Henninger has been scrap-booking and collecting news articles and photos since before she was a teenager, eventually cataloging them into scores of binders that she digs into for her near-daily Facebook posts.

Henninger copies, scans and edits all of the photos on her own, using the skills she practiced while working in Computer Services for Penn State University before retiring in 2001.

As the name of her page suggests, most of her posts relate to the Penns Valley area of Centre County, but it is not uncommon for Henninger to post photos and historical tidbits of other areas in Central Pennsylvania.

Henninger’s late husband, John, was a retired State College police officer, so many of her posts will involve local law enforcement photos and history.

BRAD REIDER/FOR THE EXPRESS Evonne Henninger is pictured at work in her home office. Henninger operates the Penns Valley Past and Present Facebook page, sharing her love of local history.

Henninger was diagnosed with Parkinson’s Disease in 2019, but that hasn’t slowed her down. She continues to research local history, and is proud of some past accomplishments, such as spear-heading efforts to replace the foundation of the Egg Hill Church in Gregg Township and the moving and preservation of the Gramley Schoolhouse in Miles Township.

“Everybody needs to have hobbies for when they retire,” said Henninger, adding that it’s important to stay engaged regardless of age.

TRACKSIDE

As a child, Melissa Kinney was not a fan of math and science in school, but always enjoyed trips to historical sites with her parents.

“You can learn more if you go to places than reading it in a book,” Kinney, 35, of Beech Creek, said, speaking of her love of history.

PHOTO PROVIDED Melissa and Michael Kinney are pictured in this photo provided by MissyG’s Photography.

In 2018, Kinney started the Facebook page Missy G’s Photography which currently has about 2,500 followers.

Kinney travels to various historic spots in and out of Pennsylvania and posts photographs and blurbs about her trip and the sites she visits.

With several relatives from both sides of her family having worked in the railroad industry, trains are often the subject of Kinney’s photography, with her trademark “Smokey the Engineer” teddy bear making an appearance in many of her posts.

Kinney’s husband is also a fan of history and bears a striking resemblance to a certain U.S, President.

Michael Kinney has his own Facebook page, Keystone Lincoln, and has portrayed Abraham Lincoln at several events in the area.

PHOTO PROVIDED Smokey the Engineer is pictured at the Coburn rail tunnel in this photo provided by MissyG’s Photography.

ROAD TRIPS

Well now, if videos are more your thing, then Barclay Mountain Co. might be a Facebook page for you to check out.

Robert Tomlinson lives in Canton, Bradford County, but travels the state with his dash-mounted camera rolling.

Like Henninger and the Kinneys, Tomlinson’s love of history started early in life. Tomlinson founded Barclay Mountain Company in 2016, offering trivia-themed playing cards with the mission of “preserving the history of our hometowns.”

Recently, Tomlinson began documenting his road trips through the combination of his dash-mounted videos coupled with folksy, grandfatherly AI-generated narration.

While some of Tomlinson’s videos are recorded while commuting to and from his work in Northumberland County, others are captured while on weekend excursions with his wife, Albina. Tomlinson then edits the videos and adds the narration, with the videos being posted to his page a week or two later.

Tomlinson says he’s posted about a dozen videos of the Clinton, Centre and Lycoming County areas alone, with more on the way.

Along with Albina, Tomlinson recently visited the Piper Aviation Museum in Lock Haven. Tomlinson says he tries to “give back” to the community by highlighting not only history, but some of the local businesses located in the areas he features.

THE PLATFORMS

While Penns Valley Past and Present is found exclusively on Facebook, MissyG’s Photographer has pages on both Facebook and Youtube.

Tomlinson stated Barclay Mountain Co. (named after a mountain near his home) is active on both TikTok and Facebook, with over 60,000 followers on Facebook alone.