Hot Air Balloons In Williamsport

Hot Air Balloon At Ross Park

After coming across this photo, I did some research on Michael Ross and Ross Park, purely to narrow down the dates.  Based on that research, I narrowed it down - but not by much.  This was almost certainly sometime between 1867, when the cemetery was renamed Ross Park, and 1893, when City Hall was built there.

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Prof. Wise From Lancaster

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On July 24th 1841, John Wise "the famous Balloonist" made an ascension from Williamsport.  [From The History of Lycoming County By Meginness, pg 338]

Professor Wise, as he would be known later in life, had made almost 28 balloon ascensions in the Sunbury and Danville areas in June 1841.

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Shearer Ascended from Williamsport in August of 1874 

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August 1874

But according to the Gazette and Bulletin, Shearer was filling his balloon at Market Square, not Ross Park:

August 1874

Shearer's plan to take a cat up in the balloon with him, and drop it by parachute, was stopped by the Society For the Prevention Of Cruelty To Animals.

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Prof. Phillipi 

Ascended from Williamsport in 1875

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The Daily Gazette and Bulletin reported on Shearers Description of his flight in August 1874, but as with many of the Williamsport paper scans, the digital version is mostly unreadable.  It would be worth checking the Lock Haven Paper for these dates, their digital scans are typically much more readable.