Lou’s View 11/4

By Lou Bernard

I’ve written about this before, I’ll admit that. The founding of Lock Haven is not the kind of thing I can ignore as a topic. But when I look at the calendar and realize that my column goes to print on the actual date of the anniversary, I have to say something about it. And I promise you that I didn’t take one of my old columns and just cut and paste it, because someone might catch me.

Lock Haven was founded on November 4, 1833, making today the 188th anniversary. Assuming you’re reading this the day it arrived in your mailbox. If not, hey, I’ll see you next year. The community was founded by Jeremiah Church, a traveler from New York state who was thrown out of school for trying to kiss the teacher at age thirteen.

It was the autumn of 1833 when Jerry Church, broke and cheerful about it, came to this area to visit his brother Willard. That’s where two of Lock Haven’s street names come from—Church Street and Willard’s Alley. He loved the area, at the time part of Lycoming County, and decided he wanted to found a community here. The problem was the money situation: Once again, Jerry didn’t have any. So he borrowed twenty thousand dollars from an anonymous donor, who was probably Judge Alexander Jordan of Williamsport, which is probably where Jordan’s Alley comes from. And Jerry bought two hundred acres from Dr. John Henderson, which is where Henderson Street got its name. Jerry decided to name his new community after the canal locks, which is how he came up with Lock Haven.

On November 4, Jerry held a public auction and sold off lots to the earliest citizens of Lock Haven. The biggest and most expensive lot—A hundred and twenty acres for nine thousand dollars—Went to James Jefferis, a retired pirate from Chester County. His house still stands at the corner of Bald Eagle and Henderson Streets.

The first lot, however, the first property ever sold in Lock Haven, was on the southeast corner of Water and Jay Streets, and it was sold to hotel owner Frank Smith. Smith built a hotel there, and managed it, but he was also an aspiring actor. He helped create the Thespian Society, which was a local club for wannabe actors—Both the first private club in town and Lock Haven’s earliest entertainment. These hotel owners gathered monthly to put on shows for the community, which worked out well for everyone. People got entertainment, the hotel owners made money, and they got to live out their dreams of acting.

Early Lock Haven had exactly one woman in the dating pool—Sarah Spear. Sarah was the only single woman old enough to marry, and presumably was therefore fairly popular. Sarah’s Alley is named after her. So that was the way you had a date in early Lock Haven—You took Sarah Spear to see the Thespian Society perform.
But if there was one defining incident of the founding, it was the Rain of Fire.

Rain of Fire was the Leonid Meteor Shower, which happens every November. In this case specifically, it was November 13, 1833, and one of the brightest on record. The people of the new community heard a sort of roaring noise at night, and ran out of their homes and hotels to see thousands of meteors flying across the sky, heading west. At first, everyone kind of panicked and thought it was the end of the world, but after a few minutes they settled down and enjoyed the show. This meteor shower was seen all over the coast….But there was only one community that was founded nine days beforehand.

Lock Haven is having its anniversary right now. This month, the Leonids are happening again. Want to feel some solidarity with history? Step outside, think of the past….And look up.