Pennsylmania

Mark Smith

Entertaining and informing listeners with stories of people and events in the history of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, hosted by Mark Smith.

  1. 1h ago

    The Williamsport Boom (Ep23)

    The story of Pennsylvania, first as a colony and later as the Commonwealth, is in many ways inseparable from its trees. The name Pennsylvania, which means “Penn’s Woods,” is itself an indication of the fact that, when William Penn arrived in Pennsylvania in1682, over 27 million acres – or about 95% – of what is now the Commonwealth was heavily forested. Those trees were a highly valued resource, especially the expansive stands of eastern white pine that stretched across northern Pennsylvania. One might say that, in this case, money does grow on trees – or, at least, from trees. Although the lumber industry was present throughout the state, it was especially foundational to the development of North Central Pennsylvania. This episode highlights the Susquehanna Boom, the innovative structure that held the huge numbers of felled trees – primarily eastern white pines – that had been floated downriver to the sawmills of Williamsport. Williamsport became the lumber capital of the United States, with a population that increased more than ten-fold from 1850 to 1870. This episode details the wood hicks, boom rats and sawmill workers whose labor built the industry, and the lumber barons who controlled it. We also talk about Williamsport at its Gilded Age height, with its Millionaire’s Row of mansions. Finally, Williamsport was the scene of the only large labor strike of the Pennsylvania lumber industry – the Sawdust War of 1872. Timestamps for major events/discussions: [03:05] – Pennsylvania settlers cut down trees for four reasons [04:22] – The high value of eastern white pine trees [07:31] – The four eras of lumbering in Pennsylvania [10:07] – The western branch of the Susquehanna and the founding of Williamsport [14:19] – What is a log boom? [21:40] – Introducing the wood hicks [27:35] – Meet the boom rats [31:45] – Say hello to the sawmill workers [41:08] – Peter Herdic and the lumber barons of Williamsport [48:02] – The Sawdust War of 1872 [54:04] – The lumber industry on the verge of a shift Books to read: • Lumbering Pennsylvania – Volume I and II by Thomas T. Taber III, reprinted in 2022 by the Lumber Heritage Region of Pennsylvania. Places to visit mentioned in or that inspired this episode: • Williamsport’s Millionaire’s Row – take a walking tour of this historic district consisting of 263 contributing buildings. Click here for more information: https://lumberheritage.org/heritage/discover-the-splendor-of-williamsports-millionaires-row-historic-district/, and here for my short video post on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/p/DdCY1JfhoYI/?hl=en • Thomas T. Taber Museum in Williamsport – the museum of the Lycoming County Historical Society. Click here for the Museum’s website: https://www.tabermuseum.org/ • Pennsylvania Lumber Museum – on Route 6 in Ulysses, PA, between Coudersport and Galeton. This is a fantastic museum, fun, exciting, immersive. They have lots of period lumbering outbuildings and equipment. Click here for Museum’s website: https://lumbermuseum.org/ Calls to action: • Follow us on Instagram to learn when new episodes drop or to be a part of our chat community IG: pennsylmaniapod • Join our email list to receive news on the podcast by emailing us at producer@pennsylmania.com or signing up at our website • Provide feedback on this episode, or give us ideas for new episodes, by emailing us at producer@pennsylmania.com Link to website: www.pennsylmania.com

  2. Sep 29

    The Pennsylvania Navy Part 2 (Ep22)

    In the previous episode, we described how the Pennsylvania Assembly’s Committee on Safety established the Pennsylvania Navy, developed three forts along the Delaware River, and installed a series of underwater hazards to big ships sailing up the Delaware. These were all meant to defend Philadelphia from the powerful British Navy. It worked until the British Army sidestepped the River defenses in their efforts to reach Philadelphia. They landed at the top of Chesapeake Bay in Elk Head, Maryland, and marched the 50 miles north to win the Battle of Brandywine Creek and occupy the American capital. The forts and navy positioned south of the City suddenly found themselves with a very different objective. If the forts could be held, and the Pennsylvania navy and its line of underwater spikes – known as chevaux de frise – could be maintained, then the British Navy would be unable to resupply General Howe and the British troops in Philadelphia. The Brits would be starved out and forced to evacuate the City. The patriots just had to hang onto the choke point they had created until the Delaware River froze in winter. Both sides were frantic to beat the calendar. The British tried to seize the forts, destroy the Pennsylvania Navy, and remove the underwater spikes. The Americans tried to stop them. In this episode, the British and Americans square off in two major Revolutionary War clashes – the Battle of Fort Mercer (also known as the Battle of Red Bank), and the Battle of Fort Mud Island (today known as the Battle of Fort Mifflin). By the end of both, one side is clearly victorious. Timestamps for major events/discussions: [03:22] – The Hessians march on Fort Mercer [07:56] – The attack on Fort Mercer begins [10:21] – The British retreat [11:58] – General Howe resigns his commission [13:13] – The HMS Augusta and Merlin are lost [19:07] – The attack on Fort Mud Island begins [25:46] – Evacuation of Fort Mud Island [31:16] – The fall of Fort Mercer [33:00] – The fate of Fort Mud Island (Fort Mifflin) [34:36] – Places to visit [36:09] – Books to read Books to read: • Fighting for Philadelphia: Forts Mercer and Mifflin, the Battle of Whitemarsh, and the Road to Valley Forge, October 5, 1777 - December 19, 1777 by Michael C. Harris, Savas Beatie LLC, 2025 • The Pennsylvania Navy, 1775-1781, the Defense of the Delaware by John W. Jackson, Rutgers University Press, 1974 – which is sadly out of print • Robert Morris: Financier of the Revolution by Charles Rappleye, Simon & Schuster, 2010 Places to visit mentioned in this episode: • Fort Mifflin (the renamed Fort Mud Island) – a terrific Revolutionary War and early American historical site, located in the City of Philadelphia, right off the grounds of Philadelphia International Airport. • Remnants of Fort Mercer -- visit Red Bank Battlefield Park, where the fort once stood and where, as the name indicates, the battle of Red Bank was fought. The park is owned by Gloucester County, New Jersey. Note: dogs are not allowed in this park. Calls to action: • Follow us on Instagram to learn when new episodes drop or to be a part of our chat community IG: pennsylmaniapod • Join our email list to receive news on the podcast by emailing us at producer@pennsylmania.com or signing up at our website • Provide feedback on this episode, or give us ideas for new episodes, by emailing us at producer@pennsylmania.com Link to website: www.pennsylmania.com

  3. Sep 15

    The Pennsylvania Navy Part 1 (Ep21)

    Did you know that, during the American War for Independence, the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania had a navy? Let that sink in. It’s true. The Pennsylvania Navy was established in 1775, six months before the U.S. Navy. Its job was to police and protect the capital city Philadelphia and the surrounding region. It played a prominent role in two major revolutionary war battles: the Battle of Fort Mercer and the Battle of Fort Mifflin, the second of which was the scene of the largest bombardment in North America prior to the US Civil War. Not only did Pennsylvania have its own navy, but many of the most prominent of Pennsylvania’s revolutionary leaders – including Ben Franklin, Robert Morris, John Dickinson –had a hand in its formation. This episode covers the founding and building of the Pennsylvania Navy by the Pennsylvania Assembly’s Committee on Safety; the creation of Forts Mud Island, Mercer and Billingsport; and the installation of the famous river defenses known as “chevaux de frise”. The episode ends during British Occupation of Philadelphia, when British General Howe, desperate to resupply his troops because the British Navy was blocked from the reaching the city, targets the destruction of the Pennsylvania Navy, the forts, and the other river defenses. Timestamps for major events/discussions: [04:17] – The Pennsylvania Assembly creates a Committee on Safety [07:20] – Building Fort Mud Island [09:22] – The chevaux de frise – underwater obstacles to British naval ships [12:33] – Congress passes a resolution calling for each colony to create its own navy [14:22] – The ships of the Pennsylvania Navy [19:53] – Building Fort Mercer [23:21] – The British Navy arrives in May, 1776 [28:07] – The British Invasion of 1777 [31:16] – The Occupation of Philadelphia begins [39:18] – The British military strategy Books to read: • Fighting for Philadelphia: Forts Mercer and Mifflin, the Battle of Whitemarsh, and the Road to Valley Forge, October 5, 1777 - December 19, 1777 by Michael C. Harris, Savas Beatie LLC, 2025 • The Pennsylvania Navy, 1775-1781, the Defense of the Delaware by John W. Jackson, Rutgers University Press, 1974 – which is sadly out of print • Robert Morris: Financier of the Revolution by Charles Rappleye, Simon & Schuster, 2010 Places to visit mentioned in this episode: • Fort Mifflin (the renamed Fort Mud Island) – a terrific Revolutionary War and early American historical site, located in the City of Philadelphia right off the grounds of Philadelphia International Airport. • Remnants of Fort Mercer – visit Red Bank Battlefield Park, where the fort once stood and where, as the name suggests, the battle of Red Bank was fought. The park is owned by Gloucester County, New Jersey. Note: dogs are not allowed in this park. Calls to action: • Follow us on Instagram to learn when new episodes drop or to be a part of our chat community IG: pennsylmaniapod • Join our email list to receive news on the podcast by emailing us at producer@pennsylmania.com or signing up at our website • Provide feedback on this episode, or give us ideas for new episodes, by emailing us at producer@pennsylmania.com Link to website: www.pennsylmania.com

  4. Sep 1

    Renaming Allens Lane (Ep20)

    What does Black Lives Matter have to do with rededicating a street in Northwest Philadelphia? In February of 2022, community leaders in Philadelphia celebrated the recognition of an important historical figure, the Reverend Richard Allen, when City Council named a street in his honor. Allen was one of the City’s first Black preachers and founder of the African Methodist Episcopal (AME) Church, of which Allen ultimately became bishop. He was also co-founder of the Free African Society, a mutual aid organization for free Blacks. But City Council’s action was also a sleight of hand, because Allens Lane was always Allens Lane. It was originally named for a different William Allen, a former Chief Justice of Pennsylvania Colony’s Supreme Court, a colonial-era Mayor of Philadelphia, and founder of the City of Allentown. He was no relation to Richard. So, City Council simply swapped one Allen for another – the street was effectively renamed without being renamed. This episode explores why this change was made, why – in the name of history – we sometimes change the names of streets, and how this particular “renaming” of Allens Lane compares to others in recent years throughout the Commonwealth. Timestamps for major events/discussions: [03:31] – Reintroducing William Allen, originally done in “Occupied Philadelphia” (Ep10) [07:19] – Reintroducing Richard Allen, originally done in “Death in Yellow” (Eps18-19) [09:56] – Racially motivated attacks nationally, and Black Lives Matter [13:32] – Philadelphia City Council votes to rename Allens Lane [17:06] – Examining City Council’s depiction of William Allen [23:16] – Renaming Taney Street [32:10] – Examples of street name changes elsewhere in the Commonwealth [39:48] – Was City Council right to rename Allens Lane? [47:08] – Places to visit Places to visit mentioned in this episode: • Eden Cemetery in Collingdale, Delaware County – where you can visit the graves of Caroline LeCount, Octavius Catto, Marian Anderson, and other prominent African-Americans. Visit the Cemetery’s website at https://www.edencemetery.org// • Lehigh Valley Heritage Museum in Allentown, operated by the Lehigh County Historical Society. Next door is Trout Hall, built by William Allen’s son, James, which is a colonial museum and home operated by the Society. Visit the Historical Society’s website at https://www.lehighcountyhistoricalsociety.org/ • Walk along Allens Lane in the Mt. Airy neighborhood of northwest Philadelphia, from the former site of William Allen’s Mount Airy Estate, now the United Lutheran Seminary, to the charming Richard Allen Lane train station, designed in the 1880s by legendary local architect Frank Furness, then on to the Wissahickon Gorge. Calls to action: • Follow us on Instagram to learn when new episodes drop or to be a part of our chat community IG: pennsylmaniapod • Join our email list to receive news on the podcast by emailing us at producer@pennsylmania.com or signing up at our website • Provide feedback on this episode, or give us ideas for new episodes, by emailing us at producer@pennsylmania.com Link to website: www.pennsylmania.com

  5. Aug 18

    Death In Yellow Part 2 (Ep19)

    In 1793, the capital city of Philadelphia was struck by a terrible yellow fever epidemic, one that caused President George Washington and Congress to flee the City, which ultimately lost 10% of its population to the disease. In our last episode, we met three notable Philadelphians of the Early American period. Most famous among them was Dr. Benjamin Rush, signer of the Declaration of Independence, physician to America’s founding fathers, and one of, if not the most prominent physician at the time. He was a professor at America’s first medical school, on staff at America’s first hospital, and a practicing physician in a large clinical practice. The two other men, the Reverends Absalom Jones and Richard Allen, were formerly enslaved African Americans born in Delaware. They were free men, prominent preachers, and founders of the Free African Society, a mutual aid organization for free-born and emancipated Blacks. The lives of the three men intersected around the cause of abolition, but they would intertwine further at one of the most critical points in the history of the newly independent United States. This episode will cover the outbreak of the epidemic and how each of the three men responded to the crisis. Timestamps for major events/discussions: [02:51] – The Great Walkout [04:32] – August 1793: Yellow Fever appears [06:14] – The Mayor swings into action as the fever erupts [15:19] – Exodus from the City, and those who remained [19:41] – Different doctors, different approaches to treatment [22:40] – The Reverends Jones and Allen offer help to the citizens [28:30] – 100 Philadelphians dying every day [29:23] – Matthew Carey’s account of the epidemic – instant history [34:23] – Carey slanders the Black Good Samaritans [36:37] – Jones and Allen defend the Black community [44:47] – The end of the epidemic [46:17] – Rush, Jones and Allen after the epidemic [50:57] – Books to read [51:53] – A preview: Renaming Allens Lane Books to read: Sources for this episode include • Rush: Revolution, Madness and the Visionary Doctor Who Became a Founding Father by Stephen Fried, Crown Publishing, 2018 • The pamphlet A Short Account of the Malignant Fever Lately Prevalent in Philadelphia by Matthew Carey, 1793. • The pamphlet A Narrative of the Proceedings of the Black People, During the Late Awful Calamity in Philadelphia, in the year 1793: And a Refutation of Some Censures Thrown upon then in some late Publications by Absalom Jones and Richard Allen, 1794. Calls to action: • Follow us on Instagram to learn when new episodes drop or to be a part of our chat community IG: pennsylmaniapod • Join our email list to receive news on the podcast by emailing us at producer@pennsylmania.com • Provide feedback on this episode, or give us ideas for new episodes, by emailing us at producer@pennsylmania.com • Visit the newly opened Pennsylvania Hospital Museum. For more information, click here for the Museum’s website: https://pahmuseum.pennmedicine.org/ Link to website: www.pennsylmania.com

  6. Aug 4

    Death In Yellow Part 1 (Ep18)

    It was perhaps the greatest calamity of the newly constituted United States, and it struck the capital city. In 1793, an epidemic of yellow fever decimated Philadelphia, and caused President George Washington and Congress to flee the virus. By the end of the outbreak, about 10% of the city’s population had died of the disease. Three important people stayed in the City to fight the disease: Dr. Benjamin Rush, a founding father later known as America’s Hippocrates; and African American preachers Absalom Jones and Richard Allen, both former slaves from Delaware. This episode explains who these three men were, and why they were among those who stayed to help. Timestamps for major events/discussions: [02:41] – Birth and upbringing of Benjamin Rush [05:06] – Medicine and medical training in America in the mid-to-late 1700s [07:46] – Yellow fever explained [12:16] – Aspiring Dr. Rush studies abroad [15:15] – Returning to Philadelphia, Rush begins his career [21:47] – Rush and the Continental Congress [29:40] – The Army gains a surgeon general in Rush [33:58] – Rush’s growing frustration with the Army, in more ways than one [39:10] – Return to private practice [41:17] – Rush’s focus on treating the mentally ill [45:57] – Reverend Absalom Jones – his origin story [48:13] – Reverend Richard Allen – his origin story Books to read: Some sources that were consulted to write this episode include • Rush: Revolution, Madness and the Visionary Doctor Who Became a Founding Father by Stephen Fried, Crown Publishing, 2018 • The pamphlet A Short Account of the Malignant Fever Lately Prevalent in Philadelphia by Matthew Carey, 1793. • The pamphlet A Narrative of the Proceedings of the Black People, During the Late Awful Calamity in Philadelphia, in the year 1793: And a Refutation of Some Censures Thrown upon then in some late Publications by Absalom Jones and Richard Allen, 1794. Calls to action: • Follow us on Instagram to learn when new episodes drop or to be a part of our chat community IG: pennsylmaniapod • Join our email list to receive news on the podcast by emailing us at producer@pennsylmania.com • Provide feedback on this episode, or give us ideas for new episodes, by emailing us at producer@pennsylmania.com Link to website: www.pennsylmania.com

  7. Jul 21

    The Pittsburgh Lineup Card (Ep17)

    On September 1, 1971, something unusual happened at Three Rivers Stadium in Pittsburgh. The game that night – between the Pittsburgh Pirates and their home-state rivals, the Philadelphia Phillies – started at 8:05pm when Dock Ellis, the Pirates’ pitcher, strode to the mound. From where he stood, he could have looked from the outfield to the infield to the catcher and noticed that every one of his starting teammates was Black or Latino, including superstars Roberto Clemente and Willie Stargell. Twenty-four years after Jackie Robinson first took to the field for the Brooklyn Dodgers and Major League Baseball began racially integrating, the Pirates were the first team who fielded a starting roster consisting of players who would have been kept from playing in the MLB based on their skin color. Oddly enough, the historic nature of the lineup was scarcely noticed at the time. But as time went on, it became clear that it was a pretty big deal. Timestamps for major events/discussions: [02:33] – Why were Black players, in effect, banned from baseball? [05:26] – Jackie Robinson debuts [07:13] – Quotas to limit players of color on a team [10:01] – Introducing Roberto Clemente [13:40] – Branch Rickey moves from the Dodgers to the Pirates [20:50] – The 1960 World Series [25:43] – Baseball and the Pirates in the 1960s [29:12] – Introducing Dock Ellis [31:34] – Baseball and the Pirates in 1971 [36:23] – Pittsburgh in 1971 [39:05] – The game – September 1, 1971 [52:52] – The 1971 World Series [54:35] – The economics of baseball in the 1970s [1:00:22] – Books and films that inspired this episode Total run time: 1:03:11 Sources that inspired this episode: • The book Clemente: The Passion and Grace of Baseball’s Last Hero, by David Maraniss, Simon & Schuster, 2006 • The book The Team That Changed Baseball: Roberto Clemente and the 1971 Pittsburgh Pirates, by Bruce Markusen, Westholme Publishing, 2006 • The documentary Clemente, directed by David Altrogge, 2024 • The film No No – A Dockumentary, directed and produced by Jeffrey Radice, 2014 Calls to action: • Follow us on Instagram to learn when new episodes drop or to be a part of our chat community IG: pennsylmaniapod • Join our email list to receive news on the podcast by emailing us at producer@pennsylmania.com • Provide feedback on this episode, or give us ideas for new episodes, by emailing us at producer@pennsylmania.com Link to website: www.pennsylmania.com

  8. Jul 7

    The Live Aid Concert (Ep16)

    On Monday, June 10, 1985, at press conferences in London and New York City, it was announced that in just one month’s time there would be a 17-hour, two-stadium, bicontinental benefit concert for famine relief in Ethiopia, to be called Live Aid. It was organized by Irish musician Bob Geldof of the Boomtown Rats and would feature a “global jukebox” of over 40 of the top stars and groups in British and American music, from Mick Jagger, Elton John, Freddie Mercury and Queen, David Bowie and Phil Collins, to The Cars, Hall & Oates, Eric Clapton, Sting, Dire Straits, and Duran Duran. Not only were the suddenness and scale of the event a shock, but the choice of American venue was as well. The American Live Aid concert was to be held in JFK Stadium in South Philadelphia – a space that could hold 100,000 people. Live Aid became the most famous and most watched concert in history, and half of it happened in Pennsylvania. Timestamps for major events/discussions: [03:26] – The BBC broadcasts a program on a famine in Ethiopia [05:08] – “Do They Know It’s Christmas” written and recorded in London [07:00] – “We are the World” written and recorded in Hollywood [10:48] – Why Philadelphia was picked as the host for the Live Aid Concert [13:39] – The challenge getting American performers, black and white [20:56] – The day before the concert [23:42] – Saturday, July 13th, concert day [28:01] – The full line-up of performers at JFK Stadium [36:02] – Immediate aftermath of the concert [38:39] – Legacy of Live Aid Calls to action: • Follow us on Instagram to learn when new episodes drop or to be a part of our chat community IG: pennsylmaniapod • Join our email list to receive news on the podcast by signing up at our website www.pennsylmania.com • Provide feedback on this episode, or give us ideas for new episodes, by emailing us at producer@pennsylmania.com • Watch the broadcast of Live Aid, available on DVD and in clips on YouTube, and/or one of many subsequent documentaries about the concert. Link to website: www.pennsylmania.com

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About

Entertaining and informing listeners with stories of people and events in the history of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, hosted by Mark Smith.

Information

  • Creator
    Mark Smith
  • Years Active
    2025 - 2026
  • Episodes
    24
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Copyright 2026 Pennsylmania
  • Show Website
    Pennsylmania