Sullivan County Historical Society of Pennsylvania, 458 Meylert Street, Laporte, PA (2026)

05/26/2026

. . . while dusting

As graduation approaches, another acquisition has come in from Brenda Whitley and Linda Etzel representing the Loyalsock Joint High School. This school in present day is the location of Dar-Way Nursing Home in Estella*. This collection includes the minutes books from 1953 to 1974, and 1974 to 1996, also alumni listings from 1907 to 1964 and 1995 to 2008. Such records are kept to stay in contact with classmates throughout the years and give attention to either loosing that contact altogether or recording as people have passed away. Just to give you an idea, that first book that begins in 1907 has the following: Class of 1907 – Nattie H. Rogers, 1908 – Lucy Jennings, Guy Burgess, Fannie M. Little and Winifred L. Bown, 1909 – L. Versos Bird, Geo. C. Webster, Mildred Everett, S. Leroy Jennings, Marion McCarty, Curtis Baumunk, Leona Rogers, Joshua M. Battin, Arley A. Day and Eric E. Kuszman. And here’s the heartbreak; in either typed or hand written notation aside each name is states ‘deceased’ and that continues on until 1923 when various names show that individuals are still alive at the time of an alumni gathering. And the names listed throughout the years are like a ‘who’s who’ of the northwestern corner of Sullivan County. Then to really step back in time while reading the 1953 minutes book, the elected to hold the alumni banquet on June 6th, 1953 by motion of Rose Mary Hugo and seconded by Harry Kilmer. To add to that Ken Lee motioned “that we charge $1.50 a plate, seconded by Kenneth Frey. On to entertainment and again Rose Mary motioned that they have a dance, to which Sylvia Bedford seconded. That motion was followed by on from Phyllis Morgan “that we charge 50 cents extra per person for the dance. The banquet in follow-up minutes said that the meal was served by Miss Grace Ide. The meeting had been called to order by Richard Gleockler, prayer by Rev. Claud Shaffer, singing led by Grace Laverty and Barbara Howell was at the piano. The business meeting was conducted by Richard Randall. Attendance in that 1953 gathering for those back to 1907was found to be the largest representation from the class of 1913 with 7 out of 8 graduates in attendance. Officers were elected: President – Richard Gleockner, Vice Pres. – Carl Driscoll, Secy. & Treas. – Anna Plotts. A collection was taken toward future alumni banquets of $36.09. Going thru the subsequent decades, the names resound with memories of those gone by. And to today’s graduating classes, this is a time to be remembered from classmates, teachers, administration and supporting staff so that before you go off in the world – this time is a start of you own memories. . . make them as good as they can be!
We’ll be officially opening YOUR Museum on Fri., June 5th and Sat., June 6th for those days throughout the summer until the end of August from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. All are welcome. If another time is needed, please contact the Museum by email [email protected] or phone 570-946-5020.

*The original school for Estella area was on the Edkin farm above town but in 1869 the school was built where the township ground is today. Then in 1898 the need was being recognized for another building, hence two separate locations for elementary and high school. Then in 1931 the present building of Dar-Way Nursing Home came into reality. The consolidation of 79 schools throughout Sullivan County began with the location of Laporte School completed in 1964 for high school and 1969 for the elementary.

To read the rest of this week's touring article, or to peruse our website leisurely, please visit:
https://www.scpahistory.com/touring-articles1

05/22/2026

🇺🇸 250 YEARS OF AMERICA.

Countless stories. Right in your backyard. As our nation honors America 250, step inside the Sullivan County Historical Society Museum to discover the local pioneers, lumberman, miners and innovators who helped shape the American spirit.

History isn't just in the textbooks—it's right here.

⏱️ NEW WEEKEND HOURS

We’ve updated our hours to make your weekend visits even easier:

Starting June 5th!

FRIDAY: 11:00 AM – 4:00 PM
SATURDAY: 11:00 AM – 4:00 PM

🏛️ PLAN YOUR VISIT

Courthouse Square, 458 Meylert Street, Laporte, PA 18626

✨ FREE ✨

Fascinating local artifacts and deep genealogical roots!

Planning your next historic road trip? Grab your History Quest Brochure here!

05/18/2026

While dusting...

"The photo this week came from Gary and Linda Etzel out of a twenty-five year old stack that they know not where it came from or who gave it to them. But because of the hand written inscription on its back, this 4 x 2 photo was intriguing. It states – “Arthur and the first car on Bear Mtn.”. We have no idea who Arthur is but several locations on Bear Mountain could easily be its location. Our own resident antique car guru, Dan Boyle, had guess that this car was circa WWI which would be approximately 1918, give or take. He then suggested that we contact an organization he’d worked with in the past, that being the Antique Automobile Club of America (AACA)..."

"The AACA Library and Research Center was formed in 1977 to be the caretakers of what is now a collection of over 3 million documents and items. Our archive is one of the largest of its kind in the world, and contains books, automotive sales literature, company documents, owner’s manuals, technical manuals, and memorabilia, all related to the automotive industry and old car hobby. We are a public library, open to all for research and other services, and remain dedicated to safeguarding the documents in our care, many of which could be the last remaining (or original) copies in existence. We welcome everyone to visit our facility in Hershey, Pa, or reach out to us through phone, email, or our website, to learn more.” They are located at 800 W. Hersheypark Drive or by phone at 717-534-2082, ext. 1410."

Our many thanks to both this organization and their many subscribers who have supplied information about the mysterious photo. For this and much more, contact YOUR Museum by either emailing [email protected] or phone 570-946-5020.

To read the rest of this week's touring article, or to peruse our website leisurely, please visit:

https://www.scpahistory.com/touring-articles1

05/11/2026

TOURING SULLIVAN COUNTY’S MUSEUM . . . while dusting

"This winter we received a donation from Gary & Linda (Brown) Etzel that they’d had in their own collection for decades. The photo accompanying this article is a faded black and white measuring 3x2 and depicted through a cut out in the cover but actually appears on the first un-numbered page. The booklet has 29 pages. The school of this subject is in fact still standing, just above the church, across from the covered bridge entrance to Forksville."

"The second page notes that Nelson C. Mullen, an alumni for the Forksville High School, met with four others of the Corresponding Committee: Mrs. Sara H. Corson, Mrs. J. Lyman Snyder, Mrs. C.R. Nye and Mrs. R.L. Rosbach. Inquiries were sent to all reachable alumni who then sent back “Ver Batim” autobiographies to be included."

"The school’s history began in 1886 with directors being M.A. Rogers, A.A. Collins, R.B. Warburton, John W. Rogers, W.E. Miller and A.L. Smith. The spearheading was promoted by Collins and Rogers. While securing the services of Frank W. Meylert to become principal and initiating the process of selecting a site and building, that action took place after a question from Wm. Meylert asking, 'Why not organize a High School?'"...

"In short, this little booklet gives you, the researcher or simply the curious, a look into the lives of people who strove to advance themselves and also those around them. In many an area throughout Sullivan County we’ve seen that when early settlement was begun a church and a school were of foremost importance. And at times, the two were contained in one building, equaling the advancement of faith and learning to be equally important."

For this and more, you can make an appointment by phoning 570-946-5020 or emailing [email protected] We will be officially opening on Friday, June 5th from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. and every Friday and Sat. thru summer, docent volunteers permitting.

Side note: a short while ago we had a family of local descendants from Norway. The appointment was made for a Sat. and all, including the docent, enjoyed themselves.

To read the rest of this week's touring article and to see what else we have to offer, please visit:

https://www.scpahistory.com/touring-articles1

Photo: Forksville School

05/04/2026

TOURING SULLIVAN COUNTY’S MUSEUM . . . while dusting

An addition to the Touring article of March 23, 2026 issue of the Sullivan Review is our focus. We contacted the Tabor Museum in Williamsport, Lycoming County for our inquiry. The response came from Scott Sagar, curator of collections. Not only did they have background about Vincent Smith’s camera, they also have the actual bicycle that he traveled about on to take said photos. This was a collection of Smith’s that depicts going to Mokoma Lake, that features Route 220 early on in it’s inception, 1925-30. Two photos taken present day at the Tabor Museum show the man’s determination to travel and the camera that he used. The bike was used because of heart health issues from his youth wherein he was advised to exercise. The camera itself was a Century model, from which he produced approximately 10,000 photos from glass plate negatives, before switching to 8 x 10 film negatives.

By the accompanying photos you can appreciate Vincent Smith’s effort and work in tabulating just one facet of history. And one that still survives today.

To contact the Museum for an appointment or question you can call 570-946-5020 or email [email protected]

04/27/2026

TOURING SULLIVAN COUNTY’S MUSEUM . . . while dusting

"In today’s world of fast foods, pre-prepared meals and all that those entail, we often leave behind the joys of cooking. At YOUR Museum, we’ve a room dedicated to, what else, a kitchen. This room depicts 1900’s artifacts that includes a whole table and window shelf of cook books. One such example is that of a stiff cloth covered booklet entitled Good Things To Eat And How To Prepare Them. It was given by Etta Shoemaker. The Booklet is printed for Larkin Co. (established in 1875) out of New York state in1906 as a second edition. The contents would readily be useful to beginner cooks and those of experience. The opening stanza in this reads: “The Value of Food – A little girl (8 years old) was one asked why she ate? She replied, “There are a lot of little stoves in my stomach which the fires need to be kept burning, so I will be warm”. The booklet list over 200 choice recipes of 69 pages. Saying Soup to Nuts is applicable and it also list measurements, proportions, time, etc. And of course throughout the booklet it promotes Larken cooking products."

"Then as an aside, we recently acquired an unusual grouping of measuring spoons. This will be on display on the wall in the kitchen room with other kitchen paraphernalia. The set describes three functions of a Dash, a Pinch and a Smidgen. Now, you may think these are just antiquated terms and yet you’ll see them in written recipes. For women who needed to measure, the directions tell you how to pull a knife across the top of a cup to get equal measure. But, to many a woman (and men) who were attuned to cooking, measurement was more the habit of dumping or ‘by guess & by golly’. But, if they were describing to a fellow cook they would use any of those three terms, understood by both persons."

For this and more, you can contact YOUR Museum by phoning 570-946-5020 or emailing [email protected] for an appointment, or stop in by happen chance. We’ll be opening June 5th for Fridays and Saturdays throughout summer from 11 to 4. All are welcome and there is no admission fee.

To read the rest of this week's touring article, please visit:

https://www.scpahistory.com/touring-articles1

04/20/2026

For the last two weekends, we have been participating in and presenting historical information on the old lumber village of Jakersville. We were ecstatic by the turnout of more than 60 people who wanted to learn more about the CCC, lumbering, and other industries of the nearby area! If you would like to see a beautiful CCC display in YOUR museum, you can make an appointment by phoning 570-946-5020 or email [email protected] or stop in by chance on a Tuesday or Thursday.

We will be opening for summer hours of Fridays and Saturdays from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. on June 5, 2026. Admission is free, and everyone is welcome!

04/17/2026

TOURING SULLIVAN COUNTY’S MUSEUM . . . while dusting

In last week’s Sully, the caption beneath the photo of the Courthouse acceptance of the new Sullivan County logo by Karen Black, stated that Sue Rinker made the logo in 1974 (this was written on the back of said older logo). To a point, that is true because Sue did in fact make up the pieces for the display logo, painted and mounted them and put circular black and white boarder around it. But the artist for that first logo was actually done by Amy Zerner, who is the granddaughter of Clayton Spicer. Mr. Spicer was an acclaimed artist who taught his trade to others in the Laporte and surrounding areas. Apparently that trait of becoming acclaimed artists runs through the family, as Amy Zerner is just so in her own rights. You can look up on line her accomplishments and various modes of mediums from her home base in New York state.

From what we’ve been able to grasp, there was a contest in _______ for the high school students to submit artistry designs for the logo at that time. The trail to Amy Zerner could not be found right away because the family had moved away from Sullivan County before she would have graduated from here. At the time of logo entries, Amy was a nineth grade student.

This change of the Sullivan County logo brings with it it’s own history. That is, the old logo stood for our county from the ____’s to 2026. The new logo by our own renowned artist Karen Black will be used on advertisement, letterhead, receivables and payables, and virtually anywhere correspondence to individuals or organizations that it can be applied to. This time for competition the entries were open to the public. A logo is meant to be an eye-catching symbol. Similar to this is the logo that YOUR Museum uses with a depiction of the cast iron fence that at one time surrounded the Sullivan County Courthouse, which is where the Museum is located.

So, to both ladies of past and present representations, we are most grateful of your efforts and the details shown of our beautiful Sullivan County, Pennsylvania.

To see them, and more you can make an appointment to come into YOUR Museum by phoning 570-946-5020 or email [email protected] or stop in by happen chance on a Tuesday or Thursday. We will be opening for summer hours of Fridays and Saturdays from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. on June 5th, 2026. Free admission and all are welcome.

03/16/2026

TOURING SULLIVAN COUNTY’S MUSEUM
….. while dusting

How time flies! It’s hard to believe that the Museum’s Memorial brick program began 17 years ago, in 2009! To date approximately 250 bricks have been purchased, engraved and installed in the sidewalk. The Memorial Brick Sidewalk enters the Museum’s main building from Muncy Street and has enabled many visitors, either in wheelchairs or with walkers, to more readily access the building.

The bricks used are a reddish-brown (matching our tin roof) color. The cost of a brick is $50.00 with a maximum of three lines of script and up to 14 characters (including spaces) per line. A brick need not have words (i.e. “In Memory Of”) but can have names or wording of your choice so long as the wording is not inappropriate. You can order a brick by picking up an order form at the Museum. Order forms can also be obtained through our website – www.scpahistory.com – and utilizing PayPal, if ordering a brick, all orders must be prepaid.

Some of the memorial bricks already installed in the sidewalk are for the Botsford, Holcombe, Baldwin and Warburton families. And then there is one (just one!) with the inscription “LOL”!. Whether this stands for “Laugh Out Loud” or “Love Of Life” only the person who ordered it knows.

For this and more, you can contact the Museum by telephoning us at 570-946-5020 or emailing us at www.scpahistory.com for an appointment.

To purchase a memorial brick, please visit:
https://www.scpahistory.com/commemorative-bricks

03/09/2026

TOURING SULLIVAN COUNTY’S MUSEUM
…while dusting

"Have you ever been in the midst of doing something, like dusting, and somewhere along the way you discover an item that just diverts your attention away from your original task? Well, the following portion of transcription is like that. There is within the Book and School room a small section simply titled “Diaries”. These are all handwritten ledgers, if you will, of individual accounts in their daily lives. The following excerpts are from the diary of Maxwell Potts (birth and death unknown), who had been a teacher at Greenwood Seminary (Columbia County) for ten years. At the age of 23 he took a vacation and returned in 1860. During this time, he courted and wed Mary Miller, a neighbor."

"Thursday, Nov. 4, 1859: “Clear. Today has been very pleasant. It is the Indian summer. I went down to the Post Office this morning but was to late for mail.
I was packing up some things today.
I was down at Eve’s factory a little while this afternoon talking with Mr. H. Breeze. I believe it is his intention to pay his fine."...

"Sunday, Nov 6 [7], 1859: “Clear. Today has been very clear. No smoke. Dushore is a pleasant little place containing some 25 to 30 houses, two hotels, stores, shops & one Methodist and one Catholic churches. A Teachers’ Institute, of six weeks is in session here now, under the charge of Richardson, Co., Supt. The country for some distance around is pretty well cleared off. There is coal about five miles south, neit[her] Anthracite, nor Bituminous. The rock are a red colored formation, fossiliferous."

Mr. Potts’ travel takes him on to Browntown in Bradford County and then on to Pittston and Berwick. The diary ends on November 12, 1859. Sometimes you’ll only find a very small window of information, as in this case but oh, what fun can be had riding along!!!

If this has piqued your interest in diaries of yesteryear and you would like to visit YOUR museum, please contact us by phoning 570-946-5020 or emailing [email protected] or come in if you are passing by and see the “OPEN” sign in the window. You can also check out our website – www.scpahistory.com!

To read the rest of this week's touring article, and to see our whole digital collection of touring articles, please visit:

https://www.scpahistory.com/touring-articles1

03/02/2026

TOURING SULLIVAN COUNTY’S MUSEUM . . . while dusting

"An ardent effort was made from 1932 to the 1950’s to acquire acquisitions for what is today the Sullivan County Historical Society’s Museum at Laporte."

"Elizabeth “Betty” Shellenberger Lauer was born 11/16/1905 in Easton. Betty died at the age of 92 on 11/15/1997. Her husband, W. Curtis Lauer was born 5/16/1906 in Dushore and died at 72 on 1/31/1978. Betty taught school in Estella and Sonestown. She and her husband operated a small card and gift shop, ice cream and sandwiches in Laporte. She is buried at Fairview Cemetery in Dushore. During her life she’d been active in Sullivan County Republican Women, the Dushore Music Club, the Dushore Tuesday Book Club and this Society for the Museum. Because in the early years of acquiring artifacts for any museum, the emphasis was put on the gifter and that was seldom in the interest of who actually had or used an item. When we looked up this week’s artifact number, it was #135 for Betty and Curtis (we are now on acquisition number 3020)."

"For the artifact depicted here, the description in cataloguing reads “Shirt of buckskin made in 1938 by the wife of an Indian chief, Christie Ann Bernard of Golden Lake, Ontario reservation”...

"And, though we don’t know where the Lauers may have acquired the shirt, we can be grateful for their gifting an example of a past practice."

For this and more, you can contact YOUR Museum by phoning 570-946-5020 or emailing [email protected] for an appointment. Also, visit our web site at scpahistory.com.

To read the rest of this week's article, and to check out lots more, please visit:

https://www.scpahistory.com/touring-articles1

Sullivan County Historical Society of Pennsylvania

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