Norman Gasbarro | July 4, 2011
In Harrisburg, the preparation for celebration of the Union victory of 1865 was well underway as troops returning from the war flooded the capital. A controversy developed that centered around the desire of Gov. Andrew Curtin to hold a celebration and parade on the 4th of July to recognize and honor the veterans and the […]
Norman Gasbarro | March 4, 2011
One hundred fifty years ago, on his way from his home in Springfield, Illinois, to Washington, D.C. for his March 4th inauguration, President-elect Abraham Lincoln made a stop in Harrisburg, Dauphin County, Pennsylvania. Then, as now, Harrisburg was both the county seat and the state capital. The plan was for Lincoln to remain in Harrisburg […]
Norman Gasbarro | February 15, 2011
Early in the nineteenth century, perhaps at the very beginning of the settlement of Gratz, a militia was formed to protect the area from intruders and from hostile Indians, of which there were some. At the beginning of settlement, Gratz was on the frontier and had a “well regulated militia.” The early settlers of the […]
Norman Gasbarro | December 13, 2010
The Gratz House – from a Mural in the Gratz Community Building Theodore Gratz (1811-1863), the third son of Simon Gratz and Mary {Smith] Gratz, was born in Philadelphia. Theodore’s father, Simon, was the brother of Rebecca Gratz, and therefore Theodore was Rebecca’s nephew. Because of the estrangement of Rebecca and her brother Simon, probably […]
Norman Gasbarro | December 6, 2010
At the start of the Civil War in April, 1861, there was great enthusiasm and support in many places in the north. President Abraham Lincoln’s call for 75,000 volunteers was answered and it appeared that these men would be sufficient to end the rebellion quickly; life could then go on as before. After the shocking […]
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