Welcome to Awakenings


Friday, December 12, 2014

Pennsylvania: All-American

This Day in History: December 12, 1787

Pennsylvania, The Keystone State, The Quaker State 

A Tidbit of Trivia...

Football is all-American! Pennsylvania's infatuation with football is long lived carrying with it the prestige of the first professional game. On November 12, 1892, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania held the very first professional football game between the Pittsburgh Athletic Club and the Allegheny Athletic Club. Prior to 1892, football can be traced back to the years following the Civil War. The game played was a combination of soccer and rugby mainly played at the collegiate level.

Pennsylvania State Motto: Virtue, Liberty and Independence

In the footsteps of the Founding Fathers...
The Liberty Bell is an iconic symbol of American independence, located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Formerly placed in the steeple of the Pennsylvania State House (now renamed Independence Hall), the bell today is located in the Liberty Bell Center in Independence National Historical Park. The bell was commissioned from the London firm of Lester and Pack (today the Whitechapel Bell Foundry) in 1752, and was cast with the lettering (part of Leviticus 25:10) "Proclaim LIBERTY throughout all the land unto all the inhabitants thereof."

How did Pennsylvania get its name?
Originally, Penn suggested Sylvania (woodland) for his land.  The name Pennsylvania was designated in honor of Admiral William Penn. Quaker William Penn was granted the tract of land by King Charles II of England in 1681 as repayment of debt owed to Penn's father, Admiral William Penn. The name is made up of Penn + sylva (“woods” ) + nia (a noun suffix) to get “Penn's Woodland”or  "Penn's woods." The younger Penn was embarrassed by the name and feared that people would think he had named the colony after himself, but King Charles would not rename the land.
Aerial America: Pennsylvania 
This thrilling ride over the Keystone State takes you over large cities and across small towns, where tradition thrives, Nittany Lions roar, and freedom rings. It's where the first football game was played and the bloodiest Civil War battle was fought. Where American Independence began and America's westward expansion commenced. Whether you prefer cheese steak or chocolate, Andy Warhol or Rocky Balboa, this aerial tour of Pennsylvania has something for everyone!
Pennsylvania is one of the thirteen original colonies. The Dutch and the English claimed both sides of the Delaware River as part of their colonial lands in America. The Dutch were the first to take possession, which had an impact on the history of Pennsylvania. The Founding Fathers of the United States convened in Philadelphia, were responsible for drawing up the Declaration of Independence and later the Articles of Confederation that formed 13 independent colonies into a new nation. Pennsylvania became the 2nd state to ratify the U.S. Constitution on December 12, 1787, five days after Delaware became the first. Philadelphia served as the nation's capitol for ten years while Federal City (now Washington, D.C.) was under construction. The state capital is Harrisburg.


Pennsylvania, officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania,
regions of the United States, and the Great Lakes region.

Pennsylvania State Flag

Pennsylvania State Seal

 Antlers in the Velvet Stage
 Pennsylvania State Animal: White-Tailed Deer

 Pennsylvania State Dog: Great Dane

Pennsylvania State Bird: Ruffed Grouse

Pennsylvania State Tree: Eastern Hemlock

 Pennsylvania State Flower: Mountain Laurel

Pennsylvania Beautification and Conservation Plant: Penngift Crownvetch

Poetry of Steam

Pennsylvania State Locomotive: K4s Steam
Railroading started in the Keystone State nearly two centuries ago with a quarry tramway in Delaware County south of Philadelphia, near present-day Chester. Like all other railroads of that day, it relied on horses or mules for power. This and other early railways were but the dim ancestors of modern railroading. No faster than wagons or canal boats, their main virtue lay in their smooth-running rails, which were a significant improvement over rutted roads. Pennsylvania had no urgent reason to invest in railroad technology until 1825, when the Erie Canal linked New York City's ports to Midwest markets. Now this was a revolution!
The Home of the Sweetest Place in America:
The Hershey Company

The history of Hershey Chocolate started with a vision in 1894. With expansion and innovation, even war did not deter its production: the Hershey Chocolate Corp. provided milk chocolate bars to American doughboys in WWI and produced a survival ration bar for military use in WWII.
  For all State Symbols of Pennsylvania click HERE!

Pennsylvania State Song: "Pennsylvania"


Memorable and classic
From history to hot apple pies
Around large cities, quaint towns
All-American tradition thrives

Serene, rural, picturesque
A treasure trove of garden fountains
River gateways stand unique
Within the state of endless mountains

Wet 'n' wild, family themed
Hersheypark, mouthwatering by name
Screams with chocolate madness
Pennsylvania’s sweet claim to fame

From Audubon to Warhol
Philadelphia’s nitty-gritty
Boasts a museum of art
Cultural heart of a great city

Bearing a timeless message
Iconic symbol of liberty
Rings loud the bell of freedom
Acknowledged from sea to shining sea

Centerpiece of history
Hall of both debate and adoption
Hosts signing of freedoms won
Independence the justly option

Battle cries to better times
From the hour they first begun
Facts not fiction remain resolute
To make this state all-American