Hidden History of Northwestern Pennsylvania

by Jessica Hilburn

Overview

From unsolved murders and ghastly disasters to medicinal water and sports legends, Northwestern Pennsylvania has a rich and diverse history.

Titusville native John Heisman shaped football into the recognizable sport that it is today. Girard's Charlotte and Libbie Battles broke glass ceilings by becoming early female titans of business and banking in the region. Marx Toys in Erie County found success in crafting affordable popular toys for the masses and became the largest toy company in the world. The horrific Ashtabula train disaster of 1876 was the worst train incident in history to that point. Join author Jessica Hilburn as she reveals the shrouded history of Northwestern Pennsylvania.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781439667583
Publisher:	The History Press
Publication date:	08/05/2019
Series:	Hidden History
Sold by:	Bookwire
Format:	eBook
Pages:	160
File size:	5 MB

About the Author

Jessica Hilburn is the historian and head of reference at Benson Memorial Library in Titusville, Pennsylvania. A native of the area, she performed her undergraduate work in history and political science at Mercyhurst University and received her master's degree from Edinboro University of Pennsylvania. She is a voracious consumer of all things literary and historical and lives in beautiful Northwestern Pennsylvania with her family and countless feline friends, including her best friend, Charlie. You can find more of her hidden stories at nwpastories.com.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgements 7

Introduction 9

1 Horror, Bloodshed and Murder in Penn's Woods 13

2 Broken Bodies on Steel Tracks: Railroad Disasters in NWPA 24

3 The Ghost, the Asylum and the Incendiary: Unusual Stories of NWPA 39

4 Work, Play, Politics and Worship in Rural NWPA 62

5 Striking Clear Gold: The Northwestern Pennsylvania Mineral Water Bonanza 88

6 Opium, Oil and Oregon: Rural Medicine in NWPA 102

7 Hurricanes of Power: Mothers, Daughters and Granddaughters in NWPA 116

8 Brawling Footballers, Black Baseball Pioneers and the Fastest Swayback Who Ever Lived 131

Conclusion 145

Bibliography 147

Index 155

About the Author 159