Sally Starr

Most of the people in the Delaware Valley know Sally Starr because of her longtime Popeye Theater program for children. Sally has done much much more.

Sally had her debut at the age of 12 (1935 on a radio show known as the "Blush Creek Follies." She and her sister were the "Little Missouri Maids."

Sally went on to become a singer, an actress, a radio DJ, a band leader, and of course, the hostess of thousands of Popeye Theater shows. Sally was known as one of the sweetest people in the business. She had not trouble bringing the top stars of the day to her shows. They included Chief Halftown, Roy Rogers and Dale Evens, Chuck Connors (The Rifleman), Dick Clark, Jerry Lewis, Tim Conway, Jimmy Durante, Nick Adams, Gene Autry.

We all know that her favorites were The Three Stooges. They appeared many times at her request. Her first movie role was in "The Outlaws is Coming which starred The Three Stooges. She went on to do several other movies.

Her list of accomplishments are too many to list, but suffice it to say that Sally is still entertaining. She has a show. She does personal appearances. She is still Our Gal Sal.

Love, Luck, and Lollipops!!!

Read more about Sally Starr on her web site.

Click here for her bio page.

Trivia about Pennsylvania

The geographic center of Pennsylvania is Centre County.

Mt. Davis in Somerset County is the highest point in Pennsylvania at 3,213 feet high.

The Delaware River is at sea level and is the lowest point in our state.

Our largest county, Lycoming County, is larger than Rhode Island.

Pennsylvania is the largest producer of mushrooms in America.

The State Fossil is the Phacops Rana. (We don't know what a Phacops Rana is, but if it is from PA, it must be, like, way cool.)

Perry County

Perry County was originally part of Cumberland County. In 1820, it was named after Commodore Perry, the hero of the War of 1812.

On the east side of the county is the Susquehanna. The rest of the county is bordered by mountains. There are exceptional grasslands and forests for hunting, fishing and recreation. Look for many quaint buildings, roads, shops, etc.

Pennsylvania is No. 1 in covered bridges. Perry County has 14 all by itself. That is a large number for any county.

Perry is one of those counties that you love to visit. The people are friendly. The scenery is spectacular. Its beauty is unsurpassed.

Whether it is a fishing trip, a hunting trip, or just a day trip for sightseeing, you won't be disappointed by Perry County. Visit the Perry County web page.

Swedish Pennsylvania almost happened

Back in the old days, America was an uncharted wilderness that was "owned" by no one and everyone. Many of the European countries sent explorers, and most of the explorers claimed everything they ran across for their respective kings and queens. It was quite a mess.

Pennsylvania was no different. In the early 1600s, the big players within our borders were the English, the Dutch and (surprisingly for most people) the Swedes. Of those three, it was the Swedes who established the permanent settlement of Tinicum Island (1643) and then Uppland. Johan Printz was the first governor of what was known as New Sweden.

So the Swedes had the upper hand in Pennsylvania at first, but it was not to last. Swedish rule lasted from about 1643 to 1655, a mere 12 years.

The Dutch wanted the Pennsylvania territories and they already had a strongd base in New Amsterdam. It was a small matter for them to flex their military muscles and force the Swedes out.

So the Dutch became masters of the area, but they also ruled for just a short time (1655-1664)

Eventually, the military might of the English would vanquish the Dutch, and that meant that the Pennsylvania lands were under British rule from 1664 forward.

The British rule was not to last either.

Less than twenty years later, 1681, William Penn was granted full rights to Pennsylvania. At that point, the lands have always been ruled by some sort of American government. There were wars, and there were squabbles between the states, but there was always a home government.

We could have been Swedish.

We could have been Dutch.

We could have been English.

But in the end, we became Pennsylvanians.

Jimmy Stewart

James Maitland Stewart was born on May 20, 1907, at 975 Philadelphia Street, Indiana, Pennsylvania. He became one of the most famous individuals of his time, and one of the most important actors ever.

Jimmy was always a man of the people. He learned hard word from his father. It was that work ethic that helped him go from common laborer in a warehouse to accordian player in a small-time act, to major star.

Pennsylvania has a museum devoted entirely to him. It is named the Jimmy Stewart Museum, and it is in Indiana, Pennsylvania.

Beer, Beer, Beer

Pennsylvania has a remarkable number of "firsts" in its history. We had the first root beer, the first potato chips, the first Zippo lighters, etc.

But what about beer? Do we have any firsts in that category?

Yes, we do, and here are a few of them.

Root beer invented in 1876.

First pull-tab on cans - 1962, Iron City Brewery.

Oldest American Commercial Brewery -- 1829, Yuengling in Pottsville

First Lite Beer with Taste (sort of) -- The Ortlieb Brewing Company got it right when it produced a TV commercial that told viewers: "You want light beer? Just add ice cubes to my beer, it's cheaper."

Good old Ortlieb. No muss, no fuss. Just tell it like it is.

Pennsylvania Names

Every state has its unusual names. There is Truth or Consequences, Nevada; Nothing, Arizona; Stinking Bay, Arkansas, and hundreds of others.

Pennsylvania has its own set of odd city names. For one reason or another, people thought that the name was appropriate. Consider Unalaska, Alaska. It sounds like a silly name, but there is a good bit of history to it. That name came into existence because the people of that town did not want to be part of Alaska. You can bet that the names on our list will sound funny, if you haven't heard of them before. But before you judge them, you might want to look up the history. It could change your opinion.

So here we go.

Real Place Names in Pennsylvania
Apollo
Bagdad
Belfast
Berlin
Bethlehem
Bird-in-Hand
Birdsboro
Blue Bell
Burnt Cabins
California

Dallas
Denver
Dublin
Egypt

Eighty Four
Forty Fort
Houston
Indiana
Intercourse
Jersey Shore
Jim Thorpe
King of Prussia

Mars

Media
Moscow

Nazareth

Ohiopyle
Oil City
Plymouth Meeting
Shickshinny
Slippery Rock
Sandy Lake
Washington

Emmy Noether

She was born in Germany in 1882 to a Jewish family. She followed in the footsteps of her father, Max Noether, the noted mathematician. By 1924 other mathematicians were attending her lectures. Her students became widely known as the Noether Boys. In 1932, she gave a major address to the International Congress of Mathematicians in Zurich. Emmy Noether had arrived. She was a major force in math, algebra, physics.



In 1933, the Nazi government fired her simply because she was Jewish.



That same year, she came to America and took a position at Bryn Mawr College where she would remain for the next three years. In 1935, she unexpectedly died after having undergone surgery for an ovarian cyst.



Emmy Noether's given name is Amalie Noether. She is recognized as the most important woman mathematician ever. Some of her work is absolutely astounding.



She was a shining star, and we are lucky that she chose to live in Pennsylvania. Tell your children about Emmy.



This is a link to a very good, but very thick, article on Emmy Noether at Wikipedia.

The Conestoga Wagon

When you look at cowboy movies, you see a lot of covered wagons. Most of them are small flat-bottoms wagons that are only big enough for one small family. Those are not Conestogas.

Conestoga wagons were created to move freight. They are big. They are heavy. And they have a sloping bed that resists shifting of cargo.

You can tell a Conestoga by the angles. If it is a square box, it's a regular wagon. If the sides, front, and back all slope in, then it is a Conestoga. Usually, the canvas cover in the front and back will also have the same slope to give extra protection from the elements.

The first ones came from the Conestoga Valley near Lancaster, Pennsylvania about 1750. They helped open up the frontier all the way to the Mississippi. They were magnificent on this side of the Big Muddy. They could carry up to 8 tons apiece, and many times, they carried cargo in the bed and settlers on top. A wagon full of people could be pulled by 4 mules, but fill it up with cargo, and you better double the number.

On the other side of the Mississippi, the Conestoga was still used to transport heavy goods, but the terrain dictated when and where it could be used. Settlers were better off with smaller wagons if they were going through the Rockies.

Until the railroads came along, the Conestoga reigned as king of the road.

Pittsburgh, the Iron City

There is just one Pittsburgh in America. It's our Iron City. There are many cities in America that spell their name "Pittsburg." There is even one in PA. It is in Lancaster County.

But our Pittsburgh has an "h" at the end of the "burg." Not many cities do that in America. That style is found in a few place names, and curiously enough, most of them are also in Pennsylvania.

Even Pittsburgh was once known as "Pittsburg" for a short time, but the good citizens put an end to that officially in 1911.

Pittsburgh was given its name in 1758 by General John Forbes in honor of Sir William Pitt. Rumor has it that since Forbes was a Scotsman, he intended Pittsburgh to be pronounced "Pitts bur ra," which is how you would pronounce similar towns in Scotland. For example, Edinburgh is pronounced "Ed in bur ra."

The Iron City has a lot of nicknames. You can use: City of Bridges, Steel City, City of Champions, The 'Burgh, Iron City, The Smoky City, Steel Town, The College City, Roboburgh.

Give it time. They'll come up with some more, but it will always be Pittsburgh, no matter what they call it.