Open Mon – Sat, 9:30am – 5pm | Wheatland Tours 10am – 3pm
“This won’t hurt a bit.” I’m sure those words of comfort were spoken as Nurse Landis, overseen by Dr. Stephen Lockey Jr., administered a polio vaccine shot to this youngster sometime around 1955. Dr. Lockey was a pioneer in the field of allergy and immunology who began his 51 year medical career as an intern […]
Read MoreWith the inauguration of 46th President Joseph R. Biden, Jr. on Wednesday, January 20, much attention has been turned to learning the history of previous American presidents. Former President James Buchanan is no exception. Much attention, specifically, has been turned to the fact that Biden joins Buchanan as the second president to have been born […]
Read MoreHow Lancaster Dealt with the 1918 Pandemic There are striking similarities and dramatic differences in how the influenza epidemic was dealt with in 1918 and how we are doing it today. We learned from mistakes made 102 years ago, but many things have parallels to today. The following are a few examples found in Lancaster […]
Read MoreMany readers of this blog are familiar with President Buchanan’s Newfoundland dog, Lara. Lara was a well-known presence at Wheatland, usually found sleeping with “one eye shut, the other half open,” never far from the president’s side. Like many presidential pups, Lara was a canine celebrity in her time. She was one of the few […]
Read MorePresident James Buchanan was not known to be trendy. His high-collared outfits were a few years out of style. His niece, Harriet, was often frustrated at his traditional taste when decorating their Wheatland home. Even his political opinions did not seem to evolve with the times. But, President Buchanan set a trend – and a […]
Read MoreWritten by Elizabeth McIlhenney Wilbur “Willie” Siple (1904-1966) was the operator of Siple’s News Stand for many years. He was originally a professional boxer when he was younger, and he had a successful, but short, boxing career. During those six years, Willie fought in 131 exhibitions with 71 wins, 9 losses, 22 draws and 29 […]
Read MoreThe last in a series of three articles on the Kegel: World War I Papers of Thomas, James and Victor Kegel, 1917–2014 (MG-798) Written by Elizabeth McIlhenney The Kegel Chronicles, Part Three: In the Hospital and Heading Home All three Kegel brothers ended up in the base hospital at one time or another while fighting […]
Read MoreThe second in a series of three articles on the Kegel: World War I Papers of Thomas, James and Victor Kegel, 1917–2014 (MG-798) Written by Elizabeth McIlhenney “Somewhere in France” After months of hard work and preparation, the Kegel Brothers and the 1st Company 109th Machine Gun Battalion, shipped off overseas. First was a pit […]
Read MoreThe first in a series of three articles on the Kegel: World War I Papers of Thomas, James and Victor Kegel, 1917–2014 (MG-798) Written by Elizabeth McIlhenney The Kegel Chronicles, Part One: Life at Training Camp After the United States’ entrance into the First World War on April 6, 1917, many of the men in […]
Read MoreIt’s that time of year again. No, not just springtime. That time of year when folks gather at their favorite stream, creek, pond or other favorite body of water and sit silently awaiting a nibble. The tiniest of bites leading to that moment of frantic reeling and tugging, tugging and reeling, only to find you’ve […]
Read MoreMcCaskey High School track star Barney Ewell won a gold medal at the 1948 Summer Olympics.