When Roosevelt Came Sunbury, Lewisburg, Milton & Williamsport, 1914

Col. Teddy Roosevelt On The Campaign For Pinchot

In   October of 1914, former President Teddy Roosevelt gave brief speeches in a towns along the west branch, while on the  campaign trail for Gifford Pinchot, who was running for a Senate seat.

 

The Roosevelt Special Train left New York at 7:53 am on Monday October 26th.

In addition to a large number of rear-end speeches from the platform of his special train, Colonel Roosevelt was also scheduled to deliver ten informal speeches throughout the state.

The Schedule included:

Pottsville at Noon

Williamsport Evening

Uniontown Tuesday Morning

Johnstown Tuesday Evening

Altoona Tuesday Night

Reading Wednesday Noon

Wilkes Barre Wednesday Evening

Scranton Wednesday Night

Harrisburg Thursday Morning

A delegation from Williamsport went to Sunbury and met Col Roosevelt on the 3:45 Pennsylvania Train, on October 26th, and from there they would return with Col. Roosevelt on his special train on the Reading.

The specials schedule was:

 to leave Sunbury at 5:37 

Lewisburg at 5:57

Milton at 6:20

and arrival at Pine Street Station in Williamsport at 7:20.

At Lewisburg, Roosevelt's "podium" stopped just on the north side of the railroad crossing at Market Street in Lewisburg. 

The Lewisburg Journal Reported:

"Roosevelt's special train was due to arrive here at 5.52 but it was delayed and was a trifle more than half hour late when it rolled up the tracks at the station here. 

An hour before the train was due to arrive the people began to gather. The crowd knew that Roosevelt would be here but  a short time but they wanted to get a glimpse at him and hear his message against Penrose. As the crowd waited they seemed to get into better humor all the while and everything was lovely when the special train rolled in with its five cars well filled with ardent supporters of T. R. 

Special policemen and plain clothes men surrounded the rear of the train and kept back the crowd which surged up the track followed the special. The train stopped on the north side of the Market street crossing. 

As Roosevelt appeared on the rear platform of the rear car a round of applause greeted him. The ex-President hearing a college yell given by the Bucknell students placed his hands to his mouth in the shape of a megaphone and shouted "touchdown" which captured the big crowd at once and a roar of applause followed. The Colonel waved his hand and commanded silence in a short time. "

Roosevelt's Speech at Lewisburg, as recorded in the Journal.

I can find little mention of the stop in Milton - only that a large crowd was addressed.

At Williamsport, a  short parade lead by the Repasz band proceeded from the station to the meeting at the Lycoming Opera House, where Roosevelt spoke.

The Gazette reported that the Opera house would be opened at 7:15 and holders of tickets for the seats downstairs on the the stage were to use the main entrance on west third street.

The balcony entrance was to be the steps leading to the second floor of the building, just east of the main entrance, and the entrance to the gallery was from Laurel Street.

All ticket holders were to be seated by 7:45pm.  At that time the doors would be thrown open to the public.

"Both meetings will start at 8'oclock and at the conclusion of the session in the court house it is expected that Roosevelt will make a short address from the steps at the Park hotel."

Seats at the court house were not reserved, and no tickets were necessary.  Eleven hundred unreserved seats in the balcony and gallery of the opera house were also available, without tickets of admission.

October 27, 1914

===========

READ MORE

============