Photo Gallery

Photographs and Where to Find Them

Throughout the years, thousands of wonderful photographs of the people and places and industries of Williamsport and Northcentral Pennsylvania have been produced. Many may be acquired, or reprinted with permission from the Lycoming County Historical Society, the James V. Brown Library, Little League Baseball, Inc., the Williamsport Sun-Gazette, and various individuals. We hope you enjoy your visit.

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Williamsport, Pennsylvania is a small metropolis with a dramatic history. Famous throughout the world for its impressive forest products, it once boasted more millionaires per capita than any American city. The lumber boom saw a meteoric rise of the community as millions of dollars flooded the economy, then the region transitioned from lumber to agriculture, and the city struggled through war and depression, and a stagnant post-industrial era. The city’s future appears to hinge on its heritage. At the bottom of this page is a sampling of the thousands to historic photographs that have been digitally preserved by HistoricWilliamsport.com. These also have been preserved in the numerous books written about the region. Enjoy.

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The Williamsport Sun-Gazette and Grit newspapers have richly documented the history of Williamsport, the West Branch of the Susquehanna and Northcentral Pennsylvania for decades. The Sun-Gazette recently observed its 200th anniversary, a feat few newspapers have been able to accomplish. Heir to Grit archives after that national newspaper, founded in Williamsport by Dietrick Lamade, pulled stakes, the Sun-Gazette has thousands of photographs in its library. Often the newspaper reprints the images, proud to showcase a Piece of the Past, however, the Sun-Gazette does not offer information gathering and distribution services such as information from past stories or genealogy research. All inquiries must be directed to James V. Brown Library. The library archives the Sun-Gazette on microfilm. ON THE WEB AT SUNGAZETTE.COM

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The James V. Brown Library has made available hundreds of local historical photographs, drawings and images in digital form searchable through the Access Pennsylvania Directory, maintained by Penn State University. You can now browse or search this fascinating database of images by clicking here: ACCESS PENNSYLVANIA DIGITAL REPOSITORY. More items are added as this project continues. Images are shown in a small version for browsing or as a full size image for detail. ON THE WEB AT JVBROWN.EDU

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Muncy Historical Society, a not-for-profit, all volunteer organization founded in 1936, focuses on preservation and conservation of the rich history and heritage of Muncy and surrounding communities – its people, businesses, education, arts, traditions and folklore – by sponsoring educational programs and activities, through research and publication of our history, and interpretation of the museum’s collection for the community, including schools, colleges, community groups and professional historians. ON THE WEB AT MUNCYHISTORICALSOCIETY.ORG

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The Lycoming County Historical Society and Thomas Taber Museum has more than 10,000 historical photographs in its collection. Curated by longtime volunteer Jack Buckle, the collection has been catalogued and is limited in its availability to serious scholars and researchers. Photos are preserved in acid-free albums and boxes as part of the society’s conservation policy. Founded in 1907, LCHS is a not-for-profit educational organization with a museum, library, and archives. The purpose of LCHS is to discover, collect, preserve, and interpret the prehistoric, historical, and cultural heritage of north central Pennsylvania. ON THE WEB AT TABERMUSEUM.ORG

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The story of the Underground Railroad in Lycoming County contains many heroic and courageous persons but none towers over the story so literally and figuratively, as does Daniel Hughes. The Underground Railroad ran from the American South through the northeastern states to Canada from the 1790s until the Civil War. Lycoming County, because of its strategic location, was one of the most important stops on the road to freedom for escaping slaves. The family of Daniel Hughes not only helped runaway slaves but sheltered them along Freedom Road. To learn more about the Underground Railroad and Daniel Hughes and and his descendant historian Mamie Sweeting Diggs, visit this Lycoming College web site: Freedom Bound.