History in Two Voices

06/15/2026

💥2,000 followers.💥 When we started History in Two Voices, we hoped to find a few people who shared our love of American history. Instead, we found a community.

Together we've traveled aboard the Freedom Train, followed wagon trains to Valley Forge, explored historic sites during the Bicentennial, met First Ladies, uncovered forgotten stories, and visited moments that deserve to be remembered.

Every like, comment, share, follow, and conversation has helped bring these stories to life.

Thank you for joining us on this journey through America's past. We can't wait to discover what lies around the next bend in the road.

Here's to the first 2,000—and to many more adventures ahead.

🇺🇸❤️

— Sharon & Chris
History in Two Voices

06/14/2026

👉A monument. A celebration. A mystery.

On June 17, 1843, thousands gathered in Boston to dedicate the Bunker Hill Monument and honor the heroes of the American Revolution.

Daniel Webster delivered the keynote address. Flags waved. Crowds gathered. The nation paused to honor the heroes of the Revolution.

Yet for President John Tyler, the historic occasion became something far more personal.

While Boston celebrated, one of Tyler's closest friends and most trusted advisers suddenly fell gravely ill. Within days, he was dead.

Who was this influential statesman? What caused his unexpected death? And how did the tragedy transform a day of national celebration into a moment of personal mourning?

👉Read the full story with sources here:
https://www.historyintwovoices.com/blog-1-1/a-monument-dedicated-a-statesman-lost-bunker-hill-1843

❓❓ Have you ever visited the Bunker Hill Monument or walked Boston's Freedom Trail?

06/11/2026

💙1,900 followers… and we’re still happily rolling down America’s historical highways together. 🇺🇸

From forgotten first ladies to railroad disasters, wagon trains, White House stories, and Bicentennial celebrations—thank you for coming along for the ride.

We are deeply grateful for every like, comment, share, and conversation along the way. Here’s to the next mile marker in history. ❤️

—History in Two Voices

Dive into American history with Sharon and Christopher Leahy, uncovering untold stories of America's most influential figures, Presidents, First Ladies, and defining moments.

06/09/2026

❓❓What happens when the Constitution leaves a crisis unanswered?

Earlier this year, Chris contributed a lesson on President John Tyler to the In Pursuit / America 250 initiative, exploring how Tyler’s response to the death of President William Henry Harrison helped establish a constitutional precedent that still shapes the presidency today.

👉See full article link in comments.

06/09/2026

🇺🇸 In 1976, families packed their station wagons and patriotic vans before heading onto America’s highways in search of history. 🇺🇸

They toured Valley Forge, touched the Liberty Bell, joined historic bicycle tours, and visited preserved landmarks during the nation’s Bicentennial celebration. For many Americans, these road trips transformed history from something read in textbooks into something they could experience firsthand.

❓❓Did your family visit any historic sites during the Bicentennial—or do you remember taking a patriotic road trip in 1976?

Read more with sources in Comments.

06/07/2026

👉When Nellie Bly arrived at Richmond’s Exchange Hotel in 1888, she expected to interview a former First Lady.

Instead, she found herself captivated by Julia Gardiner Tyler — a woman with “wondrous gray eyes,” a commanding presence, and a determination to tell her story her own way.

From White House courtship to personal tragedy, Julia guided the conversation exactly where she wanted it to go.

👉Read the rest of the story with sources on the blog: https://www.historyintwovoices.com/blog-1-1/ruled-the-white-house-nellie-bly-meets-julia-gardiner-tyler-1888

And discover the full story of Julia Gardiner Tyler in Presidentess: The Life of First Lady Julia Gardiner Tyler from University Press of Kansas and Books Forward

06/05/2026

"A Catastrophe!" In 1940, passengers aboard the Lake Shore Limited expected a quiet overnight journey through New York’s Mohawk Valley.

Instead, just before midnight on April 20, 1940, the luxury train suddenly left the tracks near Little Falls, NY.

In the freezing darkness that followed, frightened survivors crawled from shattered railcars as one Pullman porter refused to stop helping others escape.

But what happened inside the wreckage that night?

Read the full story here: https://www.historyintwovoices.com/blog-1-1/he-escaped-the-wreckthen-went-back-inside-pullman-porter-j-a-taylor-and-the-little-falls-train-disaster-1940

06/05/2026

Nellie Bly crossed the country preserving the memories of America’s First Ladies. One of her most poignant visits was to Harriet Lane Johnston — once celebrated in the White House, later living in quiet reflection in Baltimore.

🗺️ Explore the latest installment in our Mapping the Memories of First Ladies series:
https://www.historyintwovoices.com/blog-1-1/mapping-the-first-ladies

And if you enjoy rediscovering remarkable women from America’s past, don’t forget to pre-order Presidentess: The Life of First Lady Julia Gardiner Tyler from the University Press of Kansas, Amazon, or your local books store!

University Press of Kansas
Books Forward

06/03/2026

🚂Before she became famous for racing around the world in 72 days, journalist Nellie Bly undertook another extraordinary journey — traveling across America in 1888 to interview the nation’s living First Ladies.

She sat down with Julia Gardiner Tyler, Sarah Polk, Harriet Lane Johnston, Julia Dent Grant, Lucy Hayes, Lucretia Garfield, and Mary Arthur McElroy.

What Bly preserved was priceless: the memories, reflections, and voices of women who helped shape the White House and American public life.

At History in Two Voices, we believe those voices still matter.

That is why projects like Presidentess: The Life of First Lady Julia Gardiner Tyler are so important. Julia Tyler was not simply “the president’s wife.” She was a media sensation, political partner, and one of the most fascinating women of the nineteenth century.

👉 Visit the blog to explore Nellie Bly’s forgotten First Lady journey — and while you’re there, you can pre-order Presidentess directly through the button on the post using our special discount code.

🔗 https://www.historyintwovoices.com/blog-1-1/the-journey-before-the-journey-when-nellie-bly-turned-her-reporters-eye-to-americas-first-ladies

❓❓Do you think enough attention has been given to the lives and voices of America’s First Ladies?

👏With thanks to University Press of Kansas and Books Forward as we prepare for the release of Presidentess: The Life of First Lady Julia Gardiner Tyler this September!!!❤️