Lesson Plans
These lesson plans and articles are also called Learning Activity Packets. They are offered as a way to look more closely at the people, places, and moments in time of our local area. Each will have a text box with Online Resource or Print Resource, boxes for vocabulary, when, where, and event. While some have a suggested activity listed the reader is encouraged to check out Presentation Project Ideas, Topics and Ideas, Chapter Questions, Appendix, as well as the video (Scratching the Surface 1675-1975) that accompanies the website local history book. The video series is also available under the tab “YouTube”. We hope you find the information helpful. Educators may also find the link "Teaching U.S. History 8th Graders" helpful for ideas located near the bottom of the Educators tab.
Arts & Entertainment
- Black Diamond Comedies
- C. Edgar Patience, Black Diamond Sculptor
- Florence Foster Jenkins, Opera Singer
- George Catlin, Native American Painter
- George Korson - Folklorist WW I To Coal Fields
- Herman and Joseph Mankiewicz, Hollywood Screenwriters
- Lyman Howe - Pioneer Filmmaker
- Marion Lorne - Star of Stage and Screen
- Santo Loquasto - All Dressed Up
- See a Show! Let's Go To The Theater!
Early Days In Wyoming Valley
- Benjamin Harvey, Sr. - Merchant, Soldier, Builder
- Frances Slocum Part One
- Frances Slocum Part Two
- John Butler Prepares To Attack Wyoming
- Matthias Hollenback - Entrepreneur, Revolutionary Soldier, Judge
- Nathan Denison
- Zebulon Butler, Officer and Gentleman - Part 1
- Zebulon Butler, Officer and Gentleman - Part 2
- Battle of Wyoming Part 1 - Early Days In Wyoming
- Battle of Wyoming Part 2 - Behind The Attack On Wyoming
- Battle of Wyoming Part 3 - Crushing Defeat At The Battle of Wyoming
- Battle of Wyoming Part 4 - A Valley In Ruin: After The Battle
Industry, Business, & More
- Andrew J. Sordoni, Entrepreneur
- Canal System - Here to There
- Charles Stegmaier Gold Medal Brewery
- Esther Tinsley - Help For the Hurting
- Father Murgas - Wireless Transmission
- Fred Morgan Kirby
- Min Matheson, Labor Organizer
- Mr. Peanut
- Solomon Jones - From Slavery to Beloved Minister
- William G. McGowan - Taking On The Impossible
- Work For The Young Girls
Mining In The Valley
- Avondale, Twin Shaft, and Baltimore Tunnel Disasters
- Breaker Boys And The Black Diamond Chutes
- Ellen Webster Palmer - Educator of Breaker Boys
- Knox Mine Disaster
- Lattimer Massacre
- Life In The Patch
- Murder on Good Friday - Bombings in Pittston
- Turning Black Rock Into Diamonds
- Twin Shaft Disaster
- Very Reverend John J. Curran - The Labor Priest
- What Is A Breaker Or A Colliery?
Native Americans
- Early Residents of Wyoming Valley
- Lenape - The People
- Sayenqueraghta, Seneca War Chief
- Teedyuscung, Securing the Border
Places
- Concrete City Model of Industrial Housing
- Hanson's Park
- Hotel Sterling, Crown Jewel of the City
- Luzerne County Courthouse
- Market Street Bridge
- Public Square
- Rocky Glen Amusement Park
- Sans Souci Park The Carefree Days
Politics
Sports
- Big Ed Walsh, Baseball Hall of Fame
- Charley Trippi, Football Hall of Fame
- Giant's Despair Hillclimb Race
- Joe Amato, Drag Racing Champion
- Machine Gun Lou Butera, Pool Champion
- Pete Gray, One Armed Wonder
- Walter Tewksbury Olympic Track and Field Gold Medalist
Wars and Conflicts
Civil War
- Eugene B. Beaumont, Civil War Veteran
- Henry Brown - Underground Railroad Conductor
- Henry Hoyt - From Civil War To Governor
- Fugitive Slave Case
- William Gildersleeve - Underground Railroad Conductor
- Colonel Robert Bruce Ricketts
- Sylvester Rhodes
Korea
- Donald Williams and the 109th Field Artillery
- Katherine Rose - Jump Nurse Extraordinaire
- Korean War Memorial - Wilkes-Barre, PA
- Tragedy Strikes the 109th Field Artillery
World War I
World War II
- Admiral Stark - Commander of Naval Operations
- Lt. Colonel Harry F. Welsh - Soldier to Educator
- Staff Sergeant Joseph J Toye - 101st Airborne Easy Company
- Eulogy for Sergeant Joseph Toye By Major Richard Winters
- U.S.S. Wilkes-Barre