News of Yesteryear - Hands-on Heritage

Welcome! News of Yesteryear & Historic Williamsport is dedicated to educating and entertaining visitors of all ages with stories and illustrations of Williamsport, Pennsylvania, and its surrounding towns.

Throughout the years, many interesting stories about the people and places of Williamsport and Northcentral Pennsylvania have been published. News of Yesteryear features articles and artwork by recent and historic newspaper reporters and photographers spanning the 200-year history of journalism in Lycoming County. Some of the notable newspapers with origins in Williamsport are the Lycoming Gazette, the Gazette and Bulletin, the Williamsport Sun, and Grit. All of these newspapers have evolved into one, the Williamsport Sun-Gazette.

Many are reprinted here, with permission from the Lycoming County Historical Society, the James V. Brown Library, Little League Baseball, Inc., the Williamsport Sun-Gazette, and various individuals. We hope you enjoy your visit.

Read an Article

Grinding Stone: Part 3

2020-12-03T12:02:36-05:00By Tank Baird|

Archaeology Find: Drilled Holes in Metate, Bannerstones Last week we had an artifact found by member Jim Carn and pretty much it’s been a part-time job for me trying to validate the

Grinding Stone: Part 2

2020-12-03T12:02:42-05:00By Tank Baird|

Archaeology Find: Metate Confirmed The exciting news today is that during this pandemic Jim Carn has found a real mystery item. We have sent pictures to Gary Fogelman and at this point,

Grinding Stone: Part 1

2020-12-03T12:02:49-05:00By Tank Baird|

Archaeology Find: Metate in Lycoming County, PA I’m taking advantage of the sunshine (aka coronavirus killer). I went fishing and foraging. I was a hunter-gatherer. See the first picture. These are ramps

Bird Points

2020-12-03T12:01:29-05:00By Tank Baird|

Archaeology Find: Bird Points for Arrows The weekend was pretty busy with interaction via email. We are inspiring conversations on typology, archaeology, local history, and artifact identification. Covid19 time indoors has been

Surface Collecting in the Montoursville

2020-12-03T12:01:47-05:00By Tank Baird|

Archaeology Finds: Miscellaneous Points, Adze, Etc. The shared artifacts were found locally by Hunter Duffield. Hunter has been surface collecting in the Montoursville area and Dick Snyder called me and asked that

‘Lost’ History of Andrew Montour in Perry County

2021-03-11T10:56:32-05:00By Tank Baird|

“They were driven from the lands on which they had settled and on April 18, 1752, Andrew Montour was commissioned by the governor to settle and reside upon these Indian lands, the Indians on July

Plum Tree Massacre and Iroquois War on Colonial Expansion

2021-03-11T10:56:17-05:00By Tank Baird|

The date was June 10th, 1778. In the east, the Revolutionary War raged and colonial forces under General George Washington were seeing key victories producing a turning point in the conflict. People living here in

The Widaagh Monument in Antes Fort

2021-03-11T11:02:56-05:00By Tank Baird|

So, what does a forty-five-foot tall, forty-one-ton monument on private land, the Susquehannock Indians, an ex-bank president in Indian dress-up, and a magical place called Lockabar have in common? Well, historian Carl Becker once said

Market Square: Postcards of Yesteryear

2023-04-07T16:45:34-04:00By Robin Van Auken|

The postcard gallery from the collection of Richard and Miriam Mix, "A Bicentennial Postcard History of Williamsport," is available as a paperback book from Otto's Bookstore in downtown Williamsport. Richard and Miriam Mix, experts on

Lumber Boom: Postcards of Yesteryear

2023-04-09T12:14:04-04:00By Robin Van Auken|

This postcard is from the collection of Richard and Miriam Mix, authors of "A Bicentennial Postcard History of Williamsport." "A Bicentennial Postcard History of Williamsport" is available as a paperback book from Otto's Bookstore in

I’m a Grit Salesman – Read the First Issue for Free!

2023-04-09T11:50:48-04:00By Robin Van Auken|

“Here’s your copy of Grit, Mrs. Jones.” Every week similar welcomed words are echoed hundreds of thousands of times from coast to coast by an army of eager, bright-faced boys. They are the happy

Water Tower Square Once Home to C. A. Reed Paper Products

2023-04-06T18:15:40-04:00By Lou Hunsinger Jr.|

One of the most thriving commercial office and warehousing locations in the Williamsport area is the Water Tower Square at 1000 Commerce Drive, near the foot of Chestnut Street in Williamsport. It occupies the

Andrew Boyd Cummings: Donor of Brandon Park

2022-09-15T16:13:45-04:00By Lou Hunsinger Jr.|

'A Noble and Generous Act' For many years thousands of people in the area have enjoyed the peace and beauty of Brandon Park. One man made this possible. A man

NCC8 Finds Mysterious Artifact

2019-02-22T17:35:21-05:00By Tank Baird|

Imagine going back 1,000 years ago to the banks of the West Branch of the Susquehanna River. At that time, the area was inhabited only by Native Americans. Tank Baird of Williamsport holds a

Lycoming Remembers Muncy Abolition Riot

2018-07-14T17:50:58-04:00By Lou Hunsinger Jr.|

Arrival of Europeans in Africa, by Nicolas Colibert (1750 - 1806). Engraving after a drawing by Amédée Fréret, Paris, 1795 made to celebrate the first abolition of slavery on 4 February 1794 .

Mighty Susquehanna

2020-09-19T17:21:08-04:00By Robin Van Auken|

The Susquehanna is a shallow river that flows about 440 miles, from Cooperstown to the Chesapeake Bay. Nearly 200 years ago, canals were used to transport goods and people instead of the river. Canal boats

The National Road by Motorcycle

2023-04-07T14:24:40-04:00By Tank Baird|

Sunburned, rain whipped and with really bad hair (I was sporting the Don King look) my wife Anita and I recently rode into Washington, Pennsylvania in the early evening. We were only 20 or

Revolutionary War Traitor?

2023-04-07T15:45:02-04:00By Lou Hunsinger Jr.|

The Revolutionary War era was a bloody and trying one for the early settlers of Lycoming County. One of the most important men of this period was Samuel Wallis, regarded as a hero by

Gov. William Packer

2023-04-07T15:47:37-04:00By Lou Hunsinger Jr.|

Williamsport and Lycoming County have contributed many outstanding men and women to the field of public service during the years at the local, state, and federal levels. One of the most distinguished of these

Tunnison Coryell

2023-04-07T15:45:07-04:00By Lou Hunsinger Jr.|

The life of Tunnison Coryell, one of Lycoming County's and Williamsport's most notable men of accomplishment and finance in the 19th century, spans the period of Williamsport evolving from a sleepy frontier village to

West Branch Canal

2018-07-15T12:01:50-04:00By Lou Hunsinger Jr.|

The transportation of goods, services and people was a rough and inefficient undertaking in the Susquehanna Valley in the early 1800s. This would change with the advent of the West Branch Canal in the 1830s. Colonial and later state officials envisioned the idea of canals as far back as the mid-18th century.

Daniel Repasz

2018-08-05T18:44:30-04:00By Lou Hunsinger Jr.|

America's oldest band in continuous existence bears his name, but Daniel Repasz didn't join the group until nine years after it was formed. Historian Mary Russell researches Repasz in a Lycoming County Historical Society

Sum of Its Parts

2018-08-05T18:42:29-04:00By Lou Hunsinger Jr.|

In addition to Williamsport, Lycoming County consists of a number of important municipalities. A brief history of each, accompanied by historical photos, follows in the first of two parts. The second installment will be published May 22.

William Hepburn

2018-08-05T18:39:08-04:00By Lou Hunsinger Jr.|

If Michael Ross is noted as the founder of Williamsport, William Hepburn can be regarded as the "Father of Lycoming County." He is as firmly a part of the genesis of the county as

Williamsport Begins

2018-08-05T18:41:33-04:00By Lou Hunsinger Jr.|

American history is filled with rags-to-riches stories of great achievers and great personages, and local history is no exception. Michael Ross, the reputed founder of the City of Williamsport, is one of those stories.

Widow Smith’s Walk

2019-10-09T16:49:02-04:00By Robin Van Auken|

While Michael Ross was settling the City of Williamsport, selling parcels of land to frontier families and immigrants, another enterprising resident of the West Branch Valley was being hoodwinked from her home and business.

A Heroic Duo

2019-10-09T16:49:20-04:00By Robin Van Auken|

Rachel Silverthorn warns the settlers (WPA mural) While Gen. George Washington's Continental Army fought the British, settlers along the Susquehanna River also considered themselves at war with the displaced Indians. Conflicts escalated

Samuel Wallis and the ‘Great Runaway’

2023-04-07T15:32:17-04:00By Robin Van Auken|

Samuel Wallis was among the giants of early Lycoming County history -- probably the largest landholder in the area in the last 30 years of the 18th century. According to John F. Meginness' monumental

Long Reach

2019-10-09T16:49:36-04:00By Robin Van Auken|

Coin found at Long Reach Archaeology Dig Historic preservation is an admirable, though difficult, goal to obtain. Preservation works best in communities that have programs managed at the

Rewards for American Indian Scalps

2019-11-01T11:43:52-04:00By Robin Van Auken|

During the tumultuous years leading up to the French and Indian War, early settlers in Northcentral Pennsylvania had two choices: They could leave the fertile valleys of the Susquehanna, or take their chances with sporadic AmericanIndian raids during which farms were destroyed and entire families would be slaughtered.

Indians of Susquehanna

2020-04-30T16:26:46-04:00By Robin Van Auken|

Prehistoric American Indians skillfully managed the natural bounty of the Susquehanna River region by living in accordance with the seasons. They hunted, fished, gathered nuts, berries and other wild foods, and they cultivated corn,

Lycoming County: Williamsport Firsts

2019-10-09T16:49:58-04:00By Robin Van Auken|

Scott Barn in The Narrows, Lycoming County Williamsport, Pennsylvania is a small metropolis with a dramatic history. Famous throughout the world for its impressive forest products, it once boasted more millionaires per

Birthplace of ‘Grit’

2021-03-11T11:44:48-05:00By Robin Van Auken|

Famous in the 19th century for its lumber products, Williamsport, Pennsylvania is a small mountainous town. Situated on the West Branch of the Susquehanna River, its residents enjoyed easy access to virgin forests of hemlock

‘Madame’ Montour

2019-10-09T16:59:53-04:00By Robin Van Auken|

New World history is filled with tales of frontier adventure, and here in the Susquehanna Valley, one of the most interesting tales is that of "Madame" Montour and the lost village of Otstonwakin. Her life is

Lycoming Presbyterian: Lycoming County’s oldest church

2020-09-19T17:18:08-04:00By Lou Hunsinger Jr.|

The year was 1792, George Washington was unanimously re-elected President of the United States, Thomas Mifflin was serving as the first Governor of Pennsylvania, both the U.S. Post Office and the U.S. Mint were established,

Ray Keyes

2016-11-29T12:24:56-05:00By Lou Hunsinger Jr.|

Ray Keyes The man who dominated the sports scene in Northcentral Pennsylvania for more than 50 years was neither an athlete nor a sports executive but a sportswriter. That man was Ray Keyes.

Joe Lockard: Pearl Harbor Hero

2016-11-29T12:24:56-05:00By Lou Hunsinger Jr.|

Joe Lockard One of the radar operators who vainly tried to warn about the approach of Japanese aircraft during the attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941, died recently at the age

Trolleys: A Williamsport mass transit staple for 70 years

2016-11-29T12:24:56-05:00By Lou Hunsinger Jr.|

Williamsport Trolley The most enduring and perhaps best remembered form of mass transit in Williamsport were the trolleys. Their 70-year run is still commemorated today with the running of the Herdic, Weightman and

Peter Herdic: Industrialist, Entrepreneur, Innovator

2016-11-29T12:24:56-05:00By Lou Hunsinger Jr.|

Peter Herdic If you wrapped Donald Trump, John D. Rockefeller, H.L. Hunt and Benjamin Franklin all into one man, you’d have Peter Herdic. He looms over Williamsport’s “Lumber Boom Era” like a colossus.

History of Avery $ Drycleaners

2016-11-29T12:24:56-05:00By Robin Van Auken|

In 1926, Leal Raymond Avery and his brother, Harland Wesley "Bake" Avery, were given approximately $5,000 from their mother, Harriet "Hattie," to help start Avery $ Drycleaners in Williamsport, PA. The main plant (present day

The Center: Serving community diversity for more than 85 years

2016-11-30T08:57:43-05:00By Lou Hunsinger Jr.|

One of the most durable community institutions in the Williamsport area is The Center, formally known as the Bethune-Douglass Community Center at 600 Campbell St. The Bethune-Douglass Community Center was founded on April

Ten Hours or No Sawdust: Sawdust War of 1872

2021-04-19T17:00:51-04:00By Lou Hunsinger Jr.|

Sawdust riot. America in the 1870s was rife with labor strife and turbulence. The lumber camps and sawmills of the Williamsport area were no exception. In 1872, Williamsport’s “lumber boom” was in

Daniel Hughes: Giant of Freedom Road

2017-10-27T13:26:48-04:00By Lou Hunsinger Jr.|

Daniel Hughes The story of the Underground Railroad in Lycoming County contains many heroic and courageous persons but none towers over the story so literally and figuratively, as does Daniel Hughes. The Underground

Spooky Lycoming County

2018-08-06T07:57:32-04:00By Lou Hunsinger Jr.|

Almost every area has its own ghostly and haunted tales. Lycoming County is no exception. Many of these spooky tales are steeped in local Native American legend and superstition. Even the area of the

Schools Through the Years

2016-11-29T12:24:57-05:00By Lou Hunsinger Jr.|

8-Square School was the first public school in Lycoming County Multi-million dollar physical plants, computer labs, swimming pools, gymnasiums and various bits of audiovisual equipment make a modern day school in Lycoming County

Allen P. Perley

2017-10-27T13:29:29-04:00By Robin Van Auken|

West Branch National Bank In past ages the history of a country was the record of wars and conquests; today it is the record of commercial activity, and those whose names are

Lycoming County, Williamsport Firsts

2017-10-27T13:29:18-04:00By Lou Hunsinger Jr.|

Russell Tavern served as the first courthouse of Lycoming County, PA. According to historians, when founder Michael Ross surveyed the 111 acres that became Williamsport, he could not have imagined that his

Plain Talk for a Nation

2021-03-11T11:44:56-05:00By Robin Van Auken|

The following is a reprint from Grit: America’s Greatest Family Newspaper Plain Talk for a Nation January 7, 1945 The United States Army has suffered a major setback in Western Europe. This must be admitted,

The Office of the Coroner ~ Then and Now

2021-03-11T14:41:18-05:00By Joan Wheal Blank|

“In this world nothing is certain but death and taxes.” ~ Benjamin Franklin Yes—it is certain. Our days on this earth are numbered. Most of us will live a long, interesting, and fulfilling life.

Williamsport streets paved with wood at one time

2016-11-30T10:15:55-05:00By Lou Hunsinger Jr.|

Peter Herdic Today we take for granted smoothly paved streets for our vehicles to safely travel on but it was not always so. For many years, before the advent of asphalt paved streets, streets

Thomas Cooper: A Remarkable Lycoming Judge

2016-11-30T10:53:30-05:00By Lou Hunsinger Jr.|

"Knowledge is power. To a nation it is wealth. To individuals it is a virtue."These are the words of arguably the most remarkable man to ever preside over a Lycoming County courtroom. That man was

The Lycoming County Prison: Then and Now

2023-04-07T14:19:14-04:00By Joan Wheal Blank|

Throughout history, the question of how to punish criminals has been answered quite differently. Throwing the misdeed-doer in jail has not always been the solution. Corporal punishment, forced labor, and social ostracism were methods

Lycoming Hangings a Spectator’s Event

2016-11-30T10:50:13-05:00By Lou Hunsinger Jr.|

Executions weren't always such a subject of controversy. Individual counties handled the grim task themselves in many cases. Lycoming County was no exception to this but, surprisingly, the first hanging conducted under the auspices of

Courthouse Bell Rings Once Again

2021-03-11T14:43:06-05:00By Joan Wheal Blank|

A bell has begun ringing in downtown Williamsport recently – and it is one that has been silent for some time. The Lycoming County government maintenance department has repaired the bell in the tower

Salladasburg and its founder

2016-11-30T10:45:44-05:00By Lou Hunsinger Jr.|

One of the most picturesque towns in the western part of Lycoming County is Salladasburg. It also is the home of the noted Cohick's Trading Post, a Lycoming County institution.Captain Jacob Sallade founded Salladasburg in

Prohibitionism a formidable influence in past area politics

2016-11-30T10:43:30-05:00By Lou Hunsinger Jr.|

One of the most influential political movements in America and in Lycoming County in the late 19th and early 20th centuries was the Prohibition movement. Lips That Touch Liquor Shall Not Touch Ours, satirical photograph

Lycoming United Way: more than 80 years of caring

2016-11-30T10:38:43-05:00By Lou Hunsinger Jr.|

Saturday will be the Lycoming County United Way's annual Day of Caring. It is a day in which volunteers perform various types of needed work at many of the United Way's member agencies' facilities.The Lycoming

The Herdic Cab: A variation on a transportation theme

2016-11-30T10:34:38-05:00By Lou Hunsinger Jr.|

When most people think of Peter Herdic they think of an industrialist, a wheeler-dealer and entrepreneur who had much with the development of Williamsport as a major economic center. Most people don't think of him

Friends for Freedom in Pennsdale-Muncy

2016-11-30T10:32:25-05:00By Lou Hunsinger Jr.|

It is no accident that one of the main centers of the Underground Railroad in Lycoming County was the Pennsdale-Muncy area. This was an area in which many members of the Society of Friends or

John D. Musser: A Muncy Civil War Hero

2016-11-30T10:30:35-05:00By Lou Hunsinger Jr.|

The Grand Army of the Republic was an organization of Civil War veterans located in towns and cities throughout the Northern States of the Union. It was the Civil War equivalent of the American Legion

James Pollock: ‘In God We Trust’

2020-09-19T17:15:36-04:00By Lou Hunsinger Jr.|

When you look at your coins with the inscription “In God We Trust,” know that a former President Judge of the Lycoming County Courts was responsible. That judge’s name was James Pollock, whose career

Fred Plankenhorn

2017-10-27T13:46:50-04:00By Lou Hunsinger Jr.|

Remember the days of sock hops, school dances and DJs spinning "hot wax"? Fred Plankenhorn does. He was right in the middle of all that and is still keeping memories alive after 46 years.

Early railroads in Lycoming County

2016-11-30T10:20:10-05:00By Lou Hunsinger Jr.|

The arrival of the railroads in Lycoming County came fairly early but it was somewhat tentative.The first railroad in the Williamsport area was the Williamsport and Elmira Railroad, which was incorporated by the Pennsylvania legislature

When Johnny Went Marching to War

2017-10-27T13:46:59-04:00By Lou Hunsinger Jr.|

Civil War Soldiers' Monument in Muncy Cemetery. Lycoming County, like other areas across the North, answered President Abraham Lincoln’s call for 75,000 troops to put down the rebellion by the Confederate states

Christmas of 1942

2016-11-29T12:24:58-05:00By Lou Hunsinger Jr.|

A war was raging across the globe and there were many vacant chairs at dinner tables that Christmas of 1942. They were vacant either through the absence of a loved one serving his country in

A Renovo Mystery

2021-03-11T11:45:03-05:00By Robin Van Auken|

The following is a reprint from Grit: America’s Greatest Family Newspaper A Renovo Mystery Dec. 15, 1882 A newsboy delivers Grit to a rural customer. RENOVO -- Patrick Shelly, a well-known citizen who

Henry Johnson: The Soldiers’ Suffragist

2017-10-27T13:48:04-04:00By Lou Hunsinger Jr.|

An obscure state senator from Lycoming County may have played a pivotal role in helping to gain President Abraham Lincoln re-election in the tough election campaign of 1864. That state senator's name was Henry

Charles A. Rubright

2017-10-27T13:48:15-04:00By Lou Hunsinger Jr.|

There were numerous Lycoming County soldiers held prisoner by the Confederates during the course of the Civil War. Charles A. Rubright is one of the most notable examples. Rubright was born in Prussia on

James H. Perkins: Father of the Susquehanna Boom

2016-11-30T09:15:37-05:00By Lou Hunsinger Jr.|

One of the most important men of vision and entrepreneurial skill that helped to develop Williamsport and Lycoming County into a major center of commerce was Major James H. Perkins. His foresight and boldness helped

Presidential visits to Williamsport

2021-07-13T08:04:20-04:00By Lou Hunsinger Jr.|

Williamsport has always been the most important crossroads community of Northcentral Pennsylvania. This strategic position has yielded many visits by important and distinguished personages, among these several U.S. presidents, vice presidents, and presidential candidates.