Gristmills Were a Lifeline For a Farming Commumity
During the nineteenth century, gristmills dotted the streams of the Susquehanna Valley. They transformed the harvest into food—but also helped transform scattered farms into communities.
Read MoreThe “Great Conflagration” Destroyed a Large Section of Williamsport on August 20, 1871
Fire that began in a stable in the city of Williamsport on the night of August 20, 1871, destroyed 45 buildings, near East Third and Mulberry streets, then one of Williamsport’s principal residential and business districts. Among the buildings destroyed was the Russell Inn, a log cabin building as seen in the photo.
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When The Troops and Nurses Came Home
For a few remarkable days during the summer of 1919, the towns of the Middle Susquehanna Valley stopped everything else. They gathered beneath the flags, listened for the approaching bands, and welcomed their sons and daughters home from World War I.
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Early Pioneer Farming in Northern Pennsylvania
Early settlers in northern Pennsylvania used clumsy axes and hoes to clear land and prepare the soil for farming. Thrashing was done with a flail or trampled by oxen or horses. Men usually worked at lumbering, clearing land, building fences, and raising field crops, while women and children tended livestock, made dairy products, and preserved food.
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