USA > Pennsylvania > Lycoming County > Picture of Lycoming County, Vol. 2 > Part 13
Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15 | Part 16 | Part 17
OTHER ARTS ORGANIZATIONS
Since about 1940, the artistic value and importance of hand- crafts has come to be widely recognized. This is apparent in the growing interest in such skills and in the increasing incidence of crafts shows. Another indication is the grow- ing membership in arts and crafts organizations.
One of the first such groups in the county was the Sketch Club in Williamsport which organized about 1930 when several people got together to do sketches and paintings and criti- cize each other's work. In 1931 Mr. George Eddinger joined the group as an instructor. He taught the group at a vari- ety of locations, ending up at his studio on Trinity Place. In 1967 Mr. Eddinger gave up classes to move to Florida. The Sketch Club then incorporated as the West Branch Art Guild, continuing to lease the Trinity Place studio from the Pennsylvania Railroad. Mr. Eddinger returned to the area after several years and resumed instructing the group in the basement of Trinity Church where they had moved in 1974.
Another local artists' guild, devoted primarily to hand- crafts such as weaving and pottery, was founded in 1949 through the efforts of Mrs. Marie Winton, a local weaver. This group is the Williamsport Chapter of the Pennsylvania Guild of Craftsmen. The state-wide guild was founded in the early 1940's to advance the cause of the arts and crafts and to provide educational and economic opportun- ities for its members.
In 1946 the Pennsylvania Guild of Craftsmen held the first State Craft Fair at Millersville State College. The Wil- liamsport Chapter, which includes people from all over the northcentral region of Pennsylvania, has sponsored an an- nual Christmas Crafts Bazaar where its members can display and sell their goods; it also sponsors crafts shows at various places in the area, such as the Center City Mall. At the Guild's monthly meetings, presentations and demon- strations of various crafts, as well as workshops in crafts techniques, are part of the agenda.
180
One of the most recently organized and active arts associ- ations in the county is the Bald Eagle Art League. In 1972 a group of individuals founded the League to promote " ... the growth and enjoyment of the visual arts within the area, including but not limited to interests in painting, drawing, sculpture, graphics, and crafts." As its first president, the League elected Horace Hand, a local artist who gained notoriety from his illustrations of county chur- ches which appeared on the cover of the Williamsport Sun- Gazette's Christmas Eve issue for 22 successive years. Mr. Hand died suddenly in 1977, just several days after his twenty-second church illustration appeared on the Sun- Gazette cover.
The Bald Eagle Art League after six years has a membership of about 200 persons from as far away as York, State Col- lege and Hazelton, Pennsylvania. Regular monthly meetings are held September through June when artists and craftsmen demonstrate their skills. Occasionally, color slides are used to illustrate major points. One goal of the League is to support existing arts programs in the area rather than set up competing ones. The League held its first Regional Art Exhibition in 1976. Public service projects of the League have included donating books to the art book collec- tion of the James V. Brown Library and hanging the works of League members in patients' rooms at the Williamsport Hos- pital.
FAMOUS LYCOMING COUNTY ARTISTS AND WRITERS
Williamsport and Lycoming County have contributed their share of artists to the artistic world in the last one hun- dred years, beginning in the 19th century with Severin Roe- sen, one of the world's greatest still life painters, to the present renowned Unityville artist David Armstrong, who specializes in pictorial realism and rustic settings. Though neither of these men was born in Lycoming County, both chose to settle here.
Between Roesen and Armstrong, the most prominent artists of Lycoming County have been the realist painter John Wesley Little (1867-1923), who had his home and studio in Picture Rocks; Williamsport-born George Luks (1867-1933), also a realist, who won fame for his paintings of people, such as one entitled "The Miner," now in the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D. C .; and the painter and illustrator of children's books, Frances Tipton Hunter (1896-1957), who also designed covers for many magazines, including Red Book, Cosmopolitan, and The Saturday Evening Post.
In 1959 the Williamsport Creative Writers Forum was organi- zed, giving the county its only organized writers' group. Eight individuals responded to a Sun-Gazette advertisement
181
placed by Raymond C. Young, with the purpose of establishing such a group for aspiring writers. Today, the group consists of about 40 writers, who meet monthly to write and discuss one another's work. The group also holds an annual luncheon meeting at which guest speakers are invited to offer their views and advice on issues pertaining to writing.
One of the most widely known members of the Williamsport Creative Writers Forum was H. Beam Piper (1904-1964), writer of science fiction books and stories. His work was publish- ed in all the science fiction magazines in the U. S., as well as general interest periodicals, and in anthologies of science fiction in several countries. Born in Altoona, Pa., Mr. Piper settled in Williamsport in 1957. Several of his published stories were set in Lycoming County. Mr Piper was one in a succession of local writers of notoriety. As far back as the 19th century, Mahlon Fisher (1810-1874) wrote and published sonnets. His own publication "The Sonnet, " was the only periodical in the country devoted to this type of poetry.
Williamsport and Lycoming County were also home to the fam- ous writer of books on hunting and fishing, John Alden Knight (1891-1966). As one of the first persons inducted into the Hunting and Fishing Hall of Fame, Mr. Knight wrote more than 12 books and 500 magazine articles, as well as a syndicated weekly newspaper column for hunters and fishermen.
Mr. Knight's most important contribution to the sport of fishing was his development and publication of the Solunar Tables, which indicate at a glance the best hour to go fishing on any particular day of the year. The Tables are based on the effects of the movement and phases of heavenly bodies, especially the moon, upon fish.
After Mr. Knight's death, his son Richard published the tables up to the time of his own death. Richard Knight's wife Jacqueline, who lives near Montoursville, continues to publish the Solunar Tables, and is, in the Knight family tradition, the writer of a syndicated column of fishing, hunting and conservation. She is probably best known for her cookbooks, which include a "Cook's Fish Guide" and the "Hunter's Game Cookbook."
Political writer and humorist James C. Humes is a native of Williamsport; he served as its representative in the Penn- sylvania General Assembly from 1962 to 1964. In 1969 he became a speech writer for President Richard M. Nixon, and later for President Gerald R. Ford. Mr Humes authored a history of Williamsport for its sesquecentennial in 1966, entitled "Sweet Dreams." His most recent book is "How to Get Invited to the White House ( and over One Hundred
182
Impressive Gambits, Foxy Face-Savers and Clever Maneuvers )."
FILM-MAKING IN LYCOMING COUNTY
Lycoming County has never been the setting of a major motion picture. During World War II, however, Williamsport native Hugh MacMullen directed the filming of a Navy training film here. The film was entitled "Combat Fatigue: Irritability Syndrome," and dealt with the psychiatric problems of men in combat. Gene Kelley starred in the film, and in one scene, was thrown out of the Old Corner Hotel at Willow and Court streets for striking the bartender. Unaware that this was only a staged incident, some people spread the rumor that the actor had actually taken part in a barroom brawl.
After a career in teaching, film-making and directing in California, Mr. MacMullen returned to Williamsport and was the first chairman of the English department at the William- sport Area Community College. Mr. MacMullen has made several documentary films in the Williamsport area, includ- ing one for the Lycoming County Crippled Children's Associ- ation, entitled "Report to the Charitable"; it won the Hark- ness Award for the best public service film in 1959. Mr. MacMullen also made a film about the first Williamsport Festival of the Arts.
The "arts" cover a wide spectrum of creative skills and activities, from violin playing to film-making to cooking. Lycoming County, despite its justified reputation as a sportsman's paradise, is also a place where in the past and present, the arts prosper, owing to the concern, dedication and talent of local natives and residents. Though several renowned artistic personalities have chosen Lycoming County as their place of residence, the flow of talent has not occurred on a one-way street.
Many county natives -- products of its schools -- have made significant contributions to the artistic life of the nation and world. And on a smaller scale, the amateur and semi- professional artists of Lycoming County are the mainstay of its continuing cultural vitality. For a region of some distance from large metropolitan areas, Lycoming County is blessed with many cultural advantages -- much of it home- grown.
183
QUESTIONS CHAPTER 13
1. List composers from the county and the type of music for each.
2. List the various concert bands that have been important in the county. Name persons associated with some of these.
3. What dance bands have been outstanding?
4. List some of the classical performing groups.
5. Identify choral music groups of the county.
6. Who was the "Singing Mayor" ?
7. What organizations have promoted music in the county?
8. What have been some of the landmarks in music history?
9. Name theatrical groups or persons producing dramatic arts.
10. Describe the work of the Williamsport Recreation Com- mission toward the arts.
11. What other organizations and persons have promoted the arts?
12. List the county's painters.
13. List writers.
184
Chapter 14
OUR COUNTY'S LANDMARKS -- HISTORY IN WOOD AND STONE
Williamsport and Lycoming County are well endowed with splendid historical and architectural landmarks which serve to remind us of our cultural past -- a past that is richer and more varied than many counties can boast and than many residents of the county realize.
The so called "Millionaires Row" on Fourth Street in Wil- liamsport is a legacy of the days when lumber and its wealth brought forth an architectural oasis in the midst of the mountains of central Pennsylvania. Numerous churches stand as witnesses to the county's religious past -- the Quaker Meeting House at Pennsdale, Christ and Trinity Epis- copal Churches in Williamsport, and the First Presbyterian Church in Jersey Shore are among many examples. The muni- cipal buildings of the past were designed not only to serve practical needs but also to provide a chance for architects and the community to create something of lasting artistic value and dignity. The Williamsport City Hall on Pine Street and the former Post Office, soon to become the City Hall, are examples of municipal buildings designed to symbolize the functions they served. But apart from the houses, churches and buildings which belong to the county's past, there are three covered bridges and even the site of an old tree to remind county residents of their heritage.
THE LYCOMING COUNTY COURTHOUSE
Since 1804, anyone who has spoken of the Lycoming County Courthouse has meant one of three different buildings which has occupied the same site over the years. The pre- sent glass and brick structure is the third in a series of county courthouses. Each of the courthouses has been sig- nificantly different from the previous ones in architectural style. The present Courthouse, with its modern functional design is in striking contrast to its predecessor, a tower- ed Victorian edifice of great dignity and strength.
Though the "new Courthouse" (as it is still referred to by many local residents) was opened in 1971, stirrings for its construction were heard as far back as the 1930's. About 1940, the county commissioners appointed a five-member Ly- coming County Authority to arrange financing for a new Courthouse. However, World War II brought a halt to the movement which never got off the ground again until the 1960's. Different sets of plans for a new Courthouse were drawn up in 1948 and at various times in the 1950's; none was accepted.
While the stalling and hesitating went on, the old Court- house was iñadequately maintained so that considerable de- terioration resulted. The delapidated condition of the
185
building later added weight to the argument that renovation of the old Courthouse would prove too costly. Then by the 1960's the growth of county government had produced a cri- tical shortage of office space; something had to be done. Possible actions included renovating the existing Courthouse and acquiring additional space in adjacent buildings; reno- vating and enlarging the Courthouse; or replacing the Court- house with a completely new building.
In July, 1966, the county commissioners retained architect- ural consultants from New York City to study the above op- tions. Eleven months later in June, 1967, the Lycoming County Authority endorsed the recommendation of the consult- ing firm to build a new courthouse. In August, 1967, the county commissioners also agreed to the recommendation, and the Williamsport architectural firm of Wagner and Hart- man Associates was engaged to design the new building. A $3,500,000 bond issue was floated by the county to finance the construction, and the old Courthouse was abandonded. The old building finally succumbed to the demolition team in May, 1969, over 30 years after the idea of a new Court- house was first raised.
For many county residents the demise of the old Courthouse was a sad event, which even got coverage in a New York Times article by Ada Louise Huxtable, the Times architect- ural critic.
The demolition of the old Courthouse marked the severing of a visible link with the past. Such links are valuable sources of stability and serve more than mere sentimentality in an age fraught with change and upheaval. To others, the old Courthouse, while not an architectural masterpiece, nevertheless represented a classic specimen of mid-19th century American architecture. It possessed a quiet beauty which invited the eye to examine its hidden qualities more closely.
The Victorian design was the work of Philadelphian, Samuel Sloan, most celebrated of America's mid-19th century archi- tects. The building was 100 years old in 1960. When plans for replacing the old Courthouse were in the works, citizens' groups, including the Williamsport Community Arts Council, petitioned the Lycoming County Authority to retain the old Courthouse as a landmark. All efforts to save the Court- house eventually failed and the building's end was assured.
The conflict between progress and preservation is always difficult to resolve. Both concerns may appear equally valid to the disinterested bystander. Those espousing practical considerations in the Courthouse issue prevailed over those espousing aesthetic and historical considerations. The result was the construction of a not unpleasant edifice,
186
*
--
Former Lycoming County Courthouse
111
Former Williamsport City Hall
Former and present Market Street Bridges
-
Covered bridge at Buttonwood
but one designed primarily to satisfy functional needs. Indeed, the design of the new Courthouse makes fullest possible use of the space available on the site. The five- floor structure provides ample space for all the county offices along with extra rooms for some state governmental bureaus.
THE LYCOMING COUNTY JAIL
Williamsport and Lycoming County are privileged to possess several other fine public buildings whose very stones be- speak the region's past. The very austere, almost fearsome, appearance of the county jail is enough to encourage would- be offenders to respect the law. The rear portion of the jail at Third and William streets in Williamsport dates from 1799, the year of George Washington's death and just four years after Lycoming County was created. The front portion, resembling a European castle, was rebuilt by Ed- ward Havilland of York after a fire in 1868.
The future of the jail is very much in doubt. Public officials are reluctant to employ public funds to renovate or maintain such an old building; private concerns usually are unwilling to risk large amounts of money in restoring such structures for use in commercial purposes -- exceptions to this rule among others are the Squire Hayes Homestead on Lycoming Creek Road which is now a bank, and the large grey stone house designed by Eber Culver at 835 West Fourth Street, Williamsport, which houses a law firm. The county jail has had a long and even legendary history. What ver- dict it finally receives must await the return of the jury called fate.
THE WILLIAMSPORT CITY HALL
Also of uncertain future is the old Williamsport City Hall on Pine Street. Soon to be abandoned by the city government, this late Victorian structure is listed on the Federal Registry of Historic Buildings. The 1966 National Historic Preservation Act prohibits the use of federal funds to raze or destroy any building so listed. This, however, does not prohibit the use of private money for such purposes.
City Hall was the last of numerous architectural works by Eber Culver, the most prolific of Williamsport's 19th century architects. Culver's imprint is stamped throughout the city in buildings such as the former Park Hotel, now the Park Home; the Peter Herdic house at 407 W. Fourth Street; Trinity Episcopal Church tower and the Weightman Block at West Fourth and Campbell streets, to mention a few.
Culver's architectural style was eclectic, much in the manner
189
of other American Victorian architects. Several different styles of design are visible; for example, the old City Hall building on Pine Street includes neo-Gothic and Romanesque features. Eber Culver was brought to Williamsport by lumber magnate Peter Herdic to serve as his personal architect. In the long run, Culver's influence on Williamsport was nearly as great as his auspicious patron who died penniless.
Built in 1893, City Hall is located on a patch of land given the city in the early 1800's by its founder, Michael Ross. The plot was originally used as a cemetery, though most of the graves had been moved to the Wildwood Cemetery by 1850. In moving the graveyard, many of the bones were placed in a wheelbarrow and transferred to Wildwood where they were buried in a single grave. After the graveyard disappeared, the site was variously used as a park and then a rubbish dump, until the city chose it as the site for City Hall.
In February, 1975, two old headstones, along with two grave markers and unmarked slabs were found beneath the City Hall lawn. One of the headstones bore the inscription: "In memory of Amariah Rathmell, who Departed this life on July 14, AD 1838, aged 77 years, four months and 11 days." This would have placed his birth in 1761. It is known that Amariah Rathmell was a pioneer of Loyalsock Township. How his headstone got left under the lawn of City Hall is not altogether clear, but its discovery did remind local re- sidents of a long forgotten period in the county's history.
OTHER IMPORTANT PUBLIC LANDMARKS
The list of important public landmarks must also include the former Williamsport Post Office Building. Like City Hall, the Post Office is listed on the Federal Registry. In 1970, when it was threatened with possible removal for construction of the new Federal Office Building, a campaign to save the Post Office was organized by the Lycoming County Historical Society. Over 6,000 signatures were collected on a petition, and the threat was routed. Today the Post Office is being converted into the Williamsport City Hall. The old Post Office, built in 1888, was designed by W. A. Farret. The building contains many fine interior features, including a grand staircase.
Yet another county landmark of similar importance is the James V. Brown Library building which was built in 1904 of local marble. This imposing white structure was the work of Philadelphia architect, Edgar V. Seeler. The French Renaissance style is Classical in character and adds an aura of learning and wisdom to the library's atmosphere.
190
5
Pennsdale Meeting House
Park Home
THREE COVERED BRIDGES
Though they may predominate, buildings are not the only structures of architectural or historical value in the county. The county still claims three covered bridges which point to the charms of a former though difficult era. Larry's Creek, Blockhouse Creek and Little Muncy Creek each are spanned by one of these picturesque flashbacks to rural 19th century Lycoming County.
The oldest of them is the Larry's Creek bridge near White Pine. Ninety-two feet long, it was built in 1877, after a petition was sent to the county commissioners requesting that such a bridge be provided. The farmers, lumberworkers and other inhabitants of the region believed that a bridge would greatly ease the transportation of goods across that busy section of Larry's Creek.
Similar circumstances played a part in bridges being built at Buttonwood and Lairdsville. The Buttonwood bridge is 69 feet long. According to one source it was erected in 1878 or 1879. The longest of the remaining covered bridges is near Lairdsville. It is 98 feet long and was erected in 1898. All three covered bridges are in useable condition and are under the care and protection of the county com- missioners. Their rustic beauty is a definite historical asset to the county and well worth preserving.
THE MARKET STREET BRIDGE
Another bridge has figured significantly in the region's history -- the Market Street bridge. Prior to 1849, the river crossing at Market Street consisted of flatboats. In 1849, the first bridge opened there and was a wooden covered bridge of spring arch construction. A toll was charged to help maintain the structure, which was owned by a private company .
The fate of several Market Street bridges was presaged when the first one was washed away in the St. Patrick's Day Flood of 1865. A wire suspension bridge was built as a re- placement; it opened December 1, 1865. This bridge was dismantled in 1886 and replaced by a new iron bridge, later a victim of the 1889 flood. After the 1889 flood the iron bridge was replaced in 1890 by an iron bridge erected atop the piers of the unfortunate former bridge.
Until 1891 the Market Street bridge was operated by the Williamsport Bridge Company which charged a toll in order to turn a profit. Then in that year the county commissioners purchased the bridge and the toll was removed. In 1894, the third Market Street bridge to be claimed by flood waters was washed away. Once again the intrepid bridge builders
194
erected a replacement -- this time a two-lane, five-span truss type bridge. Finally, a bridge of sufficient strength and durability had been constructed on that spot, as the new bridge stood the test of time for 57 years, eventually to die of natural causes in 1951.
Many county residents still fondly recall this interesting bridge with a slight crook in its middle. But though two lanes were the newest thing in 1894, by the 1940's the traf- fic congestion got to be too much for the old bridge to handle. The present four-lane deck plate girder bridge was built as a replacement in 1950. In 1951, the old Market Street bridge was disassembled and for the most part $ forgotten.
THE PLAN FOR HISTORIC PRESERVATION
In 1977, the Planning Commission of Lycoming County adopted a Comprehensive Plan for future development which includes a section on historic preservation. Nearly 350 buildings, sites and landmarks are listed in the Historic Preservation report. Any site so listed is deemed of sufficient his- toric value that utilities and public authorities are re- quired to notify the Planning Commission before tampering with them. All the above mentioned structures -- except the Market Street bridge -- are listed on the report.
The only landmark listed on the report which does not even exist within the boundries of Lycoming County is the Tia- daghton Elm. Unfortunately, this long revered symbol of American independence expired after an onslought of Dutch Elm disease in 1974.
Famous as the site where the Fair Play Men signed their own Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776, the Jersey Shore Rotary Club has for many years sponsored a July Fourth ceremony there. The stately old elm, said to have been 500 years old at its death, was actually located in Clinton County at the mouth of Pine Creek. An old story, however, suggests that the roots of the tree stretch- ed into Lycoming County. In 1976, a Bicentennial impression of the tree was placed on the stamp of the first-class en- velope sold by the U. S. Postal Service. At the site of the tree, a stone monument was erected after the tree was removed in 1975.
Need help finding more records? Try our genealogical records directory which has more than 1 million sources to help you more easily locate the available records.