Elaine Decker was the Taber Museum’s speaker for the May Society Program. She spoke on the 'tiniest mansion in Williamsport' and proceeded to outline the life of William Slack, who built staircases and then inserted them in houses! His own house was a condensed version of the houses on Millionaires' Row.
William Slack had been prominent in Williamsport, a civil war hero and a stair builder, but he had been forgotten over time. "Sometimes, the best way to learn about a person is to learn about where and how they lived," explains Elaine. Slack built several of the staircases in the grand homes of Williamsport. She had called her talk "The Tiniest Mansion in Williamsport" not because William Slack's home on Park Avenue was tiny. In fact, Slack's home had all the elements of a mansion. However, he had copied the Herdic House, and his home was a smaller version of that grand house.
The event drew an audience of 98.
The Society Program was underwritten by Van Campen Motors.