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Pennsylmania

Pennsylmania

By: Mark Smith
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About this listen

 Entertaining and informing listeners with stories of people and events in the history of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, hosted by Mark Smith.Copyright 2026 Pennsylmania World
Episodes
  • The Erie Triangle (Ep5)

    The Erie Triangle (Ep5)
    Feb 3 2026
    Why the map of Pennsylvania has that little right triangle of land at the Northwest corner and why it has been a consequential place in our state’s history, perhaps most notably in the War of 1812. The episode starts with a discussion of colonial borders as they appear in the Kings’ charters and then reviews how Pennsylvania’s borders were settled. The Erie Triangle itself is created in 1784 and then sold by the federal government to the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania in 1792. The causes of the War of 1812 are reviewed and how, after the shooting starts, a naval arms race on Lake Erie ensues, and an American shipyard established at Presque Isle Bay. The Battle of Lake Erie – an American victory by fleet Commodore Oliver Hazard Perry – and its aftermath is covered in some detail.
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    55 mins
  • The Allegheny Portage Railroad (Ep4)

    The Allegheny Portage Railroad (Ep4)
    Jan 20 2026
    The successful opening of the Erie Canal in New York State in 1825 gives the rest of the country a case of “canal fever” and none more so than the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Desperate to catch up with the surging economy of New York City, economic elites from Philadelphia and elsewhere in the Commonwealth hatch a plan for a cross-state canal, linking Philadelphia to Pittsburgh and Pittsburgh to Erie. What is eventually developed – the Main Line of Public Works – is a system of canals and railroads that link the state, but at enormous cost to the Commonwealth. The 36-mile Allegheny Portage Railroad, constructed between 1831 and 1834, was the key section that would transport goods and people over the crest in the Allegheny Mountains, and while it was a technological marvel it was inefficient. The entire system never generates enough tolls to reimburse the huge investment of funds of the state government, and the Commonwealth defaults on its debt payments in 1842. Out of this disaster would arise a later a successful effort to create a statewide rail system owned and operated by a private company, which would be known as the Pennsylvania Railroad, and which would become in a few decades both the largest railroad and the largest company in the world. It is also during this time that anthracite found in the Coal Regions of the state becomes vital to manufacturing and the Philadelphia economy pivots to become the leading manufacturing center in the country.
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    59 mins
  • Welcome to Pithole (Ep3)

    Welcome to Pithole (Ep3)
    Jan 8 2026
    What happens when the wickedest man in the world arrives in the wickedest place on the globe? It’s February of 1866 and the oil boom of Northwestern Pennsylvania is in high gear. Ben Hogan, welcome to Pithole, Pennsylvania. The discovery of oil and the birth of the oil industry created several boom towns some of which later became ghost towns. The most famous oil ghost town in Pennsylvania was Pithole, and it was populated with many a scoundrel and fallen woman. In this episode, we meet some of them, including the most famous of all – Ben Hogan and French Kate. This is the third episode in the 3-part series on the Discovery of Oil and the History of the Oil Regions of Pennsylvania. In this episode we also have repeat appearances by Frank Tarbell and his daughter Ida Tarbell from the first two episodes.
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    50 mins
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