Slate Belt History
The Slate Belt Compendium of Strange Events
What do missing monkeys, explosive rice and freak lightning have in common? They all played a part in the varied history of the Slate Belt of Pennsylvania.
In those not-so-distant days, the Slate Belt was the center of the world's slate quarrying industry. From Belgian royalty visiting a local quarry to a man determined to jump to its bottom, the heyday of slate is well-represented here.
But other stories ranging from the touching to the weird fill the volume. Little Eddie Cole is strongly reprimanded by the Bangor Police Chief when he rides the trolley into town. Issac Hertzog, on trial for fraud, allegedly sold a love charm to Mamie Schoch.
"Miss Mamie Schoch, a pretty girl with short blue skirt and a jaunty hat, who carried a vanity box, which was frequently used, testified that she went to Hertzog's office to have him return her "fellow."
Each story was picked because it was unusual in some aspect and revealed a tiny part of what it was like to live in the Slate Belt over the past century.
 | The Slate Belt Compendium of Strange Events: Edited by Brian Carroll. Illustrated by Tim Jacobus The book is available for $0.99 at Amazon in KINDLE version. Buy it |