Welcome

Storytelling is one of the oldest forms of entertainment created by people the world over. Good stories just waiting to be told are abundant; good tellers of such tales are not quite so common. Pennsylvania Jack is one of those good tellers.

Pennsylvania Jack is the “alter ego” of Jack Graham, professional storyteller. Jack has performed at events at the State Museum in Harrisburg, Historic Bartram’s Gardens, The Colonial Pennsylvania Plantation, Fort Freeland, Lehigh Valley Storytelling Guild, The Danville Iron Heritage Festival, Sherman Valley Days, and other such old-time events, historic festivals at many state parks and historic sites, local coffeehouse events, and for sportmen’s clubs, civic clubs, historical societies, churches, senior centers, middle schools and high schools. Jack even won a Blue Ribbon at the Perry County Fair.

Jack doesn’t have a regular schedule of performances, but he is always ready to share his tales at your historic site or festival, or with your school class, at your club or group meeting, at workshops or just about any appropriate event. The stories included in the “Old Time” section, and the “Pennsylvania Stories” section of this website are the kinds of tales Jack tells most often at events, but his story bag includes many more such tales. Just contact him for details.

But in the meantime, you can enjoy some of Jack’s stories right here on this website.

Several brand new stories have been added. See the “Old TIme” section for “Jack and the Magic Bag,” another of the classic “Jack Tales” of the Appalachians, as well as “Getting Common Sense,” a folk culture parable, and also a new tale about the giant logger Paul Bunyan.. See the “Just Plain” stories section for “Ghost of A Bank Robber,” Jack’s tale of an encounter with a man from another time. Another new tale coming to the “Pennnsylvania Stories” section is about “Mountain Mary,” who hailed from the Dutch country of Berks County. The “Just Plain Stories” has a Jack’s speculation about how the bears made their mark on Pennsylvania geography.

Thank you for visiting. Please share this site with friends and anyone else who might also enjoy a good tale. Come back often as new tales continue to be added.