‘Musical prodigy’ pianist Blind Tom’s 1871 Visit to Williamsport
It was on Nov. 2, 1871, that a unique individual came to Williamsport to play piano at the Academy of Music that was once located at the corner of Pine and Fourth Street (near where Otto Bookstore is today). The 22 year-old musician was described by the West Branch Bulletin as “the greatest musical prodigy…
When Harry Houdini came to Williamsport
WILLIAMSPORT – It has been 95 years since famed magician and escape artist Harry Houdini died in 1926 on Halloween day. A couple of years before his death Houdini came to Williamsport. At the time of his death, at age 52, Houdini had been touring the country in an effort to debunk many mediums and…
1894 trolley car returns to Jersey Shore after more than 90 years
JERSEY SHORE – A long forgotten transportation relic is returning to its home in Jersey Shore after the better part of a century. According to Tina Cooney, president of the Jersey Shore Historical Society, it was Skip Cochran of River Valley Transit, who approached her in April during a Historical Organizations of Lycoming County (HOLC)…
Touching history: Jersey Shore’s historic grain bin dates back to the American Revolution
JERSEY SHORE – Resting in the back of the Jersey Shore Historical Society is a large wooden box that looks like it could fit a human body. “We get kids asking us if there is a body in there,” Tina Cooney, president of the Jersey Shore Historical Society, said with a laugh. “Men will look…
The Trout Run Fire of 1940 threatened to ‘wipe out’ community
It was Valentine’s Day in 1940 and the small village of Trout Run, 15 miles north of Williamsport, was ablaze. With over 300 residents, the small burg had no fire trucks or equipment stationed within 10 miles. To make matters worse, the fire “swept (through) the center of this old-time lumbering town during a snowstorm,”…
Remember the fallen: Williamsport’s Civil War monument to Union soldiers and sailors
WILLIAMSPORT – Atop the pedestal in front of the old City Hall building on Pine Street is a lone figure dressed in the uniform of a northern soldier. He holds a bugle to his lips to honor those who answered the call from President Abraham Lincoln. It was a call for men to hold a…