Lou’s View

By Lou Bernard

They say lightning never strikes the same place twice. Generally, though, once is far more than enough.
Take the case of James White, back in 1856.

James White was the son of Allison White, a leading citizen in Lock Haven’s early days. Allison White was a local businessman and attorney who lived on Water Street, and contributed a lot to the community back when it was first founded. His son James was eleven years old.

The article came out of the American Watchman, August 8, 1856. The American Watchman was a paper that I don’t mention very much—It was written mostly in Centre County, and I don’t think it lasted past 1900. But every now and again, I stumble on an old issue, and it contains something worth a column.

James White was eleven, out walking along the river on a summer Saturday. He was up on the west end of Lock Haven, where the college now stands—At the time, not much had been built up there yet, and it was mostly a few homes and a lot of forest land.

James was along the river bank, near one of the old log booms, when he saw the thunderstorm come up. The newspaper speculated that he made an attempt to get home, but it was too far to go in a hurry. So James took shelter underneath a tree near the river.

Tragically, that was when lightning struck that same tree.

The boy was killed instantly. The article read,”The electric fluid came down the opposite side of the tree to that on which he stood, until it came on a level with his head, when it passed directly around and passed down his body, disfiguring him much.”

Coroner J.B. Wagner held an inquest, and the verdict came back “death by lightning,” as if there had been any doubt.

His father had been away on business at the time it happened. Allison was contacted and informed, and he returned home. The funeral was delayed until Wednesday so that he could be there. James had been attending a local school called the Union Graded School, and his classmates all attended the funeral wearing black badges of mourning. James was said to have been a “very interesting lad,” and it was stated that he certainly would have grown up to be one of Lock Haven’s leading citizens, like his father.

James is currently buried in Highland Cemetery, actually not very far from where he died. But he couldn’t have started out there, because it hadn’t been created yet. Highland was first founded in 1862, so this is something of an educated guess on my part. James was likely buried in Great Island Cemetery with his brother Abie, who had passed away as a baby in 1849. Great Island Cemetery doesn’t exist anymore; it was closed and moved in 1918, but I don’t think the White brothers stayed there until the move. A little girl was born later, Estella, and she died in 1862. By that time, Highland had been founded, and a family plot was purchased. I believe that Allison and his wife Sarah buried Estella there, and then had James and Abie moved to join her.

Sarah herself died a few years later, in 1864, and was buried in Highland with her children. Allison White outlasted the rest of his family, passing away on April 5, 1886, thirty years after the death of his son. He was buried in Highland with his loved ones.

The house no longer stands; it was later destroyed and the Griffin House built on the site. All that remains of the family is on the stones, up in Highland.