May 21 - May 27 is National EMS Week and here at Benson Memorial Library we are highlighting our local heroes. We hope to put a name and a story to the faces who care for you every day. Who is "Behind the Nametag" at Emergycare Titusville? Learn about four of our community members below!
The year was 1942. The United States had been at war for just over one year. Fighting was fierce in the Pacific, Africa, and Europe.On Saturday, December 26, 1942, The Titusville Herald reproduced an Associated Press story about how Americans were keeping the Christmas spirit alive on the homefront. The article read:
Despite the constant reports of violence we are inundated with every day, we live in a low-violence society compared to the 1800s in the Oil Region! In particular, 1874 was a very violent year.
It was the year after the Civil War. Veterans were still recovering. Thousands of Pennsylvanian children were in soldiers' orphanages as a result of the carnage, and three more children were about to be thrown to the winds as a result of their father's actions.
"Horrible Homicide!" the August 15th, 1872 edition of the Titusville Morning Herald screamed from page three. "A man had his head chopped off in the Corry Lock-Up. The Slayer an insane man!" Comforting words to read while sipping your morning tea, no?
Imagine going to the dentist. You know you need a root canal and boy is it going to hurt. But you aren't too worried because you know that a simple injection of Novocaine will do the trick to eliminate the majority of the pain. But, that's today. Now, imagine you need a root canal, but the year is 1860. Feeling slightly more nervous? You should be.
Hannah Mead Dougherty died June 15, 1876. She was a mother of three and lived in a modest cottage with her husband until she was viciously murdered by intruder, Nick Baker. Baker came upon the house intent on raping Mrs. Dougherty while her husband was away. But, unable to do so, he murdered her and severely wounded a neighbor who heard her screams and attempted to come to her aid. The full Titusville Morning Herald article concerning the crime is reprinted below in its entirety.
Hello readers! We are taking a brief hiatus from the obituary posts. Don’t worry, they are still diligently being digitized, but we thought a change of pace may be nice as well! image This week in doing some commissioned research, I came across an Honor Roll list of men from the Titusville region and surrounding areas who passed away during service in World War II. The list is from the December 7, 1945 edition of the Titusville Herald.
AKA: Episode 2 of A Thousand Ways to Die in the Oil Region. Just after the oil boom, Dr. George W. Barr moved to Titusville with his wife and children in mid-1865. Little did he know the tragedy that would befall him in his new home.
NWPA Stories 