A lottery, to help finance the American Revolutionary War, was held by the Second Continental Congress while they met in York. The Pennsylvania Gazette, also printed in York during that time, published several ads concerning lost lottery tickets. Click here for more information on the York-printed Pennsylvania Gazette. Philip Jacob
That’s what some excavators though in 1911, jumbling some history and jumping to conclusions. The York Dispatch reported the story:
One reason that historical research is so intriguing is because the facts may be objective and verifiable but the interpretation is subjective, influenced by the perspective of the interpreter. Even the “facts” themselves might not be a factual as you think. The first rule in research is to use as
Congratulations to the students who participated in the recent essay contest sponsored by the York Daily Record/Sunday News and the York County Heritage Trust. It was my pleasure to help judge the entries. All the students who entered, as well as their teachers and parents who encouraged them, are to
First National Thanksgiving Marker, East Market Street, York Have you passed by the marker above, tucked into a mini-park in downtown York, PA, and wondered about the story behind it? The marker reads: “THE FIRST NATIONAL THANKSGIVING WAS PROCLAIMED FROM YORK BY THE CONTINENTAL CONGRESS ON NOVEMBER 1, 1777 TO
If you are reading this, you are probably interested in York County history and know that York was the capital of the United States from the end of September 1777 through June 1778. The Revolutionary War was in full swing, and the British were occupying Philadelphia, which had been the
Just as today, during the Revolutionary War the Army needed a lot more than men who could shoot a rifle. An Army can’t function without support–personnel that gathers the supplies, feeds the soldiers, and keeps the equipment running. The following recruiting ad comes from the Pennsylvania Gazette, printed in York,
Lotteries have always been alluring–wager a little for the chance to win a lot. Continental Congress attempted to raise funds to finance the Revolutionary War through a lottery, with a one of the drawings held in York in May 1778. From colonial times lotteries were conducted to raise money for
We tend to think of our ancestors and their contemporaries as very strait-laced. Sometimes nothing can be farther from the truth. That’s what is so fascinating about using original documents as historical sources. Those letters, diaries, and newspapers they left behind sometime fairly sizzle with crime, intrigue, and scandal. For
It was April 1777. The Revolutionary War was not going well. Desertion was rampant. General Washington had said as much in a letter he wrote to his brother John on February 24. Click here to read that letter at the Library of Congress web site. Deserters were described in detail