|
All
programs can be modified to run from 20 to 60 minutes.
Programs
Available for 2009 are:
Boyertown
Opera House Fire – A National Tragedy(Updated
2009)
Learn
about the devastating conflagration that destroyed the
three-story Berks County Opera House killing 170 people.
Hear how the disaster affected those in the Upper
Perkiomen Valley and changed fire safety laws across the
nation.
Lecture & Visual Aids
Cigar
Making in the Region
From
the late 1800's into the 1920's, cigar making was the one job
that most often included the whole family. Dad rolled
and wrapped the cigars at the factory, Mom de-veined the
leaves at home in the kitchen, and the children hauled the
tobacco to and from both places in their wagons. As time
passed and the industry grew, most everyone went to work
in the factory. Learn about the industry, the labor
strife that almost killed it, and the modern machines that
did. Learn about this once thriving local business, and
hear what happened to the buildings that once housed the busy
factories.
Lecture & Visual Aids
Daniel
Hiester – The Rebel from Ridge Valley
The
Hiester family of Upper Salford Township, Montgomery County had a unique part in
our Nations beginnings.
Learn about Daniel Hiester Jr., from his days as a
militia leader in the Revolutionary War to his career in our
Nations Capitol.
Lecture
Early
Firefighting in the Region
From
1890 to 1925 local fire departments began springing up
throughout the western regions of Berks, Bucks, and
Montgomery Counties.
Hear how and why the local companies were organized,
and what they used to fight fires in the years leading up to
the motorized fire-truck.
Lecture & Visual Aids
Dr.
Frank N.D. Buchman: How
a small town Pennsylvanian influenced the world.
Was
he a government spy, a charlatan, or a man of God spreading
the word of peace and understanding across the globe? He
was twice nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize.
Hear about the Pennsburg, Montgomery County native’s life and learn
about his worldwide legacy.
Lecture
& Visual Aids
From
Kraussdale - The Young Man's Brass Band of Pennsylvania(New)
Once
billed as the “Oldest Band in the entire Perkiomen Valley,
and probably all of Eastern Pa.”, this group eventually
evolved into the East Greenville Citizen’s band.
Learn about the history of this group and the trials
and tribulations that turned their revolution into evolution.
Frozen
Diamonds
Learn
about the wood and stone ice-houses used to preserve the food
of our ancestors. Hear how those cleverly constructed
and insulated buildings led to the rise of one of the largest businesses to
take root in the western sections of Bucks and Montgomery
counties, and the eastern areas of Berks and Lehigh counties.
Learn how the icehouses were built and how they kept
the ice frozen well into the summer months - long before the
coming of electric powered refrigerators.
Lecture & Visual Aids
Iron
Industry From Durham to Green Lane
At
one time there were more than two dozen iron furnaces and
forges from Durham in Bucks County to Green Lane in Montgomery
County. Hear about some of the larger operations and how they affected the early days of the region.
Lecture
Kriebel
Hall - The Day it Fell
Hear
a first hand account of one of the most devastating fire
disasters to hit the Upper Perkiomen Valley - from the first
alarm to sifting through the rubble. Fire consumed most
of Perkiomen School's historic Kriebel Hall and resulted in a
loss in excess of $5 million. Twelve firefighters were
injured battling the blaze - a disaster that took more than
one million gallons of water to fight.
Lecture
Memories
from Ground Zero (2008
- Seven Years Later)
When
we said we wouldn't forget, we meant it - did you?
A
hard-hitting look at the devastation of the terrorist strikes
at the World Trade Center Towers.
A powerful photo presentation takes you through the attacks
and the aftermath. Learn what it was like at the site weeks and months
after the attacks as hope faded and conflicts erupted.
Roeder's experiences with New York firefighters in the months
after the attack bring stories that were previously heard only
within the walls of the City's firehouses. His 35 years
of experience as a local volunteer firefighter allows
him to deliver the program in a way that allows the listener
to better understand the pain and hardships the New York
firefighters felt then, and now. Including a current
update of the World Trade Center site.
Lecture & Video
Moving
Traditions of the Pennsylvania Germans
Moving
day for the Pennsylvania Germans. Hear about their
traditions, superstitions, how they moved out of their old
home, and how they moved into the new one. Lecture
Mysteries
of the Perkiomen Trunk and Bag Factory Fire(Updated
2007)
At
the onset of the Great Depression disaster strikes the largest
manufacturer in Pennsburg, Montgomery County, and death & deceit haunt the
ruins. All fingers pointed to arson as the cause.
Was it greed by the owners or revenge from the labor union?
Lecture & Visual Aids
Ghost
Stories and Other Mysteries
Tales
of the occult from the Upper Perkiomen Valley region.
These fictional presentations are all based on actual
events.
Ghost of Henry Hook
Hoboes
return to live in the basement of a wealthy East Greenville,
Montgomery County druggist
only to find their winter home gone. Their stay in
abandoned buildings along the railroad tracks turns to tragedy
and the supernatural.
Ghost of
Mill Hill
Did
Norristown bank robbers bury their ill-gotten money, and a
women associate on Mill Hill? Are the howls herd on Mill
Hill really the wind, or are they the frenzied screams of the
women's spirit? This tale brings to life the 1931 events
surrounding an eyewitness account, and the discovery of a
bloodied Chevrolet Coupe on Route 100..
Moth
Man Prophecy?
He
came from New Jersey looking for work. He found fear,
intimidation, and humiliation. Was the strange visitor
homeless and down on his luck, a wanted serial killer, or was
he the Jersey Devil incarnate and did he accurately predict
the terrifying events of 1909?
Mystery
of the Fairy Lights - Lights
dance off the walls of the Dillingersville Tunnel in Lehigh
County. Is it
moonlight reflecting off the rocky surface or the ghosts of
immigrant railroad workers?
Rebellion,
Murder, and Other Good Times at the Taverns in Our Region
A
look at some of the events that occurred in local
taverns. From Quakertown to Sumneytown, you'll hear
about incidents that brought pride, and in many cases shame,
to our communities. This presentation focuses on events
at several area taverns, from 1762 to 1950.
Lecture
Taming
the Perkiomen Creek
A
discussion of the dams that held the waters of the Perkiomen
Creek from Berks County to the Schuylkill River and provided
the power for mills, water to feed the giant ice warehouses along its banks, and
the stabilization for residents downstream.
Lecture
The
Day the Music Died - History of Sleepy Hollow Ranch(New)
Hear
about the 23-year history of the popular, local music and
dance venue and the big names that performed there.
Learn about the devastating fire that doomed the
Milford Township entertainment
spot.
The
Execution of William Howe - A study in Civil War prejudice
A
German-American from Frederick Township, Montgomery County becomes the only
soldier hanged at Fort Mifflin during the War Between the
States.
After approving all previous requests for leniency, why didn't
President Abraham Lincoln approve Howe's? Was Howe
guilty of murder or was he the victim of injustice, incompetence,
and discrimination? In 2006, contractors unearthed a
jail-cell with hand-scrawled messages from Howe. The
site turned into an archeological treasure. Hear what
Howe wrote in his last days.
Lecture
The
Lenape & Our Four County Corner of the Commonwealth
Learn
about the Native Americans that lived in the western areas of
Bucks and Montgomery Counties, and the eastern areas of Berks
and Lehigh Counties when
William Penn established
Penns-Woods as a sanctuary to protect the freedom of
conscience for many Europeans. Throughout many of the
Colonies settlers stole land from the Native Americans,
but Penn traveled unarmed among the tribes and negotiated
peaceful purchases. Hear how Penn's son betrayed the
faith of his father and the Lenape's trust. Lecture
& Visual
Aid
The
Silk Plant Strikes of 1933(New)
Labor
unrest was no stranger to the local area during the early
years of the Great Depression.
Hear about the good and bad of the work stoppages in
area Silk Mills and Clothing Factories.
The
Town & Country Newspaper
Hear
about the history of a small town newspaper. For more
than 106 years the weekly publication has continued to serve
the community in one form or another. Learn about the
Publishers who guided the paper during its early days.
Or, if you prefer, hear about the newspaper as it is
today! Hear what's new and how the newspaper operates in
today's technologically enhanced and competitive business
world. Lecture
The
Windows Tax Rebellion – Intolerance to an Unfair Tariff
An
unpopular tax, imposed to pay for a non-existent war, turned
Pennsylvania-Germans and others in Bucks, Montgomery, and
Northampton Counties into lawbreakers.
Learn about the tax, the resistance to it, the
rebellion against it, and the people on both sides of the
issue.
Lecture
& Visual Aids
Tragedy
in Sumneytown - The 1899 Miller Powder Mill Explosion(New)
The
most frightening of all the mills located along the banks of
the Swamp (Unami) Creek was the powder mills.
The Swamp Creek, at one time, was home to ten of the
profitable explosive makers.
Learn about the history of the mill complex of James
Miller, and of the disasters that occurred there.
Water
and the Fight to Save the Upper Perkiomen
It
wasn't that long ago that the battle was fought to preserve
the Perkiomen Creek, and surrounding properties, from the
urban water company who would harness the stream for its' own
use. Learn about this three-decade battle and the major
players. Lecture & Visual Aids
Whistle
Stops – Stations along the Perkiomen Railroad
Ride
along the rails of the Perkiomen Railroad from Collegeville,
Montgomery County, to
Emmaus in Lehigh County and visit the different Train Stations along the way.
Lecture & Visual Aids
Contact
Larry J. Roeder
|
