Williamsport- The Thomas T. Taber Museum of the Lycoming County Historical Society will be hosting a special concert by Van Wagner, celebrating Pennsylvania’s heritage through music on Sunday, November 5, 2023 at 2pm in the Community Room. The lecture, sponsored by Van Campen Motors, is free and open to the public.
The concert coincides with the release of Van’s latest CD "Government Man" which was recorded on-site at Alvira, PA. inside one of the cement bunkers. He will also perform songs about Susquehanna logging history, Prince Farrington, the Tiadaghton Elm, and other local history.
“I’ve been fascinated by the story of Alvira for many years. For some reason, these songs started pouring out this year. I ended up with 12 new songs. Some songs are directly about Alvira, others are written in a musical style that I felt fit the story of Alvira. My friend Tom Flannery helped me write “In Alvira” all other songs were solo works. In August my friend Scott Pawling lead a few of us on a walking tour of a few of the existing munitions bunkers. Joe Stolarick set up his portable audio recording equipment inside one of them and we started recording. The music swirled in echo inside the void of the bunker. It was unlike anything I’ve ever heard in my life. My friend Donna Hoffman helped keep mosquitoes off of me while I recorded the songs. I wanted to create an album that brings attention to this amazing part of our local, and national, heritage. All but 1 of the songs were done with 1 take. All songs were recorded using a metal body guitar. The reverb you hear is the real thing caused by the acoustics of the cavernous bunker. The insects you hear are all real too. The songs you hear are real. This is my 35th CD release. This album is dedicated to the families who once called Alvira home.”
As Scott Pawling explains, “During the summer of 1941, men in suits, carrying clipboards, walked through the towns of Alvira, Deckertown, Somerset, and much of the surrounding farmland. When confronted, they said they were surveying for a new road. That turned out to be the first of many lies. In reality, they were War Department Land Agents. They were looking for isolated land that was near cities, but away from oceans, fairly flat, near a large water and coal supply, and serviced by rail. On Feb. 16, 1942 there was a meeting with the residents that wasn’t very informative. On March 07, 1942 the residents were given 6 weeks to be off of their property. Many of the people were offered less than 35 cents on the dollar for the property. If anyone tried to contest the amount, their land was condemned and taken by eminent domain. The next lie came in a promise that when the need for the war effort was over, the original owners could purchase their property back for the same price given to them. As their neighbors would leave, the bulldozers came in and demolished the homes and burned the barns. Not everyone left on their own power. Mary “Blanche” Solomon had to be carried off the porch in her rocking chair. Her home was destroyed that afternoon.”
As this is a special program, admission to the museum will be free. It will be the last free Sunday until the museum reopens on Sundays in May. Located at 858 West Fourth Street, Williamsport, the Thomas T. Taber Museum of the Lycoming County Historical Society provides a history of the region with information about Native American culture, frontier exploration, the development of the Pennsylvania canal, immigration during the 19th century, and the logging and lumbering era of the nineteenth century. The Taber Museum also houses the world-class Larue Shempp Model Train Collection. The museum is open for touring Tuesdays through Fridays, 9:30am until 4:00pm; Saturdays, 11:00am until 4:00pm and Sundays (May through November 5), 1:00pm until 4:00pm. There is ample parking behind the museum and along the street. For further information, please contact the museum at 570.326.3326.