Men drafted during the first World War would have been required to report for basic training at camps like this one in Elizabethtown. Many of the deserters on the lists likely failed to show up at these camps. This image was taken by me at the Pennsylvania State Archives on March 12, 2020. This post … Continue reading The Deserters of Steelton
I never thought the Census was confusing, until I had to complete the census on my own this year. College students are supposed to fill out the census with where they reside during the school year- but then COVID-19 displaced thousands of college students altering where they live. Personally, I then went to a friend’s … Continue reading Dealing with Data
Locating Harrisburg's Prostitutes Prostitution has existed in America since its inception. Brothels (which catered to wealthier clientele) and bawdy houses (which catered to the lower, working classes) had dotted street corners and alleyways for generations by the turn of the 20th century. J. Howard Wert in his article for the Harrisburg Patriot newspaper, decried … Continue reading Locating Harrisburg’s Prostitutes
In mid-march, as skepticism and minimal concern over the impending Coronavirus epidemic began to mount, Digital Harrisburg began to develop plans to carry our work into remote-work context. I was never doubtful of the seriousness of the matter, but I was surprised all the same when Messiah announced that our date of return to campus … Continue reading Digital Harrisburg in a State of Quarantine
I went in to my experience at the archives somewhat daunted, because I didn't have an extremely concrete idea of what I was going to be looking for. Initially interested in researching restrictive covenants, I soon found that the archives would not be much help in that area. I decided to look at arrest records … Continue reading Research at the PA State Archives: My Last Hands on Experience for a Long Time
Digital History and online learning have taken on a whole new meaning for me and many other students across the county and the world in the past few weeks. Last Thursday we visited the PA state archives and sorted through materials left behind from those living in Harrisburg a hundred years ago. I was looking … Continue reading Digitization and the Demolition of the Eighth Ward
Cities hold history in various forms. Some cities utilize murals to capture their past, others may use walking tours, but most city histories resides in archives and with local residents. Harrisburg, the capital of Pennsylvania, does not have the most accessible history. Due to my work with the Digital Harrisburg Initiative, I have spent an … Continue reading Mystery of McFarland
I have been working on a project regarding the soldiers of the Spanish American War who lived in Harrisburg both before and after the war. My goal is to chart out the soldiers' places of residence, jobs, and marital status. The idea is to see if the soldiers were able to assimilate back into the … Continue reading Harrisburg History, Copyright, and My Research on Spanish American War Veterans in Harrisburg
It has been a hectic past few weeks. You'll probably learn from my classmates how the college has shut down the campus and moved all classes online (not a serious handicap for a Digital History class) due to the COVID-19 outbreak, so I'll spare you the details. Fortunately, we were able to spend our last … Continue reading Deserters and Digitization
The Silenced Voices of Harrisburg's Old Eighth Ward Before coming to Messiah I knew nothing about Harrisburg or the City Beautiful Movement. When I took Pennsylvania History during my junior year, I began to learn about the fascinating and devastating history of Harrisburg and specifically the Old Eighth Ward. I learned how the City Beautiful … Continue reading The Silenced Voices of Harrisburg’s Old Eighth Ward
