Halloween shenanigans are nothing new. And sometimes, they can truly get out of hand.
In 1958, the annual Halloween celebration on North Queen Street was canceled because of a raucous melee the previous year, in which “girls had their clothing torn off and were molested by gangs of young hoodlums,” according to police Chief William B. Hershner. (New Era, […]

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On Friday, the Philadelphia Phillies will parade down Broad Street to celebrate their 2008 World Series Championship, sealed by Wednesday night’s 4-3 win over the Tampa Bay Rays in game 5.
For those of you old enough to feel nostalgic about the Phillies’ last World Championship, here are a couple of Associated Press photos from the team’s victory and parade in […]

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This week marks the 79th anniversary of the great stock market crash of Oct. 28-29, 1929.
The Associated Press distributed some cool old photos from that time period (see below), and a story comparing the Great Crash of 1929 with the nation’s current financial  crisis. That prompted me to take a trip to our own archives to see how the Lancaster papers reported that historic event of nearly eight […]

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One of the most interesting historical sites I’ve ever visited is the Lower East Side Tenement Museum in my hometown of New York. It’s a time capsule that offers a glimpse into the very crowded and difficult lives of immigrants of the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
I was there a couple of years ago, and I highly recommend […]

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 Evelyn Ay Sempier, Miss America 1954, dies of cancer at 75.
 
 In case you missed last week’s news coverage of the death of Evelyn Ay Sempier, Miss America 1954, you can read New Era reporter Chad Umble’s story below.
Evelyn Ay, of Ephrata, was crowned in September 1953, at the last Miss America Pageant that wasn’t televised. She remains the only Miss America from […]

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Following are summaries of local news stories from the pages of the Lancaster New Era. They are researched and compiled by New Era staffer Tim Buckwalter. This column appears in the New Era each Monday. Full versions of the articles are available on microfilm at the Lancaster County Library, 125 N. Duke St.
25 years ago

CHICKEN […]

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While scrolling through the microfilm to research my Eras Past column, I couldn’t help but notice this large, union-sponsored campaign ad that ran in the New Era shortly before the 1958 general election. The mid-term election took place in a year of recession. See any familiar themes?
James Paul, a 32-year-old law professor, was the Democratic candidate trying to unseat U.S. Rep. Paul […]

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Following are summaries of local news stories from the pages of the Lancaster New Era. They are researched and compiled by New Era staffer Tim Buckwalter. This column appears in the New Era each Monday. Full versions of the articles are available on microfilm at the Lancaster County Library, 125 N. Duke St.
25 years ago
CARVED […]

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Ever wonder what those historic mansions along Marietta Avenue, just west of the Lancaster City line, look like inside?

You can get your chance from noon to 5 p.m. on Sunday, Oct. 19, when the Historic Preservation Trust of Lancaster County sponsors an architectural history tour of six of them.
Homes on the tour are at 1020 Marietta, 1022 Marietta, […]

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The company that has been offering the popular “Ghost Tour of Strasburg” has added a “Ghost Tour of Lancaster” this Halloween season.
“We’re all about the research when we plan our tours,” Tim Reeser, one of the tour company’s managers, told the Intelligencer Journal. “We look at old newspaper clippings, research local folklore and mysteries to appeal […]

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