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 .

By Lou Hunsinger Jr.
Williamsport Sun-Gazette

The issue of the abolition of slavery excited great passions throughout the United States during the pre-Civil War period. Lycoming County was no exception. This was amply demonstrated in a little-known incident in April 1842 known as the “Muncy Abolition Riot of 1842.”
It is usually assumed (incorrectly) today that the people of the North were of one mind about the abolition of slavery, condemning it and working hard for its elimination. But this just was not so.
The New England states were the real hotbed for abolition, and people in states such as Pennsylvania were much more divided on the issue. A large body of opinion in this state was openly hostile to the doctrine of abolition. It was those who were openly hostile to abolition who were at the center of the “Riot of 1842.”
Enos Hawley was a Quaker, a tanner by trade and one of Muncy’s most prominent citizens. He later became its postmaster. His Quaker heritage provided him the moral base to be a strong hater of the institution of slavery. He was not shy about his revulsion of this “peculiar institution.”
In the spring of 1842 Hawley invited a speaker, whose name is lost to history, to speak in Muncy about abolition. This unknown, itinerant abolitionist speaker’s appearance was not welcomed by all. Eighteen individuals in particular met this appearance with violent anger. These men riotously attacked the schoolhouse where the abolitionist speaker was delivering an address. They pelted the schoolhouse with rocks and various other missiles, knocking out all of the windows and causing some bodily injury to the speaker and his sponsor, Hawley.
After Hawley and the speaker left the building, the men continued to pelt them with eggs. When the two got to Hawley’s house, these rowdies continued to throw objects.
The roughnecks were indicted on charges of “riotously, and tumultuously assembly to disturb and disturbing the peace of the Commonwealth in August 1842. They were placed on trial in September. That jury found thirteen of the18 guilty of the charges after much wrangling during the deliberations.
One member of the jury, ardent abolitionist Abraham Updegraff, later wrote about his experience on this jury. He described a long and contentious process in which he had to use all of his persuasive powers. The initial jury ballot came in at 11 for acquittal and one against. Updegraff argued to the other jurors that “we have been sworn to try this case according to the law and the evidence presented and that if no contradictory evidence offered by the defendants than we could nothing more but to convict them.”
Updegraff used his knowledge of German to persuade three other jurors in their native tongue to see things his way. Another poll was taken and the result showed nine for conviction and three for acquittal. Finally, on the third try, the jury reached a decision to convict
The jury’s painfully reached decision was basically annulled when Pennsylvania Gov. David Rittenhouse Porter pardoned the convicted defendants several days after the trial. His pardon message said, in part, “It is represented to me by highly respected citizens of Lycoming County, that this prosecution was instituted more with a view to the accomplishment of political ends than to serve the cause of law and order.”
Porter’s pardon message blamed the abolitionist speaker for the disorder stating that the content of the speaker’s speech was “notoriously offensive to the minds of those to whom they were addressed and were calculated to bring about a breach of the peace.”
As the result of cases like his pardon of the “Muncy Riot’ defendants, Porter was given the derisive nickname of “The Pardoning Governor.”
It is clear that the case of the “Muncy Riot” defendants had larger social and political implications. Cases like that didn’t usually receive the intervention of the governor.
This case also demonstrates the hazards that anyone involved in the Underground Railroad in the area could potentially encounter.

Sunday Grit office in Williamsport, PA

For decades, tens of millions of people in small-town America depended on Sunday Grit to tell them the news of the world, long before television became widely available. Sunday Grit correspondents were on hand to record momentous events from a turn-of-the-century city on the rise, through the end of the lumber boom, World War, Depression, to modern times.

Few newspapers can claim to be the first to cover a momentous event, but on June 4, 1939, tucked away on page 31, a small Sunday Grit article reported on “a new hardball league for boys 12 years and under will get under way Tuesday night…” Of course people now know it as Little League Baseball, a game played by countless children and administered by millions of adult volunteers worldwide.

From 1882 through 1996, Sunday Grit was on hand to record America’s — and the world’s — history. And, with millions of readers throughout the United States, it also had the power to influence politics, local and national. Many people miss Sunday Grit, which brought homespun news to their doorsteps each week, along with favorite comic strips, advice columns, recipes, patterns, news of celebrities, as well as human-interest features and thunderous editorials.

Sunday Grit as a 99-Cent Download

Buy, download and immediately begin reading the inaugural issue of Sunday Grit, first printed December 16, 1882. In fact, the first three issues ~ December 16, 1882, December 23, 1882 and December 30, 1882 are available for immediate download. Just use the convenient shopping cart above. Indeed, you can begin with a one-time purchase of the first issue and work your way through history, reliving the historic events such as the opening of the Brooklyn Bridge, the completion of the Washington Monument, the Haymarket Riot in Chicago, the Johnstown Flood, the Spanish-American War, and read about historic figures such as Nellie Bly, Carrie Nation, Charles Lindburg and Amelia Earhart, as well as Neil Armstrong’s walk on the moon. Individual issues through 1886 will soon be available for immediate download.

Sunday Grit on DVD

Although Sunday Grit is no longer published as a newspaper, you can buy the first four years of historic Sunday Grit (DVD format) and read at your leisure on your laptop, PC or eReader. Now, the original “Odd, Strange and Curious” feature is once again available for your entertainment at the extraordinary low cost of $24.99. Imagine, you can read and save forever your very own collection of Sunday Grit, which do not exist except for a stray, preserved issue in the hands of collectors and microfilm at a library. As more back issues of Sunday Grit are digitized and made available through SundayGrit.com’s archives, they will be added to the subscription service.

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Sunday Grit as a Collectible Book

Sunday Grit Book

Order the book Sunday Grit: A Newspaper Legacy ~ only $15.95

Sunday Grit: A Newspaper Legacy is available at the Williamsport Sun-Gazette for $15.95. It can be purchased if pre-paid by contacting the Sun-Gazette at (800) 339-0289, by stopping by the newspaper at 252 W. Fourth St. in downtown Williamsport. Or, you can submit on-line orders at http://secure.oweb.net/bookoffer.

By Lou Hunsinger Jr., Williamsport Sun-Gazette

Narratives have been published of Indian and militia attacks and retaliations. One local, quasi-famous narrative is the story of the Brady family and its enemy, Chief Bald Eagle of the Wolf Clan of Delawares.
According to C. Hale Sipe in “The Indian Chiefs of Pennsylvania” (1927), Bald Eagle “espoused the British cause, and his war parties brought death and desolation to the settlements on the West Branch of the Susquehanna.”
Historians attribute the death of James Brady to Bald Eagle, and his father, Capt. John Brady, to unidentified Iroquois Indians. And, in vengeance, Bald Eagle was murdered by the captain’s surviving son, Samuel, the “most noted scout connected with Fort Pitt during the Revolutionary War,” Sipes writes.
On Aug. 8, 1778, James Brady and four militiamen were ordered to protect a group of settlers cutting a crop about two miles above Loyalsock. The crop belonged to Peter Smith on Turkey Run, “the unfortunate man that had his wife and four children murdered about a month previous,” historians recount.

Sentinels were placed at the opposite ends of the field, and the greater part of the grain was cut. The next day, the band returned to the field to finish its work. Under cover of an early-morning fog, Indians surprised the harvesters. A brief battle ensued; James Brady was attacked and fell.
“He was so stunned with the blow of the tomahawk, that he remained powerless, but strange as it may seem, retained his senses,” writes Sipe. “They ruthlessly tore the scalp from his head as he lay in apparent death; and it was a glorious trophy for them, for he had long and remarkably red hair.”
Men cradling grain in a nearby field heard the commotion and came to assist, and the Indians retreated.
Meanwhile, James Brady, although scalped and wounded, crept and walked to a cabin where an old man named Jerome Vaness was employed to cook for the soldiers and field workers. Vaness attended to James Brady’s wounds, then mustered help from nearby Fort Muncy.
The soldiers took the younger Brady home to his mother, who “had a presentiment of something that was to happen, and being awake to alarms, met them at the river and assisted to convey her wounded son to the house,” Sipe writes. “He presented a frightful spectacle, and the meeting of mother and son is described to have been heart-rending. Her heart was wrung with the keenest anguish, and her lamentations were terrible to be heard.”

He only lived five days. The first four days he was delirious, but, on the fifth, his reason returned and he described the attack vividly. He said the Indians were of the Seneca tribe, and amongst them were Chief Cornplanter and Chief Bald Eagle.
His brother, Samuel, hastened home, but was too late. He swore vengeance on Bald Eagle and, “made a solemn vow that he would never make peace with the Indians of any tribe.”
Nine months later, Capt. John Brady was dead, shot from his horse by three Indians secreted in a thicket, Sipes writes. His body was buried in an old graveyard near Halls, where a heavy granite marker was erected, bearing the following inscription:

Captain John Brady Fell in Defense
Of Our Forefathers at Wolf Run,
April 11, 1779, Aged forty-six Years

Samuel, a Ranger at Fort Pitt, renewed his vow of vengeance on all Indians — in particular, Chief Bald Eagle. He did not have long to wait. In June 1779, a band of the Wolf Clan of Delawares and probably some Senecas, made a raid into Westmoreland County, attacking the settlement and killing people at James Perry’s Mill. The Indians also kidnapped several children.
Samuel Brady and a posse, painted and dressed like Indians, ascended the Allegheny River looking for the culprits. He suspected the Indians would be retreating to the north and probably would have canoes hidden. He was right.
Brady and his men staked out the Indian’s camp and waited for daybreak. They attacked as the first streaks of dawn floated over the verdant hills of the Allegheny,” Sipes writes, . . . “A sheet of flame blazed from the rifles of Brady and his men, and the chief of the seven Indians fell dead, while the others fled into the surrounding forest.”
Historians claim it was Brady’s own rifle that brought down the Indian chief, who was none other than Bald Eagle.
“With a shout of triumph, Brady leaped upon the fallen chieftain and scalped him. Thus, on the banks of the Allegheny, far from the harvest field near the banks of the Susquehanna where Bald Eagle killed young James Brady during the preceding summer, Captain Samuel Brady avenged the death of his youngest and favorite brother,” Sipes concludes.
The children were returned to the fort, and news of Bald Eagle’s death had the effect that the Indians made no more raids into Westmoreland that summer, Sipes writes.
Samuel Brady continued to hunt and kill Indians until his death many years later in West Virginia.

By Robin Van Auken, Williamsport Sun-Gazette

Williamsport’s Hardest-Working Historians

From first contact with Christopher Columbus, to the Pilgrims, to William Penn, to lumber barons along Williamsport’s West Fourth Street, the Mixes are prepared to talk at length. They also illustrate their lectures with colorful slides. Their home is a veritable historic society, with entire rooms dedicated to their collections. Photo albums containing rare post cards and slides abound, stacked on shelves and tabletops. Boxes with newspapers of the past are within easy reach.
“These programs I do grew out of my classes. I taught fourth grade, I used these slides. Most of them are still useful in my programs. I don’t go past the fourth grade vocabulary,” he joked.
The former Miriam Swan was born in Philadelphia and several years later her family moved to the area. She graduated in 1944 from Williamsport High School and then attended Mansfield graduating in 1949 with a bachelor’s degree in music education. Specializing in instrumental and voice education, Miriam taught at Lincoln Elementary. She attended Penn State University during the summer months and earned her master’s degree in elementary education. In 1957, Miriam married Richard, also an elementary teacher, who had graduated in 1947 from South Williamsport High School.
Richard, a history major from Lycoming College, Class of 1951, was drafted by the Army after graduating Lycoming and spent two years in Germany. Upon returning to the area, he attended Mansfield University earning his teaching certificate in elementary and secondary education. He also received a master’s degree from Bucknell University and did graduate work at Ohio University at Athens, Penn State and SUNY at Cortland. He became a member of Lodge 106 of the Free and Accepted Masons. A lateral relation of Tom Mix, Richard also is a direct descendant of Roger Williams and is a member of the Mayflower Society and the Sons of the American Revolution, serving as the president of the Tiadaghton chapter, founder of its color guard and former state historian. His ancestor, Thomas Meeks (Mix) of New Haven, emigrated from England in 1643. He was in the Sons of the Union Veterans and Sons of the Confederacy (because on his Kendall family’s side, brothers were on two different sides in the Civil War.)
He taught at Becht Elementary before moving to the city where he met Miriam at Lincoln. Then Richard was the head teacher at Clay for two years before accepting a position at Lose Elementary. He retired in 1988.
The couple has two sons, Scott Richard (1959) and Andrew John (1962). They also have four grandsons and one granddaughter. After her children were born, Miriam became a full-time homemaker. She also substitute taught on occasion, directed the church choir and joined the Daughters of the American Revolution. She also worked with Richard on their numerous historic programs.
“When I was in school, I did not like history,” Miriam recalled. “He did,” she added, pointing to Richard. “He’d say, ‘Let’s go here and take these pictures; let’s go there and do that. Will you look this over and see if it makes sense?’
“History became alive,” she said. “He made it more interesting with his lectures and slides.” She also contributed artistically to the programs. At the conclusion of many of the programs, the Mixes play recordings made by Miriam, sung a Capella.
In 1976, the Mixes embarked upon their second career — Williamsport’s hardest working and most revered historians. Their presentations draw crowds, from as few as two people to as many dozens at a time.
The Mixes estimate they have created about 30 historic programs that they have presented to more than 2,500 people locally. Some of the topics include Native Americans, Pilgrims, early Williamsport history, the Canal Period, the Lumber Era and historic churches of the county. Their love of history led the couple to narrate several Historic Trolley Tours, beginning with the Haunted Herdic Trolley, then creating Christmas and Valentine tours.
They helped the City of Williamsport and other volunteers organize the Bicentennial Pageant and Parade of 1976, the nation’s 200th anniversary and, as Williamsport’s Bicentennial approached, the Mixes once again stepped forward, initiating and assisting the city in its approaching celebration and authoring a book for the event.
“A Bicentennial Postcard History of Williamsport” is available through the Lycoming County Genealogical Society by calling 570-326-3326or by contacting Otto’s, 107 W. Fourth St., at 326-5764.

Local folk artist featured in new postcard book

Genevieve Long Swan is one of the primary illustrators that Richard and Miriam Mix have used in their numerous, slide presentations as well as in their new book, “A Bicentennial Postcard History of Williamsport.”
Genevieve Long was born in Beaver Falls in 1890. She graduated from Geneva College, Beaver Falls, with a bachelor’s degree in 1912. She taught first at Tougaloo Southern Christian College in Mississippi and then at high school in Johnstown, Pennsylvania.
She married John J. Swan in 1920 and the couple moved to Williamsport in 1928 with their two children, Robert and Miriam.
John J. Swan was a craftsman and taught woodworking at Curtin Elementary. His father, James Carnegie, was a local tailor who emigrated from Scotland.
After John Swan died in 1938, Genevieve taught at Washington Elementary School in Williamsport. As an avocation, she was adept in music and art. She was pianist and especially enjoyed being an accompanist for her students’ choruses. Genevieve retired in 1955, yet her interest and expertise in sketching and painting continued into her 80s.
As a rule, folk artists are not academically trained and often are concerned with recording the ordinary activities of life. Swan’s direct and honest illustrations usually reflect social and cultural characteristics, as well as architecture. Her simple, flat figures and decorative design, bright colors and unrealistic spatial relationships are characteristic of American folk painting.
After her daughter, Miriam, married Richard Mix, she graciously would create folk art watercolors for use in their historic lectures.
“When Richard would develop a program he’d say, ‘Gee, I would like a picture of this. Can you draw me a picture of the canal?’” Miriam recalled.
She did many pen-and-ink drawings of Williamsport and pastoral scenes to help the couple illustrate their presentations, and she often would create small, colorful sketches that were auctioned at her church as fund raisers.
She died in 1980 at the age of 90.

By Robin Van Auken, Williamsport Sun-Gazette

WestBranch Canal

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 was William Fisher Packer, who served as the 14th governor of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Packer is the only Lycoming County resident ever to serve in that high office according to an article by Eugene Bertin in “Now and Then,” the journal of the Muncy Historical Society.

Packer was born on April 2, 1807, in Howard Township, Centre County. He went to Sunbury at the age of 13 to learn the printing trade from a relative who owned a newspaper. The paper lasted for only a year, and when the business folded, Packer went to Bellefonte to complete his apprenticeship with another newspaper. In 1825, Packer went to Harrisburg to work as a journeyman printer at the “Pennsylvania Intelligencer,” published by U.S. Senator Simon Cameron.
In 1827, he came to Williamsport and studied law in the office of Joseph P. Anthony, but never was admitted to the bar.
Packer obtained a part interest in the “Lycoming Gazette” in the same year and helped John Brandon run the paper until 1836. In the Muncy journal article, historian Bertin writes, “As an editor, his style was bold and energetic, well calculated to command attention and impress his ideas upon the reader.”
Packer soon became very prominent in various local civic affairs. He became one of the first-ever school directors of the Williamsport School District in 1834. He was an advocate for internal improvements for Lycoming County. He was very active in the drive to build the West Branch Canal. He was named the superintendent of the Lycoming Division of the canal.
He was appointed by then Gov. Porter to be one of three canal commissioners in the state, and in 1842 was appointed the state’s auditor general. Packer was instrumental in incorporating the Williamsport Division of the Pennsylvania Railroad to operate between Williamsport and Harrisburg in 1852. He was one of the original investors and officers of the Williamsport Gas Company in 1856.
He was elected to the Pennsylvania State legislature in 1847. Surprisingly, he was elected Speaker of the House during his first term in the General Assembly. He was re-elected to the legislature in 1848 and named speaker again. In 1849 he was elected to the State Senate, defeating Andrew Curtin, who, ironically, would succeed him as governor in 1860.
He was very active in the high counsels of the Pennsylvania Democratic Party and was delegate to the 1836 Democratic Convention that nominated Martin Van Buren to succeed Andrew Jackson as President of the United States.
Packer was a close associate of James Buchannan, who later became the 15th U.S. president, and who used his influence to advance Packer’s political career. It was largely through Buchannan’s influence that Packer received the Democratic nomination for governor, beating out David Wilmot, author of the “Wilmot Proviso,” the Republican Party’s first nominee for governor, and Issac Hazlehurst of the Nativist Party, that was a vestige of the old “Know Nothing” movement.
Packer won the governorship by over 14,000 votes and became governor in January 1858 Ð a time in which this country drifted towards Civil War. Packer differed with his political mentor, Buchanan, on the slavery question. He also noted with dismay Buchannan’s inaction as the southern states started to secede.
Packer was the first governor to occupy an official Pennsylvania-owned Executive Mansion. Packer’s wife and “First Lady” was Mary W. Vanderbelt, daughter of Peter Vanderbelt, son-in-law of Michael Ross. She lived until 1890.
Packer returned to Williamsport after his term of office ended in January 1860. He did not seek re-election because of ill health. He remained one of Williamsport’s most venerable citizens until his death on September 27, 1870. He was buried amid pageantry and honors with participation from Packer’s Masonic Lodge and from various Lycoming County militia units. He was laid to rest in the Williamsport Cemetery on Washington Boulevard.

By Lou Hunsinger Jr., Williamsport Sun-Gazette

Coryell was descended from French Huguenots who came to America seeking religious freedom in the 17th century. He was born in Hunterdon County, N.J., on June 13, 1791. His family moved to East Buffalo Township in present-day Union County, near Lewisburg. As an 11-year-old, he carried the mail by horseback from Lewisburg to Bellefonte for a short period of time.
In 1812, Coryell borrowed $50 to get involved in the lumber business in which he had great success. He moved to Williamsport in 1813, and became a clerk in the office of Lycoming County Prothonotary, Gen. John Burrows. He was appointed County Register and Recorder in 1818 and served for one term. Coryell purchased the “Lycoming Gazette” in 1821. The “Gazette” was one of the predecessors of the present-day “Williamsport Sun-Gazette.” In the two years he owned the paper, he built the subscription up from 400 subscribers to more than 1,200.
He served as Lycoming County Prothonotary from 1824-30. He was one of the most energetic promoters of the building of the West Branch Canal. He took an active role in pushing through these public works projects to their completion. He also was one of the leading proponents of having the federal government build a national road from Williams-port to Elmira. His influence helped induce the federal government to locate a federal district court in Williamsport. It largely was through his efforts that the Philadelphia and Erie Railroad built tracks through Williamsport.
Coryell was the leading spirit in the formation of the Williamsport Gas Company in 1856. He served as its superintendent, secretary and treasurer for 17 years. He was a director of the Northumberland Bank for a short period.
He helped to found the West Branch Bank in Williamsport and served as its cashier. He was an active member of the First Presbyterian Church of Williamsport and prominent in its affairs.
A stained glass window was later dedicated in his honor at the church. Coryell’s active involvement with the Presbyterian Church may have served as the moral base for his heroic efforts as a “conductor” on the local branch of the “Underground Railroad.” He was one of the “Railroad’s” most active champions in helping to end an institution that he considered odious.
He married Sarah Burrows, daughter of Gen. Burrows, on February 16, 1816. Their union produced three sons and three daughters. His son John followed in his footsteps becoming prominent in the financial and civic affairs of the area.
In his later years, Coryell had a passion for the area’s history and was noted as an expert. He often wrote articles for the newspapers about local history. Through his efforts, much local lore and history were preserved. He published a 100-page autobiography detailing stories of his experiences and the experiences of many old-time settlers of the area. He was well known in the area and enjoyed the confidence of many of the area’s most prominent men.
When Coryell died Aug. 8, 1881 at the age of 90, he was Williamsport’s oldest citizen. He also left behind a life of notable accomplishments and as a figure of respect. An editorial by the “Williamsport Gazette and Bulletin” of Aug. 10, 1881 noting Coryell’s passing reads, “The history of the life of Tunnison Coryell is very largely the history of Williamsport. His life was busy, useful and a thoroughly honorable one. No man ever lived in Williamsport having a larger acquaintance with public men of the state and the nation. And no man wielded a larger influence in his day, as a private citizen.”

By Lou Hunsinger Jr., Williamsport Sun-Gazette

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.” The information on this incident was taken from an article by Marshall Anspach from the “Now and Then” magazine of the Muncy Historical Society of April 1956.
The 1830s was a decade in which there was a great influx of foreign laborers, mostly Irish, to the area to help build the West Branch Canal. It also was a period of great anti-foreign agitation and resentment by the native-born of this area. Those high feelings may have helped to create the “Riot of 1833.”
The laborers were not very well treated by their employers. They received inadequate wages, worked long hours and lived in substandard housing. They often were plied with liquor, keeping them drunk so that they would not complain of their poor lot in life. All of those hardships made for a potentially volatile situation.
Tensions ultimately exploded Aug. 23, 1833, at the orchard of Mrs. Jane Hunt, near the Great Island Dam, near Dunnstown. At the time, that area still was a part of Lycoming County (Clinton County was not created until 1839).
An Irish worker on the canal was in the process of knocking fruit from trees in the Hunt orchard, when Hunt’s son, Jesse, fired a gun loaded with shot at the laborer. The Irishman was wounded slightly and fled. The native-born boatmen who were hauling stone for the canal taunted some of the Irish workers about the incident. The Irish workers attacked the boatmen with picks, shovels and spades and, in the ensuing fray, one of the Irishmen was wounded by gunfire and stabbed.
The Irish laborers returned to work the following day, but the boatmen raised a flag and tried to drive them from the area and cooler heads prevailed for a while. Then, when darkness fell, about 50 of the Irishmen gathered near the shanty of the job supervisor, severely beat the supervisor and some of his friends, and attempted to tear down the building. They then indiscriminately attacked all native-born people in the area that they could find, destroying everything in their way.
Wild rumors started about the extent of the troubles and the local militia was notified; elements of the Lycoming Calvary and a company of Centre County infantry responded.
In the words of Squire Joseph Parsons, who witnessed the event, “At the break of day the next morning, the military were in line, and marched, with flags flying and the beat of drums, to the scene of the strife. When the insurgents saw them coming, they turned their faces to the hills and fled like foxes. They could not, with only their spades and picks, face the formidable militia. The effect of the appearance of the well-equipped column can easily be imagined.”
Seventy of the Irish rioters were arrested, but only 16 were lodged in the Lycoming County Jail and held for trial. After the tensions and excitement subsided, the 16 were given short jail sentences or light fines.
Unfortunately, in that time of poor communications, the extent of the riot was exaggerated the farther one got from the riot area. In Williamsport, it had been rumored that more than 500 Irish rioters had been met by more than 250 militiamen and that many were wounded in the clashes. The amount of property damage also had been exaggerated.
The clashes by the Irish canal laborers and the native-born boatmen were symptomatic of a time of great intolerance to foreign people and cultures and can be a lesson of the dire consequences of such intolerance. It was very fortunate that more people were not seriously hurt or killed in the “Great Canal Riot of 1833.”

By Lou Hunsinger Jr., Williamsport Sun-Gazette

Repasz Band

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 Journal article, “Williamsport’s Musical Heritage,” and so does Jeffrey Dugan in his master’s thesis, “The Bands of Williamsport.” Dugan was director of the Imperial Teteques Band, and cites from the Repasz Band’s 100th Anniversary Program in 1931.
Repasz was born in Clinton Township, Lycoming County, on April 18, 1813. He later lived in Muncy, became a tailor by trade and took up the violin. He moved to Williamsport in 1838 to teach music and dancing. He took additional musical lessons from A.K. Mabie, the director of the Williamsport Band. That musical body later would be renamed for Repasz.
The Williamsport Band was founded in 1831 by Jacob C. Mussina, who was its leader during the first years. The initial instrumentation of the band consisted of flutes, clarinets, piccolos and a French horn played by C. Lawrence, a former soldier under Napoleon Bonaparte.
Repasz joined the band in 1840, probably asked by his musical mentor, director A.K. Mabie, to do so. The instrument that Repasz played in the band was the “keyed bugle,” a cross between a trumpet and a clarinet.
Repasz became director of the band in 1856. He introduced new and improved instruments, as well as innovative musical arrangements. Under his baton, the band gained prominence and toured extensively in the Northeast. As an expression of their esteem and appreciation for all of Repasz’s contributions, the members of the band voted in 1859 to rename the “Williamsport Band” the “Repasz Band.” In the words of William Volkmar, “Repasz came more and more to the front as the man whose accomplished leadership the organization was indebted for its progress.”
When regional strife exploded into Civil War in April 1861, the Repasz Band enlisted as a body. That was not uncommon in those days, as most military bands actually were civilian bands that enlisted as a group. Members spent most of the war attached to the 8th Pennsylvania Cavalry.
The band “dueled” with a Confederate band at Gen. Robert E. Lee’s surrender at Appomatox. A Confederate band would play “Dixie.” The Repasz Band would counter with “Battle Cry of Freedom.” The Confederate band would reply with “Bonnie Blue Flag” and the Repasz Band volleyed with the “Star-Spangled Banner.”
Repasz continued his active involvement with the band until 1885, when he was forced by old age to stop playing his instrument. However, he kept going to the band’s rehearsals and still would dispense musical advice. During the last years of his life, he was confined to his bed after he fell several times and broke his leg.
Three days before Repasz died, he requested his old violin so he could “tune it one more time.”
It was brought out, but he was too weak to hold it. It was put at his side and he gazed at it longingly. Repasz died April 18, 1891, at the age of 78. In Russell’s words, “The Sousa of his day was laid to rest as the Fisk Military Band, attending the funeral as a body, complied with the old musician’s last wish and played his favorite dirge, ‘Flee As A Bird.’ ”
The band named for Repasz and known as “The Granddaddy of American Bands” flourishes today after 168 years.
If you go by Williamsport’s City Hall on a Tuesday night, you can hear the music of some patriotic air spilling from the windows as the band practices. Daniel Repasz would be very pleased.

By Lou Hunsinger Jr., Williamsport Sun-Gazette