Fireside History presented by Luzerne County Historical Society

Do you have memories of going to Hanson's Amusement Park in the summer? Did you ride the Laurel Line up to Rocky Glen Park? Can you remember the name of the garbage eating pig from Angela Park? Was attending shows at San Souci Park part of your teen years? If so, Episode 7 of Fireside History presented by the Luzerne County Historical Society is for you! Mark Riccetti, Jr. and Michael Ward talk about some of the summer activities of days gone by this month on the podcast.

The Giants Despair Hillclimb has been a tradition in Luzerne County for over 100 years. Do you know when it was started? Have you heard about some of the best drivers from all over the world that competed in the race? Ever been curious as to how the hill got the the name "Giants Despair"? In this episode of Fireside History presented by the Luzerne County Historical Society, Mark Riccetti, Jr. and Michael Ward take a look back at the origins, popularity, decline, and rebirth of the Giants Despair Hillclimb.

A battle of the American Revolution was fought in Luzerne County. In a place that many of us have gone by hundreds of times in our lives. On this episode of Fireside History presented by the Luzerne County Historical Society, Mark Riccetti, Jr., and Michael Ward, discuss the days leading up to and the massacre that was the Battle of Wyoming.

Global pandemics are nothing new. Typhoid, Scarlet Fever, Smallpox, and the Spanish Flu all hit Luzerne County. In this episode of Fireside History, Mark Riccetti, Jr. and Michael Ward discuss how people of the Wyoming Valley dealt with these epidemics and how it all sounds quite similar to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Everyone has probably driven past the Swetland Homestead on Wyoming Avenue in Wyoming. Have you ever wondered who lived in the home? On this episode of Fireside History, Mark Riccetti, Jr. and Michael Ward talk about Luke, Belding, and William Swetland, along with their relative, Payne Pettebone and the impact they had on Luzerne County. 

Have you heard the story of a young girl kidnapped by Native Americans? Do you know who the first woman elected to Wilkes-Barre Area School Board was? Do you know the two women of Luzerne County who fought for the rights of Breaker Boys and stood up the mafia? How about the first executive director of the Luzerne County Historical Society? In this episode of Fireside History, Mark Riccetti, Jr. and Michael Ward answer all of these questions as they talk about Frances Slocum, Mary Trescott, Ellen Webster Palmer, Min Matheson, and Frances Dorrance.

There is a Gildersleeve street in Wilkes-Barre, but do you know why? Hint; it has to do with the Underground Railroad. In the first episode of Fireside History, Mark Riccetti, Jr. and Michael Ward discuss William Camp Gildersleeve and his life dedicated to helping free slaves.