At the age of 18, William Edward Charles of Snyder County, near Port Trevorton, was hired to tend four mules towing two canal boats from Port Trevorton to New York City and back in 1888. His diary entries in June and July provide insightful content on canal life as seen through his eyes.
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The Grit newspaper's history began nearly 145 years ago, in 1882, in Williamsport, Pennsylvania. One of the young printers involved in its early days was Dietrick Lamade, a German immigrant who later took over the struggling publication with partners and helped transform it into an independent Sunday paper. In time, Grit became known for bringing the “good news” of rural America into homes across the country.
Fannie Heddens spent nearly her entire life in the hotel business. Friends and family gathered in Montour County in 1906 to celebrate her eightieth birthday as she recalled her life in Washingtonville. We also share an anecdotal story of three Bloomsburg girls and their efforts to prepare a live chicken for dinner.
Now and Then "Devoted to Local History, Amusement, Instruction and Advancement of the Borough and the Valley of Muncy, Penna." was a privately printed magazine published at irregular intervals between the years 1868 and 1878. Its publisher was Jeremiah Meitzler Mohr Gernerd, who started a music and variety store in Muncy, Pennsylvania, which he continued until 1872. His magazine was devoted to preserving local history in the Muncy area of Lycoming County. The following story from 1888, talks about the arrival of the North American Circus of Spalding and Rogers in September of 1849. It caused a great deal of excitement, and also provided what Gernerd called a “humbug.”
