Stone Church Open House!
The Montgomery Area Historical Society will hold an Open House at the Old Stone Church, located on on the grounds of the Bureau of Prisons, Allenwood, Saturday, May 25th from 10am until 2pm. This is an opportunity to tour the inside of the church and explore the historical cemetery in the light and warmth of the season.
Bring your cameras to take pictures of the headstones and church stained glass windows and bring along your family tree to check out possible connections. Additionally, a presentation on the history of the Stone Church will be given at 1pm. Please use the Allenwood Camp Road access near the White Deer Golf Course.
LOOKING AHEAD TO 2013: A bus trip to Gettysburg Battlegrounds is being arranged with David Richards as our tour guide.
KEEP AN EYE ON THE CHANGING DISPLAYS IN THE WINDOWS at 1 West Houston Avenue.
Candlelight Service 2012
The Montgomery Area Historical Society hosted an Open House on Saturday, December 15, 2012. It Began at 2 p.m. at the Old Stone Church. Local historical items were on display. The Candlelight Service began at 4 p.m and over 158 people attended. This was a free event.
Stone Church Open House and Candlelight Service
The Open House and Candlight Service was held Saturday, December 18, 2010.
In October, 1944, the Adam Print Shop was opened on West Houston Avenue under the ownship and management of John T. Adam. His son, John Jr., eventually took over this family-owned business, which was located beneath the Montgomery Area Public Library. The Adam Print Shop served the area's printing needs for 65 years until the passing of John early this year.
After the business was closed and the shop vacated, the historical society board members toured the space and determined that it could serve as an appropriate area for displaying and storing the society's collection.
Effective April 1, 2010, the library board approved renting the space to the historical society. Over the past several months, the former print shop has been cleaned, painted, and renovated.
Past Events:
______________________________
A Historical Look Back at Montgomery Area Law Enforcement took place on Tuesday, May 18, 7 p.m. at Montgomery Borough Hall, Main Street, Montgomery.
Montgomery Police Chief Terry Lynn presented a look back at the history of the Montgomery area police force. His presentation honored the late Montgomery Police Chief Henry S. Hand, who died in the line of duty when he was shot and killed during an unprovoked attack while he was standing on West Houston Avenue on December 13, 1938. He was 36 years old.
In 1994, former Montgomery mayor Alfred Douglas initiated the re-naming of Park Street, which runs parallel to the railroad tracks near the Montgomery Post Office, to Henry Hand Drive in memory of our former police chief.
Open House and Lenten Service
The Open House and Lenten Service at the Stone Church took place on Saturday, March 27, 2010.
__________________________________
Mr. Carl Meiss, Public Relations and Membership Director of the Pennsylvania State Grange, was our featured speaker at our meeting on March 16. Mr. Meiss spoke on the history of the PA Grange.
Montgomery’s Eagle Grange #1, the first Grange to ever open in PA, was officially chartered on March 4, 1871 by D. S. Curtis from Lycoming County. Their first Master (President) was Luke Eger, from Montgomery and the Secretary was Abraham Page, also from Montgomery. There were 39 original "Charter" members at Eagle Grange #1.
Link to article in the Muncy Luminary on Eagle Grange #1: here
___________________________________
History of PA CCC Camps was presented on Tuesday, January 19, 2010
Mr. John J. Eastlake, a local historian from South Williamsport, PA, gave us a look back at the history of the CCC (Civilian Conservation Corps) Camps (1933-1942). Enrollees into the CCC had to be unemployed, unmarried, and between the ages of 18 and 26. Jobs included road building, forestry labor, and flood control.
__________________________________
Scenes from presentation on Prince Farrington: Central PA's Infamous Bootlegger
Prince Farrington: Central PA's Infamous Bootlegger was presented on November 17, 2009
Bruce Teeple, writer, local historian, and columnist for the Centre Daily Times, spoke on the life and times of Prince David Farrington, a moonshiner and bootlegger whose family operated an illicit liquor business during the first half of the twentieth century and satisfied markets stretching from Williamsport and Lock Haven to Harrisburg, Philadelphia, and Washington, D.C. Mr. Teeple is currently researching and writing his book "As Good as a Handshake: the Farringtons and the Political Culture of Moonshine in Central Pennsylvania".
Scenes from Civil War Living History Weekend
Alvira Revisited 
In Appreciation
On Saturday, June 20, 2009, more than 300 people braved the rain and mud to get a first-hand look at the remains of Alvira and the Ordnance and to talk with our historians. Organized by the Montgomery Area Historical Society with the cooperation of the Pennsylvania Game Commission, this event attracted visitors from as far away as South Carolina.
The Montgomery Area Historical Society would like to convey its appreciation to the PA State Game Commission, to local historian Kate Hastings, who conducted the wagon tours, and a special thanks to our friend and neighbor, Bob Russell, who offered the use of his covered wagon.
What is Alvira?
In the spring of 1942, the federal government condemned, “purchased,” or took by eminent domain 8,500 acres in Union and Lycoming Counties for the construction of a factory – the Pennsylvania Ordnance Works - to manufacture TNT. With scarcely any advance notice, residents of the village of Alvira and the surrounding area were forced to pack up and move, and their homes, farms, businesses, and schools were demolished.
To read the article "Lost No More - Alvira and the Ordnance" published in Williamsport Sun-Gazette, see page found here
To purchase your copy of the book "Alvira and the Ordnance: An American Dream...Denied" (co-authored by Paul Metzger and Stephen Huddy) or the tract map of properties taken, please see link at left.
You may also purchase these items at the Montgomery Area Public Library, Main and Houston, Montgomery; Ottos Bookstore, Fourth Street, Williamsport; or Ben Franklin, Clarkstown.
Please Come Back
We invite you to return to Alvira at your convenience to hike and explore the lands that are open and maintained by the game commission.
Directions: From Lewisburg, heading north on Rt. 15, turn left onto Rt. 44 North, just above Weaver’s Ice Cream Store. Proceed 6.8 miles to Elimsport Rd. and turn right. Go 2.3 miles and turn right onto Alvira Rd. Go 1.7 miles to Mill Rd. and State Game Land 252.From Williamsport, heading south on Rt. 15, turn right onto Rt. 44 North and follow the above directions.
