Read Their Stories

A Cup of Coffee In the Show

Having the opportunity to play major league baseball has been the dream of many young ballplayers. Two Danville, Pennsylvania athletes had careers that were fleeting moments on their “Field of Dreams.” Art "Reddy" McCoy and William Yerrick may have experienced the thoughts of another major league player, who was made famous in the movie "Field of Dreams." Archibald "Moonlight" Graham reminisced, “You know, we just don’t realize the most significant moments of our lives when they’re happening. Back then I thought, well, there’ll be other days. I didn’t realize that that would be the only day.” - Moonlight Graham

August 20, 2024 · Terry Diener

Growing Up in Penns Creek Snyder County as Told by John Alfred Snook

Tucked away in a family Bible for many years was a wonderful story of the life of John Alfred Snook, born in 1857, and who, at the age of 87, wrote a descriptive account of growing up in Snyder County, Pennsylvania. A neighbor saw the story, shared by Snook’s daughter, and received permission to copy the account, which was then sent to the Pennsylvania Historical Society in Philadelphia. In later years, John Snook moved to Elkhart Indiana, and spent forty-eight years working for the railroad. This story centers on his early years and the hardships he faced growing up in a single-parent home near Penns Creek, Snyder County.

August 18, 2024 · Terry Diener

Abraham Lincoln's Ties To Montour County

One of the most telling indications of the toll that the Civil War had on President Abraham Lincoln are before and after pictures, taken when he took office, and after his years in the White House, prior to his assassination. There is no record that “Honest Abe” ever set foot in Montour County, but he crossed paths, and had other unique ties, in both life and death with some of the Danville boys.

August 12, 2024 · Terry Diener

Glossary of Rafting Terms, by Former Active Raftmen

Rafting Days in Pennsylvania, written in 1922, contains stories from the men who traveled the Susquehanna River when Pennsylvania’s lumber boom was in its heyday. It was a dangerous job and among those who followed the tales of the raftmen was John H Chatham. Chatham shares some of the rafting terms used by those who eked out a living in northern Pennsylvania.

August 09, 2024 · Terry Diener

Quaker Meeting House Dates to the Earliest Days of Catawissa

As the borough of Catawissa in Columbia County celebrates 250 years, the Quaker (Friends) Meeting House has had a significant part in its history. A cemetery contains the graves of some of the earliest Quaker pioneers in that vicinity. The one-story log house was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1978.

August 07, 2024 · Terry Diener

The 250th Birthday of Catawissa in Columbia County

The borough of Catawissa in Columbia County is celebrating its 250th Birthday August 7th through the 11th, 2024. Moses Roberts is said to have built the first house in that area, which at the time was part of Northumberland County. On May 14th, 1940, the Morning Press newspaper of Bloomsburg, featured the history of Catawissa in its popular column, The Passing Throng.”

August 05, 2024 · Terry Diener

Using River Travel to Improve the Interior of Pennsylvania

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.

August 03, 2024 · Terry Diener

French and Indians Attack and Burn Fort Granville, August 1, 1756

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.

August 01, 2024 · Terry Diener

Samuel Askey, An Early Settler, and Legendary Hunter of Snow Shoe Township, Centre County, Pennsylvania

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.

July 30, 2024 · Terry Diener

Shad Fisheries Once Flourished on the North Branch of The Susquehanna River

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.

July 28, 2024 · Terry Diener