Norman Gasbarro | January 21, 2012
The two original lots here, #2 and #4, may have been the first lots sold by Simon Gratz when a transaction was made in 1811. The first owner was John Orndorff who was believed to be the first doctor to live in Gratz. Ordorff had a difficult time in that he lost the property, had […]
Norman Gasbarro | January 17, 2012
The house which stood on Lot #22, next to the Gratz National Bank, no longer exists. Its last owner and occupant, Guy Snyder, is remember by a plaque and a gazebo which were placed there by the bank after it acquired the property. During Civil War times, the owner of this lot and building was […]
Brian Tomlin | January 16, 2012
With interest in the Civil War growing each week, it is only natural that we are all developing a natural curiosity for what life was like in the 1860s. Today marks the first in a regular series of posts on this blog about the culture and daily life of Americans during the Civil War. The […]
Norman Gasbarro | January 15, 2012
Peter Low (also spelled Lowe) died on 20 December 1906 in Lykens, Pennsylvania. His obituary was contributed by Sally Reiner of the newly formed Lykens-Wiconisco Historical Society: PETER LOWE LYKENS — After an illness of paralysis dating back nearly a year, since which time he was quite helpless, Peter Lowe of North street, an old […]
Norman Gasbarro | January 14, 2012
On 21 July 1860, Gideon S. Stare of Mahantongo Township, Schuylkill County, Pennsylvania, applied for admission to the Gratz chapter of the International Order of Odd Fellows(I.O.O.F.). He signed the application indicating that the information he provided was truthful. At the time, he declared that he was an “M.D.” (a physician), and was 28 years […]
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