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Journal of the Lycoming County Historical Society, Fall 1972

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Journal of the Lycoming County Historical Society, Fall 1972 32 THE JOU RN AL THE16thANNUALINSTITUTE OF PENNSYLVANIA RURAL LIFE AND CULTURE Will be held at the PennsylvaniaFarm Museumnear Lancaster, Pennsylvania, June 20-23, 1972. Institute's general theme, "Rural Life Heritage," will be explored through the following seminars Plant Hunters in Colonial Pennsylvania Farmhouse Architecture Tobacco Culture of Southeastern Pennsylvania PennsylvaniaAntiques - 1972Edition Folksong Traditions of Pennsylvania Folkspeech and Folklife of the Pennsylvania Germans Workshops inuoducing techniques of early American craftsmanship will be offered in Old Fashion Rug Hooking Crewed Embroidery Traditional ]Vlethods of Decorating Redware Traditional Blacksmithing $. THE The Fine Art of Scissor Cutting or ''Scherenschnitte '' Traditional Tinsmithing JOURNAL Contact Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission Institute OFTHE P. 0. Box 1026 Had:isburg, Pennsylvania 17108 Lycoming County Historical Society Sponsoredby: The Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission and VOLUME Vlll SPRING The Landis Valley Associates NUMBER ONE 1972 JOU R NAL MUSEUM S'TAFF of the Direct07 John W. Srrawbridge lll LY-COMING COUNTY HISTORICAL SOCIETY Ad}7i istra+ive Aide Jean Layton PHb[isbed Semi-Ann a]]] in Will amstort, Pe lnsTlvania Exbib s Ai e Anne Gstalder MuseumOffice - 858 West Fourth Street BztiLditzg Castociian Ralph Wiksrrom Telephone (Area Code 717) 326-3326 MUSEUM VOLUNTEER STAFF BOARD OF TRUSTEES Ge tlcato gist Mrs. Donald Carson RALPH R. CRANMER A. F. BEIGHLEY Registration (lo?n?nittee Miss .June Foresman, Chairman WALTER J. HEIM Wn.I.IAM E. NICHOLS, JR., ESQ. Miss Ethel Ertel MICHAEL LAGANA ANDREW K. GRUGAN, Mrs. Frederick Snell CURRENT SOCIETY PRESIDENT Mrs. Fred Foresman F.I.12eArts Progra7r} Cow7nf++ee Dr. June E. Baskin, Chairman BO.ARD OFGOVERNORS SamuelDornsife Roger Shipley ANDREW 1<. GRUGAN, PRESIOENT DR. SAMUEL LONG, 3RO. VICE PRES. Mrs. William Browne, Jr. ED. J. DURRWACHTER/ IST. VICE PRES. MRS. DONALD M. CARSON, SECRETARY C. Robert Schultz DR. LORING B. PRIEST, 2ND. VICE PRES. HAROLD B. TAYLOR, TREASURER Andrew K. Grugan Otera&ion X\wie©m Mrs. John Goodwillie, Coordinator 1970-1972 TERM 1971-1973TERM P7fblicit) and Pz&blicRelations Charles E. Noyes MK D. M. CARSON MRS. JOHN LINDEMUTH Cafatorial Department! MRS.JOHN W. B[TNER MRS, ALLAN YOUNG, JR. Genera! Cara or Andrew K. Gruaan MR. SAMUEL J. DORNSIFE MRS. MARGARET BALDWIN MIDS. NORMAN INGERSOLL Arcbaeolo g] James P. Bressler, Chairman MR. WILLARD A. SCHELL Willard Schell William Turnbaugh EX-OFFICIO BOARD MEMBERS Archives al Records Miss Gladys Tozier, Chief Miss Jean Little AIRS. JOHN GOODWILLIE, REPJ{ESENTATIVE, Mrs. Robert Never JUNIOR LEAGUE OF WILLIAMSPORT Mrs. John Holland Mrs. Neal Hawks MR. MAX E. AMEIGH - PRESIDENT THE GREATER WILLIAMSPORT ARTS COUNCIL Mrs. Joseph Stewart Education Andrexx K. Grugan SoCIE'lY STAFF Fine Arts Di:. June E. Boskin Geology EXECUTIVE SECRETARY MRS. KATHRYN J. CHUTE Lewis Harper IM s rT Francis Maneval VOLUME Vlll SPRING Mz&s cat I s .7}?.ellis Eiderson Dean NUMBER ONE 1972 Textiles Mrs. Norman Ingersoll We'@o#J [)r. Samue] Wiersteiner EDITOR The Col. William Hepburn Chapter of Junior Historians is sponsored.by the MRS. EOITn L. WRIGHT Lycoming County Historical Society,and has its headquartersin the Museum. The officers of the chapter are: President, Nlr. Bob Inmison; Vice President, Miss Nancy Tui:ous;Secretary, bliss BrenditWright; Treasurer,Miss Sally Ward; Historian, Craig Extra Copies of The Jourrlal Fifty Cents Each Armbrusrer; Chaplain, Mr. Dan Hayes. CONTENTS 5 Page Membership Meeting Program 4 President's Letter 5 Doctor Charles Lose 6 8 Win Ely's Trout Flies by Di:. Charles Lose GREETINGS FROM THE PRESIDENT"SDESK Williamspor t's Musical Heritage (Part One) , by Mrs. Mary Russell 8 Memoriesof Warrensvilleat the Turn of the Century by William E. Derone and Mark T. Milner 10 It has been nearly a year since I assumed the presidency of dour Society, and A Night of Honor 11 I would like to take this opportunity to share some thoughts on the many happenings Recollections of the Susquehanna Boom by James Myers 14 during that period of time. PICTURES -- Before and After Photographs of 1889 Flood on Antes Creek 16 We regret the loss of severalinterested members who worked very hard during PICTURE -- The Youngman Cottage on Antes Creek Soon after the 1889 Flood 17 meir lifetimes to pi:omote the work of your Society and whose interest was an inspiration Col. Henry W. Shoemaker,by Mrs. Wendi Enstine,Jr. 20 to many of us. We are very grateful for the continuing efforts of the other members The Story of Altar Rock, by Col. Henry W. Shoemaker 21 who volunteer much time and expertise in improving our Society and its stewardship The Early History of Picture Rocks, by W. L. Sprout 22 in the community. We are most happy to welcome the new members who have joined Charter Members of rhe Lycoming Historical Society 29 in the paso few months, and we ask them to take a serious interest in oul: activities. Letter: written by Dr. August Richter 31 Notice of the 16th Annual Institute of PennsylvaniaRural Life and Culture 32 The regular monthly membership meetings of the Society have continued to meet with success,and the new series of Sunday afternoon Musicales in the Museum is MEMBERSHIP A£EETING PROGRAM alreadyreceiving a great deal of attention fi:om the community at large. This series i972 is being co-sponsoredby your Society and the Williamsport Music Club January 20, 1972 ANDREW K. GRUGAN, President,lace 19Ehand early 20ch century glass Your Museum has received many fine gifts during the past year, the largess lantern slides from the collections of the Museum :A Magic Lantei:n Show of Yesterday' single gift being the complete archives of the Keystone Shotaway Association presented February 17, 1972 [o the Society by Senator Z. H. Confair and Mr. Charles E. Noyes. This one specialized MISSVIRGINIALONG collection will be invaluable to us for educational purposes in the future. :Antique and Victorian Jewelry March 11, 1972 We have enjoyed this year's activity, and hope thad we can expect continued TOUR of Societymembers and friends[o the New York ColiseumAntique Show and Garden Display support and enthusiasm from all of oul: Society members and friends. March 16, 1972 JERSEY SHORE MEMBERS Andrew K Grugan, President Slide Show -- "Historic Jersey Shore'' -- by Mrs. Olive Cooney LYCOMING COUNTY HISTORICAL SOCIETY April 20, 1972 (6:30 p.m. dinner, Lycova Grange Hall) MISS ELIZABETH COMET, Secretaryof French Azilum, Inc 'French Aziluin Today' COVER PICTURE -- Original pencil drawing of Picture Rocks, dated September 6, 1916,by J. Wesley Little. See story on page 22 relating [o the early history of Picture Rocks. 6 T HE JOU RN AL 7 DR. CHARLES LOSE She was active in organizing the P.T.A. of the innkeeperho[d the lamp at the door- Montoursville, and that is why it is named way until he was safelyin bed.When tile the Rebecca Lose Association. She also did innkeeper left, a raccling noise came from Proudly the people of Montoursville him with mud when he starredto get dres some writing and had some magazinepub- the attic. which he attributed to rats Ol: hail Dt. CharlesLose. To the peopleof sed was always part of the performance. lications. squinels. this locality his name stands for -- scholar- Did you ever read the book, ''The Montoursville Borough can thank Dr. As he was dozing off he felt a strange ship, sportsmanship, statesmanship, humor- ist, naturalist, conservationist, and many Vanishing Trout"? He certainly must have Lose foi: the lovely school grounds and sensation. The be(i seemed to be maxing. more fine characteristics rolled into one loved the Loyalsock,as we do: for he wrote park, for he was the one who bedevilled He immediately jumped ouc and l:utded man. Dr. Charles Lose was born in Mon- so many tales of his favorite fishing haunts. the school board to buy the property. eight feet below on the floor. Soundsof toursville,March 9, 1856, and died there His descriptions were so vivid of the beau- laughter came from the antic. The innkeep- ty of the fields and hills and streamsthat Charles Lose was quite a humorist, too, er bmught the lamp and Dr. Lose took a Mai:ch 9, 1940. when he painted those word pictures of his, and alwayscould arousea hearty laugh in good look at the four-poster bed which was Montoursville must have been an ideal you almost f oi:goc that he was blind in la any audience.Here is a story that he told cleverly wired so that it could be pulled placeto live in the 1860'sto hearhim tell [er life when he wrote them. on himself: "When he was visiting schools [o rhe ceiling by someboys who liked to it, with a half squaremile of tOWnand in LycomingCounty rural sections,he play a joke on the County Superinten- six times as much countryside.There were He said that no other place gave him so stoppedac a small rural hotel for the night. dent. swimming holes, fishing pools, and places many hours of fine sport and genuine plea- After caringfor his horsehe engageda for skating and coasting in the winter. It sure than Lewis's Riffle on the Loyalsock room, had his dinner, and spentthe even- Dr. Losewas a schoolman. He wasedu- was the country around the town with its This raffle was long and nan:ow,deep and ing hours in the lobby. The hotel had buc cated in the public schools of Monrours- fields and streams thad most interested rapid, and only when the creek was at its one kerosenelamp for the entire building, ville, graduated from Lafayette College, him. lowest scale could it be waded readily. so he did not go to his room until ready Bucknell University, and the Horace Mann Therewas a big log that lay half buried to .retire.
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