perhaps be the one and only likeness taken of them in their lifetime. Read More...
Fort Penn played important role in local history
In 1775, Jacob Stroud, a military veteran of the French and Indian War, was placed in charge of the Lower Smithfield Military Company. He began this post at the rank of captain and was ultimately promoted to colonel. One year later, Stroud was ordered by the executive council to build a stockade around his stone home. This fortified structure, which became part of Jacob Stroud’s command, was called Fort Penn. Read More...
Monroe County’s frontier forts: Fort Norris
Fort Norris was located in the western reaches of what is now Monroe County, and was named for Isaac Norris, a prominent Philadelphia Quaker who served as speaker of the Pennsylvania Assembly and was later known as the man who commissioned the Liberty Bell. Read More...