321 High Street
The photo on the left is undated. The picture on the right was taken April 2017. The house is over 120 years old and is
known as the Mackey House. Joseph H. Mackey owned Mackey and Tallman Penn Mutual Insurance Company at
51 West 3rd Street at the turn of the century. The Tallman was Harrison Tallman.





West 4th Street from William
The picture on the left is undated. The photo on the right was taken April 2017.
This is a view facing east on West 4th Street. The building with half circle window on the right is now the Moon & Raven.
Plankenhorns is on the other side of the street.
In the modern photo, the large building in the distance on the right is the Center City Building. It can be seen in the
older photo also, but it would have been known then as the Updegraff Hotel. It has been converted into apartments.





William Street and North Street
The picture on the left is undated. The photo on the right was taken August 2016.
Dr. William Goehrig resided in this house from 1862 until his death in 1903, which occurred suddenly of
"indigestion and a weak heart" in this same house. He also had a practice here until 1882, at which time he and his son
opened a drug store on East Third Street. In 1872, he was elected Coroner of Lycoming County and served longer than any other
person up to that time. He died while in office.
The building itself is remarkably well preserved, with the exception of the cupola. It stands alone now among
commercial buildings and parking lots. Of some interest may be the tree to the right of both photographs.



419 West Fourth Street
The picture on the left is from the 1920's. The picture on the right was taken May 2016.
The house was built in 1873 for $14,000 by Frederick Hartshorn who owned a planing mill at the time. By 1898,
Benjamin McCarthy, owner of Williamsport Valve & Hydrant Co, resided there. The next known occupant was Albert Bubb,
Nathaniel Burrows Bubb's son. But this postcard picture is of the house while it was the Garrett
Cochran Post 1 American Legion, Pennsylvania's first American Legion Post.
Today, it is being restored to it's original beauty after spending years with a block commercial front, which has now been removed.
West Fourth and Cemetery Street
The picture on the left was taken in 1945. The picture on the right was taken May 2016.
The building on the left was originally two homes attached to offices and a scale for the Stuempfle Coal Yard.
Behind this building were two coal sheds and railroad tracks going into them. By 1945, the time of the left picture, it had been
Hamlin's Blue Coal and probably already out of use. Today it no longer stands and has been divided into two
lots with Castle Furniture and Bedding taking up the lot on the right and the subject of these photos.
Note that the house on the far right of the picture is the same and dates to at least 1912.



The vintage photographs on the left and below were generously donated by Pamela Atwood,
taken of her great grandparents womens' hat store. These photographs were estimated to be from 1909-1920's.
The photos on the right were taken April 2016.

146 West Fourth Street - Outside
The photo of the women in front of Foresman's Millinery, from left to right, is of an unknown lady from the shop, Pamela's great
grandmother, Mary (Mamie) Meyrick, her great Aunt Bess Meyrick and another unknown lady from the shop.


146 West Fourth Street - Inside
The photograph above is of Oliver Hastings Foresman and also Pamela's great grandmother and
probably her great Aunt Martha (Pat) Conine are also shown in this photograph.

Foresman's Millinery was first at 144 and then 146 West Fourth Street. After much consideration, interviews of store
owners and the taking of measurements inside and out of both buildings, it has been decided that the vintagephotographs
were taken of 146 West 4th Street, though it is conceded that both locations are very similar.
Some background on the family - Mamie Meyrick was was English on her mother's side but born in Maryland.
Oliver Hastings Foresman was born in Ireland but was Scottish. Pamela's grandmother, Grace Foresman Ferguson
lived in Williamsport and her grandfather James VanKeuren Ferguson was general manager of Bethlehem Steel Wire Rope.

In 1909, when Foresman's Millinery moved from 144 to 146, Plankenhorn's Stationery bought 144 West Fourth and are
still there today. The millinery moved to Philadelphia in the early 20s. At some point a dress shop moved in to
146 West Fourth Street (see picture below). It is presently Dirty Dogs Studio and Gallery.



Developing History wants to thank the people at Plankenhorn Stationery and Dirty Dogs Studio for their
assistance in this particular project and allowing us to photograph and wander around inside their properties.
And a very special thanks to Pamela Atwood for the photographs and history of Foresman's Millinery.




West Fourth Street at Locust Street
The picture on the left is dated 1928, the one on the right is from March 2016.
This is a section of Millionaire's Row created during Williamsport's Years as Lumber
Capital of the World when Williamsport had more millionaires per person than any other city.
The house to the far right of the picture the Emery house, one of two named that and sometimes referred to as
"Emery Cottage". This Emery house was owned by William V. Emery of Emery Lumber. His son, Eugene, and
daughter-in-law Florence moved in to this house with him by 1920 with their two sons. This is about when this picture was taken.
After the depression, Florence broke this house into five apartments and it was said that it was done so well,
preserving both front and back staircases, that one couldn't tell it was ever a single dwelling. Today it is still apartments.



460 Market Street - George Bubb & Sons
The picture on the left was taken in the early 1900's of George Bubb & Sons Wholesale Grocer. The picture on the right
was taken March 2016. It is now called the Williamsport Building and sits next to the Brown Library Parking lot.
In 1869, George Bubb became a member of the firm Corcoran, Weaver & Company, which became Corcoran,
Bubb & Company in 1876 when Weaver retired. In 1880, George's son Henry succeeded Corcoran and the name George Bubb
& Sons was created. It was described as being one of the most prominent wholesale establishments in the Susquehanna Valley.
George Bubb died in 1896. A few years later, his sons moved the business to this building which was built in 1910.



East Fourth Street and Market Street - The William Howard Memorial Masonic Temple
The postcard on the left is from around 1908, the photo on the right was taken March 2016.
The Masonic Temple (far right) was built in 1898. The William Howard Memorial sits next to it.

William Howard was a prominent Mason and a member of the firm Howard & Perley, lumber manufacturers. He
also was an active factor in securing Demorest Sewing Machine Works (now Lycoming Engines) to Williamsport
and had many business and political influences in Emporium, PA. He provided the land for the Howard Memorial
Cathedral, which was built and named in his honor, after his death in 1901.

The Howard Club, also named for him, sits on the left of the memorial in the postcard only. This was known as
the Piper House.  In 1860, Edmund L.(also seen as Edwin) Piper moved from Watsontown to this house in Williamsport.
His wife, Harriet Watson Piper, was the daughter of David Watson who, with his brothers George and John founded
Watsontown. The Pipers had 4 children and lived in this house for the rest of their married life. At some point the widow,
Mrs. Piper, moved elsewhere but their daughter Elizabeth L. Piper stayed until around 1899, when she moved to Mt. Morris, NY.
The Masons have owned the property ever since.



West Fourth Street and Pine Street - The Updegraff Hotel
The postcard on the left is early 1900's, the photo on the right was taken March 2016.
The Updegraff Hotel was built by brothers William and Fremont Updegraff in 1891-2. Prior to that, on this location, was one
 of the oldest hotels in the city - the Doebler Hotel. Later, it was the Hepburn House, also a hotel. The Hepburn hotel was torn
 down to build the "new Updegraff House". Today it is known as the Center City Building and it has been converted to apartments.



West 3rd Street looking west near William Street
The postcard on the left is early 1900's or perhaps even earlier, the photo on the right was taken March 2016. In the
foreground on the right of both is the old county jail, now a nightclub. Further down, still on the right, is the Grit building
and a little closer on the left is Washington School (in the postcard only).



West 4th Street from Court Street
The picture on the left dates to about 1914 and the one on the right is from March 2016.
Hotel Updegraff is the tall building on the left in both photos, though not known as Hotel Updegraff now.




301 West Third Street
The picture on the left was taken in 1913, of a brand new building at the time. The picture on the right was taken July 2015.
This 4 story building replaced a 3 story building that was completely destroyed by fire on Sunday, December 22nd, 1912 at 10am.
The fire burned until the following day. It housed F.B. Thrall & Co. Wholesale Groceries. Mr. Thrall began rebuilding
almost immediately and this 4 story building is the result. At a cost of $75,000, W.H.C. Huffman's Sons and Architect
John Huffman were awarded the contract.(American Contractor, Feb 8, 1913, p.51)
According to the insurance maps, the Wholesale Grocer was, much earlier in time in 1891, located where the Genetti Hotel
is now, on the corner of West 4th and William Streets.








869 Second Street
The picture on the left - date unknown. Picture on the right taken July 2015.
Dutchman's Inn on the corner of Maynard and 2nd Street. When it was a tavern, there was a large windmill painted above the door, just out of the picture.
The building is very old, showing up in an 1861 insurance map, but probably older than that. It started life as a residence, then was broken into two
residences, then by at least 1939 it was a bar with an apartment and now it has circled back to 2 residences.



East Third and Academy Street
The picture on the left was probably taken prior to 1933, due to the trolley tracks. The photo on the right was taken July 2015.

The corner building, now a U-Haul, has an interesting past. In a map of 1861, this lot and a building on it was owned by a "T. Lyon".
Most likely this was Dr. Thomas Lyon, the oldest practicing doctor in Lycoming County. He came to Williamsport in 1838 and
continued his practice until his death in 1887. He married Elizabeth Priestly, great grandaughter of the man who discovered oxygen,
Joseph Priestly. He had one son and three daughters. The son Edward became a doctor, his daughter Sarah married L.L. Stearn's
eldest son. Many of his decendents still reside in Williamsport.
However, that is not the building in the picture. Sometime between 1861 and 1870, that building was removed and George Quinn built the house seen here.
Quinn only stayed there for 5 years then moved away from Williamsport. The house was sold to John Coryell, one of the most prominent and successful
businessman in the area. He was the Director Lycoming National Bank since it's organization in 1875. He established the Williamsport Gas Company
and was the Director of the Edison Electric Illuminating Company.
The house to the left of the Coryell residence belonged to John Gamble (son of Judge Gamble), and in 1913 was purchased by Dr. John Haag.
He also purchased the Coryell residence with the intention of renting it but by 1933 it was so run-down that is was demolished.
It then became a large flower garden. Both houses were where the U-Haul lot is now.