County Chronicles Series

Award-winning author Ceane O’Hanlon-Lincoln reveals her ingenious talent for bringing history alive in each compelling chapter of County Chronicles. In all five volumes, she has expertly tapped into the vast wealth of history that is embedded in Pennsylvania’s lush, rolling landscape.

Each volume in the series is a bright tapestry of assorted people, places and events that affected and shaped the “Keystone State.” Along with meticulous research, Ms. O’Hanlon-Lincoln, often referred to as a “state-of-the-heart” writer, has added remembrances, personal experiences and nostalgic sentiments. With every page turn, you won’t be reading history, you will EXPERIENCE it! County Chronicles are not chronological histories--readers can skip around, from chronicle to chronicle, from volume to volume. Written in an easy-to-read conversational style, each chapter contains a separate story, complete in itself; and most contain travel information about the sites discussed in the chapter.

County Chronicles has garnered, to date, five prestigious awards: the Athena Award, two Special Recognition Awards from the Pennsylvania House of Representatives, and two Special Recognition Awards from the Senate of Pennsylvania. These books have found homes in the libraries of the PA Senate, the (George) Marshall Foundation, West Point and Annapolis, the Heinz History Center, Washington and Lee University, to name a few.

Featured on every volume is beautiful cover art by award-winning artist Helen Alt. The series of County Chronicles’ covers will render a beautiful spectrum of color on a special library shelf, reflective of the vivid events and bright luminaries from Pennsylvania’s rich, layered history. The colorful books reflect too the bright tapestry of ethnic peoples who have settled “Penn’s Woods,” William Penn’s “Holy Experiment”– our nation’s first great melting pot.

These beautifully crafted, collectible books are treasured heirlooms to be passed down through generations. (See descriptions of each volume below.)

Volume I: Among the chapters in this second edition of the premiere volume, you’ll find these stories unfold:

George Washington’s first and only surrender

How expressions like “cold shoulder,” “redd up,” “riffraff,” “mind your own beeswax,” or “it will cost an arm and a leg” came into use

The magic of Skibo Castle

How many coincidences proved Lincoln was destined for the presidency

The significance of the Youghiogheny River in history and recreation

What the fates were of the men who signed the Declaration of Independence

When the world was “turned upside down”

The holiday customs of Pennsylvania’s varied ethnic peoples

Honor answering honor at Appomattox Court House, and Pennsylvania’s contribution

The history and meaning behind “The Grand Old Flag”

Volume II: The chronicles in this volume, to list a few, will take you back to:

The inventive days of Ben Franklin in Philadelphia

The perilous frontier with Indian captives near Bedford and Gettysburg

The heroism of “Captain Molly” Corbin, who fired her dead husband’s cannon during the Revolutionary War

The untold heroics of the WASP (Women Airforce Service Pilots) during WWII

The volatile summer of 1892 in Homestead

The romantic tale of Mrs. Katherine Soffel, who joined the Biddle Boys in their flight from the Allegheny County Prison to a shoot-out in Butler County

The inspiring lives of Pennsylvania luminaries― actor and pilot Jimmy Stewart, greatest-athlete-of-the-twentieth-century Jim Thorpe, Eastern frontier artist extraordinaire Robert Griffing, Pulitzer-prize-winning author David McCullough, as well as tycoons Henry Clay Frick, Andrew Carnegie, and Andrew Mellon

The destruction of Hanna’s Town near present-day Greensburg

The horrors of the catastrophic Johnstown floods

The history of three churches in Philadelphia and Uniontown

Volume III: Be amazed—all over again—when you read chapters about:

The inimitable Shirley Jones

Fearless journalist Nellie Bly

The world-famous dance team of Woods and Bray

The daring Flyboys of WWI

The terrifying day Pearl Harbor was attacked through personal interviews of those who remember

The decisive attack on Kittanning

The tragedy at Muddy Creek

The heroism of Civil War soldier Richard Kirkland

The fascinating lifestyle of the Amish

The mystery and power of the cougar

The story behind the Hershey chocolate bar

Volume IV: Pure pleasure to read, these chronicles include:

Philadelphia, Birthplace of America, the place where Liberty was born

The human side of Her Serene Highness, the Princess of Monaco, née Grace Patricia Kelly of Philadelphia

The old hero of Gettysburg, the story of John L. Burns, the only civilian who fought in the bloody battle

The tragic tale of Jennie Wade, the only civilian to be killed at Gettysburg during the Civil War

The message of the White Buffalo, the phenomena of four rare white buffalo born within a short time span of each other, at each compass point within our nation, the last in the East, in Fayette County, Pa.

A nostalgic trip down memory lane to the fabulous fifties, the last age of innocence in America

The thrills of the 1960 World Series, when the underdog Pittsburgh Pirates knocked the “invincible” New York Yankees from their lofty pedestal

A trip to the famed Black Forest of Pennsylvania

Barbaro, the horse who captured America’s heart

Margaret Mead, America’s greatest anthropologist

Harriet Lane, the Democratic Queen

World War II heroes, as well as other champions from the Civil War—and that is only scratching the surface.

Volume V: Last but certainly not least, the fifth and final book is subtitled There's No Place Like Home, with even more thrills, mysteries and adventures:

Pennsylvania’s famed Horseshoe Curve in Altoona and the great circus train wreck of 1893, as well as the Nazis’ foiled plan to sabotage the Curve

Drake Well, the world’s first oil well

Pithole, PA and its resident “wickedest man in the world”

Pittsburgh: an up-close, personal look at PA’s princess city and its only woman mayor, Sophie Masloff

The legendary Johnny Appleseed, a noble man with a noble quest

Rachel Carson, who found the courage to brave the chemical companies and US Congress

“Haunted Pennsylvania”—captivating and chilling

The heart-wrenching tale of Sallie, the 11th PA Infantry’s canine mascot

Billy Conn, the spunky Irish pug who beat every boxing contender he took on…except one

“They Came to America,” immigrant stories passed down through generations

The cowboy secrets of Zane Grey, and Louisa May Alcott’s magic inkstand

The Indian capture and incredible escape of Massy Harbison

The legend, lore and mystery that was Valley Forge, a heartfelt reminder of the great American spirit

O’Hanlon-Lincoln, in all volumes, has even included a few chilling tales of Pennsylvania’s haunted sites, as well as information to guide you to and about the Pennsylvania historical sites mentioned within the chapters. You’ll also discover what “Firsts” Pennsylvania has contributed to our nation’s history. With heroes aplenty, these stories promise to enthrall and transport you to the bygone times of Pennsylvania’s rich history.