The Fair Play men were settlers Lycoming County Pennsylvania just prior to The Revolution. Legend indicates that they developed their own Declaration of Independence on July 4th, 1776. What happened to the Fair Play Men and the Declaration?#pennsylvaniahistory #lycomingcounty #fairplaymen #tiadaghtonelm #declarationofindependence #revolutionarywar

In 1985, shortly after the Pine Hill Road sightings, there were multiple sightings of a creature along the Swatara Creek. Newspaper archives show that a similar creature terrorized this same area in 1910.

Mike Albert is a retired Green Beret that served with the 20th Special Forces Group (same group as Tim Kennedy). He served during the Vietnam War, Desert Storm and countless operations during the Cold War. He also served as a Police Officer in York City and in Lancaster County Pennsylvania. After retiring from policing and the military, due to a broken back from a parachuting accident with the 20th, Mike moved to the Philippines to work as the Director of Police Training for the International Justice Mission, where he trained Law Enforcement to recognize, investigate and prosecute human traffickers. Mike later served as the Mayor of Wrightsville Borough.Mike dedicated his life to serving his country and his community. This is his story.#greenberet #specialforces #lawenforcement #20thspecialforces #shawnryan #vietnam

Amidst the Yellow Fever outbreak and passing of the Quarantine Act of 1878, residents along the Susquehanna River in Wrightsville and Columbia began reporting a strange creature surfacing from the waters between the two towns. Search parties were formed, songs would be written, calls for military and police intervention and boaters would start shooting at the creature.This is the story as reported in the newspapers of that time.#pennsylvaniahistory #weirddarkness #rivermonster #columbiapennsylvania #wrightsvillepennsylvania #yorkcountyhistory #susquehannariver #sealion

On June 7th, 1944, a B-24 took off from Olmsted Air Base in Middletown Pennsylvania for a test flight. On board were 3 civilian technicians and 2 military pilots. Just as the bomber took off, electrician Norman Shuey Jr noticed that the engine was on fire. The pilot attempted to circle around back to Olmsted field but the Liberator kept losing altitude to the point where the captain told the crew that they were going to crash and they would have to jump. Norman, with no parachute training grabbed the chute that he was using as a seat cushion and put it on He then helped his Co-worker, 27-yr-old Carlisle native Wilfred Rainsford put his chute on. Norman stated that he saw the pilot stand up and state go ahead and jump, you only have 1500 feet, pull it quick. Rainsford was standing next to Norman with his chute on when Norman decided to dive head first through the bomb bay doors. His chute did open and he watched the plane hit the ground in Yocumtown in York County. Norman then ran over to the crash and pulled two burning bodies away from the wreckage. Newspaper articles state that Norman was transported back to the base and the story ends there. Norman Shuey Jr passed away in 2007 at 92 years old. Fortunately I located his son, Norman Shuey III, who agreed to tell his father's story starting with this fateful day. 

The last I saw Ray Magaro, it was 1986 and he was chasing me through the Harrisburg East Cemetery at 3 AM. He was a Penbrook Police Officer then and I was a 14-year-old, out past curfew with my friends.This is his story, patrolling the community of Penbrook, dealing with our juvenile adventures and surviving the job. When he wasn't serving as an EMT and Firefighter, he was dealing with stolen bikes, throwing snowballs at cars, walking through sewer tunnels that exited onto Herr Street, skinny-dipping in Latchmere pool, a serial arsonist and the "Strip Bandit," Ray Magaro dealt with it all.

In this episode I interview Dave Reigle, who in 1984, introduced me to the "Head" subculture of Penbrook PA. We discuss his birthday party that I recorded with my camcorder which unfortunately ended with a fist fight between him and his dad.This is Episode 1, so stay tuned for future episodes where I will be interviewing other individuals from this period that are fortunate enough to still be alive. See my Youtube Channel "Running Into History", to see the video version of this podcast.In 1984, my family and I moved to Penbrook Pennsylvania. I was quickly introduced to the subculture of this Suburban borough, on the outskirts of Harrisburg City. I remember thinking back to the 1979 movie, Over The Edge which accurately depicted the same teenage scene that was prevalent in Penbrook. The effects of the economic recessions of 1980 to 1982, and the record peak divorce rate of the 80s was immediately apparent in the single parent homes and households where both parents had to work to sustain a family. Most Penbrook teenagers had little to no supervision and were left to entertain themselves. But that was OK with us. We had MTV, BMX bikes, skate boards, sex, drugs and rock and roll.

In this episode I discuss Charles Bronson's struggles while growing up in the Pennsylvania mining town - Ehrenfeld.Bronson was the highest paid actor at the height of his career in the 1970s. But he grew up in hard times, while living in the mining town of Ehrenfeld Pennsylvania. He was present during the 1927 Ehrenfeld mine explosion that killed 4 miners and trapped 300, including his father. He would lose his father to cancer when he was 11-yrs-old and then take his place in the mines. Bronson lost his virginity at age 6. His family was so impoverished that he had to wear his sisters dress to school on occasion. Bronson would rob the company store, hop a train to escape and was then shot by a railroad detective.#charlesbronson #pennsylvaniahistory #famousactorsinpennsylvania

Most Harrisburg area residents over the age of 45, remember the Pine Hill Road Creature of 1985 but there was a second creature stalking the area of Swatara Creek in Lebanon County at the same time. The East Pennsboro, Pine Hill Rd Creature was believed to be a hoax after a confession and arrest but some still think there is something more to it. The Lebanon/Dauphin County incidents were "Authenticated" by well-known "Bigfoot Hunter" Wayne King. My research shows that this Swatara creature was originally reported to be living in a cave along the Swatara Creek in 1910 and was hunted by groups attempting to collect a reward for the creature.

In 1919, a gruesome double murder was discovered in the railroad town of Cly, York County Pennsylvania. The resulting investigation would lead to a manhunt through Pennsylvania, Ohio and Kentucky, a Postal Clerk to commit suicide and the death of a Pennsylvania State Trooper. A State Police Investigator would end up under attack by mountain men in Kentucky. #pennsylvaniahistory #yorkcountypa #runningintohistory #truecrime #murder #pennsylvaniastatepolice #crime #1919 #halloween #haunted #railhistory #pennsylvaniarailroad #trains #outlaw #fugitive #serialkiller