Police Chief Wilson Lewars, Hamburg It had been a while since I last stepped foot on the sacred grounds of St. Johns Cemetery in Hamburg. The last time I was detoured on the back streets of town due to a construction project involving Old Route 22. Unfortunately, this trip fared no better - a broken … Continue reading In the Line of Duty: Wilson Lewars
Richard Etchberger, Saint Johns Cemetery, Hamburg The Medal of Honor symbolizes the ideals of patriotism, courage, sacrifice, and integrity and is the highest award presented for military valor in action. Those recipients have shown bravery in combat, going above and beyond the call of duty, risking – and often sacrificing – their lives for the … Continue reading Medal of Honor: Richard Etchberger
The Pennsylvania countryside In my personal collection of books, there are numerous works of fiction involving alternative histories of the country with many of them set around a different outcome of Pennsylvania’s most famous battle – Gettysburg. What would have happened if the Confederacy would have won at Gettysburg is a subject numerous authors have … Continue reading The Pennsylvania That Could Have Been
The water filled canal along Five Locks Road - note the green heron in the foreground Having spent the majority of the morning bouncing around Berks County, I took a moment from my journey to visit the grave of Adeline Baver, whose unsolved murder has become a part of regional lore. After I stopped to … Continue reading The Phantom of Five Locks
The Fahrenbach Memorial stands guard in the early morning rain Over the years I have collected hundreds of ghost stories and haunted places within the borders of Pennsylvania and when I’m in the area, I like to stop and visit these haunted locations. What brought me to Berks and Lebanon Counties was a haunted tour … Continue reading The Gray Lady of Haag Cemetery
The Berks County Potter's Field The name “Potter’s Field” often gives a negative impression upon the burial grounds set aside for those who are buried within the plot of land. Many of those fields have been forgotten and have not received the proper care, leaving the identities of those interred there forgotten to the modern … Continue reading Unsolved: The Secret of the Neversink Skeleton
The Pennsylvania Rambler 