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Some
of History's
Most Suprising Secrets. . . Hidden in
Bradford County PA!
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Bradford
County, the largest of the four counties comprising the Endless Mountains
Region of Pennsylvania, is rich in history beginning with Native Americans
first inhabitants of the county.
Broad
flat valleys flanking the Susquehanna River were once "the breadbasket
of the Indians." Fields spread out below Wyalusing Rocks, a scenic overlook
on Route 6, once supplied literally tons of corn and other foods for the Iroquois
and Delaware. Despite wars and removals some Native Americans remained, blending
into the dominant society, their crops and agricultural techniques adopted
by European settlers. Many of their descendants add to the cultural diversity
of Bradford County.
Bradford
County was carved out of Luzerne and Lycoming Counties on February 21, 1810.
Originally named Oneida County, it was later renamed for William Bradford,
second Attorney General of the United States. Towanda, the County Seat, reflects
a Native American tradition of connection with the land and can be translated
as "here lie our honored ancestors."
Part
of what eventually became Bradford County in Penn's Colony was also claimed
by the Colony of Connecticut. Disputes over land claims sometimes erupted
into violence. A log cabin from this period discovered by chance was excavated
near Towanda.
Shortly
after the American Revolution European settlers braved the wilderness of the
Endless Mountains Region attracted by fertile farmland. Many early settlers
were veterans of the Sullivan expedition waged against the Indians. Dutch
immigrants came from New York State. Refugees from the French Revolution sought
refuge along the banks of the Susquehanna creating a settlement called Azilum
where they dreamed Marie Antoinette would join them. The settlement thrived
briefly from 1793 to 1804, leaving behind a legacy of French surnames and
place names.
By
1812 agriculture and industry were well established. Englishman Robert Barclay
opened a coal mine that year.
Later
many people throughout the county were involved in the Underground Railroad.
Famed Freesoiler David Wilmot, who presented the Wilmot Provisos against slavery
to Congress, lived in Towanda.
Gospel
songwriter P.P. Bliss lived near Rome in Bradford County. The tiny Gospel
Writers Museum celebrates his life and preserves his work there today. Another
well-known early American composer, Stephen Foster, attended an academy in
Athens. He may have attended horse races nearby, the basis for one of his
most famous songs, "Camptown Races."
Coal
mining spurred Bradford County's economy into the industrial age, spawning
advances in transportation including a canal and railroad. As the coal era
waned a timber boom began flourishing into the 1930's.
Today dairy farming is the cornerstone of Bradford County's economy, with
small farms covering 46 percent of the land.
Bradford
County's Circus Connections
Back
in the late 1800 and early 1900's Canton wasn't the sleepy little community
it is today. Strategically located between Elmira, NY and Williamsport PA
it was a thriving community in those days. Canton became a regional entertainment
and intellectual center attracting many wealthy seasonal and permenant residents.
Lumber
Baron Peter Herdic of Williamsport built a resort nearby based on the medicinal
attributes of water from Minnequa spring.
Charles
Lee, owner of the Lee Circus, settled on Canton as winter quarters in 1887.
Lee, who served as a drummer boy in the Civil War, was passing through Canton
on his way to his family's home near Muncy. He and wife Elnora decided the
town was a perfect base of operations for the circus and winter theater shows.
Lee presented variously as 'Professor LeCardo',
with a troupe he named "Signor Locardo American Premier Magicians"
and later as "Charles Lee Great London Shows."
By
1891 they acquired 11 acres and established permanent winter training quarters.
They remodeled the house and built several other buildings, including a large
ring barn for training horses and other animals and overhead rigging for aerial
performers.
Lee's
adopted son Charles Siegrist was billed as "The Boy Wonder Bareback Rider".
Siegrist continued his circus career as a rider, trick tumbler, flyer and
all round performer into the 1950s. He was inducted into the Circus Hall of
Fame in 1966.
Lee
set the tone for Canton as a circus and entertainment mecca. Famed silent
film Queen Fannie Davenport built a mansion there she called "The Hillside."
In 1913
Casper and 'Queen' Mab Weis, "Mr. and Mrs. Tom Thumb" of Barnum
and Bailey Circus fame, settled in Canton. They bought Davenport's mansion
and renamed it "Midget Villa." A disastrous fire destroyed the mansion
in 1951, but Mr. and Mrs. Weis moved to an apartment and remained a beloved
Canton couple.
Charles
Lee and his wife, Casper and Mab Weis are all buried in Canton's Park Cemetery.
Close
association with the industry drew many Canton residents into the entertainment
field. Among them were Jesse Bullock who served as announcer and calliope
player for Pawnee Bill's Wild West Show, Francis E. "Butch" Brann
who joined Siegrist's Ringling Siegrist-Selbon Aerial Troupe. As Francisco
and Delores, Brann and his wife continued with the Ringling-Barnum Cirus and
later with the Shrine Circus. Canton native Charles Craven was touted as one
of the greatest drummers in circus history.
Visit Joyce M. Tice's extensive website to learn more about
Bradford County's Circus connections: www.rootsweb.com/~srgp/articles/leeshow.html
www.rootsweb.com/~srgp/articles/little.htm
| Name | Location | Description | Hours | Phone Number | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bradford County Heritage Museum (Formerly the Farm Museum) | Rt.
14 N; Second Gate in Alparon Park just out of Troy |
Artifacts and displays reflecting over 200 years of agriculture. Herb & Dye Garden, Sugar Shack, Historic Mitchell House |
Open April through Oct., Fri-Mon 9-4
|
570-297-3410 | $4.00/adults,
$3.00/seniors $2.00/students Children under 6 free |
| Bradford County Historical Society and Museum & Research Library | 109 Pine St., Towanda | Experience cultural history, how inmates of the former jail lived, displays of Native Americans, early settlers, Revolutionary and Civil Wars. Genealogical & Historical Research Library |
Wed.-Fri. 10-4; Sat. 10-noon |
570-265-2240 |
$5.00/adults,
$4.00/members $3.00/students |
| Eastern Delaware Nations | Rt. 6, Wyalusing |
Native
American A new Cultural Center for this site is being designed by Campbell Architects of Williamsport. |
By
appointment during summer season. |
570-297-3002 |
Donations accepted. |
|
French Azilum Historic Site;, Restored Laporte House, Labyrinth Garden, Trails |
From
Rt. 6 in Wysox: |
Site of French Revolution refugee settlement; Marie Antoinette Queen of France was invited to settle here. Special Events during summer season. |
Open
May - October; call ahead. |
570-265-3376 | $5.00/general,
$4.50/seniors $3.00/students Children under 12 free |
| Gregory Mitchell House/Inn, (Bradford County Heritage Museum Complex) | Rt. 14 N; in Alparon Park just out of Troy, PA | c. 1822 inn built originally for stagecoach travelers; original woodwork; all rooms are preserved in original state | Open April through Oct., Fri-Mon 10-4, Open off season occasionally by appointment. | 570-297-3410 | Included with Heritage Museum Admission |
| Home Textile Tool Museum | SR 1036 Orwell, (off Rt. 187 N from Wysox) | Exhibits include spinning wheels, looms, yarn winders, hundreds of tools. Hands-on learning plus scheduled demonstrations and workshops. |
May-Sept., Sat. 10-4 |
570-247-7175 | $3.00 admission |
| LeRoy Heritage Museum | On the Web | Virtual Museum: Keeps the public informed about renovations to the 1876 Grange Building that will house the museum in the near future. | http://www.leroyheritage.org | email contact form on the site. | Donations appreciated |
| P.P. Bliss Gospel Songwriters Museum | Rt. 187, Rome | Dedicated to P.P.Bliss, a gospel songwriter; includes displays on gospel songwriters James McGranahan and D.B. Towner | May thru Sept., Wed.-Sat 1-4 | 570-247-7683
or 570-247-2228 |
No admission fee |
| Sayre Historical Society Museum | 103 S. Lehigh Ave., Sayre | Being developed in former Lehigh Valley RR Passenger Station, built in 1881. |
Opening to be announced |
570-882-8221 | |
|
Sugar
House |
Rt. 14 N; in Alparon Park just out of Troy | Displays early tree tapping equipment and syrup-making methods. | Open April through Oct., Fri-Mon 10-4 | 570-297-3410 | Included with Heritage Museum Admission |
| Tioga Point Museum | South Main St., Athens, (Top Floor of Spalding Memorial Library) | Artifacts from all over the world including: Native American, Australian, New Zealand, Egypt, also extensive animal collection |
Tues, Thurs 12-8; Sat. 10-1 or by appointment |
570-888-7225 | No
admission fee |
| Tri-Counties Genealogy & History | Online reference/resources | Website | |||
| Wyalusing Valley Museum | Grovedale Lane, Wyalusing | Collection shows the area's local history including Native American artifacts, antiques, and displays of how early settlers lived. |
Sat. &, Sun. 12-4
|
570-746-3979 | No admission fee |
| Name | Location | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Academy Building | Corner of Fourth and State St. Towanda | Towanda Academy, built in 1835 (Privately owned can be viewed from the road) |
| Bradford County Courthouse | Main St., Towanda | Built in 1896, noted for 1800's architecture |
| Bridge in Athens Township | Bridge over Susquehanna River in Athens | Built in 1913, partially washed away by flood in 1916, noted for architectural style |
| Christ Episcopal Church | Rt. 6, Towanda | Built in 1867, stone used from Millstone Creek (also used in old jail, courthouse, and Daily Review building), original incorporator was David Wilmot |
| Ellen and Charles F. Welles House | East side of Rt. 187, Terrytown | Welles log cabin built in 1806 by Jonathan Terry the first permanent settler and founder of Terrytown (privately owned can be viewed from the road ) |
| Friedenshutten Monument | Rt. 6, Wyalusing | Moravian Missionary site established to evangelize Delaware Indians, founded in 1763 |
| George A. Perkins House | South Main St., Athens | Once a stop on the Underground Railroad (Privately owned can be viewed from the road) |
| Homet's Ferry | Wyalusing, Asylum Township (Old Gun Club Rd.) | Griststone from the old mill is set into a rock wall with dates, foundations can still be seen on the grounds |
| Knapp's Covered Bridge | Follow signs from Rt. 6, Luther's Mills | Restored Burr-Arch Truss type covered bridge |
| Masonic Hall Association | Corner of Main St. and Pine St., Towanda | Noted for eclectic architectural style built in 1887 (Privately owned can be viewed from the road) |
| Methodist Episcopal Church of Burlington | Rt. 6, Burlington | Methodist Church built in 1822 |
| Old North Branch Canal | Towanda, & Athens Twp. | Parts of the canal and dam can be seen under the Veterans Memorial Bridge in Towanda, and in Atherns Twp. at various sites near the Chemung River, & near the former Blue Swan Airport. |
| Oscolui Site | Old Mills Road, North Towanda | Marker of Indian villages |
| Protection of the Flag Monument | South Main St., Athens | Veterans Memorial dedicated June 14, 1902 |
| Spanish Hill | Rt. 220, Sayre/South Waverly | Unique 230 ft. mound of earth. Used by Susquehannocks and other Native Americans. May be the site of Carantouan. (Privately owned can be viewed from the road) www.SpanishHill.com |
| Thomas L. Brown House | Wyalusing | First frame house built in the Wyalusing Township, built in 1795 (Privately owned can be viewed from the road) |
| Van Dyne Civic Building | CNN Bank building Troy | Half shire style court house building, used in early 1900's in conjunction with Towanda Courthouse |
| William Mean House | 110 Bridge St. Towanda | Early settler house of William Mean, Towanda's founder, originally located on Main St., later moved to Bridge St. (Privately owned can be viewed from the road) |
| Wysox Presbyterian Church | Rt. 187 Wysox | Established in 1791, earliest church in the area |
| Smithfield Monument | Public Square East Smithfield | Dedicated Sept. 14, 1871; 54 names of Smithfield's sons recognized |
| Ulster Monument | Village Cemetery in Ulster | Dedicated May 14, 1898; monument for Civil War vets |
| Bradford County Soldiers and Sailors Monument | Bradford County Courthouse Towanda | Dedicated Nov. 26, 1901; represents four branches of military service and honors Civil War vets |
| WW I Doughboy Monument | Howard Elmer Park, Sayre | Dedicated in 1919. Honors by name Sayre's war dead from WWI, WWII, Korea & Vietnam |
| Lehigh Valley RR Passenger Station | 103 S. Lehigh Ave., Sayre | Built in 1881. Home of Sayre Canteen serving 600,000 military servicemen during WWI & WWII. Soon to become Sayre Historical Society Museum |
| Madill Monument | Presbyterian Church Cemetery, Wysox | Dedicated Aug. 29, 1906 in memory of Henry J. Madill |