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The Brady Legend
Conflict between American Indians and white people escalated during the last two decades of the 18th century. War — both declared and undeclared — made for “dark and gloomy days,” according to historian John F. Meginness in his 1,268-page tome, “History of Lycoming County” (1892).
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Historical Mix-Up
Richard and Miriam Mix, experts on regional history as well as America’s past, authored a book, “A Bicentennial Postcard History of Williamsport,” which contains colorful postcards and illustrations of pre-World War I Williamsport and the region, and was published by the Lycoming County Genealogical Society just in time for the City of Williamsport’s bicentennial in 2006.
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1833 Canal Riot
The times of the West Branch Canal from the 1830s to approximately the 1880s contain many interesting and colorful events. One of the most colorful was the “Canal Riot of 1833.”
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West Branch Canal
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.
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Sum of Its Parts
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.
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Williamsport Begins
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.
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Lycoming Remembers Muncy ...
By Lou Hunsinger Jr. Williamsport Sun-Gazette The issue of the abolition of slavery excited great passions...
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Revolutionary War Traitor...
The Revolutionary War era was a bloody and trying one for the early settlers of Lycoming County. One of the...
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West Branch Canal
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.
Sunday Grit
For decades, tens of millions of people in small-town America depended on Sunday Grit to tell them the news of the...
Lycoming College: Postcards of Yester...
This postcard gallery of Dickinson Seminary / Lycoming College is from the collection of Richard and Miriam Mix,...
Houses of Worship: Postcards of Yeste...
This postcard gallery is from the collection of Richard and Miriam Mix, authors of “A Bicentennial Postcard History...
Lumber Boom: Postcards of Yesteryear
This postcard gallery is from the collection of Richard and Miriam Mix, authors of “A Bicentennial Postcard...
Market Square: Postcards of Yesteryear
posted on: Jan 9, 2013 | author: News
This postcard gallery is from the collection of Richard and Miriam Mix, authors of “A Bicentennial Postcard History of Williamsport.”...
Grit Salesmen
posted on: Sep 24, 2012 | author: News
Grit’s Happy Ambassadors Its 30,000 Boy Salesmen February 1962 “Here’s your copy of Grit, Mrs. Jones.” Every week similar welcomed words are echoed...
Lycoming Remembers Muncy Abolition Riot
posted on: Feb 15, 2012 | author: Lou Hunsinger Jr.
By Lou Hunsinger Jr. Williamsport Sun-Gazette The issue of the abolition of slavery excited great passions throughout the United States during the...
Revolutionary War Traitor?
posted on: Mar 28, 2011 | author: 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...
The Brady Legend
posted on: Mar 27, 2011 | author: Robin Van Auken
Conflict between American Indians and white people escalated during the last two decades of the 18th century. War — both declared and undeclared — made for “dark and gloomy days,” according to historian John F. Meginness in his 1,268-page tome, “History of Lycoming County” (1892).
Historical Mix-Up
posted on: Mar 27, 2011 | author: Robin Van Auken
Richard and Miriam Mix, experts on regional history as well as America’s past, authored a book, “A Bicentennial Postcard History of Williamsport,” which contains colorful postcards and illustrations of pre-World War I Williamsport and the region, and was published by the Lycoming County Genealogical Society just in time for the City of Williamsport’s bicentennial in 2006.
Gov. William Packer
posted on: Mar 27, 2011 | author: 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...
Tunnison Coryell
posted on: Mar 27, 2011 | author: 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...
1833 Canal Riot
posted on: Mar 27, 2011 | author: Lou Hunsinger Jr.
The times of the West Branch Canal from the 1830s to approximately the 1880s contain many interesting and colorful events. One of the most colorful was the “Canal Riot of 1833.”
West Branch Canal
posted on: Mar 27, 2011 | author: 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
posted on: Mar 27, 2011 | author: 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...
Sum of Its Parts
posted on: Mar 27, 2011 | author: 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
posted on: Mar 27, 2011 | author: 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...
Williamsport Begins
posted on: Mar 27, 2011 | author: 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
posted on: Mar 27, 2011 | author: Robin Van Auken
While Michael Ross was settling the City of Williamsport, selling parcels of land to frontier families and immigrants, another enterprising resident...
A Heroic Duo
posted on: Mar 27, 2011 | author: Robin Van Auken
While Gen. George Washington’s Continental Army fought the British, settlers along the Susquehanna River also considered themselves at war...
The ‘Great Runaway’
posted on: Mar 27, 2011 | author: 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...
Long Reach
posted on: Mar 27, 2011 | author: Robin Van Auken
Historic preservation is an admirable, though difficult, goal to obtain. Preservation works best in communities that have programs managed at the...
Rewards for Indian Scalps
posted on: Mar 27, 2011 | author: 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 Indian raids during which farms were destroyed and entire families would be slaughtered.
Indians of Susquehanna
posted on: Mar 27, 2011 | author: Robin Van Auken
Prehistoric Indians skillfully managed the natural bounty of the Susquehanna River region by living in accordance with the seasons. They hunted,...
Lycoming County: Williamsport Firsts
posted on: Mar 27, 2011 | author: Robin Van Auken
Williamsport, Pennsylvania is a small metropolis with a dramatic history. Famous throughout the world for its impressive forest products, it once...
Birthplace of ‘Grit’
posted on: Sep 3, 2010 | author: News
Famous in the 19th century for its lumber products, Williamsport, Pennsylvania is a small mountainous town. Situated on the West Branch of the...
Man of Grit
posted on: Apr 3, 2010 | author: Robin Van Auken
“Grit” began as a Saturday supplement of Williamsport’s “Daily Sun and Banner,” published in 1882. It was a short-lived venture and, in...
‘Madame’ Montour
posted on: Mar 27, 2010 | author: 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...
Lycoming Presbyterian: Lycoming County’s olde...
posted on: Feb 3, 2010 | author: 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...
Ray Keyes
posted on: Dec 3, 2009 | author: Lou Hunsinger Jr.
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...
Pearl Harbor hero with local tie dies
posted on: Dec 3, 2009 | author: Lou Hunsinger Jr.
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,...
Trolleys: A Williamsport mass transit staple ...
posted on: Nov 3, 2009 | author: Lou Hunsinger Jr.
The most enduring and perhaps best remembered form of mass transit in Williamsport were the trolleys. Their 70-year run is still commemorated today...
Peter Herdic: Industrialist, Entrepreneur, In...
posted on: Nov 3, 2009 | author: Lou Hunsinger Jr.
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...
History of Avery $ Drycleaners
posted on: Oct 3, 2009 | author: News
In 1926, Leal Raymond Avery and his brother, Harland Wesley “Bake” Avery, were given approximately $5,000 from their mother, Harriet...
The Center: Serving community diversity for m...
posted on: Oct 3, 2009 | author: 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...
Ten Hours or No Sawdust: Sawdust War of 1872
posted on: Oct 3, 2009 | author: Lou Hunsinger Jr.
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,...
Daniel Hughes: Giant of Freedom Road
posted on: Oct 3, 2009 | author: Lou Hunsinger Jr.
The story of the Underground Railroad in Lycoming County contains many heroic and courageous persons but none towers over the story so literally and...
Spooky Lycoming County
posted on: Oct 3, 2009 | author: 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...
Schools Through the Years
posted on: Sep 3, 2009 | author: Lou Hunsinger Jr.
Multi-million dollar physical plants, computer labs, swimming pools, gymnasiums and various bits of audiovisual equipment make a modern day school...
Allen P. Perley
posted on: Sep 3, 2009 | author: News
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...
Lycoming County, Williamsport Firsts
posted on: Sep 3, 2009 | author: Lou Hunsinger Jr.
According to historians, when founder Michael Ross surveyed the 111 acres that became Williamsport, he could not have imagined that his small...
Plain Talk for a Nation
posted on: Sep 3, 2009 | author: News
January 7, 1945 Sunday Grit: America’s Greatest Family Newspaper The United States Army has suffered a major setback in Western Europe. This must be...
The Office of the Coroner ~ Then and Now
posted on: Aug 3, 2009 | author: 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...
Williamsport streets paved with wood at one t...
posted on: Aug 3, 2009 | author: Lou Hunsinger Jr.
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...
Thomas Cooper: A Remarkable Lycoming Judge
posted on: Aug 3, 2009 | author: Lou Hunsinger Jr.
Lycoming County Courthouse “Knowledge is power. To a nation it is wealth. To individuals it is a virtue.” These are the words of...
The Lycoming County Prison: Then and Now
posted on: Jul 3, 2009 | author: 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...
Lycoming Hangings a Spectator’s Event
posted on: Jul 3, 2009 | author: Lou Hunsinger Jr.
Executions weren’t always such a subject of controversy. Individual counties handled the grim task themselves in many cases. Lycoming County...
Courthouse Bell Rings Once Again
posted on: Jun 3, 2009 | author: 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...
Salladasburg and its founder
posted on: Jun 3, 2009 | author: 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...
Prohibitionism a formidable influence in past...
posted on: Jun 3, 2009 | author: 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...
Lycoming United Way: more than 80 years of ca...
posted on: May 3, 2009 | author: 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...
The Herdic Cab: A variation on a transportati...
posted on: May 3, 2009 | author: 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...
Friends for Freedom in Pennsdale-Muncy
posted on: May 3, 2009 | author: 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...
John D. Musser: A Muncy Civil War Hero
posted on: Apr 23, 2009 | author: 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...
James Pollock: ‘In God We Trust’
posted on: Apr 13, 2009 | author: 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...
Fred Plankenhorn
posted on: Apr 3, 2009 | author: 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...
Early railroads in Lycoming County
posted on: Apr 3, 2009 | author: 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...
When Johnny Went Marching to War
posted on: Apr 3, 2009 | author: Lou Hunsinger Jr.
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...
Christmas of 1942
posted on: Apr 3, 2009 | author: 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...
A Renovo Mystery
posted on: Apr 3, 2009 | author: News
RENOVO, Dec. 15, 1882 — Patrick Shelly, a well known citizen who held the positions of town council, high constable and tax collector, was...
Henry Johnson: The Soldiers’ Suffragist
posted on: Mar 3, 2009 | author: 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...
Charles A. Rubright
posted on: Feb 3, 2009 | author: 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...
James H. Perkins: Father of the Susquehanna B...
posted on: Nov 3, 2008 | author: 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...
Presidential visits to Williamsport
posted on: Aug 3, 2008 | author: Lou Hunsinger Jr.
Williamsport has always been the most important crossroads community of Northcentral Pennsylvania. This strategic position has yielded many visits...
D. Vincent Smith
posted on: Apr 3, 2008 | author: Lou Hunsinger Jr.
From the 1890s to the early 1950s, D. Vincent Smith was a familiar sight throughout Northcentral Pennsylvania with his box camera and...
The ‘Great Cyclone’ of 1892
posted on: Aug 3, 2000 | author: Lou Hunsinger Jr.
This area has had more than its share of significant weather events, the most notable being the various floods that have plagued the valley during...
Nostalgic for Grit?
News of Yesteryear
Welcome to News of Yesteryear, Historic Pennsylvania & Historic Williamsport. This web site, by Robin Van Auken, is dedicated to educating and entertaining visitors of all ages with stories and illustrations of Historic Pennsylvania -- particularly Northcentral Pennsylvania.
News of Yesteryear features articles and artwork by individuals, as well as reporters and photographers of the Williamsport Sun-Gazette and other newspapers that span 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, Sunday Grit, the Muncy Luminary and the Williamsport Sun-Gazette. Sunday Grit on Facebook
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