News of Yesteryear

News of Yesteryear and Historic Williamsport is a section of the web site by Robin Van Auken dedicated to educating and entertaining visitors of all ages with stories and illustrations of Williamsport, Pennsylvania, and its surrounding towns.

Grinding Stone: Part 3
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Grinding Stone: Part 3

Archaeology Find: Drilled Holes in Metate, Bannerstones Last week we had an artifact found by member Jim Carn and pretty much it’s been a part-time job for me trying to validate the find ever since. Jim actually brought it to my house on the bed of his pickup. At about two feet [...]

2020-12-03T12:02:36-05:00By Tank Baird|Archaeology, News of Yesteryear, Tom 'Tank' Baird|

Grinding Stone: Part 2
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Grinding Stone: Part 2

Archaeology Find: Metate Confirmed The exciting news today is that during this pandemic Jim Carn has found a real mystery item. We have sent pictures to Gary Fogelman and at this point, he thinks it might be the real thing pending closer examination. He is also mystified about the hole. Jim wrote [...]

2020-12-03T12:02:42-05:00By Tank Baird|Archaeology, News of Yesteryear, Tom 'Tank' Baird|

Grinding Stone: Part 1
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Grinding Stone: Part 1

Archaeology Find: Metate in Lycoming County, PA I’m taking advantage of the sunshine (aka coronavirus killer). I went fishing and foraging. I was a hunter-gatherer. See the first picture. These are ramps They are not spring onions although many people call them that. These are leek and you can use the entire [...]

2020-12-03T12:02:49-05:00By Tank Baird|Archaeology, News of Yesteryear, Tom 'Tank' Baird|

Bird Points
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Bird Points

Archaeology Find: Bird Points for Arrows The weekend was pretty busy with interaction via email. We are inspiring conversations on typology, archaeology, local history, and artifact identification. Covid19 time indoors has been an opportunity for learning. This morning, how about bird points as a topic? They are also called jewel or gem [...]

2020-12-03T12:01:29-05:00By Tank Baird|Archaeology, News of Yesteryear, Tom 'Tank' Baird|

Surface Collecting in the Montoursville
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Surface Collecting in the Montoursville

Archaeology Finds: Miscellaneous Points, Adze, Etc. The shared artifacts were found locally by Hunter Duffield. Hunter has been surface collecting in the Montoursville area and Dick Snyder called me and asked that I give him a hand. So let's look at the pictures. Picture 1 is a couple of Archaic points the [...]

2020-12-03T12:01:47-05:00By Tank Baird|Archaeology, News of Yesteryear, Tom 'Tank' Baird|

Market Square: Postcards of Yesteryear
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Market Square: Postcards of Yesteryear

This postcard gallery is from the collection of Richard and Miriam Mix, authors of "A Bicentennial Postcard History of Williamsport." "A Bicentennial Postcard History of Williamsport" is available as a paperback book from Otto's Bookstore in downtown Williamsport.

2016-11-29T12:24:43-05:00By Robin Van Auken|News of Yesteryear, Postcards|

Lycoming College: Postcards of Yesteryear
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Lycoming College: Postcards of Yesteryear

This postcard gallery of Dickinson Seminary / Lycoming College is from the collection of Richard and Miriam Mix, authors of “A Bicentennial Postcard History of Williamsport.” “A Bicentennial Postcard History of Williamsport” is available as a paperback book from Otto’s Bookstore in downtown Williamsport.

2016-11-29T12:24:48-05:00By Robin Van Auken|News of Yesteryear, Postcards|

Houses of Worship: Postcards of Yesteryear

This postcard gallery is from the collection of Richard and Miriam Mix, authors of “A Bicentennial Postcard History of Williamsport.” “A Bicentennial Postcard History of Williamsport” is available as a paperback book from Otto’s Bookstore in downtown Williamsport.

2018-07-14T16:51:37-05:00By Robin Van Auken|News of Yesteryear, Postcards|

Lumber Boom: Postcards of Yesteryear
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Lumber Boom: Postcards of Yesteryear

This postcard is from the collection of Richard and Miriam Mix, authors of "A Bicentennial Postcard History of Williamsport." "A Bicentennial Postcard History of Williamsport" is available as a paperback book from Otto's Bookstore in downtown Williamsport.

2018-07-14T16:54:57-05:00By Robin Van Auken|News of Yesteryear, Postcards|

I’m a Grit Salesman – Read the First Issue for Free!

Grit’s Happy Ambassadors: Its 30,000 Boy Salesmen February 1962 “Here’s your copy of Grit, Mrs. Jones.” Every week similar welcomed words are echoed hundreds of thousands of times from coast to coast by an army of eager, bright-faced boys. They are the happy ambassadors for America’s Greatest Family Newspaper. Actually, Grit’s distribution through the Little [...]

2018-07-14T17:20:34-05:00By Robin Van Auken|News of Yesteryear, Sunday Grit|

Water Tower Square Once Home to C. A. Reed Paper Products
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Water Tower Square Once Home to C. A. Reed Paper Products

One of the most thriving commercial office and warehousing locations in the Williamsport area is the Water Tower Square at 1000 Commerce Drive, near the foot of Chestnut Street in Williamsport. It occupies the site of the former C.A. Reed Paper Products Company. C.A. Reed Paper Products Company was a flourishing part of Williamsport’s [...]

2017-06-12T16:34:17-05:00By Lou Hunsinger Jr.|Lou Hunsinger Jr., News of Yesteryear|

Andrew Boyd Cummings: Donor of Brandon Park
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Andrew Boyd Cummings: Donor of Brandon Park

'A Noble and Generous Act' For many years thousands of people in the area have enjoyed the peace and beauty of Brandon Park. One man made this possible. A man whose name is now virtually forgotten—Andrew Boyd Cummings. Cummings was born in Williamsport in 1807, the last son of James [...]

2018-07-14T17:31:48-05:00By Lou Hunsinger Jr.|Lou Hunsinger Jr., News of Yesteryear|

Lycoming Remembers Muncy Abolition Riot
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Lycoming Remembers Muncy Abolition Riot

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 [...]

2018-07-14T17:50:58-05:00By Lou Hunsinger Jr.|Lou Hunsinger Jr., News of Yesteryear|

Mighty Susquehanna
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Mighty Susquehanna

The Susquehanna is a shallow river that flows about 440 miles, from Cooperstown to the Chesapeake Bay. Nearly 200 years ago, canals were used to transport goods and people instead of the river. Canal boats would use the river where it was deeper, or where dams had raised the water level. The Susquehanna, stretching approximately [...]

2020-09-19T17:21:08-05:00By Robin Van Auken|History, News of Yesteryear, Robin Van Auken|

Revolutionary War Traitor?
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Revolutionary War Traitor?

Fort Muncy The Revolutionary War era was a bloody and trying one for the early settlers of Lycoming County. One of the most important men of this period was Samuel Wallis, regarded as a hero by many, but also an anti-hero. Wallis was one of early Lycoming County’s largest landholder, owning thousands [...]

2018-07-15T15:02:06-05:00By Lou Hunsinger Jr.|Lou Hunsinger Jr., News of Yesteryear|

Gov. William Packer

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 [...]

2018-07-15T12:04:09-05:00By Lou Hunsinger Jr.|Lou Hunsinger Jr., News of Yesteryear|

Tunnison Coryell
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Tunnison Coryell

The life of Tunnison Coryell, one of Lycoming County's and Williamsport's most notable men of accomplishment and finance in the 19th century, spans the period of Williamsport evolving from a sleepy frontier village to a city of diverse great industries. John F. Meginness writes in his "History of Lycoming County," "Tunnison Coryell was closely associated [...]

2016-11-29T12:24:52-05:00By Lou Hunsinger Jr.|Lou Hunsinger Jr., 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.

2018-07-15T12:01:50-05:00By Lou Hunsinger Jr.|Lou Hunsinger Jr., News of Yesteryear|

Daniel Repasz
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Daniel Repasz

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 [...]

2018-08-05T18:44:30-05:00By Lou Hunsinger Jr.|Lou Hunsinger Jr., News of Yesteryear|

Sum of Its Parts
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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.

2018-08-05T18:42:29-05:00By Lou Hunsinger Jr.|Lou Hunsinger Jr., News of Yesteryear|