The Evening statesman. [volume] (Walla Walla, Wash.) 1903-1910, 1906-03-01
Wi||iamsport is One Hundred Years
Old Today.
A BIG Demonstration IS PLANNED
MONSTER PARADE AND COMMEM
MEMORATlVE EXERCISES
ARE SCHEDULED.

WILL1AMSPORT, Pa, March l.
On March 1, 1906, just one hundred
years ago today, the struggling village
wherein was the county seat" of Ly.
coming, was incorporated by act of the
legislature as the Borough of Will
Transport; by a like enactment sixty
years later it became a city. TIL ecen-
Williamsport will be properly celebrat-
ed by the citizens of the old town to-
day Many people from Lycoming
county and other parts of the state
are here to take part in the celebration,
which will be of a public character.
There will be a parade symbolizing
the growth and development of the
city during the hundred years of it's
existence, a large meeting with adj
dresses and music, and in the evening
a large banquet and ball.
The history of Williamsport dates
back to the early beginning of LycOm
ing county. Soon after the act of as
sembly creating the new county of Ly-
coming, in the spring of 1895, Michael
Ross, owner Of the tract called "Vir
ginia,'' secured the services of William
Ellis and Joseph Williams, noted sur.
veyors of the time. to lay out On the
north bank of the charming West
Branch a town, which he named Will
Transport and which he proposed to
make the county seat. Ross had two
rivals, who also laid out towns in close
proximity to the proposed Williamsport
and which they nancy augsburg and
Newberry Both these towns now form
part of Williamsport. There was con
siderable rivalry between the three
towns for awhile, as each aspired tC
become the county seat, but Williams
port finally won the victory.
Notable House.
James Russell built the first house
in the new town, corner East Third
and Mulberry streets. 1t was long ia
nous as the Russell Inn. The frs,
courts were held there and it was a
pioneer landmark down to it's destruc-
ton by the big fire of 1871. Here was
born William Russell, the first native
of Williamsport John Moore erected
the second building, which was also
a public house and called the White
House Inn. The first brick building
was erected by Andrew Tullick in 1899,
and it is still standing on Front street,
below Market. The first store was
opened in 1901 by William Wilson. An
drew D. Hepburn was the second mer
chant who opened a store in the new
town. There was no drug store until
Henry Lenhard opened one in 1875.
Peter Vanderbilt was the first black
smith and On August II, 1899, the first
postoffice was established at Williams
port, with Samuel Grier as postmaster.
In 1910 the first court house was
built on the present site. In 1914 an
academy was opened in the building
on West Third street, near West street,
which is still standing. The Rev. Sam
of
ing Presbyterian church, was the prin-
cipal, and Thomas Grier was his assist
ant. The first newspaper, the Lycom
ing Gazette. was established in 1901,
by William F. Buyers, a young printer
from Sunbury. In 1859 it became the
Gazette and Bulletin At the time
of the incorporation of the town there
were only sixty taxables in the n<w
borough, against 5000 in the present
year The first tax duplicate showed
a total taxation of $3.50, against the
present sum of $16,299.07. In 1889
the sawmill known as the big Water
mill,'' was erected at the foot of Hep
burn street and the river damned and
doomed, and this formed the fOunda-
ton for Williamsport's great industry
The highwater mark in the lumber
business was reached in 1889, when
more than 3OO,OOO,00O feet of logs were
RATED out Of the big boom. The flood
Of 1889 broke the boom and sent the
logs down the bay Since that time
the lumber industry has steadily de-
clined until today there are only two
mills left In operation.