Scribbler

Radically intelligent alien beings create a supercomputer called Deep Thought in Douglas Adams’ “The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy.” Deep Thought’s sole purpose is to determine “The Answer to the Ultimate Question of Life, the Universe, and Everything.” Deep Thought spends 7 1/2 million y…

Columbia historians know their town once was known as Hempfield, but this designation is news to the Scribbler.

If you live in Manheim Township or Millersville, you may find this difficult to believe: Up to 10% of Lancaster County residents speak Pennsylvania Dutch. Many also speak English, but at home they generally speak Deitsch.

Bruce Levine presented a vivid virtual lecture on Thaddeus Stevens a few days ago. The retired history professor based his LancasterHistory-sponsored talk on his new biography, “Thaddeus Stevens: Civil War Revolutionary, Fighter for Racial Justice.”

Ken Miller has been searching for and photographing the extant lime kilns of Lancaster County for decades. He always said he was going to write a book about them. He finally has done that. The result is splendid.

The section of the Conestoga upstream from the city of Lancaster often is called a “creek.” Below the city, the waterway is called either a “creek” or a “river.”

Lancaster County and neighboring Berks County are the beating heart of Pennsylvania Dutchland. But Lancaster has a long history of voting Republican, while Berks has a history of voting Democratic.