All Episodes

ABC:LHS #033-1   Robert Cornelius...
...was immediately curious about the new-fangled device called a Daguerreotype; he took what is now recognized as the first “selfie” behind his father's lamp shop on Chestnut Street.

ABC:LHS #033   Smile for the Birdie: Photography Pioneers
Photography in its infancy made its way to Philadelphia in 1839, literally weeks after Louis Daguerre invented the technique that carries his name. 
Lampmaker Robert Cornelius was interested and took what is now recognized as the first “selfie.” 
Frederick Gutekunst opened a studio where people flocked to have their picture taken. 
Mathew Carey Lea helped photography make giant strides forward through his knowledge of photochemistry and then invented an entirely new branch of chemistry almost through serendipity. 
Coleman Sellers II was a nationally renowned mechanical engineer for whom photography was a hobby, yet he managed to produce what is now acknowledged as the first motion picture. 
All four of these photography pioneers are buried at Laurel Hill Cemetery or West Laurel Hill Cemetery.

BBB:LHWS #002   Harold Hering Knerr...
...came from a family of physicians and engineers, but rather than joining them he became an illustrator and cartoonist.  For 35 years he drew one of the most popular comic strips in the United States, The Katzenjammer Kids.   

ABC:LHS #032-4   Maud Rettew... 
...went on a yacht trip to New York City for a few days on a supervised sail along with her fiancé and other members of their social club, including the Merritt sisters.  A sudden squall flipped the boat with the girls trapped below deck.  The results were horrifying.

ABC:LHS #032-2   May Bibighaus...
...was a good girl who taught Bible studies to immigrants in Chinatown.  Somehow, she picked up a heroin habit.  Her conclusion was predictable. 

ABC:LHS #032-2   Joseph Jurciukonis, Jr....
...had just received the good news that he was accepted to the Curtis Institute on a full scholarship.  To celebrate, one of his friends showed Joseph his new gun.  It did not turn out well. 

ABC:LHS #032-1   Annie Inglis...
...was confined to a wheelchair and knew she would die young.  She gave her mother her prized possession, a gold dollar coin, and said "Build a house for people like me".  That was the beginning of Inglis House

ABC:LHS #032   Death could take you at any time ... even if you were a teenager
Annie Inglis spent her brief life in a wheelchair, but her dying wish was to make her prized possession, a one-dollar gold piece, into something which would help others. 
Joseph Jurciukonis Jr. was a gifted young cellist whose life was cut short by a bullet. 
May Bibighaus was described as a good, church-going girl who developed a narcotic habit as a teenager; it would be her undoing. 
Several members of a Philadelphia social club chose the wrong time for a casual summer cruise and paid with their lives.

BBB:LHWS #001    Alan Calvert...
...was a Philadelphia bodybuilder who found that available equipment did not meet his needs, so he invented what we now recognize as the modern barbell and the science of progressive resistance.  His innovations have now become a standard around the world.  

ABC:LHS #031-4   George "Orator" Shafer...
...was a man confined to right field because of his constant chatter; he still holds the Major League Record for most outfield assists more than 140 years after he set it. 

ABC:LHS #031-3   Harry Luff...
...was an awful human being who nonetheless played eight positions for six different teams in four major leagues before he finally did some jail time.

ABC:LHS #031-2   Alonzo "Lon" Knight...
...was a Girard College graduate who on April 22, 1876, threw the first pitch in major league history. Today, he lies in an unmarked grave.

ABC:LHS #031-1   Wes “The Icicle” Fisler...
...got his nickname because he "never sweat. On April 22, 1876, he scored the first run in Major League Baseball history but then lay in an unmarked grave at Laurel Hill for more than 90 years.

ABC:LHS #031   Play Ball! (part 2)
Wes “The Icicle” Fisler scored the first run in major league history but lay in an unmarked grave at Laurel Hill for more than 90 years.
Alonzo "Lon" Knight threw the first pitch in major league history, yet still has an unmarked grave.
Harry Luff was an awful human being who nonetheless played eight positions for six different teams in four major leagues before finally doing jail time.
George "Orator" Shafer was confined to right field because of his constant chatter but he still holds the Major League Record for most outfield assists more than 140 years after setting it. 
All are interred at Laurel Hill East or Laurel Hill West.  Even if you're not a baseball fan, I think you will like these stories.  

ABC:LHS #030-3   Morton McMichael...
...was not just a writer, editor, and publisher, but also served as Philadelphia County Sheriff and City Mayor.  Today his seated form greets you as a statue on Lemon Hill across from Boathouse Row.