John Ritz rests beneath the worn stone on the left I had arrived at Altoona's Fairview Cemetery to remember two local baseball players who rest within the sacred grounds. On this journey I had been joined by Zech and Jen as we explored the region. We had parked at the top of the hillside, in … Continue reading The Brief Career of James Ritz
Grave of John Gochnaur, Fairview Cemetery, Altoona Of all the cemeteries I’ve ever been in, Altoona’s Fairview Cemetery was the one that definitely needed some help. From the moment I passed through the gates on Willow Avenue, I was shocked by the condition of the cemetery grounds. The hillside was marred by sunken graves, toppled … Continue reading John Gochnaur: The Worst Shortstop Ever?
Phillips Paine, Hummelstown Cemetery Despite having made countless trips to and through Hershey over the years, I had only once ventured to Hummelstown proper. On a recent trip to Hershey, I took a couple minutes to venture just west of the famous chocolate community. I navigated the streets of Hummelstown and proceeded past the Hummelstown … Continue reading Phil Paine’s Record-Setting Career
Raymond Keech, race car driver, Coatesville It was raining. At the moment, it was more than a shower as buckets of water fell from the sky. My journey had me passing in and out of showers and the radio forecast had promised the heavier rains were past, but one last downpour had found me. I … Continue reading C. Raymond Keech: Breaking the Land-Speed Record
Leighton "Whitey" Gibson, Lancaster Cemetery Having stopped at Lancaster Cemetery to pay my respects to Charles Demuth – Lancaster’s noted artist – I set out to look around the area between the Demuth family plot and Park Avenue. While I did not know exactly where the next grave was, I had been given general directions … Continue reading Leighton “Whitey” Gibson
John Wesley "Snake" Deal, Mount Joy Note: There have only been a handful of articles I've researched that have created major issues and John Wesley “Snake” Deal is one of those articles. Usually, I use the obituary as a starting point, but in this case I quickly discovered dates of importance in his obituary are … Continue reading No Gentleman of The Diamond: John “Snake” Deal
The Pennsylvania Rambler 