The Sonestown covered bridge was built around 1850, to provide access to the Hazen gristmill.
Friday, December 31, 2021
Tuesday, December 28, 2021
When Sunbury Had A Movie Theater - The Rialto
Located at 445 Market St, Sunbury PA, The Rialto theater could seat 475. The theater struggled, being closed down at least 3 times between 1950 and 1977. In 1978, a disgruntled janitor lit a broom on fire and threw it in a closet. The resulting fire gutted the building. Three months later, the building not having been repaired, a second fire was started, this time in the rear of the building. Again, it was ruled arson, although the second culprit was never apprehended. The adjoining Lutheran church, which had been damaged in the second fire, purchased the property and razed the burned out theater.
Monday, December 27, 2021
Williamsport's First Housing Development - Vallamont
After the disastrous flood of 1889, a group of men lead by James B. Krause purchased The Hezekiah B. Packer farm for the formation of the first planned housing development in Williamsport - Vallamont. The name Vallamont came from combining the words Valley, and Mountain.
Sunday, December 26, 2021
Where The Trolley's Ran - A Town By Town Listing Of Local Trolley Lines
Trolleys shown in Sunbury, at Cameron Park
Nearly every town in our area once had trolley tracks. Trolleys ran from the 1890s into the 1920s, in most of our area, but all of the lines appeared to struggle financially.
The trolley lines frequently built amusement parks, as an incentive for citizens to use the trolley. Examples include Riverside Park in Milton, Starr Island Park in Montoursville, and Riverside Park in Sunbury. Still, it wasn't enough. Gradually, automobiles replaced the trolleys, and many of the trolley companies went bankrupt. Tracks were left behind, often causing automobile accidents, into the 1930s.
Here's a look at the trolleys in each of our local towns
[alphabetically, and the list is not complete, but in progress]
Bloomsburg
Early Photo of a trolley in front of the fairgrounds, and a car in the creekThere were at least two different trolley lines in Bloomsburg:
Columbia & Montour Electric Railway formed in 1899, and was built in 1901. It became North Branch Transit in 1913. Discontinued in 1926, becoming the North Branch Bus co.
The Danville and Bloomsburg Railway Company ran from 1903-1926.
Danville
Two trolley lines opened in Danville during 1903: the Danville- Bloomsburg Trolley and the Danville-Riverside Trolley. Both ceased operation by 1926.
Read more about the trolley lines in Danville here:
https://susquehannavalley.blogspot.com/2021/03/when-danville-had-trolley.htmlHughesville
Possibly a steam engine car meant to haul passengers from Hughesville to Halls? The top of the trolley reads "Williamsport".
Jersey Shore
The Jersey Shore Preservation Society has recently acquired car 14 and is working to restore it. It will be located along the canal path. Follow their progress and plans here:
The Lewisburg, Milton & Watsontown Trolley Line
Lewisburg, Milton and Watsontown were all served by one trolley line - the LM&W
https://susquehannavalley.blogspot.com/2020/02/when-milton-had-trolley.html
https://susquehannavalley.blogspot.com/2020/02/when-milton-had-trolley.html
Mifflinburg
The first Battery Operated Car made the trip from Montandon to Lewisburg on July 23rd, 1911. It was the only car of it's kind at the time, so unique that a railway magnate came from Paris to Milton in April of 1912, to view it.
MILTON
The Trolley Car Diner In Milton
See Also - The Lewisburg, Milton & Watsontown Trolley
MONTOURSVILLE
The Trolley on Broad Street In Montoursville
SELINSGROVE
SUNBURY:
The Danville & Sunbury Trolley Company - 1924Sunbury & Selinsgrove Trolley 1907-1934
Sunbury & Northumberland ST RY Co.
See more about the trolley bridge at Sunbury here:
WILLIAMSPORT
Horse drawn trolleys came to Williamsport as an initiative of Peter Herdic. Eventually Williamsport Passenger Railway made the switch electric power, a full year before Philadelphia even had electric trolleys. At one time there were 7 different trolley lines, and a "Street Car War" in Williamsport. That was short lived however, and all the companies were soon under one director, becoming the Williamsport Passenger Railway once again.
Read more about the trolleys in Williamsport here:
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Danville & Sunbury Transit Co: The interurban that never was Paperback – January 1, 1975
Toonervilles of the Susquehanna: A history of the Lewisburg Milton and Watsontown Passenger Railway Company, North Branch Transit Company, Berwick and ... Transit Company, and other projected lines Paperback – January 1, 1953 by Gene D Gordon
Susquehanna trolleys Paperback – January 1, 1951
by Gene D Gordon
Fascinating history of the various electric street railways that ran through Northumberland County and the cities of Sunbury and Selinsgrove, PA. The two major streetcar companies were the Northumberland County Railway Com and the Sunbury and Selinsgrove Transit Co. but there were several others, including one connected to Thomas Edison's factory in Sunbury. This informative booklet untangles the confused corporate histories and explains where the lines were built, the services offered and why they failed. Illustrated throughout with black and white photos of the charming trolleys. Includes rosters and maps.
When The Trolleys Ran In Sunbury
There were two major trolley lines in Sunbury:
The Northumberland County Railway Company
& The Sunbury and Selinsgrove Transit Company
But there were several other companies, including one connected to Thomas Edison's factory.
When The Trolleys Ran In Williamsport
Market Square, Williamsport Pa, 1909
Trolleys In Williamsport PA
The Williamsport Passenger Railway Company was chartered on April 15th 1863.
The original line of the Williamsport railway extended roughly 1. 1 miles from Market Street west on Third Street to Pine and north on Pine to Fourth, then west on Fourth to the newly constructed Herdic House, now the Park Home. The first streetcars were placed in service on this line in 1865 in time for the State Fair held in Williamsport that September. These cars were noisy, swaying vehicles drawn by horses and equipped with small stoves to keep passengers warm In the winter. In 1870 enclosed sleighs were brought into service for operation when deep snows made the passage of other vehicles impossible.
From Starr Island To Indian Park - Montoursville's Amusement Park
Starr Island , located in what today is Indian Park in Montoursville, opened in 1898. The popular recreation area had a merry-go-round, a train ride, Ferris Wheel, and trolley service. In 1908, the park was sold to new owners, who made major improvements. After a brief mention that the new park would be named Luna Park, the park would officially open in 1909 with the name Indian Park.
First Airplane To Land At Brandon Park, Williamsport
Fred Burns and his brother Harry build the first glider airplanes in Williamsport. This one was the first plane to land in Brandon Park.
For this first flight into Brandon park, a notation on the photo states that August Koons [Kunze] was the pilot.
August Kunze with a Burns Plane, c. 1914
This photo offers a nice view of the Brandon Park Bandshell as well. It appears to still be under construction, so possibly in 1913 or 1914.
February 1911
Burns Aeroplane 1911
In 1911, the Burns brothers built a monoplane, but they needed a motor.
Harry, who was working at bank in Cleveland that year, met a man who owned a 25 horsepower Curtiss engine.
He traded the glider for the motor, and the brothers began building another plane. This plane was built from spruce wood, with landing gear of white ash, with a wingspan of 28 feet. The completed plane could reach speeds of 60 miles an hour.
December 1911, Mulberry St Residents were complaining about the noise from the planes engine. Burns sold his plane, but planned to built another.
Harry Burns went on to become a foreman at Curtiss Engineering Company. If that name sounds familiar, perhaps you are familiar with the abandoned Nuclear Jet testing site in the Quehanna Wild Area. https://susquehannavalley.blogspot.com/2020/08/the-abandoned-nuclear-jet-bunkers-in.html
Harry Burns c. 1920
Burns moved to California prior to 1930.
Mary Burns Gladhill, Fred and Pearl S. Burns
1938, California
PLANE PIONEER DIES Fred Burns, former resident of Williamsport and one of the earliest builders of airplanes in this section, died Friday at his home in San Diego, Cal. He and his brother, Harry of Williamsport, built the first glider in Williamsport in 1910 and later constructed two airplanes. He is survived by his wife, two sons, a sister and a brother. - August 1939
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August Henry Kunze was born April 19th 1892, the son of Aam & Emma [Kettler] Kunze. He was an electrician by trade, working for the Edison Electric Company in 1912. He died March 25th 1955, and is buried at Wildwood Cemetery.
September 19 1910
(the scan on newspapers.com is cut off, need to check the other archives for the full article)
1910, Glider Over Grampian Hills
When Montoursville Had A Trolley
Montoursville Passenger Railway Company
1897 - 1924
The Montoursville Passenger Railway Company, owned by the Tennis Construction Company of Philadelphia, opened in 1897. The line connected to the 3rd street line in Williamsport, and a passenger could travel from Montoursville to Market Square in Williamsport for ten cents. Cars ran every half hour, with the trip taking 30 minutes to compete. The same route would take roughly an hour to travel by horse and buggy.
Happy New Year, Through The Decades In the Central Susquehanna Valley
Assorted Stories, Photos, and History from New Years Eve, and New years Day, in the Susquehanna Valley
When Santa was set on fire as he entered a church - Iola, 1914
On December 28th 1914, John Stamm was "impersonating Santa", at M.E. Church in Iola. As he walked past 17 year old Clarence Taylor, Taylor set a match Stamm's sweater.
The church was packed and the shutters were closed and latched. Stamm was badly burned before being taken outside and rolled in the snow.
Iola is a small town in Columbia County, bordering Millville Pa.
There was no proof that Taylor had actually been the one to touch the match to the sweater, but he did admit to drinking hard cider, provided by Henry Rider, before going to church. It was asserted that he had been drunk. The cost of the sweater and damages were paid, and Taylor was released.
Saturday, December 25, 2021
When A Hughesville "Woman's Lungs Were A Junk Shop" - 1900
Mrs H.T. Smith of Hughesville accidentally swallowed the snap and wire of a suspender in 1895, and after years of suffering tuberculosis like symptoms, coughed up the debris in 1900.
The Philadelphia Times ran the following article on December 7th 1900:
The case of Mrs. H. T. Smith, who sis weeks ago coughed up the snap of a suspender and a week ago coughed up a spring coil, in a most peculiar one and has attracted the attention of medical men.
About five years ago Mrs. Smith, then Miss McHenry, thoughtlessly placed a snap off a pair of suspenders between her lips. Accidentally the piece of metal slipped down her throat and into the windpipe.
Physicians declared that the snap would give her no trouble, as it had passed down her throat into the stomach.
In time she experienced trouble In her right bronchia and was affected exactly as a person suffering with tuberculosis. The difficulty continued, and the afflicted woman was almost continuously under the care of a physician.
During the latter part of October, while seized with a severe coughing spell. Mrs. Smith spit out the metal snap minus the brass spring. She Improved immediately and has since Increased in weight. Last Monday Mrs. Smith was compelled to cough violently and felt a severe pain In her chest. Almost immediately she spat out the missing spring from the suspender snap. Tire spring was in the form of a coil about three eighths of an inch long, and an inch in diameter, with a prong at each end. It was coated with a slimy substance flecked with blood, under which was the brass wire as bright as the day it slipped down the woman's throat.
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Nettie Rebecca McHenry, 1875-1947, was the daughter of Ruggler & Sarah Ann [Yetter] McHenry. She married Harry Thomas Smith, 1870-1942. Nettie was 72 years old when she died. Nettie and Harry are both buried at Pleasant Hill Cemetery in Hughesville.
The Rishel Furniture Fire, November 1965 Hughesville Pa
November 4th 1965, The Rishel Furniture Plant which took up a full city block north of the fairgrounds, was completely destroyed by fire.
Hughesville, Pennsylvania
Hughesville, Lycoming County Pennsylvania
Jeptha Hughes laid out the town of Hughesville, naming it after himself, in 1816. The town was incorporated in 1853, with Enos Hawley listed as the first burgess.
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