Places | News of Yesteryear

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.

posted on: Mar 27, 2011 | author: Lou Hunsinger Jr.

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.

posted on: Mar 27, 2011 | author: Lou Hunsinger Jr.

Long Reach

Historic preservation is an admirable, though difficult, goal to obtain. Preservation works best in communities that...

posted on: Mar 27, 2011 | author: Robin Van Auken

Lycoming County: Williamsport Firsts

Williamsport, Pennsylvania is a small metropolis with a dramatic history. Famous throughout the world for its...

posted on: Mar 27, 2011 | author: Robin Van Auken

Lycoming Presbyterian: Lycoming Count...

The year was 1792, George Washington was unanimously re-elected President of the United States, Thomas Mifflin was...

posted on: Feb 3, 2010 | author: Lou Hunsinger Jr.

The Center: Serving community diversi...

One of the most durable community institutions in the Williamsport area is The Center, formally known as the...

posted on: Oct 3, 2009 | author: Lou Hunsinger Jr.

Spooky Lycoming County

Almost every area has its own ghostly and haunted tales. Lycoming County is no exception. Many of these spooky tales...

posted on: Oct 3, 2009 | author: Lou Hunsinger Jr.

Schools Through the Years

Multi-million dollar physical plants, computer labs, swimming pools, gymnasiums and various bits of audiovisual...

posted on: Sep 3, 2009 | author: Lou Hunsinger Jr.

Williamsport streets paved with wood ...

Today we take for granted smoothly paved streets for our vehicles to safely travel on but it was not always so....

posted on: Aug 3, 2009 | author: Lou Hunsinger Jr.

The Lycoming County Prison: Then and ...

Throughout history, the question of how to punish criminals has been answered quite differently. Throwing the...

posted on: Jul 3, 2009 | author: Joan Wheal Blank

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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.

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Chronicling America

100 Years Ago: "Woman Who, When a Child, Made Lincoln's Statue...," New-York Tribune, Feb. 11, 1912
In an illlustrated article published in February 1912, the New-York Tribune described the life and recollections of American sculptor Vinnie Ream (Hoxie), who, at the tenacious age of sixteen, convinced President Abraham Lincoln to sit for a statue in the last months of his life. After Lincoln's assassination, Congress awarded Ream $10,000 to render the […]
Chronicling in America: "The Sinking of the Maine"
Shaking the city of Havana to its core and breaking residential windows, an explosion destroys and sinks the U.S.S. Maine to the bottom of the Havana Harbor on the evening of February 15, 1898, blowing seamen out of their bunk beds as they slept. The American "yellow press" blamed Spain in banner headlines, outraging the public, inciting the rallyi […]
Topics in Chronicling America: "Russo-Japanese War"
Late in the night on February 8, 1904, Japan launches a surprise attack against the Russian-held Port Arthur, along the coast of Manchuria, beginning the Russo-Japanese War. Russia faced many defeats as it battled Japan while also fighting a revolution on the home front. In September 1905, President Teddy Roosevelt negotiated peace between the two countries, […]
100 Years Ago: "Skate Sailing an Exhilarating Winter Sport," The Evening Standard, Feb. 3, 1912
Amongst several articles on winter sports, in February 1912, the Evening Standard (Ogden, UT), described the new winter hobby of skate sailing across frozen lakes in colder climes. Highlighting the importance of "a pair of sharp skates," the article told of expert speeds of "fifteen to eighteen miles an hour" and included candid photos of […]
Topics in Chronicling America: "The Haywood Trial"
In connection with the bomb-rigged assassination of former Idaho Governor Frank Steunenberg, radical union official William "Big Bill" Haywood is arrested and extradited to Idaho in February of 1906 to face murder charges. Covered extensively by the media, Haywood's trial ended on July 29th, 1907 when he was acquitted with the help of respecte […]
Topics in Chronicling America: "Bachelor Maids"
"The Bachelor girl is growing in popularity," reports the Hilo Tribune (Hilo, HI) on January 22, 1904. Young, unmarried women’s social groups, known as Bachelor Maids’ Clubs, began in cities such as New York and Washington, DC. Not to be confused with “old maids” (or “spinsters”), these women opted to be independent of men, live on their own and ma […]
100 Years Ago: "Farming with Dynamite...," The Breckenridge News, Jan. 17, 1912
Advocating progressive farming practices, in 1912 the Breckenridge News (Cloverport, KY) briefly published a weekly series of half-page illustrated articles extolling the value of using dynamite to improve soil. The articles not only describe the benefits possible with dynamite, but also address local farmers by name with suggestions on what such an improvem […]
Topics in Chronicling America: "Prohibition"
In an effort to make the nation "bone dry" and protect families from the effects of alcohol abuse, breweries, saloons, and distilleries are forced to close their doors after the ratification of the 18th Amendment on January 16, 1919. Ushering in the Prohibition Era, the legal enforcement of the law one year later sent the message of "let rum a […]
Topics in Chronicling America: "The Annexation of Hawaii"
While a revolutionary crowd gathers outside the Iolani palace gates on January 14, 1893, Queen Liliuokalani is forced to relinquish control of the Hawaiian government. With the Queen dethroned, years of political turmoil would follow until Hawaii was officially annexed to the United States in 1898. This topic page provides useful information for searching ab […]
100 Years Ago: "New Mexico Comes into the Union as 47th State...," El Paso Herald, Jan. 6, 1912
In 1912, President William H. Taft signed the proclamation of statehood bringing New Mexico into "the Sisterhood of States." According to the El Paso Herald (El Paso, TX), parts of the new state, formerly ruled by Spain, then Mexico, had been U.S. territory since as early as 1845, with the whole being declared a territory in 1851. After delays asso […]
Topics in Chronicling America: "The Rise of the Flapper"
The flapper craze arrives on the American scene in the 1920s, featuring young libertine women who bob their hair and dance the Charleston in short dresses. They frequent jazz clubs and use flapper jargon like "the cat's meow," "the bee's knees," or "that's so Jake." On January 2, 1905, the Tomahawk (White Eagle, M […]
Topics in Chronicling America: "Train Wreck in Washington, DC, Dec. 30, 1906"
On the foggy evening of December 30, 1906, a roaring steam locomotive crashes at full-speed into the back of three, flimsy, wooden passenger cars, sending bodies and debris flying for a quarter mile along the Baltimore & Ohio tracks, killing 53 people. As the huge locomotive lay hissing on its side, screams of agony pervaded the area as priests from the […]
Topics in Chronicling America: "Owney, the Railway Mail Dog"
Owney, the renowned railway mail dog, returns home to New York on Dec. 23, 1895, after his world tour. Owney became famous as he traveled by mail car around the United States and Canada, then by steamer to other countries including Japan, China, Singapore and more! He became a mascot for the postal service and has recently been featured on his own postage st […]
Topics in Chronicling America - "Theodore Roosevelt's Great White Fleet"
On the warm, cloudy morning of December 16, 1907, President Theodore Roosevelt's "Great White Fleet," a force of sixteen battleships bristling with guns and painted sparkling white, steam out of Hampton Roads, Virginia to begin its 43,000-mile, 14-month circumnavigation of the globe "to demonstrate to the world America's naval prowes […]
Topics in Chronicling America: "Carnegie Libraries in the United States"
December 13, 1902 the first New York City Carnegie library opens. Philanthropist Andrew Carnegie gave millions of dollars to establish more than 1,600 libraries in the United States. This topic page provides useful information for searching about Carnegie libraries in Chronicling America's historic newspapers, including significant dates, associated sea […]
100 Years Ago: "Brake the Earth," Staunton Spectator and Vindicator, Nov. 30, 1911
In 1911, the Staunton Spectator-Vindicator (Staunton, VA) boldly declared "Brake the Earth - Magnetic Storms are Robbing Our Planet of Motion." The article described the reported discovery, based on ten years of data, that magnetic storms were slowing the rotation of the earth and would bring it to a complete halt in just over 3300 years. Once it s […]
Topics in Chronicling America: "Oscar Wilde: Author and Aesthete"
On November 30, 1900, Oscar Wilde dies of cerebral meningitis surrounded by a few friends in a Parisian hotel room. Known as an "Apostle of Esthetes," who wrote "The Picture of Dorian Gray" and "The Importance of Being Earnest," his life was marked by fame and controversy. This topic page provides useful information for searchin […]
Topics in Chronicling America: "Billy Sunday: Athlete and Evangelist"
November 19, 1862, Billy Sunday is born in Ames, Iowa. Sunday began his career as a baseball player for the Chicago White Stockings, but later became one of the country's best known evangelists. Between 1896 and 1935 he gave an estimated 20,000 sermons. This topic page provides useful information for searching about Billy Sunday in Chronicling America […]
100 Years Ago: "Wise Turkeys Training Down for Thanksgiving," The Holt County Sentinel, Dec. 1, 1911
In 1911, the Holt County Sentinel (Oregon, MO) illustrated a variety of calorie-burning activities that "wise turkeys" might use to keep from being guest of honor at the Thanksgiving Day meal. The cartoon of turkeys steaming in turkish baths, grazing on "anti-adipose pills," and even utilizing a "home trainer" treadmill of sorts […]
Topics in Chronicling America: "From Territory to Statehood: The West"
Referred to as "the land of fertility and progress," Oklahoma enters into statehood November 16, 1907, becoming the country's 46th state. Two other western territories preceded Oklahoma's statehood, with Wyoming joining the Union on July 10, 1890, and Utah being admitted on January 4, 1896. This topic page provides useful information for […]