Lycoming Hangings a Spectator’s Event

Executions weren't always such a subject of controversy. Individual counties handled the grim task themselves in many cases. Lycoming County was no exception to this but, surprisingly, the first hanging conducted under the auspices of the county judiciary did not occur until 1836 some 41 years after the county was organized in 1795.

2025-07-08T15:00:25-04:00By |Lou Hunsinger Jr.|

Friends for Freedom in Pennsdale-Muncy

It is no accident that one of the main centers of the Underground Railroad in Lycoming County was the Pennsdale-Muncy area. This was an area in which many members of the Society of Friends or “Quakers” lived. In fact there was, and still is, a Quaker Meeting House there. Members of the Society of Friends

2025-07-08T15:00:56-04:00By |Lou Hunsinger Jr.|

John D. Musser: A Muncy Civil War Hero

The Grand Army of the Republic was an organization of Civil War veterans located in towns and cities throughout the Northern States of the Union. It was the Civil War equivalent of the American Legion or Veterans of Foreign Wars.Muncy had the second largest G.A.R. Post in Lycoming County. These posts were named for various

2025-07-08T15:01:02-04:00By |Lou Hunsinger Jr.|

Early railroads in Lycoming County

The arrival of the railroads in Lycoming County came fairly early but it was somewhat tentative.The first railroad in the Williamsport area was the Williamsport and Elmira Railroad, which was incorporated by the Pennsylvania legislature on June 9, 1832. But it would not be until 1839 that the railroad was fully operational.According to an article

2025-07-08T14:54:56-04:00By |Lou Hunsinger Jr.|

When Johnny Went Marching to War

Civil War Soldiers' Monument in Muncy Cemetery. Lycoming County, like other areas across the North, answered President Abraham Lincoln’s call for 75,000 troops to put down the rebellion by the Confederate states with great patriotic fervor. Within 12 days of the Confederates firing on Fort Sumter, Lycoming County mustered three companies consisting

2025-07-08T15:01:24-04:00By |Lou Hunsinger Jr.|

A Renovo Mystery

The following is a reprint from Grit: America’s Greatest Family Newspaper A Renovo Mystery Dec. 15, 1882 A newsboy delivers Grit to a rural customer. RENOVO -- Patrick Shelly, a well-known citizen who held the positions of the town council, high constable, and tax collector, was found dead along the water's edge of

2021-03-11T11:45:03-05:00By |Robin Van Auken|

Charles A. Rubright

There were numerous Lycoming County soldiers held prisoner by the Confederates during the course of the Civil War. Charles A. Rubright is one of the most notable examples. Rubright was born in Prussia on May 14, 1842. He and his family moved to America in 1845, settling in Jarrettsville, Maryland. Rubright's father died in

2025-07-08T15:01:44-04:00By |Lou Hunsinger Jr.|

James H. Perkins: Father of the Susquehanna Boom

One of the most important men of vision and entrepreneurial skill that helped to develop Williamsport and Lycoming County into a major center of commerce was Major James H. Perkins. His foresight and boldness helped to make Williamsport the “Lumber Capital of the World” in the mid- and late-nineteenth century.Perkins was born at South Market,

2025-07-08T15:01:49-04:00By |Lou Hunsinger Jr.|

Presidential visits to Williamsport

Williamsport has always been the most important crossroads community of Northcentral Pennsylvania. This strategic position has yielded many visits by important and distinguished personages, among these several U.S. presidents, vice presidents, and presidential candidates. Before he became president, the only native Pennsylvania president, James Buchanan is said to have visited Williamsport on several occasions.

2025-07-08T15:01:56-04:00By |Lou Hunsinger Jr.|

D. Vincent Smith

From the 1890s to the early 1950s, D. Vincent Smith was a familiar sight throughout Northcentral Pennsylvania with his box camera and heavy-duty bicycle, wearing his knickers, sneakers and scoop cap. He left behind a priceless photographic heritage. Smith was born July 24, 1875, in the Nippenose Valley, the son of James W. and

2025-07-08T15:02:02-04:00By |Lou Hunsinger Jr.|

The ‘Great Cyclone’ of 1892

This area has had more than its share of significant weather events, the most notable being the various floods that have plagued the valley during the years. But there have been other types of weather events that have been memorable such as severe windstorms. A recent horrific storm was the “Tornado of 1985,” which

2025-07-08T15:02:14-04:00By |Lou Hunsinger Jr.|
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