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"Amiable Scoundrel: Simon Cameron, Lincoln's Scandalous Secretary of War" with Paul Kahan Sep 06, 2016

Show notes

From abject poverty to undisputed political boss of Pennsylvania, Lincoln's secretary of war, senator, chair of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, and a founder of the Republican Party, Simon Cameron (1799–1889) was one of the nineteenth century's most prominent political figures. The political changes of the early nineteenth century enabled him not only to improve his status but also to exert real political authority. The changes caused by the Civil War, in turn, allowed Cameron to consolidate his political authority into a successful, well-oiled political machine. A key figure in designing and implementing the Union's military strategy during the Civil War's crucial first year, Cameron played an essential role in pushing Abraham Lincoln to permit the enlistment of African Americans into the U.S. Army, a stance that eventually led to his forced resignation. Yet his legacy has languished, nearly forgotten save for the fact that his name has become shorthand for corruption, even though no evidence has ever been presented to prove that Cameron was corrupt.

Paul Kahan is a lecturer at Ohlone College in Fremont, California. He is the author of "The Bank War: Andrew Jackson, Nicholas Biddle, and the Fight for American Finance" and "The Homestead Strike: Labor, Violence, and American Industry."

"The Second Day at Gettysburg" with David Shultz & Scott Mingus Jul 19, 2016

Show notes

Based upon a faulty early-morning reconnaissance, General Robert E. Lee decided to attack up the Emmitsburg Road in an effort to collapse the left flank of General George Meade's Army of the Potomac and decisively defeat it. The effort got underway when General James Longstreet's First Corps troops crushed General Sickles' Peach Orchard salient and turned north and east to drive deeply into the Union rear. A third Confederate division under Richard Anderson, part of A. P. Hill's Third Corps, joined in the attack, slamming one brigade after another into the overstretched Union line stitched northward along the Emmitsburg Road. The bloody fighting stair-stepped its way up Cemetery Ridge, tearing open a large gap in the center of the Federal line that threatened to split the Union army in two. The fate of the Battle of Gettysburg hung in the balance.

In addition to demonstrating how the fighting on the far Union left directly affected the combat to come in the center of General Meade's line, the authors also address some of the most commonly overlooked aspects of the fighting: what routes did some of the key units take to reach the front? What could the commanders actually see, and when could they see it? How did the fences, roads, farms, trees, ravines, creeks, and others obstacles directly affect tactical decisions, and ultimately the battle itself?

David L. Shultz is the author of numerous books, pamphlets, and articles concerning the Battle of Gettysburg. He is the recipient of numerous awards including special citations from the House of Representatives and Commonwealth of Pennsylvania for Meritorious Public Service for Battlefield Preservation.

Scott L. Mingus, Sr. is an author, tour guide, multiple award-winning miniature wargamer, patented scientist, and history buff based near York, Pennsylvania.

"The First Congress" with Fergus Bordewich Jun 28, 2016

Show notes

The First Congress tells the dramatic story of the two remarkable years when George Washington, James Madison, and their dedicated colleagues struggled to successfully create our government, an achievement that has lasted to the present day. The Constitution was a broad set of principles. It was left to the members of the First Congress and President George Washington to create the machinery that would make the government work. Fortunately, James Madison, John Adams, Alexander Hamilton, and others less well known today, rose to the occasion. During two years of often fierce political struggle, they passed the first ten amendments to the Constitution; they resolved bitter regional rivalries to choose the site of the new national capital; they set in place the procedure for admitting new states to the union; and much more. But the First Congress also confronted some issues that remain to this day: the conflict between states' rights and the powers of national government; the proper balance between legislative and executive power; the respective roles of the federal and state judiciaries; and funding the central government. Other issues, such as slavery, would fester for decades before being resolved.

Fergus M. Bordewich is the author of several books, among them "Washington: The Making of the American Capital" and "Bound for Canaan," a national history of the Underground Railroad. His articles have appeared in many magazines and newspapers. He lives in San Francisco.

"Sickles at Gettysburg" with James Hessler Feb 10, 2016

Show notes

Sickles at Gettysburg"
No individual who fought at Gettysburg was more controversial, both personally and professionally, than Major General Daniel E. Sickles. By 1863, Sickles was notorious as a disgraced former Congressman who murdered his wife's lover on the streets of Washington and used America's first temporary insanity defense to escape justice. With his political career in ruins, Sickles used his connections with President Lincoln to obtain a prominent command in the Army of the Potomac's Third Corps-despite having no military experience. At Gettysburg, he openly disobeyed orders in one of the most controversial decisions in military history. No single action dictated the battlefield strategies of George Meade and Robert E. Lee more than Sickles' unauthorized advance to the Peach Orchard, and the mythic defense of Little Round Top might have occurred quite differently were it not for General Sickles. Fighting heroically, Sickles lost his leg on the field and thereafter worked to remove General Meade from command of the army. Sickles spent the remainder of his checkered life declaring himself the true hero of Gettysburg.

James Hessler works in the financial services industry and is a Licensed Battlefield Guide at Gettysburg National Military Park. He has taught Sickles and Gettysburg-related courses for Harrisburg Area Community College and the Gettysburg Foundation.

"Shop Pomeroy's First" with Michael Lisicky Feb 10, 2016

Show notes

For over one hundred years, Pomeroy's was a beloved household name for the shoppers of central and eastern Pennsylvania. Founded in 1876, the store began under another name in Reading and soon expanded to Harrisburg, Pottsville and Wilkes-Barre. George Pomeroy bought out his partners in 1923, and Pomeroy's became known for its exemplary service and a devoted sales force. From the extraordinary window displays and the annual Christmas parade to a bite at the Tea Room, the stores were a social hub where sweethearts first met and families did their Saturday shopping. Though the final stores closed in 1990, the memories live on. Department store historian Michael Lisicky chronicles the history of Pomeroy's and takes readers back in time with reminiscences of former employees, interviews with store insiders and a selection of classic recipes.

Michael Lisicky has been credited as a nationally recognized department store "historian," "lecturer," "expert," "guru," "aficionado," "junkie" and "maven" by several major newspapers. He is the author of several best-selling books, including Wanamaker's: Meet Me at the Eagle, Hutzler's: Where Baltimore Shops, and Woodward and Lothrop: A Store Worthy of the Nation's Capital. Mr. Lisicky resides in Baltimore, where he is an oboist with the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra and a master's degree candidate in museum studies at Johns Hopkins University.

"Semisweet" with Johnny O' Brien Feb 10, 2016

Show notes

The Milton Hershey School is the richest and wealthiest K-12 residential school in the world. Its $12 billion trust fund, financed by sales of the iconic Hershey candy, eclipse that of Cornell, Dartmouth, and Johns Hopkins combined. Even more stunning is that the school for orphans owns The Hershey Company and not the other way around.

As the twentieth-century drew to a close, the School's Board of Managers creatively interpreted the Founder's mission and tried to turn the refuge for extremely needy children into more of a middle-class boarding school. The alumni "Homeguys" challenged the Board and, after a decade of legal struggle and national publicity, won the battle to reclaim the soul of the school.

Johnny O'Brien, an orphan who lived at the school growing up, helped to lead the successful alumni protest. In a shocking turn of events, he was then selected to become Milton Hershey School's eighth president and tasked with restoring the mission, morale, and character-building culture of "the Home." He would need all his orphan resilience, Princeton and Johns Hopkins wisdom, and his good friends, to transform this unusual and remarkable school.

In a riveting and haunting account, O'Brien tells a universal story about the vulnerability of needy children, describes the madness that consumed his beloved brother, explores the cruelty of bullies—both young and old, exposes the corrupting influence of money, and shows how the Milton Hershey School continues its sacred mission of saving thousands of America's neediest children.

Johnny O'Brien is the former president of the Milton Hershey School in Hershey, PA. He spent his formative years from age 4 through 18 as a student at the School where he emerged as a leader of his Class of 1961 in sports, academics, and student government. He earned degrees in psychology and education at Princeton and Johns Hopkins Universities. Throughout his career, which includes serving as a Princeton University Trustee, he has specialized in education and issues related to leadership. He founded Renaissance Leadership, an executive leadership coaching firm, in 1978. He has been a keynote speaker, seminar leader and high performance coach for more than 50,000 managers and executives at leading American companies including Pfizer, AT&T, and American Express. He lives in Easton, Maryland and Vero Beach, Florida with his wife Gail.

"Seeking the Greatest Good" with Char Miller Feb 10, 2016

Show notes

Char Miller chronicles the history of the Pinchot Institute for Conservation Studies and describes its iconic national historic site, Grey Towers, offered by Pinchot's family as a lasting gift to the American people. As a union of the United States Forest Service and the Conservation Foundation, the institute was created to formulate policy and develop conservation education programs. Miller explores the institute's unique fusion of policy makers, scientists, politicians, and activists and their efforts to increase our understanding of and responses to urban and rural forestry, water quality, soil erosion, air pollution, endangered species, land management and planning, and hydraulic fracking.

Char Miller is W. M. Keck Professor of Environmental Analysis and director of the Environmental Analysis Program at Pomona College. He is the author or editor of numerous books, including Gifford Pinchot and the Making of Modern Environmentalism; Public Lands/Public Debates: A Century of Controversy; Out of the Woods: Essays in Environmental History; and Between Ruin and Restoration: An Environmental History of Israel.

"Second Atlas of Breeding Birds in PA" with Andrew M. Wilson, Daniel W. Brauning and Robert S. Mulvihill Feb 10, 2016

Show notes

"Second Atlas of Breeding Birds in PA"
Twenty years after the first Atlas of Breeding Birds in Pennsylvania was published, the Second Atlas of Breeding Birds in Pennsylvania brings our knowledge of the state's bird populations up to date, documenting current distribution and changes in status for nearly two hundred bird species. More than two thousand dedicated birdwatchers completed surveys of birds across the state from 2004 to 2009. The data amassed reveal the distribution of each species and show changes in distribution since the publication of the first Atlas. Additionally, a highly trained survey crew carried out bird counts at more than 34,000 locations statewide. These counts tabulated not just species but individual birds as well, in a manner that—for the very first time—enabled precise estimates of the actual statewide populations for more than half of the 190 breeding species detected. In all, more than 1.5 million sightings were compiled for the second Atlas, providing an unprecedented snapshot of the bird life of Pennsylvania—and perhaps of any comparably sized region in the world.
The introductory chapters to the second Atlas describe and discuss recent changes in climate and bird habitats within Pennsylvania. The data gathered and summarized for this volume were used by the more than forty contributing authors to write comprehensive and authoritative accounts of each species. These accounts are illustrated by photographs, usually taken somewhere within the state. Up to three maps per species show in fine detail their current distribution based on the second Atlas, changes in distribution since the first Atlas, and, for more than one hundred species, their abundance in Pennsylvania.
Andrew M. Wilson is Visiting Assistant Professor of Environmental Studies at Gettysburg College.
Daniel W. Brauning is an ornithologist with the Pennsylvania Game Commission.
Robert S. Mulvihill is Conservation Outreach Manager at the National Aviary in Pittsburgh.

"Saint Katharine" with Cordelia Frances Biddle Feb 10, 2016

Show notes

When Katharine Drexel was born in 1858, her grandfather, financier Francis Martin Drexel, had a fortune so vast he was able to provide a loan of sixty million dollars to the Union's cause during the Civil War. Her uncle and mentor, Anthony, established Drexel University to provide instruction to the working class regardless of race, religion, or gender. Her stepmother was Emma Bouvier whose brother, John, became the great-grandfather of Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy Onassis. Katharine Drexel's family were American royalty. As a Philadelphia socialite, "Kitty," as she was often called, adored formal balls and teas, rowing regattas, and sailing races. She was beautiful, intelligent, and high-spirited. But when her stepmother died in 1883, and her father two years later, a sense of desolation nearly overwhelmed her. She was twenty-seven and in possession of a staggering inheritance. Approached for aid by the Catholic Indian Missions, she surprised her family by giving generously of money and time. It was during this period of acute self-examination that she journeyed to Rome for a private audience with Pope Leo XIII. With characteristic energy and fervor, she detailed the plight of the Native Americans, and begged for additional missionaries to serve them. His reply astonished her. "Why not, my child, yourself become a missionary?"

In Saint Katharine: The Life of Katharine Drexel, Cordelia Frances Biddle recounts the extraordinary story of a Gilded Age luminary who became a selfless worker for the welfare and rights of America's poorest persons. After years of supporting efforts on behalf of African Americans and American Indians, Katharine finally decided to follow her inner voice and profess vows. The act made headlines. Like her father and grandfather, she was a shrewd businessperson; she retained her financial autonomy and established her own order, the Sisters of the Blessed Sacrament. Until her death in 1955, she devoted herself and her inheritance to building much-needed schools in the South and Southwest, despite threats from the Ku Klux Klan and others. Pragmatic, sometimes willful—she corresponded with President Franklin Delano Roosevelt urging him to sign anti-lynching legislation—ardent, and a charismatic leader, Katharine Drexel was an indefatigable champion of justice and parity. When illness incapacitated her in later years, divine radiance was said to emanate from her, a radiance that led to her canonization on October 1, 2000.

Cordelia Frances Biddle teaches creative writing at Drexel University's Pennoni Honors College and received the college's Outstanding Teaching Award in 2012. A member of the Authors Guild, she is the author of Beneath the Wind, Without Fear, Deception's Daughter, and The Conjurer. She has contributed to Town and Country, Hemispheres and W, and won the 1997 SATW Lowell Thomas travel-writing award for "Three Perfect Days in Philadelphia." She is a descendant of Francis Martin Drexel, grandfather of Saint Katharine Drexel.

"Roads to Gettysburg" with Brad Gottfried Feb 10, 2016

Show notes

"Roads to Gettysburg"

The men of the Union and Confederate armies experienced a mix of emotions during Robert E. Lee's first phase of the Gettysburg campaign. Lee's veterans experienced a sense of wonder and excitement as they journeyed north from Fredericksburg, Virginia, while the Federal troops showed resolve and some depression. All were footsore by the long marches and often had little food or water. Roads to Gettysburg: Lee's Invasion of the North, 1863 provides a day-by-day account of the preliminary phases of the campaign and follows the two armies from their positions in central Virginia after the Battle of Chancellorsville to their final arrival on the battlefield. Numerous quotes and maps richly illustrate the armies' activities during this seminal period.

Dr. Bradley M. Gottfried holds a Ph.D. in zoology and is currently dean of academic affairs at Montgomery County Community College in Pennsylvania. His lifelong interest in the Civil War has resulted in a number of articles.

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