USA > Pennsylvania > Lycoming County > Picture of Lycoming County, Vol. 2 > Part 17
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The home was closed in 1973, when it failed to meet state standards for nursing homes. In 1975, the home was de- molished and a low-income housing project for the elderly was constructed on the same site and named in honor of Mary Slaughter, who died in 1934.
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QUESTIONS BLACK HISTORY IN LYCOMING COUNTY
The Underground Railroad and the Civil War
1. Explain why slavery did not become widespread in Ly- coming County.
2. How did Pennsylvania's Act of 1780 affect the county?
3. What sites in the county were part of the Underground Railroad route?
4. What part did blacks from the county play in the Civil War?
The Vote -- A Step Toward Equality
5. Why did many county residents welcome the 1938 amend- ment to the Pennsylvania Constitution?
6. What were some of the words of advice given by Freder- ick Douglass to Williamsporters in 1867?
7. Why was Williamsport's 1889 weekly, The Informant, important to blacks?
Blacks and Formal Education
8. Identify Wilson Finley, Sarah Hepburn, and Lila Fisher. Housing
9. What complaints did blacks make to the Housing Author- ity? What were the results of these complaints?
The Black Community
10. How did the Bethune-Douglass Community Center originate? The Sawdust War
11. What part did the Taylor Guard play in the Sawdust War?
12. How might this incident be considered as the beginning of the Pennsylvania National Guard?
Mary Slaughter
13. What contributions did Mary Slaughter make toward social welfare in Williamsport?
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APPENDIX FLOOD FORECASTING NETWORK
C The methods used in flood forecasting today are highly so- phisticated and utilize computers and other technology to compile and analyze data collected from reporting stations along streams and rivers. But the forecasts provided from the River Forecast Center of the National Oceanic and At- mospheric Administration in Harrisburg suffer from the dis- advantage of remoteness. The many variables and ever chang- ing factors involved in flood forecasting make it an onerous task.
Yet in recent years another system has been devised in Ly- coming County for forecasting river and stream levels in the county which complements the government's own methods. This system is the backbone of the Lycoming County Flash Flood Network initiated in the summer of 1977. The first and current Coordinator of the Network is William Bird of Muncy who devised the forecasting methods involved.
The County Flash Flood Network is associated with the County Civil Defense Office in the Courthouse. The whole system can be activated by the Flash Flood Coordinator, the County Civil Defense Director, the head of the County Planning Commission, the Meterorologist at the U. S. Weather Service in Montoursville, or a rainfall or stream guage observer.
Whenever heavy rains, severe snow melt or an ice jam occurs, conditions are such that a warning may be necessary and ra- dio stations and the media notified.
The objective of the Flash Flood Network is "to provide maximum practical lead time warning of eminent flooding to all residents and businesses located in the flood plains of any or all six major streams effecting Lycoming County. " Whenever such a warning is effected, the Flash Flood Co- ordinator is responsible for determining the degree of danger and anticipated stream levels. How is this done?
From the flood forecasting office in the Koppers Co. plant in Muncy, the coordinator collects data by phone on stream conditions, rainfall amounts, snow melt, soil saturation, and temperatures at the major reporting stations in the 5,400 square mile watershed above Williamsport. So as to make calculations concerning the Susquehanna River, the watershed has been divided into five parts. They are (1) the Clearfield/DuBois area with three reporting stations; (2) the Sinnemahoning/Germania area, also with three re- porting stations; (3) the Cedar Run/Wellsboro region with three major stations; (4) the Williamsport area with the airport as the major station; and (5) the Eagles Mere to Muncy area with seven major stations. Areas 3, 4 and 5 have a total of sixty reporting stations including the
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eleven major ones. The use of a larger number of reporting stations offers greater accuracy in flood forecasting.
During the years he has been engaged in flood forecasting, Mr. Bird has demonstrated the reliability of a forecasting formula first developed by his father. The formula is ap- plicable to river depths from Williamsport to Muncy. It states that "one inch of rain falling in less than 24 hours in the watershed and on saturated, frozen or dried hard ground produces five feet of runoff ... " (i.e. a rise in the river level of five feet from Williamsport to Muncy ). Run- off is the crucial factor in this formula.
Within thirty minutes of receiving data from the watershed above Muncy, it is possible to predict the amount of run- off to expect. Thus one inch of rain in 24 hours over the entire watershed above Muncy will create five feet of run- off and a subsequent rise of five feet in the river at Williamsport and Muncy if the above soil conditions prevail.
This formula, however, is for conditions which rarely occur. Instead, lulls in rainfall, changes in temperature, altera- tions between rain and snow and other weather variations can occur. When caluclating the data in each of the report- ing areas, these varying conditions must be factored in.
A further modification to the above formula is necessary due to the four federal and two state dams in the West Branch watershed. The dams hold back about fifteen percent of the runoff from areas 1 and 2 where they are located. Hence fifteen percent is subtracted from the runoff figures for the first two areas of the watershed.
When the dams were full during the 1972 Agnes flood, it is estimated that the river stage at Williamsport was lowered by 54 feet thus preventing the water from going over the dikes by two feet. Those two feet proved critical to the safety of Williamsport.
A considerably useful new aid to the efficiency of the Flash Flood Network is the "final index" for streams com- puted by the National Weather Service at Harrisburg. The final index is obtained from mechanical devices which assess the bearing of runoff on the various streams. This data is then fed into a computer to determine the amount of rainfall necessary to cause a stream to overflow.
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The final index is utilized by the County Flash Flood Net- work to help the coordinator determine the probability and degree of flooding along any major stream after he has determined the average amount of rainfall for the watershed in question. "A new final index is available daily for every stream. This greatly enhances the speed and reliability
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of flood forecasts.
It is obvious, then, how scientific flood forecasting has become. In Lycoming County the Flood Forecasting Network is effective not only due to advances in computers and scien- tific forecasting methods, but also due to the many years of trial and error put into perfecting the methods by Mr. Bird.
The Lycoming County Flash Flood Network, first organized in the summer of 1977, is worthy of the emulation of other counties. Finally, forecasters have come to be especially sensitive to heavy rainfalls on Wednesdays and Thursdays, as over the years most major floods have come on Thursday nights. Though it may be pure coincidence, Thursday nights still stir trepidation in the hearts of flood fore- casters.
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QUESTIONS FLOOD FORECASTING NETWORK
1. What is the function of the Lycoming County Flash Flood Network?
2. List the five main areas of the West Branch watershed where reporting stations are located.
3. State the forecasting formula employed to determine flood levels on the river from Williamsport to Muncy.
4. How do the dams in the West Branch watershed affect runoff?
5. Why do Thursday nights frighten flood forecasters?
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APPENDIX D
COUNTY SCHOOL SUPERINTENDENTS
Jesse W. Barrett
1854-1856
Elisha B. Parker
1856-1857
Hugh Castles 1857-1863
John Thomas Reed
1863-1872
T. F. Gahan
1872-1881
Charles S. Riddell
1881-1885
Charles Lose
1885-1891
J. George Becht
1893-1902
G. Bruce Milnor
1902-1922
Sylvester B. Dunlap
1922-1936
Frank H. Painter
1936-1947
Clarence H. McConnel
1947-1962
Ralph C. Smith
1962-1971
EXECUTIVE DIRECTORS OF INTERMEDIATE UNIT 17 (BLAST)
Carl Driscoll
1971-1978
Dr. Robert M. Mitstifer 1978-
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BIBLIOGRAPHY
Books and Monographs
History of Lycoming County, Pa., Illustrated. Philadelphia, Pa .: J. B. Lippencott & Co. 1873.
Lloyd, Col. Thomas W. History of Lycoming County. Topeka and Indianapolis: Historical Publishing Co. 1929
Meginness, J. F. History of Lycoming County, Pa. Chicago: Runk and Company. 1892.
Meginness, J. F. Lycoming County, It's Reorganization and Con- densed History for 100 Years, 1795-1895. Williamsport, Pa .: Gazette and Bulletin Printing House. 1895.
Nichols, Beach. Atlas and History of Lycoming County, Pa. from Actual Surveys. Philadelphia: Pomeroy, Co. 1873 and 1876
Palmer, Timothy. Susquehanna Waterway: The West Branch in Lycoming County. Williamsport, Pa. : Lycoming County Planning Commission. June, 1975.
Pennsylvania Department of Community Affairs. A Guide to Pennsyl- vania Local Government, 2nd edition. Harrisburg, 1975.
The Story of the Keystone Shortway. Williamsport, Pa .: Keystone Shortway Association. 1970.
Turnbaugh, W. Man, Land and Time. Evansville: Unigraphic, Inc., 1975.
Updegraff, Abraham. Sketch of the Life of the Late Thomas Upde- graff. Williamsport, Pa .: Banner Book and Job Printing House, 1881.
Wallace, P.A. W. Indians in Pennsylvania. Harrisburg: The Pennsyl- vania Historical and Museum Commission. 1961.
Witthoft, J. Indian Prehistory in Pennsylvania. Harrisburg: The Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission. 1965.
Witthoft, J. and Kinsey, W. Fred III, eds. Susquehanna Miscellany Harrisburg: The Pennsylvania Historical & Museum Commission, 1959.
Journals
Bertin, Eugene P. "The Muncy Valley Medical Society and the Muncy Valley Hospital." Now and Then, XVIII (January, 1975). 57-64
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Journals (continued)
Landis, Milton W. "Covered Bridges in Lycoming County." Now and Then, XV (January, 1966). 76-81
Lester, Ralph. "Freedom Road". Journal of the Lycoming County Historical Society. (June, 1959).
Periodicals
Nation's Business. "Williamsport Plan". March, 1940.
Pennsylvania Game Commission. Pennsylvania Game News. April, May, 1940; July, 1955; May, November, 1976.
Salisbury, Ruth. Pennsylvania Newspapers: A Bibliography and Union List. Pittsburgh: Pennsylvania Library Association, 1969.
Newspapers
Citizen Press, Williamsport, Pa.
The Democrat. James V. Brown Library files. Williamsport, Pa.
Gazette and Bulletin. James V. Brown Library files. Williamsport, Pa.
Grit. James V. Brown Library files. Williamsport, Pa.
Lycoming Gazette. James V. Brown Library files. Williamsport, Pa.
Muncy Luminary. James V. Brown Library files. Williamsport, Pa. Philadelphia Inquirer. Philadelphia, Pa.
Sun. James V. Brown Library files. Williamsport, Pa.
Sun-Gazette. James V. Brown Library files. Williamsport, Pa.
West Branch Bulletin. James V. Brown Library files. Williamsport, Pa.
Government Documents
"Central Lycoming Area Regional Planning Commission Comparative Data for 1960". James V. Brown Library files, Williamsport, Pa.
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Government Documents (continued)
Central Lycoming Area Regional Planning Commission. Report on the Comprehensive Plan. Lycoming County, Pa. June, 1961.
Lycoming County Planning Commission. Economics Study Update. June, 1975.
Lycoming County Planning Commission. Lycoming County Historical Preservation Plan. September, 1974.
Pennsylvania Department of Commerce, Bureau of Statistics, Re- search and Planning. Pennsylvania Statistical Abstracts. 1974, 1976.
Pennsylvania Department of Internal Affairs Bulletin. July, 1936; August, 1952.
Stichel1, James E. Housing: Policies, Plans and Proposals. Wil- liamsport: Lycoming County Planning Commission, October, 1973.
U. S. Bureau of Census. Department of Agriculture Reports, 1940- 1974.
U. S. Bureau of Census. Department of Commerce Bulletin, 1940-1970; 1975.
Unpublished Theses and Pamphlets
Blakesley, Alfred M. West Branch Front. Williamsport, Pa. : West Branch Manufacturers' Association, 1945.
Bressler, J. and Turnbaugh, W. Indians in Lycoming County, pam- phlet. Lycoming County Historical Society.
Community Trade Association Clippings. Williamsport Plan, pamphlet. January, 1940.
Dugan, Jeffrey W. "The Bands of Williamsport, Pa." Unpublished Master's thesis, Pennsylvania State University, 1975.
Gallagher, James and Lechtman, James. Williamsport's YWCA, Williamsport YWCA files. April 4, 1975.
Hall, C. B. TNT, Employees Handbook Pennsylvania Ordnance Works. Williamsport, Pa .: U. S. Rubber Company. July 1, 1943.
Pierce, Edward Larue, "Lycoming County in the Civil War". Unpub- lished Ph.D. thesis, Pennsylvania State College, June, 1934.
Price, Edward, Jr. "Let the Law Be Just: The Quest for Racial E- quality in Pennsylvania, 1780-1915", Unpublished Ph. D. thesis, Pennsylvania State University, 1973.
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Unpublished Thesis and Pamphlets (continued)
Russell, Mary Landon. "A History of Music of Williamsport, Pa." Unpublished Masters thesis, Pennsylvania State University, 1957.
Files
McMinn, J. H. "Miscellaneous Sketches". James V. Brown Library files. Williamsport, Pa.
Williamsport Area School District. "Minutes" of School Board Meet- ings, April, July 1850.
YWCA. File notes, 1932.
YWCA. Local History of YWCA, 1927.
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ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
Greater Williamsport Community Arts Council, William H. Ealer, President (1976-1978), and members of the board - especially Samuel J. Dornsife, Mrs. Robert J. B. Maples, Treasurer, and Mrs. David B. Stone, Secretary.
Williamsport Area School District, Dr. Oscar W. Knade, Jr., Superintendent; Dr. June E. Baskin, Supervisor of Art, advisor to the project; George C. Deffenbaugh, Supervisor of Social Studies, and Miss Jean T. Heller, Supervisor of English, for editorial and technical assistance; Jan Fitzwater, CETA Visual Literacy team, and Frederick T. Gilmour, Multi-Media Specialist, for photographic assistance; Mrs. Calvin S. Myers, secretary to the Art Department, for typing manuscripts; Ruth Rosenburg- Naparsteck, CETA researcher, for line drawings contained in book; Miss Gladys E. Widemire, photo instructor, Skills Shop, for photographic assistance; the Williamsport Area High School Graphics Arts, James D. Wither, Chairman for printing half-tones; and Thomas Bishop for photo-platemaking; Williamsport Area School District, Charles E. Hughes, offset-lithographer. Williamsport Area High School, James F. Pegg, Chairman, Business Department for providing typing facilities.
Andrew K. Grugan, director of the Lycoming County Historical Society Museum, and staff, for assistance with research materials and photographs.
Mrs. Evelyn Miller, Librarian at Grit Publishing Company, for research assistance.
Grit Publishing Company for use of Agnes flood photographs.
James V. Brown Library Reference Department staff, for research assistance and photographs.
Lycoming County Commissioners, Robert W. Beiter, Paul K. Bloom and Henry F. Frey.
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Wert Bookbinding Grantville, PA JULY-SEPT 1998 W'e re Quality 'Round
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