Happenings from the Heisey
- PHOTOS PROVIDED Who are these people? Every now and then surprises turn up at the Heisey House. These photos in a frame were recently left on the porch. The photo of the young woman in red was under the wedding portrait. Does anyone recognize them?
- PHOTOS PROVIDED Who are these people? Every now and then surprises turn up at the Heisey House. These photos in a frame were recently left on the porch. The photo of the young woman in red was under the wedding portrait. Does anyone recognize them?

PHOTOS PROVIDED Who are these people? Every now and then surprises turn up at the Heisey House. These photos in a frame were recently left on the porch. The photo of the young woman in red was under the wedding portrait. Does anyone recognize them?
Editor’s Note: This column is being reprinted in it’s entirety. A portion of it was inadvertantly omitted in Saturday’s Express.
We received a Pennsylvania Humanities and National Endowment for the Arts grant to support our programing and events. We will be able to bring presentations and collection displays virtually! We plan Zoom meetings highlighting speakers. We are so excited and grateful as we rise to this COVID challenge!
We are presenting “Night at the Heisey House Museum,” guided candlelight tour for adults, sharing historical spooktacular stories of Clinton County on three nights in October: Oct. 16, from 8-9:30, Oct. 21 from 8-9 and Oct. 30 from 8-9:30 p.m. Tours begin at the Poorman Gallery, 352 E. Water St., and are limited to 6 people. The cost is $5. Masks required, social distancing in effect. Purchase online tickets at www.clintonpahistory.org and on the evening of the tour if available. Funding has been provided by the Pennsylvania Humanities Council and the National Endowmentfor the Humanities (NEH) as part of the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act of 2020.
Wine in The Wilds, April 24, 2021 tickets are now on sale on our website www.clintonpahistory.org. Click “events” in the menu bar. Save on the pre-event price of $20 before Dec. 31 when the price goes up to $25. See the full description of our most fun fundraiser on the website.
Thanks to Jim Berkebile and Pete and Deb Smeltz for volunteering. Our grounds look great. We have new lights at the Heisey House and keyless entry for the Poorman Gallery. The Castanea Rail/Trail grounds were beautiful for our Sept. 20 dedication.

PHOTOS PROVIDED Who are these people? Every now and then surprises turn up at the Heisey House. These photos in a frame were recently left on the porch. The photo of the young woman in red was under the wedding portrait. Does anyone recognize them?
The final phase of renovating the exterior of the Castanea Train Station, restoration of the Water Tank Information Kiosk funded by the Clinton County Community Foundation and dedication of the vintage signal lights as well as recognizing the Clinton Central Model Railroad Club’s 40 years was celebrated on Sept. 20 with a ribbon cutting, photos, presentation check and photo by the Clinton County Community Foundation, with short speeches by JoAnn Bowes and John Gummo. The Economic Partnership and Friends of the Bald Eagle Valley Trail provided tables of information.
The three-year project of station restoration including new foundation drainage, rotted wood removal, priming, and repainting was funded by Tourism grants, donations by the Sons of Italy, City of Lock Haven, Castanea Fire Company, Jeffery Rice, John Gummo, Jim and Carol Hanna and Ron and JoAnn Bowes. Acquiring, storing, refurbishing, painting and installing the vintage train signal, formerly at the Henderson Street crossing, was made possible by the time, money and materials from John and Joyce Gummo, Todd Gummo, John Powell, Tom Rossman, Jim Hanna.
FROM THE COLLECTION
On the walls and the bookshelves and in the files is evidence of the numerous name changes that have occurred over the years in Clinton County. Maps hanging in the Heisey’s upstairs hallway display names such as Hamburg, Dunnsburg, and Logansville.
— Dunnsburg, now named Dunnstown, was named for William Dunn, a hunter who came to this area as part of one of the early surveyor teams, bought the Great Island from an Indian chief for a rifle and a barrel of whiskey.
— Logansville, now Loganton, was named for Chief Logan.
— Hamburg became Mackeyville and Salona went through three names before becoming Salona.
— Mudtown, McGhee’s Town, and then Mechanicsburg.
— Richville, named for the Rich family, first became Factoryville and then Woolrich after the family opened the woolen mills.
— Avis was originally called Oak Grove.
–Lock Haven itself started as Old Town, was named Lockhaven by Jerry Church because of the importance of the canals to the town’s economic growth, and finally incorporated as Lock Haven.