Join the Sharon Historical Society as we celebrate the release of our newest book reprint, “The Kidnaping of Billy Whitla”, with a special lecture. In this lecture, we’ll explore the national sensation of the 1909 kidnapping of William “Billy” Whitla. This event will celebrate the release of our newest book, a historical reprint of “The Kidnaping of Billy Whitla” by Hamilton Pearce.

“The Kidnaping of Billy Whitla” is the “full and authentic account of the abduction, the ransoming and the return of Billy Whitla, and the sensational capture of the kidnapers.” The book is full of details and photographs of locations, homes, and key figures in this thrilling criminal case.

Verily, truth is stranger than fiction. Never did the imagination of genius conceive a fantastic plot more compelling, more replete in stirring incident, more swift in its unfolding, more happy in its ending, than the true story of the abduction, the ransoming and the return of the little Sharon boy. And when to the completed adventures of Billy was added the remarkable capture of his abductors, the perfect drama was made. No more intricate or absorbing tale ever came from the pen of a Dickens, a Balzac or a de Maupassant. Love, hatred, greed, fear, revenge, despair - the elemental human passions - all are here. And there is romance and tragedy, adventure and mystery in the story. Best of all, right triumphs and evil is brought to conclusion, which is as it should be, and without which qualities no story or drama, even of the imagination, can be truly termed great.

— Excerpt from “The Kidnaping of Billy Whitla”

This lecture is provided by Taylor Galaska, President of the Board of Directors of the Sharon Historical Society. Galaska has dedicated the last several years to researching the history and lore of the kidnapping of Billy Whitla and how this affected his family, including Frank H. and Julia F. Buhl. Galaska is a Sharon native, graduating from Kennedy Catholic High School in 2017. He went on to study at Westminster College where he earned a Bachelor’s in Marketing and Professional Sales, though his true passion is architectural history and historic preservation. This lecture is FREE and OPEN TO THE PUBLIC. No reservations or tickets are required.

The event will be at the Armory for the Arts, 49 South Sharpsville Avenue, Sharon, PA 16146 on Thursday, April 13, 2023 at 6:00 pm.