Schuylkill County Historical Society, Museum, and Gift Shop

Mark your calendars…

This year we are making Oktoberfest even better by combining it with Pottsville Outdoor Markets 👏

Join us for an exciting day in Downtown Pottsville on September 14th for a dual event: Pottsville’s September Outdoor Market X Pottsville’s Oktoberfest 🍂🎃

It will be a fun fall day filled with vendors, live musicians, kids’ activities, and more!

Date: September 14th
Time: 10am - 5pm
Location: Union Station

We hope to see you there!

Event Page: https://m.facebook.com/events/808759688092680/

On this day in 1972 Muhammad Ali's training camp, Fighter's Heaven, in Deer Lake was officially opened.

Due to weather, Baber Day has been postponed to Sunday, September 8. Join us for for what looks to be a great day!

History tour stops will include the Boone family plot, Benjamin Haywood, Thompson family monument, William Lessig, General Sigfried and the General's granddaughter Frances Zerbey Braun.

Join us on Saturday, September 7 for Baber Day. The Schuylkill County Historical Society will be offering history walking tours starting at 3 PM. Great food, fun and entertainment for the whole family!

Happy Labor Day! Taken in Pottsville in the 1930s, these photos show the corner of Market and 2nd street and S Centre Street. Note the current Historical Society building on the left.

Labor Day Sale stars now! 🚨 Take 10% off select merchandise. Online only: https://schuylkillhistory.myshopify.com/discount/1903

The Schuylkill County Historical Society will be closed this Saturday, August 31.
We will reopen Wednesday, September 4 at 10 AM.

Today, August 20th, is National Hot Dog Day.

In 1987, Karen Kramer and Donna Murach sit on the tailgate of their pick-up on a Sunday afternoon while fishing in the rain.

A friendly reminder to join the Historical Society Main Street Moonshine, located at 101 W Main St, Schuylkill Haven, this Saturday at 4:30 PM for 1920s Trivia Night. Great food and drinks, challenging trivia, raffle basket filled with Main Street Moonshines moonshine. Which includes a Maroonshine drink that is only produced at Main Street Moonshine. So put on your best zoot suit and flapper dress and join us.

The Sheppton Mine disaster and rescue in Sheppton, Pennsylvania, United States, marked one of the earliest successful rescues of miners who were trapped underground, achieved by lifting them through tunnels cut into solid rock. This event captured global attention in August 1963.
The mine's roof collapsed on August 13, trapping three miners 300 feet beneath the surface. Efforts began to drill a small hole from the surface to reach the miners. After several days, a borehole was made that led to a mine chamber, where it was discovered that two miners, Henry Throne and David Fellin, had survived in a cramped space. Supplies were dropped to the miners, and further, larger boreholes were drilled, including the most significant one with the help of billionaire Howard Hughes, which successfully brought the two miners to the surface on August 27. The search for the third miner, Louis Bova, proved unsuccessful.
In 1971, The Buoys released a song titled "Timothy," which tells the story of three miners who were trapped underground after a cave-in, with only two of them making it out alive, with a grim implication that they survived by eating each other. This led many to believe that the song was based on the Sheppton Mine disaster, but the songwriter Rupert Holmes denied any knowledge of the event and stated he would not have written the song if he had. Lead singer Bill Kelly supported this claim.

Today we have an unidentified colliery. When determining which colliery it is, be aware that many look similar.

The three-part video of last night's presentation, "Battle of the Crater" is now available on YouTube. Just click on the link below and visit our YouTube channel.

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCqUFuTU8jpubVzyKatKyZPA

Just a friendly reminder about the "Battle of the Crater" program at Baber Cemetary on July 30th at 5:30pm.

Don't miss out on these events for August.

Today was the second Battle of Fort Wagner, which, in recent years, was made famous in the movie "Glory".
Two African-American men from Schuylkill County--James Phoenix and William Haines--served within the ranks of the famed and fabled 54th Massachusetts Infantry, seeing action at James Island and during the regiment's storied assault upon Battery Wagner.

William Haines
Private
Company G
54th Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry
Age: 19
Occupation: Boatman
Enlisted: 4/12/1863
Born: 1844 in Schuylkill County, PA
Discharged: 8/20/1865

James Phoenix
Private
Company K
54th Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry
Age: 24; Height: 5'9"; Complexion: Dark; Eye Color: Brown; Hair Color: Black
Occupation: Laborer
Enlisted: 5/5/1863
Notes: Wounded at the Battle of James Island, 7/16/1864; in Hospital at Beaufort, South Carolina; Died of Disease: 7/8/1865 in Charleston, South Carolina.

The 54th Massachusetts and the Second Battle of Fort Wagner (U.S. National Park Service) In July of 1863, the U.S. Army began their siege of the fortified Confederate city of Charleston, South Carolina. Redoubts and batteries surrounded the city. The formidable Fort Sumter guarded the entrance to the harbor, while Fort Wagner, located on Morris Island, commanded the southern portion of....

TODAY in History July 12th, 1862

On Feb. 15, 1862, Sen. Henry Wilson, R-Mass., then chair of the Senate Committee on Military Affairs and the Militia, introduced a resolution for a Medal of Honor for the Army, according to the U.S. Army Airborne and Special Operations Museum in Fayetteville, North Carolina.
Congress approved this resolution — and President Abraham Lincoln signed it into law on this day in history, July 12, 1862.
Schuylkill County Metal of Honor Winners
Civil War
BROWN, CHARLES: Sergeant, Company C, 50th Pennsylvania Infantry
HARRIS, GEORGE W.: Private, Company B, 148th Pennsylvania Infantry
HILL, HENRY: Corporal, Company C, 50th Pennsylvania Infantry
MONAGHAN, PATRICK: Corporal, Company F, 48th Pennsylvania Infantry
REID, ROBERT: Private, Company G, 48th Pennsylvania Infantry
ROBINSON, THOMAS: Private, Company H, 81st Pennsylvania Infantry
Indian Wars
BLAIR, JAMES: First Sergeant, Company I, 1st U.S. Cavalry
GUNTHER, JACOB: Corporal, Company E, 8th U.S. Cavalry
Boxer Rebellion
FOLEY, ALEXANDER JOSEPH: Sergeant, U.S. Marine Corps
World War I
BOONE, JOEL THOMPSON: Lieutenant (Medical Corps), U.S. Navy
World War II
DAMATO, ANTHONY PETER: Corporal, U.S. Marine Corps. Engebi Island
MESSERSCHMIDT, HAROLD O.: Sergeant, U.S. Army, Company L, 30th Infantry

Our hours for tomorrow.

New videos on our YouTube Channel. Please check them out.

Pottsville Maroons topic of Shenandoah Historical Society’s July talk - The Shenandoah Sentinel SHENANDOAH - The Greater Shenandoah Area Historical Society's meeting for July focuses on the upcoming centennial of Schuylkill County's NFL title. Diana Prosymchak, executive director of the Schuylkill County Historical Society, will give a talk on the Pottsville Maroons, the 1925 NFL champion foot...

Have you been in to see our Maroons Exhibit yet? Philadelphia Eagle's legend Ron Jaworski will be at the Historical Society on Saturday, July 13th to visit the exhibit and hand out a limited edition Maroons poster, signed by Jaworski himself. Reserve your spot today! https://www.schuylkillhistory.org/events/meet-and-greet-with-ron-jaworski

Explore Schuylkill Your one-stop shop for things to see and do in Schuylkill County! Dining + Lodging + Events + More

Join us for the unforgettable opportunity to meet Philadelphia Eagle's legend Ron Jaworski. As part of this exclusive experience, you will receive a Limited Edition 1925 Pottsville Maroons Poster, autographed by Jaworski himself. Tickets available online or at the Historical Society. https://schuylkillhistory.myshopify.com/products/jaworskis-ticket?_pos=1&_psq=ticket&_ss=e&_v=1.0