Local historian Elaine Decker spoke at the first Society Program of 2022 on changes to Williamsport in the past 100 years. The topic, “Travel Back in Time” allowed us to go back 100 years and watch buildings and streets transform as time goes backwards and to learn what it was like to walk through Williamsport at the turn of the Twentieth Century. She brought the 77 attendees safely back to 2022,
A native of Williamsport, Elaine Decker is a local historian, professional photographer, and author. Her recently-published book is entitled Past & Present Williamsport, illustrating streetscapes and buildings from the last two centuries and their present incarnations through her photography. Her research delves into the annals of the County with fascinating results. Her talk on the Fire of 1871 was a block-by-block description of the devastation in downtown Williamsport and the lives, buildings and merchandise affected. Her talk on the subject in 2020 was one of the best-attended with over forty in the audience. Her talk at the Museum’s Annual Meeting, held on April 24, was “The Historic Case of Mr. & Mrs. Munro: A look into a hundred-year-old mystery of the unexplained deaths of a newlywed couple” and revealed an astounding conclusion. The story was recently highlighted in the Williamsport Sun-Gazette.
As the Society Program coincides with the third Sunday of the month, admission to the museum is free. The third Sunday of each month May through October features free admission. The Lecture Series combines the Sunday afternoon programs with Thursday morning Coffee Hours.