October 1, 2021

BLOOMSBURG, PA – The Columbia-Montour Visitors Bureau is pleased to announce a brand new mobile passport initiative featuring the historic covered bridges of Columbia & Montour Counties.  The passport program is free to sign up and encourages both visitors from outside the region and locals alike to get out and experience the area’s 25 covered bridges.  Once signed up, program participants will be emailed a customized link that will grant them access to the passport dashboard.  No mobile app or download is needed; the program operates in a mobile friendly web-based platform.

The passport program was created to encourage a continued appreciation of the area’s wooden treasures. “When considering we have one-eighth of Pennsylvania’s remaining covered bridges right here in our two county region, it’s pretty impressive”, remarked Shane Kiefer, Director of Marketing for the Columbia-Montour Visitors Bureau. “People certainly will think of going to Lancaster County to see Pennsylvania covered bridges, but with twenty-five bridges in our area, we have the third-most in the United States, just slightly behind Lancaster County and Parke County, Indiana.”

Covered bridges are symbols of simpler days, and of quiet time spent in the countryside. Sometimes known as “kissing bridges”, covered bridges were often a location for courting couples to meet. Many adults who grew up near a covered bridge will also fondly recall memories of days spent fishing under the bridge’s wooden planks, or long summer days with their childhood friends playing in the stream. “These bridges are quite simply a fond memory for many people, and we wanted to remind everyone of just how special it is to have so many preserved bridges in our backyard,” Kiefer said.

Finding a fond memory on the journey isn’t the only benefit of completing the new passport trail’s check-in stops, however; travelers who score at least 13 check-ins will be mailed a free embroidered patch commemorating their journey in the counties. And for those enterprising users, a completed passport with 25 check-ins will get them an entry into a year-end grand prize drawing for a $750 gift card to the Inn, Farmhouse, & Brewing Company at Turkey Hill in Bloomsburg.

Another added benefit will be the knowledge that participants’ visits will be counting toward continued preservation of the bridges.  After a milestone goal is hit with check-ins, the Visitors Bureau plans to coordinate a $50,000 donation to the Columbia County Covered Bridge Association in 2022 to make significant restorations on the Stillwater Covered Bridge.

To begin a journey using the new passport, interested participants should visit: iTourColumbiaMontour.com/cb-passport to find more details about the new passport, see which bridges are on the trail, and get signed up. 

After receiving the email, travelers can begin their adventure to the various covered bridges throughout the counties.  Once nearby one of the included bridges, users will select that bridge from the dashboard menu and click a “Check-In” button to receive check-in credit for visiting the bridge. The passport operates using GPS geolocation services, so users can only receive credit for checking in when they are within range of the bridge.

Kiefer also noted the passport will provide historic details and facts about each of the bridges for travelers to actively learn along the way. “This is not only a fantastic educational opportunity for families young and old, but it is also a great pandemic activity for those looking to avoid crowds – the beauty is that it can just be you and your family in the car for an old-fashioned road trip if you’d like.”

With the area’s rural beauty, cellular service may be limited or not available for some of the area’s bridges. If participants are unable to get enough service at one or more of the bridges to be able to activate the check in button, they are asked to simply take a photo of the bridge with their phone. Once back home, or in an area with adequate service, they may email photo(s) as verification to a passport support email (provided in the dashboard). Visits will be verified and manually checked-in within one week.

Those looking to visit the covered bridges during the height of fall foliage season will be just in time – peak colors for 2021 are expected the weeks of October 18^th and 25^th in Columbia & Montour Counties.

For more information about the Columbia-Montour region, and other things to see and do in the area while visiting the historic covered bridges, please visit www.iTourColumbiaMontour.com or contact the Bloomsburg Welcome Center at 570-784-8279.

Header photo credit to: Ben Prepelka

The Weis Center’s 2021-22 line-up includes a diverse schedule of nearly 30 live performances designed to inspire your mind, energize your body and restore your heart.

Performances will include music from Bali, Venezuela, West Africa, Mexico, and Colombia, plus classical music, Americana and roots music, modern dance from three acclaimed companies, jazz, and family-friendly performances. Seven performances are free.

Tickets for fall 2021 performances will go on sale beginning Friday, Aug. 27 at 10 a.m. by calling 570-577-1000, online at Bucknell.edu/BoxOffice or in-person weekdays 10 a.m.-4 p.m. at the Campus Box Office’s location in the Weis Center Atrium.

The season will kick off on Friday, August 27 at 6 p.m. with a free alt-rock and roots concert by Amythyst Kiah as she performs outside on the Weis Center Plaza. Her song “Black Myself” received a Grammy nomination for Best American Roots Song and won Song of the Year at the Folk Alliance International Awards. The Exchange’s Art Cart will be on site from 5:30-7 p.m. with special all-ages activities.

On September 14, world music and dance from Bali with ensemble Cudamani will perform. This 20-member ensemble weaves layers of intricate sound including gongs, drums, voice and flute.

On September 28, Red Sky Performance, a leading indigenous contemporary dance company from Canada, will perform their work “Trace”, which is a dance work inspired by Indigenous sky and star stories.

On October 1, the contemporary cirque duo, Air Play, returns to the Weis Center for a family-friendly performance highlighting the amazing power of air. Flying umbrellas, larger-than-life balloons, giant kites floating over the audience and a huge snow globe will make audience members gasp in wonder and laugh until it hurts.

Then, in the first of several engagements with the Jazz at Bucknell series – Jeremiah Abiah performs for free in the Weis Center Atrium on October 6. Abiah is a renowned singer, songwriter, celebrity vocal coach, author and producer.

The Julliard String Quartet will perform on October 17 with pianist and Bucknell Assistant Professor of Music Qing Jiang. They will perform works by Beethoven and Dvorak.

A season highlight will be Mavis Staples’ performance on Thursday, October 28. Hailed by NPR as “one of America’s defining voices of freedom and peace,” Staples is a Blues AND a Rock and Roll Hall of Famer; a Civil Rights icon; a Grammy Award winner; a chart-topping soul/gospel/rhythm-and-blues pioneer; and a Kennedy Center honoree. She’s collaborated with everyone from Prince and Bob Dylan to Arcade Fire and Hozier.

Americana duo The Honey Dewdrops will perform on November 3 at the Campus Theatre in downtown Lewisburg. Their harmony-soaked songs, blended with the tones of guitar, banjo and mandolin are sure to inspire.

Pianist Michelle Cann will perform on November 7 with a program that includes Chopin, Florence Price and Brahms.

Philadelphia’s premier contemporary ballet company, BalletX, will perform three new works on November 12.

The final fall performance will be a raucous holiday performance by eight-piece jazz band, The Hot Sardines, on December 3. The performance will feature timeless Christmas classics and original tunes.

The spring 2022 season includes: American roots ensemble American Patchwork Quartet on January 23, Jamal Aliyev on cello and Dominic Cheli on piano on January 27, The Crossing with Dublin Guitar Quartet on February 4, bluegrass band Della Mae on February 8, Circa Contemporary Circus on February 15, Polish Wieniawski Philharmonic Orchestra on February 17, Nella on February 24, Reverso on March 1, The Peking Acrobats on March 6, Sona Jobarteh on March 22, classical accordionist Hanzhi Wang on March 25, Jake Blount on March 30, Sonia De Los Santos on April 2, pianist Qing Jiang on April 3, Ronald K. Brown/EVIDENCE Dance on April 8, Ukulele Orchestra of Great Britain on April 10 and world music ensemble from Colombia Chontadelia on April 21. Tickets for spring 2022 performances will go on sale on Monday, Jan. 10, 2022, at 10 a.m. 

SEASON BROCHURE

The season brochure is now available as an eco-friendly, downloadable and printable PDF and online flipbook at Bucknell.edu/WeisCenter.

A limited number of hardcopies are available upon request. To request a hardcopy brochure, contact Lisa Leighton, marketing and outreach director, at 570-577-3727 or e-mail Lisa.Leighton@bucknell.edu and one will be mailed at no cost.

Hardcopies are also available at the Weis Center and will soon be available throughout the Susquehanna River Valley region.

TICKETS

Please note that usual ticket subscriptions and seating selections have been temporarily changed for the 2021–22 Season. 

• Subscriptions will not be available during the 2021–22 season. 
• Tickets for fall 2021 performances will go on sale beginning Friday, Aug. 27 at 10 a.m.
• Tickets for spring 2022 performances will go on sale on Monday, Jan. 10, 2022, at 10 a.m. 
• All seating will be general admission and will comply with current guidelines. Specific seats cannot be selected when purchasing tickets, and patrons should plan to arrive early to ensure ample time to select an available seat. Auditorium doors open 30 minutes prior to show time.
• Capacity limits will be adjusted for each performance at the venue’s discretion and based on current health and safety guidelines. 

CAMPUS BOX OFFICE INFORMATION

• Weis Center Atrium
  Monday–Friday, 10 a.m.–4 p.m.
• Elaine Langone Center, Campus Activities & Programs Center
  Monday–Friday, 10 a.m.–4 p.m.

The Campus Box Office opens one hour prior to performances at the performance location.

570-577-1000 or Bucknell.edu/BoxOffice

PLEASE NOTE

While on campus, patrons must abide by all Bucknell University health and safety guidelines, including maintaining social distancing and wearing appropriate face coverings, if still being implemented.

These protocols may be subject to change at any time. Please continue to visit our website for the most up-to-date information at Bucknell.edu/WeisCenter.

For more information about performances at the Weis Center for the Performing Arts, go to Bucknell.edu/WeisCenter or search for the Weis Center on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter or YouTube.

September 2, 2021

Motorists are advised to use caution on the roads in our area and the surrounding region today, and in the coming days due to flooding. Below is a list of current road closures.

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8:00 AM UPDATE: Roads Impacted by Flooding in North Central Pennsylvania

Columbia

• Route 1007 (Stony Brook Road) from the intersection of Route 487 to the intersection of Route 487 in Orange Township.
• Route 4041 (Rohrsburg Road) between Neyhart Road and Green Creek Road in Orange Township.
• Route 2001 (Ideal Park Road / Mill Road) between the intersection with Numidia Drive in Locust Township and Mill Grove Drive in Roaring Creek Township.
• Route 2022 (Scotch Valley Drive) between the intersection with Route 339 (Main Mifflin Drive /Mainville Drive) in Main Township and the intersection with Township Road 339, Beaver Township.
• Route 2026 (Mountain Shadow Lane) between the intersection with Route 339 (State Road) in Beaver Township and the intersection with Beaver Valley Road in Beaver Township.
• Route 339 between the intersection with Dog Town Road in Beaver Township and the intersection with Full-Mill Hill Road in Main Township.
• Route 3016 (Hollow Road) between the intersection with Hollow Road and the intersection with Route 487 (River Hill Drive) in Catawissa.
• Route 4013 (Whites Church Road) between the intersection with Fox Hollow Road and the intersection with English Hill Road in Mount Pleasant Township.
• Route 2024 (Beaver Valley Road) between Route 2022 (Scotch Valley Drive) and Chapel Hill Road in Beaver Township.
• Route 93 between Route 1013 (Draketown Road) in Orangeville Borough and Cabin Run Road in North Center Township
• Route 487 between Route 3003 (Ashton Hollow Road) in Franklin Township and Route 54 (Market Street) in Ralpho Township
• Route 1010 (Hosler Road) between Shelhamer Road in North Centre Township and Route 1013 (Draketown Road) in Orange Township.
• (New) Route 3010 (Middle Road) between Route 3008 (Bear Gap Road) in Cleveland Township and Route 42 (Numidia Drive) in Locust Township.

Montour

• Route 2014 (Stine Road/Century Road/Hedge Road) between the intersection with Route 254 (Washingtonville Road) and the intersection with Cameltown Road in Derry Township.
• Route 3010 (Steckermill Road) between Mowery Road and Route 3003 (Narehood Road) in Liberty Township.
• Route 3003 (Narehood Road) at the intersection with Route 3006 (Stump Road) in Liberty Township.

NEIGHBORING COUNTIES

Northumberland

• Route 4010 (Reagan Street) between Third Street and Second Street in Sunbury.
• Route 4026 (Irish Valley Road) between the intersection with Route 890 in Rockefeller Township and the intersection with Route 61 in Shamokin, Coal Township.
• Route 1025 (Shakespeare Road) between the intersection with Route 45 (Purple Heart Road) and the intersection with Hobbes Road in East Chillisquaque.
• Route 2013 (Badmans Hill Road) between the intersection with Irish Valley Road in Shamokin, Coal Township and the intersection with Route 61 in Ralpho Township.
• Route 61 between Eleventh Street in Sunbury and the intersection with Route 890 in Upper Augusta Township.
• Route 4005 (Market Street / Main Street) between the intersection Main Street in Snydertown and the intersection with Route 61 in Shamokin.
• Route 54 between the intersection with Route 487 (Valley Avenue) in Ralpho Township and the intersection with Route 61 in Mount Carmel Township.
• Route 2004 (Bowden Road) between Route 54 (Elysburg Road) and Route 2003 (Logan Run Road) in Rush Township.

Snyder

• Route 3005 (Millrace Rad) between the intersection with Heister Valley Road and the intersection with Route 35 in Perry Township.
• Route 3006 (Middle Road/Heister Valley Road) between Ridge Road and Heister Valley Road in West Perry Township.

by Nancy Bishop

Felled by the pandemic in 2020, ArtFest is back and better than ever. The event that brings music, art and food to downtown Bloomsburg is scheduled for Saturday, Aug. 21 from 10 AM to 5 PM.

Clustered around the fountain at the Square and up Market Street will be more than 50 art and craft exhibitors, seven food vendors, four different music groups and dozens of activities for adults and kids. “There’s something for everyone – art, live music, food, crafts, activities,” says Oren Helbok, executive director of The Exchange, which produces the event. It’s held rain or shine, but “it never rains,” Helbok says. (Hope that’s a promise!)

Whether you live in the area, or you’re dropping off a Bloomsburg University student for the start of classes on Aug. 23, you’ll want to plan a visit to ArtFest.

If you think you have a green thumb, enter the “Container Garden Contest” the Fishing Creek Watershed Association is having. It’s their 3^rd container garden contest. All you do is pick a theme for your garden and a container — a bowl or a bucket will do. Bring it to be displayed at ArtFest. Visitors to ArtFest can vote for their favorites. FCWA will use the money raised through the popular vote for projects at the rain garden and pollinator gardens at Kocher Park. FWCA says its last contest earned nearly $300 for additional plants. Let’s help them beat that this year. You don’t have to be a member of FWCA to enter the contest and the winning gardener wins a choice of prizes.

This is the 13th year for the festival, which was started in 2009 by Downtown Bloomsburg, Inc. (DBI), the non-profit organization devoted to the betterment of Bloomsburg’s downtown commercial district. The Exchange, a non-profit organization dedicated to bringing the arts to all communities throughout the region, has produced the event since 2016, and the Town of Bloomsburg has provided the venue and support services each year. The free event moved to the Square in 2017. In 2019, the last time ArtFest took place, about 3,000 people attended.

There’s plenty of parking available in downtown Bloomsburg, but you will have to feed the parking meters, Helbok said. So, better remember to bring some quarters along (and you can use the PANGO app). ArtFest also will be following state and CDC guidelines for COVID19 safety.

The day is primarily about art and you’ll find a wide variety represented – pottery, photography, acrylics, oil and watercolor paintings, ceramics, sculpture. Looking for that special piece of jewelry? You’ll find handmade pieces from several vendors – even some made from guitar-strings by Rock Reborn.

Bring the kids along. Bloomsburg Public Library’s Miss Angie will be there with art projects that kids can either make there or take home to do later. And The Exchange’s popular Art Cart will be there, too. Since the summer of 2015, the Art Cart has brought art projects and supplies to more than 50 venues throughout the area. The ArtCart offers kids projects from painting and drawing to cut-out paper and sculpture. It’s provided as a service to the communities, supported entirely by donations and grant funding so it’s always free.

Ever wanted to try writing poetry? You’ll have your chance at ArtFest this year. The River Poets group will be there to capture your words with their “It Could Be Verse” public poetry event. 

Don’t miss the music! Raven Creek will be playing bluegrass at 10 AM and noon. The Mollywogs will play at 11 AM. Then it’s Kerry Kenny from 1 to 3 PM and The Cadillac Cats from 3 to 5 p.m.

And then there’s the food. With seven food vendors you’re sure to find something you like from hot dogs at Rexy’s Gourmet Dogs to Mike’s Food Truck with its farm-to-table menu to Everything About Crepes with something sure to please your sweet tooth. For the complete line-up of vendors, non-profit partners, and music, click here.

Popular annual festival will no longer be held at Knoebels Amusement Resort

BLOOMSBURG, PA – The annual Covered Bridge & Arts Festival, held at Knoebels Amusement Resort in Elysburg since 1982, will have a new home in 2021, and in future years as well.  The fall festival, which traditionally draws approximately 150,000 people over four days in early October, will now be held at the Bloomsburg Fairgrounds.

Festival organizers from the Columbia-Montour Visitors Bureau (CMVB) recently met with Knoebels management to discuss logistical challenges, exacerbated by the national labor shortage, of continuing the festival at the amusement resort.  Faced with the prospect of cancelling the festival for a second consecutive year, the group made the decision to coordinate a new home for the event moving forward. For vendors, the Fairgrounds venue will be able to provide the same amenities that have been offered in prior years to ensure a successful event. Visitors will be able to look forward to increased parking opportunities as well as regular tram service to and from the parking lot.

“Looking back at the Covered Bridge Festival’s long history, we would be remiss if we did not thank the Knoebel family,” remarked Otto Kurecian, Executive Director of the Columbia-Montour Visitors Bureau. “Their foresight enabled the CMVB to literally keep our doors open. In the process, they nurtured a tiny festival and assisted us in creating one of the premier craft festivals in the United States. We will remain forever grateful for their efforts.”

Knoebels management also reflected on the long history of the event at the park and offered optimism for the future. 

“The Covered Bridge Festival has been a wonderful partnership between the Visitors Bureau and Knoebels for nearly 40 years,” said Brian Knoebel, Knoebels co-owner. “We are honored to have been a part of the festival’s growth and are excited to see what the future holds, with the Bloomsburg Fairgrounds being the perfect location to provide an opportunity for continued growth.”

Ultimately, the CMVB festival committee made the decision to contact the Bloomsburg Fairgrounds as a potential alternative host location for the event.  Fair board officials convened to discuss feasibility for the Covered Bridge & Arts Festival to be relocated to the Fairgrounds and unanimously decided in favor of hosting the event in 2021 and beyond.

“The entire Fair Board recognized the impact this festival has on the surrounding community and knew we needed to do whatever it took to ensure the Fairgrounds could serve as its new home,” said Randy Karschner, Bloomsburg Fair Board President. “The Bloomsburg Fair recognizes its role in serving as a key community partner, and we are looking forward to welcoming the Covered Bridge Festival to Bloomsburg.”

Each year, the Covered Bridge & Arts Festival provides a boost of approximately $14.2 million in overall economic benefit to the region. In recent years, the tourism industry as a whole generated $4.4 billion in state and local taxes – enough to reduce the tax liability of each household by about $850 each year.  For the past five years, the festival has been named as one of the Top 50 Arts & Crafts Festivals in the United States by Sunshine Artist Magazine.

“Looking forward, we need to provide a big thank you to the Bloomsburg Fair for being a community partner in the truest sense,” said Kurecian.  “We faced the real possibility of having to cancel the event. The Fair Board’s quick actions truly saved the Covered Bridge Festival.”

Additional details about the festival’s new layout at the Fairgrounds will be announced in coming months. For this year, the Covered Bridge & Arts Festival will remain in place for October 7 – 10 as planned.  Festival hours will also remain the same, and the event will maintain free parking and free admission. This year’s Bloomsburg Fair also remains scheduled as planned for September 24 – October 2. To learn more about this year’s Covered Bridge & Arts Festival, please click here.

Members of the general public are cordially invited to the Northeast Training Institute (NETI) Public Grand Opening this Friday, June 25^th, 2021 from Noon – 4 PM.  Join the staff and management of NETI as they celebrate the official public grand opening of their state-of-the-art training facility, located at 1025 Alliance Park Drive in Bloomsburg. The Northeast Training Institute is a newly constructed 11,000 square foot training facility located in Bloomsburg. NETI will offer classroom, online and hands-on courses for home inspectors, ICC and UCC residential and commercial code inspectors.

The event will provide an opportunity to meet staff and learn more about the facility, including a specially constructed InterNACHI® “House of Horrors”. The two story building built within the training center includes a basement and attic, mis-wired electrical outlets, incorrectly installed furnaces and badly-joined sewage pipes. The home contains 1,000 built-in defects, and is designed to test the skill set of new home inspectors by giving them 1,000 examples of how things look when they go wrong. Attendees will be able to view the customized House of Horrors from behind the safety of first and second floor windows; the structure was purposefully not designed to meet building code standards in order to serve as an educational tool for training classes. The House of Horrors is the only one of its kind in the northeastern United States.

from the Susquehanna Greenway Partnership

With the onset of paddling season, the Susquehanna Greenway Partnership (SGP) is excited to release another great tool for the paddling public. The Susquehanna Greenway Vessel Identification Stickers (ID Stickers) were produced in May 2021 and are a FREE resource for paddlers to utilize as they explore the Susquehanna River Water Trail. 

These water-resistant stickers include areas for name and contact information. After filling in the information sections with a waterproof pen or marker, it is recommended that boat owners place the sticker in a protected but visible location, such as the inside of the cockpit. If a boat should capsize and get swept downriver, the vessel has a better chance of being returned.

“The ID stickers were produced in order to fill a gap left open by the discontinuation of the vessel ID program through the regional branch of the Auxiliary Coast Guard,” explains SGP Executive Director Corey Ellison. “With so many new paddlers discovering and utilizing the water trail, these stickers not only provide key safety information, but they also help instill a peace of mind in the event that gear is lost during a trip on the river.”

Designed with safety in mind, the stickers highlight the importance of having a life jacket and whistle on board, which is required by PA State Law. They also include a set of helpful phone numbers that may be needed while on the water trail including those of the PA Fish & Boat Commission, Department of Environmental Protection, and the PA Game Commission. 

The stickers are available for free at all SGP events throughout the 2021 season; some of these events include: 

On June 26, SGP will host the Susquehanna Float & Films, which offers participants a chance to kayak the river, watch the best of international paddling films, or do both for a full day experience! Tickets range $12-28 and can be purchased at susquehannagreenway.org/pff. 

On July 24, SGP is partnering with Pennsylvania Master Naturalist on a new program designed to enhance your paddling skillset and develop your knowledge of river ecology. The Paddler’s Toolkit workshop will be held at the Montour Preserve with presentations in the morning and a paddle in the afternoon on Lake Chillisquaque. Registration is $35 and includes lunch. More details are available at susquehannagreenway.org/toolkit.

For those unable to attend these events, the Vessel Identification Stickers are available to order from the SGP Online Shop: susquehannagreenway.org/shop. There is no cost for the stickers; however, shipping is not included and must be paid by the purchaser.

The Vessel Identification Stickers were financed in part by a grant from the Community Conservation Partnerships Program Environmental Stewardship Fund under the administration of the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, Bureau of Recreation and Conservation administered through the Pennsylvania Environmental Council’s Pennsylvania Water Trails Partnership Mini Grant Program.

The Susquehanna Greenway is a corridor of connected trails, parks, river access points, and communities, linking people to the natural and cultural treasures of the Susquehanna River. The mission of the Susquehanna Greenway Partnership is to continue to grow the Greenway by building connections along the Susquehanna River, inspiring people to engage with the outdoors, and transforming communities into places where people want to live, work, and explore. 

by Nancy Bishop

Looking for something to do on a Sunday afternoon? Tired of our modern era? Take a step back in time and visit the Montgomery and Boyd Houses at the corner of Bloom and North Mill streets in Danville.

Built in the late 1700s by Gen. William Montgomery, whose son Daniel is the “Dan” in Danville, the Montgomery House was home to descendants of Montgomery until his great-granddaughter, the last resident, passed away in 1939. At that time it was put up for sale and local residents were concerned that it would be demolished, so the Elks Lodge (B.P.O.E.) bought it and deeded it over to the Montour County Commissioners, who turned it over to the newly formed Montour County Historical Society for a “Historical Shrine.”

Lovingly restored and maintained by tireless volunteers from the Historical Society, the house has two parts – the original log home built around 1777 and a Federal-style stone building added later.

An officer in the Revolutionary War, Gen. Montgomery came to the area from Chester County near Philadelphia. When he bought land on the Mahoning Creek in 1774, the area still had occasional altercations between the settlers and the Native Americans. The Montgomery’s had lived in the log home only a short time when there was an uprising in the Wyoming Valley. After moving temporarily downriver to Fort Augusta, the family returned in 1779 and Gen. Montgomery built a sawmill, grist mill and woolen mill.

Helped by his father, Daniel Montgomery operated a trading post that provided items settlers in the surrounding area needed. They began calling the area “Dan’s town,” which eventually evolved into “Danville.” Both father and son donated land for public buildings in the new town. In a Fourth of July speech in 1800, William said hills around the area were full of iron. He predicted “great iron factories employing large numbers of workman and yielding much wealth to the community.”

A dedicated public servant, Gen. Montgomery, who was born in 1736, served in the Army for 34 years, and was elected or appointed to 16 different offices, including the Continental Congress, Pennsylvania Congress and the United States Congress. He died in 1816.

After the new historical society acquired the house, local residents began donating their prized memorabilia and historical artifacts to the society. Today the older log and wood frame part of the house is set up the way a home would have been at the time the Montgomery family first lived there and includes items donated by their descendants.

Although the Montgomery House and neighboring Boyd House weren’t able to be open for a year because of the COVID-19 pandemic, the members of the Historical Society put that time to good use, going through many of the donated historical items that had been in storage and creating new displays.

Since mid-April, the two buildings have been reopened for public tours on Sunday afternoons from 1 to 4 PM. It’s a great destination. On a recent Sunday, I spent several hours there looking at the fascinating displays and talking to the Historical Society volunteers who were eager to tell visitors about the houses.

One room in the Montgomery House is dedicated to Geisinger Hospital founder Abigail Geisinger and contains some of her personal belongings including a beautiful needlepoint chair. I learned that Mrs. Geisinger, born Abigail Ann Cornelison in 1827, had been married twice – the first time to a distant cousin, Jacob Cornelison. After she was widowed, she married George Geisinger in 1866 when she was 39.

Next door to the Montgomery House is the Boyd House, built in the early 1880s by Daniel Montgomery Boyd, grandson of Daniel Montgomery and great-grandson of William Montgomery. The Elks Lodge purchased the house in 1923 and used it until 1999. Since purchasing the Boyd House, the Historical Society has turned it into a museum that is home to some unique collections. There’s the Military Room that has a huge collection of military items from all eras of American history. Uniforms, medals, enlistment papers, newspaper articles track America’s military history. You could spend hours in there and still miss something!

In the Business & Industry Room you’ll find items including documents, pictures and even cast iron stoves from the mining and iron industry that was a huge part of Danville history for a century. One of the items that will surely catch your eye is an advertising backdrop from the old Opera House in town that takes up a whole wall.

As if that isn’t enough to keep you there for hours, there’s a room with Native American artifacts including a display of arrowheads that were found in the surrounding fields, streams and river. No matter what your interests are, you’re sure to find an exhibit whether it’s musical instruments, toys, clocks or early photos. The Historical Society also has assembled clothing and accessories that highlight the fashions from the 19th and 20th centuries. And there’s a library with historical books and documents.

Plan a visit soon. Even if you have been to the Montgomery and Boyd Houses before, you’ll find so many changes and new exhibits that you’ll be glad you gave it another try.

The two houses are open Sundays from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. from April through October and by appointment during the winter season. Admission is $10 if you are not a member of the Historical Society. Members, young children and students from kindergarten through 12th grade are free.

You can also help the Historical Society continue the Montgomery and Boyd House renovations by donating to the Boyd House Fund, PO Box 8, Danville, PA 17821.