The Winter 2020-21 edition of the Journal of the Lycoming County Historical Society has been released. This edition of the Lycoming County Historical Journal celebrates the rich history of the County with ‘snapshots’ of historical topics.
Putsee Vannucci is certainly a name familiar to many as a prolific photographer within the County. Written by his daughter Bonnie, with additions from her siblings and relatives, this ‘snapshot’ is a three-dimensional portrait of a man who documented much of Lycoming’s history through the camera lens. His work captured the Little League games and for his work he received the Hartman Friendship Award from Little League. A retrospective of his work was held at Pennsylvania College of Technology in 2013. We are fortunate to have the bulk of his work preserved at the Museum. But there are other ‘snapshots’.
Less familiar, but no less interesting are two articles by Michael Luna. James Henry Willis, an African-American who served the country during the Civil War, is the subject of one of Michael’s articles. Michael’s article is rich with detail about Mr. Willis’ life - a monumental research effort. And equally interesting is Michael’s article concerning those children of modest means who are buried in the ‘Potter’s Field’ section of the Wildwood Cemetery.
Our resident sports historian Marc Pompeo has submitted an article about Frank ‘Tinky’ Casale. Everyone who frequented the Triangle Restaurant is probably familiar with the charcoal portrait of ‘Tinky’, in boxing gloves and shorts, but do you know his career before becoming a restaurateur? Here it is! And rounding out this selection is a reminiscence of Bruce Rogers - a childhood exploration led to a discovery of the ‘Tidewater Oil’ reservoirs which furthered Bruce’s research and resulted in an industrial history of the Tidewater Oil Company and a pipeline which traversed the County.
All fascinating reading! Great reading for a dreary winter day, curled up with a blanket and some hot coffee, tea or cocoa! Enjoy! Here’s wishing a much better year in 2021.
This Journal edition, as well as past editions are available in the Museum Store.