Each of us is a celebrity…to our friends, our families, our employers, and perhaps even ourselves. There are even some of us whose popularity reaches beyond the gates of Harrisburg.

Not every town in America can claim it’s “home” to someone who’s become nationally, or even internationally known. Harrisburg and the greater Central PA area can boast not just one, but many individuals who share their talents and gifts with others across the nation, and the world.

We’re all probably familiar with at least one of the sports stars from Harrisburg. There’s Troy Drayton, Ricky Watters, and Jeremy Linn to name a few. Drayton started his football career at Steelton High before moving on to Penn State. Drafted by the L.A. Rams in the 1993 NFL draft, he’s been playing for the Miami Dolphins since 1996.

Watters is a five-time Pro Bowl running back who played for Bishop McDevitt and Notre Dame before being drafted by the San Francisco 49ers in 1991. Leaving San Francisco after four seasons (1991-94), he played with the Eagles for three years before signing with the Seattle Seahawks in March of this year. Jeremy Linn is a swimming superstar who’s now studying at Tennessee, after making the 1996 Olympic team in the 100m breast.

Sports talent is just the beginning of all Harrisburg’s wealth. Husband and wife team Blair and Ruth Seitz strive to capture Pennsylvania’s cultural and natural heritage. Born in Central PA, Blair and Ruth spent nine years in Africa and Asia doing ‘hobnobbing journalism.’ “We’d develop an idea, I’d write the text, and Blair would shoot a photo essay to accompany the piece,” Ruth says.

Returning to the States as their daughters approached school age, the Seitzes decided to settle in Harrisburg. “We were astounded when we returned. We were able to see with new eyes all that Pennsylvania has to offer,” Ruth says with appreciation. “So much history has been lost in Africa. We decided to share with others what we love about this region.”

“We want to publish richly beautiful books about Pennsylvania, that’s our goal and our love,” Ruth says. They’ve printed close to 100,000 copies of their books, for which Blair shoots photography. Ruth does much of the writing, but sometimes uses other authors.

This month, the Seitzes are pleased to present an expanded and updated version of Susquehanna Heartland and are publishing “Pennsylvania’s Tapestry: Scenes from the Air.” Tapestry, the 7th in the Pennsylvania’s Cultural and Natural Heritage series, uses only aerial photography.

While the Seitzes’ books focus on Pennsylvania’s cultural and natural heritage, Mark Nesbitt’s Ghosts of Gettysburg series captures a bit of Central PA’s paranormal heritage. An Ohio native, Mark came to Central PA to work for the National Park Service as a Ranger Historian. Mark has authored 11 books, including the five “Ghost of Gettysburg” books. What prompted this interest in the paranomal? “I’ve always lived in historic houses,” Mark says, “and when I’d move in, I’d ask if there were any ghost stories associated with the homes.” Mark started collecting the stories, never dreaming that it would turn into one book, much less five. “I have enough stories for another book, but we’ll have to wait and see,” he hedges.

Mark himself has had four or five paranormal experiences. “You can never be sure,” he explains. “You try to find a logical reason for the footsteps or strange scents, but sometimes the only explanation is a ghost.”

Mark’s fascination with ghosts led him to start the “Ghosts of Gettysburg Candlelight Walking Tours” five years ago. Four different tours leave from Mark’s haunted headquarters at 271 Baltimore Street. The tours visit many of the places where the events in his “Ghosts” series happened.

Some of the stories Mark has collected have been featured on television’s Sightings, Unsolved Mysteries, A&E’s Civil War Journal, and the History Channel. The Ghosts series is complemented by Mark’s Ghosts of Gettysburg audiotape battlefield tour, which is based upon stories in his series.

In addition to his fascination with ghosts, Mark has also authored several books on Gettysburg’s history. Drummer Boy at Gettysburg won the 1977-78 Eastern National Park and Monument Association’s National Award for Excellence. Currently, Mark is creating a computerized service that would allow visitors to tour the battlefield from the perspective of an individual soldier or regiment.

Troy Drayton
http://espnet.sportszone.com/nfl/profiles/profile/2473.html

Ricky Watters
http://espnet.sportszone.com/nfl/profiles/profile/1030.html

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Ghosts of Gettysburg Walking Tours
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