Nanticoke Historical Society

Nanticoke Historical Society

Monday, April 1, 2013

A New Spring To Look Forward To


Ah,
   Here we are, the first day of April.  We have just celebrated Easter and Passover. Winter is slowly but surely coming to a close. We look forward the warmer days to spend in our yards, be it planting our gardens  or tending to our flowers and plants, spring clean-up projects or what ever have you.

    I'm happy to say that I have a reasonable amount of followers to my blog.  The intended purpose is of course is to add a little editorial flair to web site.  But, more importantly to keep a connection to those whom for what ever reason left Nanticoke to pursue a life else where, even perhaps have the intent of coming back home someday. This is your home and it will always be. I try to find stories of interest around town.  Somethings here are changing.  The State Theater is now gone and has been for sometime.  A land mark Bartuska's Furniture has closed.  The Woolworth's Store CVS on Main Street has been torn down to make an new look for Down Town Nanticoke.  Luzerne County Community College now houses a Culinary Arts program facility in new building on the corner of Market and Main Streets and now uses space in the Kanjoski building for even more class work.

   There is talk of a tree line project for Main Street Nanticoke.  Some streets that have been for too long and are in disrepair are now getting the much needed attention they so badly have been in need of.  The economy is slowly but surely improving, perhaps not as fast we would like.  We have a mayor and city council, in my opinion, that is more more progressively minded and interested in the good of our community, that is more caring for the residence and the needs of our community.  The dark cloud has not completely past, but there seams to be a element of hope for a better way of life just as Easter bring the new hope for us in the spring.

  One thing I am most excited about is the Cultural Center At St. Faustina. The website referenced here, when fully completed will have listings of venues available to residences of Nanticoke and surrounding communities.  Through the efforts of the parishioners of Saint Faustina's  and Fr. Nash a vital asset is being added to our community.

    Now I'm not a news reporting journalist, nor do try to pretend to be.  I'm more like the guy across the street that sees with my own eyes and talks to friends and neighbors about our surroundings.  Not everything in my blog is 100% accurate I'm just an everyday Joe with some interest in my community that I would like to share with you.  I have put up a Facebook page to interact with you and I try to ask for your participation in our community interest. I encourage your interaction and contributions.  Our Historical Society is comprised of 4 or 5 people that do the real digging out of the research of our area's history and have the support of maybe a dozens others who help in other supportive ways such as setting up and dismantling our occasional presentations such as the upcoming historic film presentation.

      Our followers tend to be more of an older generation that longs to remember days of a  happier time.  They like to stroll down memory lane and remember the time before they have lost loved ones or have had children grow up and move a way for a better life. There is so much more to the history of Nanticoke other than the Coal Industry that has contributed so profoundly to the our country's rise.  The time when the coal produced from here has had so much of an impact on the steel industry that helped build the great county that were we now live. A trip up to Scranton to visit the the Steam Town Museum and Steam Engine excursions is minutes away and very well worth it.  Did you know that Fr. Murgas was one of the founding fathers or radio telegraphy was a resident of Wilkes-Barre.  We have so much history to research, learn and teach.  Our office manager John Sherrick submits a story of the month to stimulate your interest. We need our youth to become interested and involved. And, we need your support to continue the  good work.  Get Involved.  It is a fun and a fascinating way to learn and explore our past.  We look forward to seeing you when we present the second viewing of our vintage films.  Don't Forget: Thurs. April 25th 7:00 pm The Cultural Center At Saint Faustina's 38 W. Church Street Nanticoke.


A little trivia.  Do you know why we call April 1st, April Fools Days?
sweetclipart.com




Monday, January 28, 2013

Our Constitution




Photo Courtesy of  Creative Commons: Credit below 
     


 In my fascination of history I thought I would like to review what most all of us studied either in grade school or later.  Most of us have seen movies Like “National Treasure” or “Lincoln” that conjure up feelings of Colonial early America.  This is our history; it is who we are and how we came to be.  Movies dramatize and romanticize the era.  After all, it is entertainment. But, in researching our history, it is also important understand the context.  I've come up with a quiz for myself and I invite you to take it as well.  I will not provide the answers nor grade you.  I hope that in the following quiz that you will at least seek the right answers if you do not know.
      I will provide links where I have looked. You are welcome to decide whether these sources are credible or not.  And, you are welcome to site your own searches and conclusions. Perhaps in seeking these answers you will look further into times and events of the era; to better understand the context our forefathers viewed in their time and how it applies to today's culture.

The Constitution
Quiz
1.       What year was the Constitution written?
(a) 1776 (b) 1780 (c)1787

2.       What document did the Constitution replace?
3.       (a) Articles of Congress (b)The Delaware Plan (c)The Rhode Island Plan (d) none of these

4.       What were the Articles of Confederation?
(a) the constitution of the Confederate States
(b)the laws enforced by militias
(c)the first draft  of the Constitution

5.       What were the two plans considered for the Constitution?
6.       (a) The Delaware Plan and the Georgia Plan
(b) The Virginia Plan and the New Jersey Plan
(c)  Charles Pinckney’s  Plan and The British Plan

7.       How many articles were there in the original Articles of Confederation?
(a)  10 (b) 12 (c) 13 (d) 15


8.       Who was Edmond Randolph?
(a) The Governor of Virginia who presented the Constitution in Philadelphia.
(b)An Anti-Federalist who favored States rights.
(c) A Federalist who favored a centralized government

9.       The Connecticut Compromise was a compromise between the…
(a) The Delaware Plan and the Georgia Plan
(b) The Virginia Plan and the New Jersey Plan
(c)  Charles Pinckney’s  Plan and The British Plan

10.   Article IV of the Articles of Confederation declares that…
(a) only Congress can declare an act of war
(b) each states retains its sovereignty
(c)the Articles of Confederation will be observed by every state

1.   Who wrote The Articles of Confederation?
(a) Benjamin Franklin
(b) James Madison
(c) John Hancock
(d) none of the above

12.   Who were “the old patriots”, what were they later called?
(a) The Federalists
(b) The Anti-Federalists
(c) the Tories

13.   Who put forth the Virginia Plan?
(a) James Madison
(b) Thomas Jefferson
(c) Edmond Randolph

14.   In what year was the Articles of Confederation replaced with the U.S. Constitution?
(a) 1776
(b)1787
(c) 1789



Bill of Rights (the first 10)
Match the correct Answer:


Amendment 1  Bail, fines, punishment        
Amendment 2   States' rights
Amendment 3    Search and arrest
Amendment 4    Rights in criminal cases
Amendment 5  Rights in civil cases
Amendment 6  Right to a fair trial
Amendment 7     Rights retained by the People
Amendment 8       Quartering of soldiers
Amendment 9                         Right to bear arms
Amendment 10     Freedoms, Petitions, Assembly
Did you know our system of Government was adapted from tribes of Native Americans?
I feel that regardless of subject, if one is to boast about knowledge, one should be knowledgeable.


Here are some interesting things about our history.
http://www.landofthebrave.info/colonial-times.htm

photo credit: Bradley Jones via photopin cc