Columbia County Historical and Genealogical Society

The new 2021 CCHGS calendar is chock full of interesting local photographs and historical tidbits! We have them in stock and available for purchase on our website or by calling the Society.

We are now open by appointment on two days: Tuesdays and Thursdays from 10am to 2pm. Either call during those hours or send an email to [email protected] to schedule your appointment to visit us!

We are happy to announce that we will be having a "soft opening" after four months of being closed! You may schedule a visit to the Society via email ([email protected]) for a 2-hr appointment on Tuesdays - 10am-noon or noon to 2pm. Thanks for your support and understanding

We just reached 700 "Likes" and have 723 followers. Thank you to all of you!!!We just reached 700 "Likes" and have 723 followers. Thank you to all of you!!!

The year 2020 will be a fun and interesting one for those who purchase the new picture-filled CCHGS 2020 calendar. Every month, as they flip the page, they will be greeted by fascinating local photos of the past. Each monthly page also chronicles unusual local events that occurred in the past on that month. For the modest price of $10 (walk-in, $12 online at our website), every day of 2020 will be a historically stimulating one. And since each month features a discount offer on books, photos, etc., you could end the year saving more than you’ve spent. These colorful Society calendars make a perfect Christmas gift. There is a limited supply, so don’t delay.

Just in time for the holidays! We have a new publication available. Some Prolific Letter Writers of WW-I Mark Fritz, editor The 11 prolific letter writers in this book were local Columbia County boys who served in World War I. They wrote home dutifully to their parents and to their hometown newspapers, from which these letters have been culled. A follow-up to the previously published Letters Home-WWI, this book presents more letters by fewer writers, thus providing a mor...e in-depth look at the experiences of a few (11). Readers get to follow these guys’ military careers from training to crossing the pond to trench life to battle stories about time spent in the fray to armistice celebrations and occupation duty along the Rhine. These letter writers were often honest and forthright, sometimes eloquent, and sometimes humorous. Readers will get so much detail that they may feel like they know these men by the time they finish reading their personal letters. Here are century-old documents, first-person accounts of the war to end all wars. 8.5 x 11-inches, softbound, 246 pages, with hundreds of photos, posters, paintings, maps, etc. ( illustrations on nearly every page). Also, a helpful appendix, helpful sidebars, and an index of local soldiers mentioned. You can stop in at the Society and pick up your copy for $15 (members - $14) or order from our website. They should be available early December (call first to make sure they're in stock), just in time for holiday gift-giving! www.colcohist-gensoc.org.

Join us today for our Fall Program, "Things about the Civil War You Don't Know About" by John Punola, nationally known historical writer and speaker. It will be at Wesley United Methodist Church in the Coffee Cafe at 2pm. Use the rear entrance with the ramp. Light refreshments will be served and it is sponsored by the Society. Hope to see you there!

Here is one more photo from St. Matthews, the Chapel Choir. None of the people are identified at this point.

I thought I posted several pictures from 1950s St. Matthew's Lutheran Church. There were no comments and now I don't see them, so I will repost. Sorry if it's a duplication. Comments and photos contributed by David Klees: In 1957, St. Matthew Lutheran Church, Bloomsburg (my home church), celebrated its 150th anniversary, and published a nice commemorative booklet filled with professional photos (or near professional quality photos) of the congregation, but the people on these photos were not identified. CCHGS has a copy.

Details for the May 18th Bus Trip to New York City!

Thanks for your patience, everyone! Home from Florida and knee replacement surgery. Will try to get back on track and bring you updates of what's happening at the Society!

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On Nov. 11, 2018 at 11:00 AM. The W.W.I. 100th year of Armistice will be celebrated at the Columbia County Courthouse Plaza. The County Churches and Institutions will ring bells for the end of the Great War. An honor guard and taps will be played by a contingent of the Catawissa Military Band. Mr Mike Stevens will be keynote speaker. The band will play songs and end the program.

We've been busy at the Society! The digitization of the 1915-1950 Bloomsburg Town Council Meeting Minutes has been completed. These records are now available for browsing and keyword searching on the University's website. We thank them for hosting this great resource for us. The can be found here: http://digital.klnpa.org/cdm/search/collection/CHSminutes/

New publication! The Whipple Gang, the Wild West in Central Pennsylvania by W. M. Baillie is now available for purchase at the Society and on our website soon! The Whipple Gang of horse thieves created havoc and fear across a wide swath of Pennsylvania for some forty years in the later Nineteenth Century. They stole horses and carriages, rustled cattle, pulled pistols on constables, and escaped from several jails. Newspaper writers at the time compared them to the Wild West..., and the stories in this book bring that comparison to life in portraits of determined thief, fearless lawman, wily squire, relentless detective, and faithful moll. The book places the gang in the context of American life developing from rural society with scattered farms and shaky law enforcement toward a largely urban people with a coherent justice system and professional law enforcers. The three Whipple brothers grew up in Northern Columbia County and terrorized the surrounding areas. Make sure to stop by and pick up your copy today! It is $14.50 for members and $16.00 for non-members. The holidays are coming - perfect gift idea!