An earlier Susquehanna Footprints post entitled Early Transportation on The North Branch of the Susquehanna River, noted that from 1762 to 1825, most of the conveyance of goods or persons was carried on the Susquehanna River (as well as the Juniata). There were few roads, and the trails along the river and through the wilderness were paths. Those waterways were crucial to the development of Pennsylvania's interior.
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On August 1, 1756, Fort Granville, located near the present site of Lewistown, Mifflin County, was attacked by a hostile force of fifty French and a hundred Indians. Those inside the Fort surrendered, the structure was burned, and survivors were forced to march to Kittanning.
The Pittsburgh Dispatch newspaper of July 13th, 1857, carried Samuel Askey’s obituary entitled “Death of a Mighty Hunter.” "The life of Mr. Askey as a pioneer and hunter will compare with that of Daniel Boone or David Crocket. Many of the most thrilling adventures with and hair-breadth escapes from the wild denizens of the forest have been heard from his own lips by the writer.
Imagine pulling thousands of shad from the Susquehanna River from fisheries, including a number between Berwick and Northumberland. In 1881, Two men shared their recollections of the early days when the shad made their annual runs on the Susquehanna.
An old country preacher from north central Pennsylvania needed to cling to the promises found in the Bible, especially since his faithful horse received the same monthly pension that he did.
In January of 1948, Hiram Cranmer of Hammersley Fork, Clinton County, sat down with a newspaper reporter from the Lock Haven Express, to share stories of his life in the lumber regions of northern Pennsylvania in the early 1900's. Here is one of those stories.
Born in Bellefonte, Centre County, Pennsylvania in 1889, Anna Wagner Keichline became the first woman architect named to the state registry in Pennsylvania. Keichline was the youngest of four children. She was the owner of seven patents. Keichline was also involved in World War I efforts, serving as a "special agent with military intelligence."
James Cameron had already experienced a full life and retired to his farm in Northumberland County, Pennsylvania when he was urged to take command of a regiment of New York Highlanders in the Civil War. Historians report Colonel Cameron was the first soldier from Northumberland County to lose his life in the war. He was also the first officer of his rank in the Union Army and the first officer from Pennsylvania to fall in battle.
William McKnight was one of the first settlers to apply for land in Northumberland County when the land office opened on April 13th, 1769. He was chosen as a member of the Committee of Safety for the county at the outbreak of the Revolutionary War in 1776. However, both he and his wife died at the hands of Indians near Fort Freeland a few years later.
There are thousands and thousands of names associated with counties, towns, villages, and townships across Pennsylvania. They are all named for someone or something. What began as a hobby resulted in a book for a professor at Pennsylvania State College (Penn State University) in 1925. I've included a few of those origins in this post. Possibly it will inspire readers to investigate what's in a name in their communities.
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