Northumberland County Historical Society

Thank you Valley Girl Views for posting such wonderful and interesting articles about our local history!

Thank you for the reminder, John Lindermuth. Here is an article from History.com telling the origin of our observance of Memorial Day. Enjoy your holiday but don’t forget to pause to remember and honor those who gave the ultimate sacrifice for our nation. https://www.history.com/topics/holidays/memorial-day-history

Repairs to Fort Augusta Replica under way! Please excuse us as much-needed repairs to our replica fort are in progress. The folks at Lloyd's Landscapes have come up with a design to help prevent the pickets from rotting over time and falling down. We look forward to having the work completed and the Fort ready for visitors! The museum and library remain open Monday, Wednesday, and Friday 1 to 4 pm. Call (570)286-4083 or email [email protected] to make an appointment for library research or a museum tour.

LAST CHANCE! This morning is your last chance to find the best bargains at the INDOOR YARD SALE. We’re open from 9am to noon only. Many items half price!

Don't forget! The Annual Tag Sale starts tomorrow at 10 am! Come early for the best selection. Sale hours are Thursday and Friday May 13/14 10 am to 6 pm and Saturday May 15 9 am to noon. Happy Treasure Hunting!

The Northumberland County Historical Society’s INDOOR YARD SALE is coming up on May 13 and May 14 from 10:00 till 6:00, and on May 15 from 9:00 till Noon. In addition to our usual array of household items, decor, vintage items, jewelry,craft supplies, books, music, art work, seasonal items, toys, and much more there is also a large selection of local history and family related items. Selections include Sunbury yearbooks, commemorative town books, family genealogy books, pamphlets/ brochures pertaining to churches, fire companies, and a large variety of other topics. In most instances there is only one copy! Stop by and take a look!

ON THIS DATE: On April 9, 1772 the first court session of Northumberland County was held at Fort Augusta. It was a court of private sessions of the peace at which an act of the General Assembly of Pennsylvania entitled, "An act for erecting a part of Lancaster, Cumberland, Berks, Northampton, and Bedford into a separate county," was published. A commission from his Honor the Governor, dated March 24, 1772, appointing William Plunkett, Turbutt Francis, Samuel Hunter, James... Potter, William Maclay, Caleb Graydon, Benjamin Allison, Robert Moodie, John Lowdon, Thomas Lemon, Ellis Hughes, and Benjamin Weiser, Esquires, justices of the court of general quarter sessions of the peace and gaol delivery for the said county of Northumberland, was published in court. At this court session, a motion was made to establish 7 townships in Northumberland County (or as much of it as was then purchased from the Indians). The townships were named as follows: Penn's township, Augusta township, Turbut township, Buffalo township, Bald Eagle township, Muncy township, and Wyoming township. Additionally, officers were appointed for each township

Meet Suffragette Kate Heffelfinger of Shamokin, PA. According to the Miltonion Thursday August 22, 1918 edition, she and 25 others were arrested in Washington D.C. for holding demonstrations on the square across from the White House. They were protesting against the Senate's delay in acting on the suffrage amendment. She and others were sentenced to 10 days in jail for unlawfully holding a meeting; some were given an additional 5 days for climbing the statue of Lafayette......Miss Heffelfinger among them. Her obituary appeared in the Shamokin News-Dispatch on Tuesday September 2, 1958. She was born in Shamokin, the daughter of Elmer and Kate C. (Cleaver) Heffelfinger. According to the death certificate, she died at the Danville State Hospital where she had been staying for 8 years. Prior to that, her usual residence was at 153 N. Marshall St, Shamokin. Cause of death was carcinoma of the GI tract. She was 68 years old.

On this date, 1772 - Northumberland County was established. It was the 10th county to be established in PA. The photos show the Genealogical Map of the Counties and the progression of counties over time from 1780 when Northumberland County first appears (indicated as the pink area labeled "10"). When first laid out, it covered an area of 8,000 square miles and grew to 15,000 square miles before eventually being broken up into 27 other counties. The present size of Northumberland County is 427 square miles.

Happy Vernal Equinox! For glad Spring has begun, And to the ardent sun The earth, long time so bleak,... Turns a frost-bitten cheek. - Celia Thaxter, American poet (183594) https://www.almanac.com/con/first-day-spring-vernal-equinox

On this date, 1784 - Susquehanna River floods. After an unusually severe winter, a sudden warming and torrential rains caused ice to break up creating dams that caused flooding. Then the ice dams gave way causing even more flooding as it flowed downstream. 150 homes were swept away and 1000 people were left with nothing. This became known as the Ice Flood Go to the link to see additional information about this and other floods of the Susquehanna River. https://susquehannavalley.blogspot.com//when-mighty-susque