Episodes

  • Hess's of Allentown (Ep15)

    Hess's of Allentown (Ep15)
    Jun 23 2026
    This is the story of the Pennsylvania department store that for several decades was more well known and more glamorous than the city in which it was located – Hess’s of Allentown. The brothers Hess founded their dry goods store in Center City Allentown in 1897. By 1929, it had grown to become a large department store at the same location. By this time, both Hess brothers had died, leaving Max Hess, Jr., their 18-year-old heir. Max, Jr, would turn out to be one of the most innovative and successful American merchandisers of the 20th century, making Hess’s a luxe shopping destination that, at one point, had the highest per capita sales volume of any department store in America. The store was famous for its models, European couture, in-store restaurant, annual events like the flower show, television programming, the hundreds of fashion shows they organized and exported, and their canny way of securing publicity. In the 1970s and 80s, after Max Hess, Jr, had sold Hess’s lone department store and died in 1968, Hess’s became an iconic department store chain, growing rapidly to the point that, in 1990, there were 76 Hess’s stores overall, 27 of which were in Pennsylvania. This growth occurred during a time when the City of Allentown and the Lehigh Valley were suffering an intense period of economic decline due to de-industrialization and factory closures. A retail recession in the 90s led to an abrupt collapse of the department store chain and, by 1995, no Hess’s remained. This episode ends with a list of surviving department store buildings in major cities of the Commonwealth.
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    58 mins
  • Revolution on $33,000 a day Part 3 (Ep14)

    Revolution on $33,000 a day Part 3 (Ep14)
    Jun 9 2026
    This is the concluding episode in our three-part series on the financing and supply logistics of the American Revolution. It begins with financial and monetary crises having hit both the Continental Congress and the Pennsylvania Assembly. The Continental Congress has created the new role of Superintendent of Finance, and named Robert Morris to the position. Morris and his aides made several major reforms. They solved the army’s supply problems through private contracts with private vendors, created the Bank of North America, and pressured the states to fulfill their financial obligations to the Continental Congress. Morris and his aides ensured critical financing for the decisive military victory over the British at Yorktown, and navigated the collapse of the Continental dollar. But the Continental Congress was hamstrung in its efforts because it did not have the power to tax. This led to an over-reliance on the French and other foreign governments for the funding of the war effort, and led to the states and Congress stiffing their creditors, most shamefully the unpaid soldiers of the Continental Army. The demobilization of the army led to a touchy flashpoint in early America – one that could have led to violence and civil war. Congress was threatened by a mob of soldiers, and the Pennsylvania government did nothing to stop them. Congress left Philadelphia. The overall political dysfunction could have upended the whole experiment with federal government in America, but it led to the Constitutional Convention of 1787, and the new constitution that took effect in 1789.
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    1 hr and 11 mins
  • The Johnstown Flood (Ep13)

    The Johnstown Flood (Ep13)
    May 26 2026
    On May 31, 1889, after torrential rains worse than any in recorded history, the South Fork Dam on the western side of the Allegheny Mountains broke, and 20 million tons of water poured downstream. Towns in its wake were leveled: South Fork, Mineral Point, Woodvale, East Conemaugh and, most notably, Johnstown. Prior to the September 11th attack on the World Trade Center, it was the deadliest man-made disaster in U.S. history. 2,209 people were killed. Johnstown and several neighboring towns were destroyed. This episode addresses the questions of why it happened and what happened afterward.
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    1 hr and 7 mins
  • Revolution on $33,000 a day Part 2 (Ep12)

    Revolution on $33,000 a day Part 2 (Ep12)
    May 12 2026
    This is the second episode in our three-part series on the financing and supply logistics of the American Revolution. In the first episode, we asked, “Who paid for all this stuff and how did it get to where it was needed?” We described how the Continental Congress funded the war at the start, and did so well enough to permit the military and diplomatic successes of 1777 and 1778. We introduced Philadelphia financier and merchant Robert Morris, one of the richest men in America, who played a key role in both the Continental Congress and the Pennsylvania Assembly in the administration of the war’s supply efforts. But, two years into the war, the wheels started to fall off financially, and Robert Morris’ help was even more urgently needed. This episode covers the period from the second half of 1788 to the Spring of 1781, during which time the Continental dollar and the Pennsylvania currency both depreciated. Congress faced mounting deficits, the populace was hurting from monetary inflation, the soldiers were unpaid, and unrest erupted. This episode ends at a point in 1781 when financial and monetary crises hit both the Continental Congress and the Pennsylvania Assembly. The Continental Congress responded by creating the new role of Superintendent of Finance and named Robert Morris to that position. Timestamps for major events/discussions: [01:45] – Recapping the description of the Continental dollar from the last episode [04:46] – Introducing Pelatiah Webster [08:23] – The creation of the committee on “ways and means” [10:10] – Congress makes the Continental dollar legal tender [21:08] – The Continental dollar ceases to function as a medium of exchange [25:14] – Political turmoil in the Continental Congress after the Occupation [28:04] – Political turmoil in the Pennsylvania Assembly post-occupation [29:42] – Monetary inflation post-occupation [33:54] – The Fort Wilson Riot [40:16] – Spain joins the war against Great Britain [44:59] – The Pennsylvania Line Mutiny [47:17] – Congress creates the position of Superintendent of Finance [51:58] – Robert Morris formally accepts the position of Superintendent of Finance Books to read: · The Continental Dollar: How the American Revolution was Financed with Paper Money. by Farley Grubb (University of Chicago Press, 2023) · Robert Morris: Financier of the Revolution, by Charles Rappleye (Simon & Schuster, 2010) Calls to action: · Follow us on Instagram to learn when new episodes drop or to be a part of our chat community IG: pennsylmaniapod · Join our email list to receive news on the podcast by emailing us at producer@pennsylmania.com · Provide feedback on this episode, or give us ideas for new episodes, by emailing us at producer@pennsylmania.com Link to website: www.pennsylmania.com
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    56 mins
  • Revolution on $33,000 a day Part 1 (Ep11)

    Revolution on $33,000 a day Part 1 (Ep11)
    Apr 28 2026
    The financing and logistics of the American Revolution. In order to get a full picture of the American Revolution, one has to study more than the battles fought by the soldiers and the political ideals of the Founding Fathers. You have to ask, “Who paid for all this stuff and how did it get to where it was needed?” This episode covers the first three years of the War, from 1775 to 1778, when America was a scrappy start-up venture. It illuminates the ways in which the Continental Congress paid for the War. Chief among these are that they printed money, took out foreign loans, and received foreign military aide. But they also employed lesser-known methods, such as government-sanctioned piracy. This episode also explains the far-flung supply network that handled logistics for the Americans, which was essential in receiving and transporting needed supplies, such as gunpowder and arms. It features the man who did more than anyone to fund the War and to get provisions where they were needed: Philadelphia financier Robert Morris. This is the first of a 3-part series that takes us through the end of the War of Independence.
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    1 hr and 14 mins
  • Occupied Philadelphia (Ep10)

    Occupied Philadelphia (Ep10)
    Apr 14 2026
    What was life like in the nation’s capital under British control? From September of 1777 to June of 1778, the British Army occupied the City of Philadelphia. During this time, the Congress was in exile in York, and the Pennsylvania Assembly was in exile in Lancaster. This episode explains life and events in Philadelphia under British occupation. About a third of Philadelphians fled the approaching British, leaving behind a population of mostly loyalists and the disaffected. For the working-class, life would become difficult. But if you were a rich loyalist at the time, you could have the time of your life.
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    1 hr and 11 mins
  • The Valley Forge Winter (Ep9)

    The Valley Forge Winter (Ep9)
    Mar 31 2026
    July 1777 to June of 1778 was the pivotal year of the American Revolution. With the exception of the Battles of Saratoga, the most crucial events either happened in Pennsylvania (like the Battles of Brandywine and Germantown, the occupation of Philadelphia by the British, and the York Congress), or Pennsylvanians were at the heart of it (like Benjamin Franklin negotiating with the French in Paris). It was the Year of Pennsylvania. On the last episode we described those events but ended in December of 1777. We pick up where we left off, with Franklin at his residence outside of Paris hearing the delayed news of the victory in the Battles of Saratoga, and Washington’s Army leaving Whitemarsh for its winter encampment at Valley Forge. During this episode, and while at Valley Forge, General Washington and his staff successfully tackle the most difficult problems bedeviling the army – supplies, training and re-enlistments – and beat back efforts to replace the General or make him subservient to other military leaders. Meanwhile, in France, Benjamin Franklin parlays the American victory in the Battles of Saratoga to official French recognition of and a military alliance with the American state.
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    1 hr and 12 mins
  • The York Congress (Ep8)

    The York Congress (Ep8)
    Mar 17 2026
    The Second Continental Congress – the very same Congress that declared independence from Great Britain in 1776 at the state house in Philadelphia and that served as our representative government during the American Revolutionary War – – actually spent nine months in official session at the county courthouse in York, Pennsylvania. During its time in York, some of the most consequential decisions of the American Revolution were made – including agreement on the Articles of Confederation, which was our first national charter, and signing our nation’s first alliance – which was with France. Some say that the Articles of Confederation make York the first true capital of the United States. This episode explains why the Continental Congress met in York, how it got there, and why it left after nine months. It also includes a detailed description of the Battle of Brandywine Creek and the Battle of Germantown. This is the first in a three-part series titled “The Year of Pennsylvania” when from July of 1777 to June of 1778 the most crucial events in that pivotal year of the American Revolution, save for the Battles of Saratoga, either happened in Pennsylvania or Pennsylvanians were at the heart of it.
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    52 mins