The America250PA ”Start Here, America Did” Podcast

In this special Memorial Day bonus episode of Start Here, America Did, we pause to honor the service members who gave their lives in defense of our country and reflect on the responsibility we share to remember them. Joined by The Honorable Devlin Robinson, Pennsylvania State Senator for the 37th District and United States Marine Corps veteran, this conversation explores the meaning of Memorial Day through the lens of service, sacrifice, and gratitude.Senator Robinson shares personal reflections from his military service, his family’s generations-long legacy of service, and the friends and fellow Marines he remembers on Memorial Day. His perspective reminds us that this day is more than a long weekend. It is a time to pause, reflect, and honor those who did not return home, while recognizing how their sacrifice continues to shape the freedoms we experience today.

In this episode of the America250PA Podcast, “Start Here, America Did,” we travel to Bedford, Pennsylvania, where a remarkable piece of early American history was hiding in plain sight for more than 200 years.Host Sydney Harris-White sits down with Tyna Walker-Lay of the Fortified Bedford House to uncover the story of a 1758 structure believed to have served as a British powder magazine or armory connected to Fort Bedford during the French and Indian War.What began as a simple renovation quickly became a life-changing preservation journey filled with hidden windows, hand-hewn beams, rare half-timber construction, mysterious artifacts, a glass-covered cellar opening, and the preserved “Sacred Space” inside the log portion of the building.As America approaches its 250th anniversary, this episode invites listeners to step inside a survivor structure that continues to reveal new clues about Pennsylvania’s frontier past and the people who helped shape the nation’s earliest story.

In this episode of the America250PA Podcast,  we continue our two-episode adventure series with Jim Cheney, founder of UncoveringPA, exploring one of Pennsylvania’s most beautiful natural treasures: waterfalls. Having personally visited more than 200 waterfalls across the Commonwealth, Jim shares how hidden cascades, dramatic drops, and peaceful trails reveal a side of Pennsylvania many people never expect to find.
From the unforgettable Falls Trail at Ricketts Glen State Park to the otherworldly beauty of Cucumber Falls, Dingmans Falls, Buttermilk Falls, and more, this episode invites listeners to chase water, discover new destinations, and experience Pennsylvania’s natural beauty one trail at a time. 

Step off the beaten path and into the stories waiting to be discovered across Pennsylvania. In Uncovering PA: Hidden Gems Across Pennsylvania’s Six Regions, host Sydney Harris-White sits down with Jim Cheney, founder of Uncovering PA, to explore both the inspiration behind his widely trusted travel resource and the hidden places that don’t always make the guidebooks. From scenic escapes to overlooked historic sites, this episode reveals the depth and diversity found across all 67 counties.
Travel region by region as we highlight standout destinations deserving of greater recognition, while also learning how Uncovering PA has helped Pennsylvanians discover more of what’s right in their own backyards. It’s a reminder that some of the most memorable places aren’t far away, they’ve just been waiting to be found.

In honor of Women’s History Month, this episode of Start Here, America Did highlights the women shaping Pennsylvania’s future today.
Host Sydney Harris-White sits down with Linda Loop of Dress for Success Luzerne County to explore how confidence, opportunity, and support can transform lives.
From powerful stories of resilience to the ripple effect on families and communities, this conversation shows what happens when women are empowered to succeed.
Because when one woman rises, entire communities follow.

In this special Women's History Month episode, host Sydney Harris-White explores a lesser-known side of Gettysburg, one that reaches beyond battlefields, generals, and troop movements to uncover the stories of the women who lived through one of the most defining moments in American history. Joined by historian Tim Smith of Gettysburg History and the Adams County Historical Society and Abbie Hoffman of the Shriver House Museum, the conversation highlights the civilians who found war at their doorstep and were forced to navigate fear, loss, and uncertainty almost overnight.
Through the stories of women like Hettie Shriver, who fled her home with her young daughters as the battle unfolded, Sallie Myers, who cared for wounded soldiers and comforted dying men far from their families, Julia Jacobs, who risked her life to warn Union soldiers of Confederate sharpshooters, and Elizabeth Thorn, who buried the dead while five months pregnant, we begin to see Gettysburg through a different lens. Their courage, resilience, and quiet leadership helped sustain their community during and after the battle, reminding us that as we approach America’s 250th anniversary, Pennsylvania’s story is not only one of soldiers and strategy but also of the women who carried the weight of war in their homes, their hands, and their hearts.
 
*This episode contains discussions of war, combat, violence, and loss related to the Battle of Gettysburg and its aftermath. Listener discretion is advised, especially for those who may find these themes emotionally difficult.*

Travel to Montgomery County’s Borough of Trappe, where history is not confined to exhibits but experienced through preserved homes, landscapes, and artifacts. In this episode, host Sydney Harris-White explores the work of Historic Trappe, a nonprofit dedicated to preserving and sharing 18th-century daily life, Pennsylvania German cultural traditions, and the lasting impact of the Muhlenberg family.Executive Director Lisa Minardi joins the conversation to highlight the organization’s key sites, including the Dewees Tavern and its Center for Pennsylvania German Studies, the Muhlenberg House, and the Speaker’s House, home of Frederick Muhlenberg, the first Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives. The Speaker’s House will fully reopen in spring 2026 in honor of the nation’s 250th anniversary, marking the culmination of 25 years of restoration and a powerful example of community-driven preservation shaping Pennsylvania’s role in this historic milestone.

As the nation prepares to celebrate its 250th anniversary, another milestone is unfolding right in the heart of the Commonwealth. In Episode 58, we step onto the campus of Penn State Harrisburg, the Capitol College, as it marks 60 years of impact in central Pennsylvania. Host Sydney Harris-White sits down with Assistant Teaching Professor Seth P. Wright to explore how a former Air Force base transformed into a thriving institution dedicated to public service, civic engagement, and workforce development. From its origins during the turbulence of the 1960s to its role today beside the state’s seat of government, this conversation reveals how one campus grew alongside Pennsylvania itself.
This episode goes beyond dates and milestones. It dives into powerful alumni stories, including leadership at the National Transportation Safety Board, and highlights the campus’s nearly $198 million annual economic impact on the Commonwealth. You will hear how Penn State Harrisburg prepares students not just for careers, but for responsibility, equipping them to read the Constitution, shape public policy, and strengthen democracy from the inside out. As we reflect on America’s founding and ask “Who are we?” this conversation makes clear that the next chapter of Pennsylvania’s story is being written by the students walking its halls today.

Episode 57, Where History Ferments: The Story of Stoll & Wolfe, explores how one Pennsylvania distillery is carrying a nearly 300-year legacy into the present. In Lititz, Stoll & Wolfe Distillery draws directly from the Commonwealth’s deep agricultural and distilling roots, using grain grown on a family farm established in 1741 and techniques shaped by centuries of practice. Host Sydney Harris-White sits down with co-founder and distiller Erik Wolfe to uncover why Pennsylvania was once at the center of American whiskey production, and how rye whiskey emerged as a practical, powerful force in early American life.
At the heart of the episode is the influence of Dick Stoll, the legendary master distiller whose mentorship and craftsmanship helped revive a nearly forgotten tradition. Erik shares how Stoll’s philosophy of stewardship, sensory distilling, and respect for history continues to guide every bottle produced today. Together, their story reveals how Stoll & Wolfe is not simply making whiskey, but preserving Pennsylvania history, honoring agriculture, and creating a living connection between the colonial past and the nation’s 250th anniversary.

What if the next great adventure was already waiting just beyond your doorstep? 
In Episode 56, The Department of Adventure: The Story of Purple Lizard Maps, host Sydney Harris-White talks with Michael Hermann, founder of Purple Lizard Maps, about how a single hand-crafted map of Rothrock State Forest in 1997 grew into a beloved Pennsylvania-born brand rooted in exploration and connection. Michael shares the vision behind maps designed not just for navigation, but for helping people discover the depth and accessibility of the Commonwealth’s public lands.
The episode explores what makes Purple Lizard Maps unique, from field-verified detail and durable design to a deep commitment to conservation and stewardship. As Pennsylvania steps into 2026 and looks toward America’s 250th anniversary, this conversation is an invitation to witness the Commonwealth’s immense natural beauty and rediscover journey and exploration right in your own backyard.