We have several July programs for you about our local history:

On July 12, from 2 to 4 p.m. at the Poorman Gallery you can hear “Sallie Ann Jarrett Story, Heroine of Gettysburg.” Why is a dog on a memorial at Gettysburg? Come find out!

On July 26, from 2 to 4 p.m. at the Farrandsville Furnace, join “Light Up the Furnace with Van Wagner Story,” the first hot blast furnace in North America!

From the Collection

By Kathy Arndt

This year, many are celebrating the 250th anniversary of the signing in 1776 of our nation’s Declaration of Independence. At least temporarily, history has become important again. It is the mission of the Clinton County Historical Society to preserve and promote the history of our area. Our file cabinets and our bookshelves are full of the source material to accomplish our mission. The subject of this month’s column is to detail some of the sources we use to complete our research and tell our stories.

We generally look to the books written by John F. Meginness, John Blair Linn, D.S. Maynard, and J. Milton Furey, published between 1857 and 1892, to research our county’s earliest history. All contain details about the lives of our first residents, the Native Americans who lived here or passed through on their way to other tribal lands. They were followed by retired officers from the Revolutionary War who, after serving on survey teams to explore the interior of the state, were rewarded with land warrants. William Dunn, who bought the Great Island from Chief Bald Eagle for some whiskey and a rifle, was a hunter for one of those survey teams. Settlers then followed to claim the land, work on farms, build the canal and the railroads, and form businesses and industries which turned Old Town into what became known as Lock Haven. The books by Meginness, Linn, Maynard, and Furey contained topographical details, biographical sketches of prominent citizens, and the histories of the newly formed townships. These volumes are available for review at both the Historical Society and the Ross Library.

A valuable source for researching 19th century Lock Haven is the Society’s own publication entitled Historic Lock Haven (1979). Beginning with the 1832 still-standing home of sea captain James Jefferis on the SE corner of E. Bald Eagle and Henderson streets to the 1940 Griffin Apartments at 113 W. Water St., the book traces the growth of Lock Haven through site surveys detailing the architectural style and ownership of the buildings, photos, and a timeline gathered from news articles from the local papers. While the museum has copies of the site surveys used to compile the book, the Ross Library has many more available for review. One of the more recently published accounts of the county’s history is entitled Clinton County: A Journey Through Time by Susan Hannegan and Jean May (1989). These two women were also instrumental in the Society’s Historic Lock Haven.

Over the last 126 years, there have been many sources that recount the county’s history, businesses, institutions, and people. Vick’s Standard Directory (1906-07) and The International Magazine of Industry (1909) detail the business life in the area. Newspaper articles and ads, especially in special anniversary editions are very useful for research. We have copies of several small books or pamphlets about local history. These works include Isabel Winner Miller’s Old Town, J. Boyd Grieb’s History of Porter Township, the A Peek at the Past series by Rebecca Gross and Elizabeth Achenbach, Retire-Mincing by Leonard Parucha, and Martha Zeigler’s Flemington Mosaic.

An important resource at the museum is our collection of genealogical and biographical family histories. Some of the files may contain only a page or two but others such as the Peale and Simpson family files have hundreds of pages of information. Joyce Adgate, our resident genealogist, not only helps families to trace their roots but also adds the found information that pertains to Clinton County to our files.

Our many file folders and small document storage boxes play a major role in our research work. The subject file folders in our cabinets range from “acronyms” to the “YMCA.” Categories include businesses, churches, fire companies, floods, industries, lumbering, railroads, schools, sports, and veterans. Most folders contain news articles dating from the 1800s to yesterday. The folders and boxes also contain photos, pamphlets, personal accounts, and research reports.

There is one file folder, however, that should be viewed with some skepticism. That is the folder that contains columns written local authors such as Harlan Berger, Lou Bernard, Matt Connor, Steve Poorman, and myself. We all do the research and try to be as factual as possible but sometimes we can be a bit off the mark. Our original source may be inaccurate; second and third-hand accounts may differ slightly from the original account over time; memories fade; cultural and political leanings may inadvertently influence the interpretation of “facts.” Facts may not always be facts, so readers beware. We all try but mistakes can be made. Feedback, however, helps us correct the record.

As stated at the beginning of this month’s paragraphs, it is our job as volunteers for the Historical Society to preserve and promote the history of Clinton County. History is history. Both the good and the bad are part of the story. In giving tours at the museum, I speak about the accomplishments of those who are represented in our collection but I do not hide the fact that a settler murdered the young Native American who .came to the fort to warn of an impending attack nor the fact that the Devling family that ran the tavern and boarding house that is now home to the Heisey House Museum owned a slave. History should not be sanitized or “disappeared.” Keep looking and learning. The truth is out there.