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    Lock Haven
    Lock Haven
    Lock Haven
    Ebook169 pages53 minutes

    Lock Haven

    By Maria J. Boileau

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    About this ebook

    Situated between the Susquehanna River and Bald Eagle Creek, Lock Haven was developed by brothers Jerry and Willard Church in 1833 on 200 acres of farmland. The completion of the canal in 1834 stimulated the lumber industry, which became a source of prosperity for many years. Most of the large, beautiful homes located in Lock Haven's Water Street Historic District were built by families who prospered from over 50 years of timber harvest. When the lumber industry declined, other industries, including furniture, paper, fire bricks, and silk, provided new economic opportunities. The city was home to Piper Aviation and has seen the growth of Lock Haven University. Through floods and economic turmoil, Lock Haven's residents have continuously shown their strength of character. Lock Haven serves as a tribute to the beauty of the river, the mountains, and the people of this community.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherArcadia Publishing
    Release dateSep 18, 2012
    ISBN9781439624173
    Lock Haven
    Author

    Maria J. Boileau

    Maria J. Boileau is the downtown manager for Downtown Lock Haven, Inc. Vintage photographs from the Annie Halenbake Ross Library, Piper Aviation Museum, and Clinton County Historical Society offer a unique view of Lock Haven throughout the years.

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      Book preview

      Lock Haven - Maria J. Boileau

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      INTRODUCTION

      Situated between the beautiful West Branch of the Susquehanna River and the Bald Eagle Creek, Lock Haven was home for the Lenni Lenape Indians. One of the most historic sites was the Great Island located just east of Lock Haven. Surrounded by water and offering rich farmland, this area became a meeting point and home for many tribes. The Great Island can be found on old maps before early settlers arrived.

      William Reed was one of the early settlers in 1773. Reed built a log cabin on East Water Street that he named Reed’s Fort, surrounding it with a stockade. Reed’s Fort was the last in a series of strong points extending up the West Branch Valley from Sunbury built to protect settlers against Indian attacks. Because of the conflict with the Indians, Reed’s Fort was evacuated in 1778 during what was referred to as the Great Runaway. It was not until 1783 that families returned to their homes.

      In 1833, Jerry Church and his brother Willard Church recognized the potential of the area when they negotiated with Dr. Henderson of Huntingdon to purchase 200 acres of farmland for $20,000. Church named the town Lockhaven, for the canal lock and the haven the town had become as a home for river boatmen. Lock Haven was incorporated in 1834 with a population of about 700. It became a borough in 1840 and was made a city in 1876.

      The city grew rapidly due to a number of events including its selection as the county seat and the building of a courthouse in 1844. The completion of the canal in 1834 stimulated the lumber industry in Clinton County. And in 1849, the West Branch Boom, a device by which logs could be stored as they floated down the river from the upper tributaries, was completed in Lock Haven. The industry grew rapidly with the completion of the boom in Lock Haven, Williamsport, and other points along the river.

      The West Branch Boom made Lock Haven the first market for timber rafts on the West Branch of the Susquehanna River. Lumbermen from eastern Pennsylvania came to purchase rafts of timber.

      The collective cutting capacity of the Lock Haven Mills was 100 million board feet per year, and the lumber industry in the area eventually included 13 mills. Most of the large, beautiful homes located in the Water Street Historic District were built by families who prospered from over 50 years of lumbering in Clinton County.

      But by the end of the century, the lumber industry was declining; persistent flood damage to the log booms and the canal and depletion of the forest finally put an end to an era for the city. Fortunately, other industries were established, providing a new economic base for Lock Haven as it entered the 20th century. Furniture, paper, firebricks, and silk were all produced in the city.

      Much like other rural cities and towns along the river, the City of Lock Haven has seen a number of boom and bust cycles through its history. Changes in the manufacturing industry around the country had a significant impact on Lock Haven.

      In 1938, the Piper Aircraft Corporation began producing small planes on the site of the old silk mills. Piper Aircraft remained one of the city’s largest employers until a combination of a major flood and an ownership struggle resulted in the relocation of the company to Florida in the 1980s.

      Lock Haven’s many churches and distinct neighborhoods gave the town a unique identity and sense of place. As Lock Haven developed, churches were constructed replacing home services and meetinghouses. Churches offered a source of strength for families. Art and entertainment thrived throughout the years. Lifelong residents can tell stories about church buildings and former places of entertainment. Lock Haven had created a sense of place. Photographs taken by early photographers like John W. C. Floyd offered hundreds of views of life during the late 1800s.

      The river, which brought both wealth and prosperity, also brought destruction of those individual communities and the loss of the very identity that made Lock Haven what it is today. Time and again it was the people of this community who showed their strength and determination and continually worked on revitalization efforts.

      It is the communities of Lock Haven—the communities in business and fraternal organizations, communities of faith, neighborhood communities with strong cultural heritages, and communities bound by service to each other and to this country—that have truly formed Lock Haven’s identity.

      Today Lock Haven remains the largest city in Clinton County with an estimated population of 9,000. While there is still a manufacturing presence in the city, major employers represent the educational, health, and social services sectors. Home to major employers such as First Quality Tissue and Lock Haven Hospital, Lock Haven is once again forming its identity.

      Established in 1870, Lock Haven University, originally the Central State Normal School, is now one of the largest employers in the city. The university hosts approximately 4,500 students each year and offers 57 undergraduate degree programs and three graduate programs.

      Capitalizing on the resources and beauty of the community, tourism is becoming a growing industry. The area offers an increasing number of outdoor events and festivals with access

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