The America250PA ”Start Here, America Did” Podcast

In this special Fourth of July episode, America250PA brings the story of independence back to one of Pennsylvania’s most powerful Revolutionary landmarks: Valley Forge. Host Sydney Harris-White is joined by Molly Duffy, Executive Director of the Valley Forge Park Alliance, and Don Naimoli, VFPA Chair Emeritus, for a moving conversation about the hardship, leadership, perseverance, and unity that s...

In our next episode, we explore Grey Towers National Historic Site in Milford, Pennsylvania, the former home of Gifford Pinchot, the first Chief of the United States Forest Service and a two-term Governor of Pennsylvania. Joined by Jared Simister, Director of Interpretation for Grey Towers, this episode highlights the Pinchot family’s role in shaping the American conservation movement. From its hi...

In this episode of Start Here, America Did, we travel to Northumberland, Pennsylvania, to uncover the remarkable life and legacy of Joseph Priestley, the scientist, theologian, educator, and revolutionary thinker best known for his groundbreaking work with oxygen. Guests Craig Specht and Ronald Blatchley of the Friends of the Joseph Priestley House Museum share how Priestley’s journey from England...

In this special Memorial Day bonus episode of Start Here, America Did, we pause to honor the service members who gave their lives in defense of our country and reflect on the responsibility we share to remember them. Joined by The Honorable Devlin Robinson, Pennsylvania State Senator for the 37th District and United States Marine Corps veteran, this conversation explores the meaning of Memorial Da...

In this episode of the America250PA Podcast, “Start Here, America Did,” we travel to Bedford, Pennsylvania, where a remarkable piece of early American history was hiding in plain sight for more than 200 years. Host Sydney Harris-White sits down with Tyna Walker-Lay of the Fortified Bedford House to uncover the story of a 1758 structure believed to have served as a British powder magazine or armory...

In this episode of the America250PA Podcast,  we continue our two-episode adventure series with Jim Cheney, founder of UncoveringPA, exploring one of Pennsylvania’s most beautiful natural treasures: waterfalls. Having personally visited more than 200 waterfalls across the Commonwealth, Jim shares how hidden cascades, dramatic drops, and peaceful trails reveal a side of Pennsylvania many people nev...

Step off the beaten path and into the stories waiting to be discovered across Pennsylvania. In Uncovering PA: Hidden Gems Across Pennsylvania’s Six Regions, host Sydney Harris-White sits down with Jim Cheney, founder of Uncovering PA, to explore both the inspiration behind his widely trusted travel resource and the hidden places that don’t always make the guidebooks. From scenic escapes to overloo...

In honor of Women’s History Month, this episode of Start Here, America Did highlights the women shaping Pennsylvania’s future today. Host Sydney Harris-White sits down with Linda Loop of Dress for Success Luzerne County to explore how confidence, opportunity, and support can transform lives. From powerful stories of resilience to the ripple effect on families and communities, this conversation sho...

In this special Women's History Month episode, host Sydney Harris-White explores a lesser-known side of Gettysburg, one that reaches beyond battlefields, generals, and troop movements to uncover the stories of the women who lived through one of the most defining moments in American history. Joined by historian Tim Smith of Gettysburg History and the Adams County Historical Society and Abbie Hoffma...

Travel to Montgomery County’s Borough of Trappe, where history is not confined to exhibits but experienced through preserved homes, landscapes, and artifacts. In this episode, host Sydney Harris-White explores the work of Historic Trappe, a nonprofit dedicated to preserving and sharing 18th-century daily life, Pennsylvania German cultural traditions, and the lasting impact of the Muhlenberg family...

As the nation prepares to celebrate its 250th anniversary, another milestone is unfolding right in the heart of the Commonwealth. In Episode 58, we step onto the campus of Penn State Harrisburg, the Capitol College, as it marks 60 years of impact in central Pennsylvania. Host Sydney Harris-White sits down with Assistant Teaching Professor Seth P. Wright to explore how a former Air Force base trans...

Episode 57, Where History Ferments: The Story of Stoll & Wolfe, explores how one Pennsylvania distillery is carrying a nearly 300-year legacy into the present. In Lititz, Stoll & Wolfe Distillery draws directly from the Commonwealth’s deep agricultural and distilling roots, using grain grown on a family farm established in 1741 and techniques shaped by centuries of practice. Host Sydney Ha...

What if the next great adventure was already waiting just beyond your doorstep?  In Episode 56, The Department of Adventure: The Story of Purple Lizard Maps, host Sydney Harris-White talks with Michael Hermann, founder of Purple Lizard Maps, about how a single hand-crafted map of Rothrock State Forest in 1997 grew into a beloved Pennsylvania-born brand rooted in exploration and connection. Michael...

Step into a Pennsylvania town that helped save Christmas. In Episode 55, The Town That Saved Christmas: Pennsylvania’s Wellsboro Glass Legacy, host Sydney Harris-White travels to Wellsboro with guest Kylie Birgensmith of the Wellsboro Glass Historical Association to reveal how this small Tioga County community became a global force of light and innovation. From the late 1800s to the arrival of Cor...

In Episode 54, “Beyond the Chocolate Bar: The Story of The Sweetest Place on Earth,” host Sydney Harris-White sits down with Quinn Bryner of Hershey Entertainment & Resorts to explore how Milton S. Hershey’s vision became far more than a chocolate empire. From the creation of Hersheypark and its iconic resorts to the founding of the Milton Hershey School, this episode uncovers how one man’s co...

In 1976, Fairview Township caught the “Spirit of 76” and never let it go. In this episode, host Sydney Harris-White sits down with original Fairview Bicentennial Committee members Sabina Shields Freeman and June Hetz to relive the unforgettable year when Freedom Festivals, community variety shows, ox roasts, and neighborhood history tours brought an entire township together. What began as a volunt...

In 1825, the Marquis de Lafayette returned to a young United States and turned Lancaster into a sea of arches, banners, and cheering crowds. In this episode, host Sydney Harris sits down with local historian Benton Graves Weber to walk through Lafayette’s unforgettable visit to Lancaster, PA, from the moment he crossed the Chester County line to the candlelit ball, saluting veterans, and even a ha...

What began around a dinner table in 1979 grew into one of Warren County’s most beloved traditions. Host Sydney Harris sits down with director Melissa J. White to trace the Wild Wind Folk Art and Craft Festival from its windy hilltop beginnings to the vibrant two-day celebration it is today. Discover how families, artists, and neighbors built a community around handmade work, from glassblowing and...

Fifty episodes strong, and we’re raising a glass to where resistance helped define a nation. In this milestone episode of the 'Start Here, America Did' podcast listeners travel to Washington, Pennsylvania, where the spark of the Whiskey Rebellion of 1794 tested the strength of America’s fledgling federal government. At the center of it all stood David Bradford, a fiery attorney whose stately home...

Host Sydney Harris sits down with Susan Williams and Brandy Owens of Visit Clearfield County to explore a place where Pennsylvania’s lumber heritage meets small-town hospitality. Discover why Clearfield is “halfway to everywhere,” how the Lumberjack Tasting Trail connects past and present, and what makes this corner of the PA Wilds perfect for slowing down—think elk viewing in the fall, rugged tra...

In Episode 48, Where the Walls Still Speak: Crawford County’s Story Keeper, host Sydney Harris sits down with Josh Sherretts, Executive Director of the Crawford County Historical Society, to uncover how preservation keeps history alive in Northwest Pennsylvania. From restoring Meadville’s iconic Holland Hall and the Tarr Mansion, to launching countywide oral history projects and creating the first...

On the banks of the Susquehanna River in Wrightsville, Pennsylvania, a quiet farm once stood at the center of extraordinary history. Long before the phrase “Underground Railroad” was even coined, Jonathan and Susanna Mifflin opened their parlor to freedom seekers, while decades later the same land became a Civil War flashpoint when Confederate forces advanced toward the Susquehanna just days befor...

From Revolutionary War strategy sessions to industrial breakthroughs, from Underground Railroad stops to Olympic arenas, York County’s history is as varied as it is vital to the American story. In this episode, host Sydney Harris sits down with Dan Fink, Vice President of Marketing and Public Relations at the York County History Center, to uncover the moments, movements, and people who helped shap...

Scranton’s got rhythm—and for the last two decades, it’s been swinging to the sound of jazz. In this episode, Sydney Harris sits down with Marko Marcinko, founder and artistic director of the Scranton Jazz Festival, to reflect on 20 years of music, momentum, and community. What began as a modest summer concert has evolved into a nationally recognized, three-day celebration that transforms downtown...

Travel to Doylestown, where Pennsylvania’s past is pressed into every piece of clay. Host Sydney Harris sits down with Brendan Duffey, Administrative Director of the Moravian Pottery and Tile Works, to uncover the enduring legacy of Henry Chapman Mercer—a visionary tilemaker, archaeologist, and storyteller who helped shape America’s Arts and Crafts movement. Explore how this one-of-a-kind living h...