Friday, November 21, 2025

Governor Simon Snyder & His Mansion In Selinsgrove

Simon Snyder 1759-1819
Governor Of Pennsylvania 1808-1817

Above photo is of a tobacco box lid.

Quick Facts:

  • He served in the State House of Representatives from 1797-1807.  
  •  He "directed the state's full mobilization for the War of 1812" [see a War of 1812 timeline here - the war began in 1793 and ended in 1815, despite it's name.]
  • He was Pennsylvania's first Governor of German descent.
  • Jefferson was still president when Snyder became Governor.  Madison was the president from 1809-1817, the majority of Snyders term.
  • There was a plot to kidnap the governor, or the governors son..  and the story about the woman behind the plot is one of the most entertaining, and unlikely, stories I've read.  
  • He was close friends with John Binns, the newspaper editor involved in the Duel in Montandon Pa.  Binns was also targeted in the Ann Carson kidnapping plots. 
  •  His second wife, Catherine Antes, was the niece of Ltc John Henry Antes, for whom Antes Fort PA is named. (Her father Col Philip Antes, and Ltc Henry Antes were brothers).
  • He was considered as a candidate for vice president on the Monroe ticket.
  • He made the proposal to move the state capitol from Lancaster to Harrisburg.  It was approved in1812 and carried out by Snyders successor.
  • Snyder was elected to the Pennsylvania Senate in 1818, but died of Typhoid fever before he served.  
  • Governor Simon Snyder is buried in the Old Lutheran Cemetery, Selinsgrove Pa
  • Snyder County, Pennsylvania, Snyder Avenue-Snyder station in South Philadelphia & Snyder Hall at Penn State University (PSU) is named after him.
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THE PLOT TO KIDNAP THE GOVERNOR
Mrs. Ann Carson
===================

Over the years, while researching the area I came across several mentions of the kidnapping of Governor Snyder.  He was never actually kidnapped, although there was some sort of sensational plot in place..  all part of the scheming of Ann Baker Carson Smith , one of the most fascinating, and scandalous, women of the time.

The briefest summary I can manage:
The beautiful and talented, much sought after Ann (in her memoirs, she lacks no confidence when describing herself) "accidentally" married a second husband while her first husband, Capt. Carson, was out to sea.  (truly, her memoir is a riot.  She describes the entire accidental marriage ceremony)  Husband #1 returns from sea, moves in with Ann's parents while they sort all of this out, Husband #2 shoots husband #1.  After two weeks in "the most heart rendering agony", Capt. Carson (AKA, Husband #1) dies.  Ann and Husband #2 (Richard Smith) are charged.  The Jury is won over by Ann's charms and she is set free.  Smith was convicted. Ann then came up with a variety of schemes to save Smith from the gallows, including a couple of kidnapping plots, one involving Governor Snyder.  

I did read her entire memoir, and even though that sort of drama is not normally what interests me, I was completely enthralled and amused by "The Memoirs Of The Celebrated and Beautiful Mrs. Ann Carson".  I give a longer  recap, with some of the most interesting parts, here:


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BIOGRAPHY OF SIMON SNYDER
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Simon Snyder portrait by Charles Wilson Peale

From The Pennsylvania Historical Museum Commission:

The son of Anthony and Mary Elizabeth (Knippenberg) Snyder, Simon Snyder was born November 5, 1759, in Lancaster where he was baptized in the Moravian Church. He was Pennsylvania's first governor of German descent. In 1776, two years after his father died, Snyder moved to York where he apprenticed as a leather worker for four years, while he received an education by attending night classes at a Society of Friends (Quakers) school.

1957 Aerial View Of "Freedom" Estate, located about one mile south of the Selinsgrove Fairgrounds, just below the Middle Creek crossing. Purchased by Gov. Snyder in 1815, from Peter Hosterman. Simon gave this estate  to his son "Handsome John" Snyder, a US Congressman. No remnant of the farm remains today.

 In 1784 he opened a store and gristmill in Selinsgrove, now Snyder County (the county so named in his honor when it was formed on March 2, 1855). In 1790 he married Elizabeth Michael, with whom he had two children. After Elizabeth died in 1794, Snyder married Catherine Antes and together they had five children. While governor, Catherine died in 1810 and in 1814, Snyder married Mary Slough Scott, a widow.

His career in politics began as a justice of the peace. In 1789, Snyder was elected delegate to the state convention that revised Pennsylvania's constitution in 1790. He served in the state House of Representatives from 1797 to 1807 (except 1805 when he ran for governor) and was three times its speaker, in 1804, 1805, and 1807. By 1805, Snyder had risen to such regard among Jeffersonians that he was selected to oppose incumbent Governor McKean, who had lost the endorsement of the same party. McKean opposed attempts to limit the powers of the governor and offended legislators and other officials with charges of incompetence. Snyder, who personified common folk, led the Jeffersonians' campaign to limit executive and judicial powers and unseat McKean, portraying him as an elitist. McKean formed a coalition with the Federalist Party and, because Snyder was relatively unknown among voters, successfully defeated Snyder.

By 1808, the Jeffersonians were united behind Snyder, linking him to James Madison's presidential campaign. Snyder defeated John Ross of the declining Federalist Party and McKean's kind of Jeffersonian Democrats. Snyder's personal friend, newspaper editor John Binns, led his campaign and was labeled New School Democrats. They campaigned for government involvement in the economy and, although based in Philadelphia, a better future for the western counties. In 1811 and 1814, Snyder easily won reelections against Federalists William Tilghman and Isaac Wayne, respectively.

Snyder became a strong governor who repudiated the power of the Old School Democrats led by Philadelphia's William Duane and Dr. Michael Leib. In the 1809 Gideon Olmstead Case, Snyder at first resisted the power of a federal marshal to serve a writ that contradicted a Pennsylvania court decision. The governor ordered the state militia to uphold Pennsylvania's sovereignty against a federal force, but Snyder backed down at the last moment and decided to pay the federal government the money that was the subject of the dispute.

 


Snyder directed the state's full mobilization for the War of 1812, despite criticism from the Federalists who temporarily regained strength. The victorious conclusion of the War of 1812 dissolved criticism of President Madison's leadership and also vindicated Snyder. The nominating caucus in the Congress, however, squelched Binns' proposal of Snyder as a vice-presidential candidate on James Monroe's ticket. His nomination for a third term in 1814 came from a caucus within the General Assembly, but at the same time the legislature overrode his veto of an act chartering forty-one new banks. These wildcat banks pushed Pennsylvania into an unstable financial era.

During his final term the Federalist opposition disappeared, but Snyder's alliance with John Binns dissolved because the editor wanted too many patronage favors. Snyder's New School Democratic wing was tied to aggressive federal activities—the Tariff of 1816, the Second Bank of the United States, and spending for many internal improvements.

In 1812 the legislature approved Snyder's proposal to move the state capital from Lancaster to Harrisburg, which was effective with the administration of Snyder's preferred successor, William Findlay. Elected to the Pennsylvania Senate in 1818, Snyder died of typhoid fever in Selinsgrove on November 9, 1819, and is buried there in Old Lutheran Cemetery.


Appletons' Cyclopedia of American Biography 1600-1889 , entry for Simon Snyder lists his father as "Anthony, a mechanic, emigrated to Pennsylvania in 1758".  Also notes that he ws the originator of the "hundred-dollar act".


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THE WIVES OF
GOVERNOR SNYDER
=============
Simon Snyder was widowed twice, married three times.

 Elizabeth Michael 1775-1794
Portrait painted by Charles Wilson Peale
[Peale is best known for his portrait of President Washington]

Believed to have been born August 28th 1775 in Lancaster
Married in 1790, age 15
Children:
Amelia Snyder 1791-1859
John Snyder 1793-1850

Amelia married Dr. Phineas Jencks, "a member of the house from Berks County".  
Hon. John Snyder, "Handsome John"
Elizabeth died in 1793, the same year her son John was born.

An obituary for Simon's second wife gives the name of his first wife's father as Everhard Michael 
--------------------------

 Catherine Antes 1779-1810
Portrait by Jacob Eichholtz

Catharine Antes was born July 3 1779 in Montgomery County Pa, the daughter of Philip Frederick Antes, and niece of Col. Henry Antes for whom Antes Fort Pa is named.  Lynn wrote, in his “Annals of Buffalo Valley”, that Simon Snyder, Esquire of Selinsgrove was married to Catherine, daughter of Colonel Frederick Antes, of Northumberland on Sunday evening, June 12, 1796. They are said to have lived in Snyder’s home on Water Street in Selinsgrove. He was a 37 year old widower with two children, Amelia and John. Catherine was 19 years old. Both Simon and Catherine had been baptized in the Moravian church as infants.


Most histories report that Gov. Snyder and Catherine Antes had 5 children, and I have found, but not verified, the following list of 4:
  • Maj. Henry William Snyder Sr 1797-1866
  • George Antes Snyder 1799-1865
  • Philip Frederick Snyder 1800-1819
  • Antes Snyder 1805-1861
Catharine died of a "consumptive kind"  of ailment, [Tuberculosis, most likely]  in 1810, at age 30


Obituary for Catherine [Antes] Snyder, 1810
---------------------------

 Mary Slough 1769-1823

"Colonel Slough was the father of a large family. He married Mary, the daughter of George Gibson, on April 23, 1757. This George Gibson was the son of Gibson who had the first public house in Lancaster, with the hickory tree before the door."

Mary Slough was , born March 11, 1769, the daughter of Colonel Slough and Mary [Gibson] Slough.  She married, first, Alexander Scott;.  Scott, was born at Big Chickies; was a large landhold; removed to Lancaster city.   

"You would surely prefer Casper Shaffner to consider the taxes on your and your farms before Alexander Scott" - The Lancaster Intelligencer, Oct 1800


 Alexander died in 1810.   Mary then, at age 45,  married,  Governor Simon Snyder,  age 54, on October 16, 1814.
 
  Mary [Slough] Scott Snyder died October 8, 1823, age 55.

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MONUMENT TO GOV. SNYDER
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In March of 1882, the Selinsgrove Times ran a letter from George Antes Jencks, son of Amelia Snyder, Grandson of Simon Snyder.  In the letter he explains that the Act of Assembly on May 24th 1881 ordered where the monument was to be placed, and that "it is a matter that the citizens of Selinsgrove have nothing to do with.  When they appointed a committee of seventeen to decide where the monument should be placed, they certainly had not read the Act Of Assembly."  The act specifically appropriated $3,00 to erect a suitable monument over the grave of Simon Snyder.  Jenks wrote: "not that they should erect a monument to Simon Snyder where they pleased, or where this committee of seventeen should order; on the contrary, the Act itself orders where the monument shall be erected - over the grave of Simon Snyder, and in no other place..."  Jenks further stated that he would not give permission for his grandfathers remains to be removed to another location.



Another letter ran, from Henry Snyder, in the March 23rd 1882 issue, with the same basic sentiments as the Jenks letter, but emphasizing that it was to be a FREE PUBLIC PARK open to all, and that it was to be maintained and kept from vandalism.


In August of 1882 the contract for the monument was awarded to the Mitchell Granite Company of Massachusetts.  The monument was to have medallions on three sides, one portraying the deceased as a tanner, one as a farmer, and one of him in his study.

The Monument was unveiled in Selinsgrove on May 27th 1885.






Efforts to restore the monument began in 2009, and the monument was dedicated again in 2013.


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GOV SNYDER MANSION
====================

The Governor Snyder Mansion
119-121 North Market Street, Selinsgrove

Text from the 1978 Application for the National Register of Historic Places:

Although not native born. Governor Snyder lived for about thirty-five years within the confines of the county that bears his name. He was actively identified with the business interests and the political history of this portion of the Commonwealth for almost the same length of time.

 He undoubtedly was the most distinguished citizen and resident that Snyder County ever had and it was most appropriate, that when the county was organized under the provisions of the Act of Assembly, March 2, 1855, it was named after the governor.



 Simon Snyder was the third governor of Pennsylvania (1808-1817) under the Constitution of 1790 and his tenure in office touched the presidential administrations of Jefferson, Madison, and Monroe. He had the distinction of being the first governor to be elected on the Democratic ticket, the last governor to serve three successive terms, and the first governor elected from the rank and file of the Pennsylvania German population.

 He was a staunch advocate of state rights and simplicity in government; an enthusiastic proponent of a free school system, and aided in the War of 1812. 

Samuel Alleman on porch of the Snyder Mansion

Simon Snyder was born of German parents who had emigrated from the Palatinate to America and settled near Manheim, Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. 

Simon Snyder came to Selinsgrove, to that part of Northumberland County, Pennsylvania, which is now Snyder County, in July 1784. He soon started a store, and also became the owner of the Isle of Que Mills in partnership with his brother-in-law, Anthony Selin Sr., who had migrated to this locality soon after the close of the Revolutionary War. 

His political career began in 1789, when he was elected, a delegate from Northumberland County, to the convention at Philadelphia which drafted the Constitution of 1790. 



In October, 1797, he was elected a member of the House of Representatives from Northumberland County, and was annually re-elected up to 1808 when he was chosen as Governor.

 In 1802, he was unanimously chosen Speaker of the House of Representatives, also in 1804, and again in 1807.

In 1805, when Speaker of the House of Representatives, Simon Snyder was nominated for Governor by the Democrats in opposition to McKean as the Federalist candidate. 

Governor McKean was reelected by a 2406 majority. Although he was defeated, the results indicated Snyder's popularity.

 In 1806 and 1807, Simon Snyder was elected to the legislature again, and again unanimously elected the Speaker of the House. In 1808, he was placed in nomination the second time for the governorship, by the Democratic party, and elected by a plurality of 28,400.

 After completing his first term as governor, he was re-elected in 1811 and in 1814 by very large majorities, thus serving Pennsylvania as its chief executive for three successive terms. In 1808 and in 1811 he was inaugurated at Lancaster, the capital of Pennsylvania, and in 1814 at the relocated capital at Harrisburg. 

At the expiration of his term of office as governor in 1817, Governor Snyder returned to his home in Selinsgrove. Following the death of Governor Snyder the house was occupied by members of the family until 1827.

 In 1852 he conveyed the property to his son. Antes, who in turn willed it to his widow, Mary B. Snyder. The Snyder family sold the property in 1864. The following year Attorney Samuel Alleman took possession of the home. After his death it was owned and occupied by his son, Horace P. Alleman, and family. 

In 1874, during the devastating Selinsgrove fires, the building was damaged on the third floor, and the side porch and dormer window were consumed. These dormers were never replaced when Attorney Alleman had the fire damage repaired. He later built a two story, two room addition to the rear of the building.

 In 1918 the Mansion was purchased by Attorney and Mrs. Harry H. Coryell. Today [1978] a daughter Ester Jane Coryell is in residence.


The Gov. Snyder Mansion was to be sold at Auction on the last day of the 160th Anniversary Celebration of the Penns Creek Massacre.  See more of the celebration events here:


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MORE LEGACY
Monuments, Markers, & Memorials
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Historical Marker
Three-term Governor of the Commonwealth, 1808-1817, and member of the General Assembly, 1797- 1807. Pennsylvania's first governor of German descent. Built this home in the early 1800's, and resided here until his death. Buried in First Lutheran Church cemetery nearby.


Son, John Snyder, United States House of Representatives, 27th Congress, 1841-1843.

His house at Selinsgrove, known as the Governor Simon Snyder Mansion, listed on the National Register of Historic Places, 1978; later Selin’s Grove Brewing Company.

Sy Snyder is a pseudonym for the publishers of PoliticsPA, a website dedicated to Pennsylvania politics.

Snyder County, Pennsylvania, formed on March 2, 1855, named in his honor. 

Snyder Avenue, South Philadelphia, named in his honor.

Snyder Residence Hall, Penn State University, State College, named in his honor.

Act of April 12, 1921, P.L. 123, No. 73, Providing for the establishment of Snyder-Middleswarth State Park, Bald Eagle State Forest in Spring Township, Snyder County, Pennsylvania. Named for two Pennsylvania politicians: Simon Snyder and Ner Middleswarth. Lost its status as a state park sometime between 1992-1996, becoming just a Snyder-Middleswarth Natural Area within the state forest system. 1921 Act 73 (state.pa.us)


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READ MORE
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Remarks on money, and the bank of the United States: together with a review of Governor Snyder's objections to the bank bill passed by two of the legislative branches of the state of Pennsylvania, at their session of 1812-13.
Author: Simon Snyder

LETTERS TO THE PEOPLE OF PENNSYLVANIA  upon the suject of the Presidential Election, by Simon Snyder A Native Of Pennsylvania, 1827

“The County Store of Half a Century Ago,” William A. Russ Jr.  Pennsylvania History, Vol. 17, No. 3 (July, 1950), pp. 208-214, Penn State University Press.

My heritage...Generation III. The Antes Family; p. 33

A New Nation Votes (tufts.edu)

Simon Snyder - National Governors Association (nga.org)

Governor Simon Snyder | PHMC > Pennsylvania Governors (state.pa.us)

Pushing Pennsylvania Through The War of 1812 - Governor Simon Snyder (founderoftheday.com)

Simon Snyder (1759-1819) - Find a Grave Memorial

From The Senate Library:
Pennsylvania Politics: 

Justice of the peace, Penn Township, 1784-1796. 

Delegate, Pennsylvania State Constitution Convention, 1789-1790.

Elected, Democratic-Republican, Pennsylvania State House of Representatives, Northumberland County, 1797-1808; following, resignation of Isaac Weaver, Jr., March 1, 1803, elected the 42nd Speaker of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives; December 6, 1803, re-elected for a full term as Speaker for the 1803-1804 session; reelected Speaker, December 4, 1804, for the 1804-1805 session; December 2, 1806, for the 1806-1807 session, as well as on December 1, 1807, for the 1807-1808 session; during his Speakership, Cambria County was created with Act 16 of 1807; January 14, 1808, in his capacity as Speaker, wrote a letter to Thomas Jefferson pledging the allegiance of the Commonwealth’s Representatives to the nation in the struggle against Great Britain.  

Unsuccessful campaign, Governor, defeated by incumbent Governor Thomas McKean, 1805.  

Elected, Democratic-Republican, 3rd Governor of Pennsylvania, 1808-1817; Snyder signed Act 29 of 1810, which he signed in 1812; called for the official state capital to be moved from Lancaster to Harrisburg. Throughout his governorship, Snyder wrestled with issues of state versus Federal sovereignty, a controversial issue in early 19th century American politics. He was also responsible for directing the state’s mobilization during the War of 1812.

Elected, Democratic-Republican, Pennsylvania State Senate, 9th district, Columbia, Luzerne, Northumberland, Susquehanna and Union Counties, 1818-1820; died, November 9, 1819 (aged 60), in office of Senate, during the 1819-1820 session, typhoid fever, replaced by Robert Willett.


SNYDER, Simon (1759 - 1819)
Signed Military Commission
Harrisburg: 1811.

13.5 x 16 inches, partly printed, Harrisburg, August 3, 1811. Document signed by the Governor of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania -- a military commission to Samuel Anderson appointing him Captain of the Light Infantry Company. Signed by Snyder in the upper left wide margin with a remnant of the wax seal. Natural folds; foxing and chipping. Good condition.

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An indenture (contract) for land Simon Snyder and his wife Catherine sold to Nicholas Martz, Yeoman, of Penn Township, Northumberland County PA in 1798 describes the location of the property in great detail with landmarks such as a post, a White Oak, a Chestnut Oak, a Pine tree, a path etc.
The indenture finally states that the property is “the greater part of a certain tract of land called Germany.” Property near Spotsylvania VA was called “Germanna” and there is a township in Adams County PA called “Germany” but we are still looking for another reference to property in Penn Township called “Germany”. Other property owners mentioned are John Thomas, Jacob Giltney and Daniel Stimley. Geo. Kramer and Fred. Evans witnessed the signing. The property sold for fifty pounds of lawful money of the State of Pennsylvania.

 "I have not been inattentive to his (Snyder’s) character as specially relating to his fitness for governor. From aught that I have seen he will not be a German governor nor the governor of a faction but the governor of the people of Pennsylvania. He does not appear to want confidence in himself but that confidence sits easy on him, it is the confidence of virtue of an uncorrupt heart.” - Jonathan Roberts Jr, Senator, 1807.

A Communication to His Excellency Simon Snyder
Governor of the State of Pennsylvania, Concerning a New Method of Teaching By Christian Becker · 1812

 the legislature sold Independence Hall to the City of Philadelphia for $70,000 to raise money to build a new capitol in Harrisburg. They had earlier sold the furniture used in Lancaster to help meet the expenses of repairing the Dauphin County Courthouse, the interim Capitol building in Harrisburg.
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Selinsgrove Times 1915
More about the 160th Celebration :

"You would surely prefer Casper Shaffner to consider the tazes on your and your farms before Alexander Scott" - The Lancaster Intelligencer, Oct 1800


Colonel Slough was the father of a large family. He married Mary, the daughter of George Gibson, on April 23, 1757. This George Gibson was the son of Gibson who had the first public house in Lancaster, with the hickory tree before the door. I am indebted to Samuel Evans, Esq., for the following list of their issue:

Jacob, born April 23, 1758; died May, 1758
George, born June 27, 1759; he was a physician, and died October 23, 1840, at Harrisburg.
Matthew, born March 25, 1762.
Jacob, born December 15, 1764; was a captain, present at Gen. St. Clair's defeat; married Miss Polly Graef, of Lancaster, on February 20, 1805; was for many years in innkeeper; died in 1839.
Elizabeth, born September 9, 1767.
Mary, born March 11, 1769; died October 8, 1823; married, first, Alexander Scott; second, Governor Simon Snyder, October 16, 1814. Her first husband, Scott, was born at Big Chickies; was a large landhold; removed to Lancaster city.
Matthias, born October 8, 1771; was a Lieutenant in the United States army; died September 3, 1797.
Henry Gibson, born April 8, 1774; died 1800.
Robert, born October 1, 1776.
Elizabeth, born August 12, 1779; died March, 1855; was married to Joseph Clendenin, a clerk in the Land Department at Harrisburg.
Frances, born October 8, 1781; died October 27, 1837; married James Peacock of Harrisburg, September 25, 1813.

From: Diffenderffer, Frank Reid. "The Philadelphia and Lancaster Turnpike." Journal of the Lancaster County Historical Society ; v. 6, no. 8. May 2 and June 6, 1902. Lancaster, Pa

House Speaker Biographies:

Simon Snyder

(Elected to replace Isaac Weaver, Jr., following his resignation)

Born: November 5, 1759, Lancaster, Lancaster County, PA. Died: November 9, 1819, Selinsgrove, Union County (now Snyder County), PA. Member of the House: Northumberland County, 1797-1808. Affiliation: Democratic-Republican.

Simon Snyder was born to a Pennsylvania German family in Lancaster County and was educated as a Quaker. He served an apprenticeship as a tanner and currier while a young man, and eventually moved to Selinsgrove, where he ran a store and operated a grist mill. It was there that he made his first foray into politics when he was elected as a justice of the peace in Penn Township in 1784. He held the position for 12 years. Snyder was elected in 1789 to serve as a delegate to the State Constitutional Convention in 1789-1790. Snyder married the former Elizabeth Michael in 1790, and the couple had 2 children, Amelia (Jenks) and John. His son John served in the 27th United States Congress. Following his first wife’s death in 1794, he married the former Catherine Antes, and the couple had 5 children together: Henry W., George A., Philip F., and Antes. Another child, also named Antes, died in childhood. In 1814 he married the former Mary Slough Scott, with whom he spent the final years of his life.

Snyder was elected to the Pennsylvania House to represent Northumberland County for the 1797-1798 session. He was re-elected for 6 more consecutive sessions. In 1805 Snyder challenged Governor Thomas McKean, but was unsuccessful at defeating the incumbent. After a 2-year hiatus, Snyder was again re-elected to the Pennsylvania House for the 1806-1807 and 1807-1808 sessions. After the resignation of Isaac Weaver, Jr., on March 1, 1803, Snyder was elected the 42nd Speaker of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives. On December 6, 1803, Snyder was re-elected for a full term as Speaker for the 1803-1804 session. He was reelected Speaker on December 4, 1804, for the 1804-1805 session, on December 2, 1806, for the 1806-1807 session, as well as on December 1, 1807, for the 1807-1808 session. During his Speakership, Cambria County was created with Act 16 of 1807. On January 14, 1808, in his capacity as Speaker, Snyder wrote a letter to Thomas Jefferson pledging the allegiance of the Commonwealth’s Representatives to the nation in the struggle against Great Britain.

Snyder was elected Governor of Pennsylvania in 1808 and re-elected in 1811 and 1814, serving until 1817. In 1812 Snyder signed Act 29 of 1810, which called for the official state capital to be moved from Lancaster to Harrisburg. Throughout his governorship, Snyder wrestled with issues of state versus Federal sovereignty, a controversial issue in early 19th century American politics. He was also responsible for directing the state’s mobilization during the War of 1812.

Following his time as Governor, Snyder was elected to the Pennsylvania Senate in 1817. He remained in that office until his death.

Simon Snyder died on November 9, 1819, in Selinsgrove, Pennsylvania. He is interred in the Old Lutheran Cemetery in Selinsgrove, Snyder County, Pennsylvania. In 1855 the legislature incorporated and named Snyder County in honor of him.






Thursday, November 20, 2025

South Williamsport, Pennsylvania

 

South Williamsport, Lycoming County Pa
1950's Aerial View

"South Williamsport" does not refer to the southern part of the town of Williamsport, but rather, to a completely separate borough.  South Williamsport is located in northeast Lycoming County and lies on the south side of the Susquehanna River from Williamsport. 

1854 Lithograph "View Of Williamsport Pa"  [Looking East]
Showing both the covered bridge crossing the river, and a boat on the west branch canal.
The covered bridge here connected Williamsport to "Rocktown".  Rocktown later became part of what is South Williamsport today.

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PHOTO ALBUMS
=============


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FAMOUS RESIDENTS
& VISITORS
================
It used to be, you could hear lions roar in  Williamsport.  Jared Reaser, a circus entertainer, lived at 1936 West Fourth street in,  Newberry Pa.  His house had two stone lions on the porch steps.  Reaser also  kept his 6 lionesses in the rear of his home, later moving them to  cages outside the borough of South Williamsport,  near Mountain Beach Park.     More about Prince El Kigordo:


The Biking Photographer



The Movie Mickey, starring Harry Connic Jr, was filmed in South Williamsport in 2001, with scenes from the 2001 LLWS included in the film.  Based on a book by John Grisham, the movie is about "A widowed lawyer wanted by the IRS assumes a new identity and signs his now-too-old son up for one more year of Little League. However, this may have been a mistake, as his son's dominance captures the media's attention as his team careens toward the Little League World Series."

Coincidentally, the same year the movie was filmed, it was found that one of the Little League players of the Mid-Atlantic team was not 12 years old, but rather 14.  The scandal may have been what caused the movie to not be released in theaters.  It is available on VHS and DVD.

===================
RIPPED FROM THE HEADLINES
Murders, Mayhem, & More

On Wednesday, October 21, 1970, after a respectful challenge to school policy by the Student Council, School Policy at South Williamsport was officially changed, allowing girls to wear pants to school.

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SAWMILL, FACTORIES
& Other Industries
=============
Log Booms On the River - The View From South Williamsport


The Lutcher & Moore saw mill began in 1867, when Henry Lutcher partnered with John Waltman, building a sawmill on leased land on the south side of the Market Street Bridge in "Rocktown" - today South Williamsport. G. Bedell Moore replaced Waltman in the venture around 1869. The mill was destroyed by a fire April 16th 1871. A new, larger, mill was rebuilt and operated until the 1889 flood. Lutcher and Moore however, had moved their operation to Texas around 1877, renting the South Williamsport Mill out to others for several years. It had been sitting empty for some time before the 1889 flood carried most of the building away. The land the sawmill occupied later became Lutcher & Moore Park.


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FRATERNITIES, CLUBS
& OTHER ORGANIZATIONS
==============

South Williamsport City Band

The Citizens Band of South Williamsport formed in 1921, erecting a bandstand at Lutcher & Moore Park in time for Memorial Day.  The following year the band set out to erect a monument to the Veterans of War.  The monument was completed and presented to the community on Memorial Day 1924. 

Other Bands:
American Legion Band of South Side (c. 1936) – Mike Bernardi, Director
Garrett Cochran Post Legion Band (1922) – Michael Bernardi, Director
Garrett Cochran Post Jr. Drum and Bugle Corps (1941)
Independent Drum Corps of South Williamsport (1901)
Roal P. Steinbacher Post Drum and Bugle Corps (c. 1941)
South Side Band (1896)
South Side Cornet Band (1886)
South Side Citizens Band (1920) – Charles Noll, Director
South Williamsport Independent Fire Company Band (1917)

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PARADES
=============

The Mummers Parade

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MONUMENTS & MARKERS
===============

War Monument at Lutcher & Moore Park, South Williamsport
This photo shows Market Street and second avenue, and the St. John's Church.
(Moved to Lions Park in 1950)


The original location of the War Monument in South Williamsport was at Lutcher & Moore Park.  In 1950, the monument was moved to Lions field, when the new Market Street bridge was being constructed.  The Monument was re-dedicated at it's new location in 1950.

A piece from the twin towers
The 9/11 Memorial in South Williamsport

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ATHLETICS
===========


Little League began in Williamsport, and the Little League World Series was held there from 1947-1958 .  In 1959, the LLWS moved to South Williamsport.
"Originally called Howard J. Lamade Memorial Field, the location and baselines for the field were first laid out for the 1959 the Little League Baseball® World Series and consisted of simply four bases surrounded by wooden bleachers borrowed from nearby Williamsport (Pa.) Area High School. Nearly 10 years later, in 1968, Memorial Field was renamed Howard J. Lamade Stadium when the original wood and steel stands were razed, and a concrete stadium was constructed." 

South Williamsport VS Milton
Football Program
November 11th 1949


===============
PARKS & PUBLIC SPACES
===============

Lutcher & Moore Park

Sylvan Dell Park 1895-1930, Began as a private park named Mountain Grove, in 1888.



Mountain Beach


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FLOODS, FIRES
AND OTHER NATURAL DISASTERS
=================
The flood of 1936 reached 33.57 feet at Williamsport.  In South Williamsport, the water reached to Lincoln Ave from market Street, and on Bayard Street, it reached as far as Central Ave.  



================
MARKET STREET BRIDGE
South Side
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Toll house on the south side of the Market Street Bridge

Susquehanna Boat Club. View from Maynard Street bridge looking south.

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HOUSES, STORES
& Other Businesses
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The Building at the Corner of Riverside Dr & Maynard St 
Torn Down in June of 2025
Some of the businesses that have been in the building include:
Ken Mahaffey’s confectioner shop
Keystone Apartments
Southside Sub Shop
Harrington's Ice Cream

Johnny Z's Tastee Freez
841 Main St South Williamsport

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CHURCHES & CEMETERIES
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Messiah Lutheran Church
South Williamsport Pa

Read the history of the church in:
A History of Messiah's Evangelical Lutheran Church, South Williamsport, Penna., 1868-1943
by Weidman, Helen Breese, PhD.

Rocktown Cemetery on Find A Grave



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MAPS
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Rocktown, in the 1873 Atlas of Lycoming County 
"Rocktown was the area at the South end of the Market Street bridge and encompassed the present area of Church, Main, Hastings and Market Streets as far south as Central Ave and up Hagermans Run."

1950 enumeration Map Of South Williamsport

 Sanborn Fire Map 1912-1950
Start in Volume 2, page 44 - which is page 108.  Through Page 56


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HISTORICAL ACCOUNTS
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History of Lycoming county, Pennsylvania,   by Thomas W. Lloyd  1929, pp. 163-166. 
Chapter XIII
South Williamsport Borough

On the south side of the river opposite Williamsport there lies a large and important borough which was originally a part of Armstrong Township and which extends from a point at the crossing of the Pennsylvania Railroad bridge across the river nearly up to the limits of DuBoisown borough. It has had several names during its history but is now known as South Williamsport.

The original settlements within the present borough limits were made by a colony of Germans, some of whom located on what is now known as Hagerman’s Run and others further up the river. One of the leading early settlers was Charles Allen, who came to Lycoming County and located on the "Long Reach," above Linden. He subsequently removed to the "Galloway Tract" which laid a little to the west of the present Pennsylvania Railroad bridge at the lower end of the borough. This was one of the most desirable pieces of land on the south side of the river and afterwards became one of the most productive farms in this section. Charles Allen served in the War of 1812 and was a very prominent man in his day. He was the father of the late Robert P. Allen, for many years a prominent member of the Lycoming County bar and a state senator from this district.

That part of South Williamsport just across the Market Street bridge was early known as Rocktown by reason of the character of the soil in the neighborhood and the village above was known as "Bootstown," from which the old Shaffer Indian path led across the mountain into the valleys along the Bald Eagle range on the other side. Among the early settlers in the Hagerman’s Run gap was Jacob Weise, who built an oil mill near the present site of the old Koch’s brewery. At this time considerable flax was raised in Lycoming County and there were several mills built for expressing linseed oil after the flax had served its purpose for carding and spinning.

The origin of the name Bootstown is said to have been as follows: That portion of what is now the upper end of South Williamsport was originally settled by a colony of Germans from Neuberg on the Rhine and they wished to give the name of Neuberg to the settlement. But upon one occasion a boy of the colony stole a pair of boots and, in those days, nicknames were far more common than now. The place, therefore, received the appellation of "Bootstown," and by that name it continued to be known until the incorporation of the borough.

Like Williamsport itself, all of the south side continued to sleep quietly, never dreaming of its great possibilities until that master genius of progress, Peter Herdic, came to Williamsport. He rapidly turned the little village of Williamsport into a city and by the simple touch of his magic wand converted the south side into a prosperous and self-sustaining community. He built the Williamsport nail mill for making charcoal "blooms," he originated the South Williamsport Land Company, he threw a bridge across the river at Maynard Street at a cost of $40,000 and made it toll free, he had a postoffice established and gave it the name of Burlingame, he sold lots on easy terms and then the south side began to prosper as it had never prospered before. Saw mills, planing mills, furniture factories sprang up almost in a night and from that time until the present the south side has enjoyed a large measure of prosperity.

One of the earlier improvements before the advent of Herdic was the building of a large saw mill at the mouth of Hagerman’s Run which was operated for a number of years by the late Henry Lutcher and G. Bedell Moore under the firm name of Lutcher and Moore, with great financial success. After the timber was exhausted in this section Lutcher and Moore transferred their lumber operations to the state of Texas, where they were again wonderfully successful. The Lutcher and Moore Park in South Williamsport, which occupies the site of the old mill, was donated by them to the borough.

The incorporation of the town as a borough had been constantly agitated after the building of the Maynard Street bridge and finally on November 29, 1886, it was duly incorporated by an order of court and at the ensuing election the late Daniel Steck was chosen as its first burgess. It has grown rapidly in size since then until now it is second to Jersey Shore in population and ranks next to Montoursville in extent of territory. It is a very important adjunct to the city of Williamsport and possesses many advantages not only as a business, but as a residential, section. At the time of the great flood of 1889, when all the bridges on the river were washed away, South Williamsport became the gateway to Williamsport into which to bring supplies. The Montgomery bridge was the key to the whole Pennsylvania Railroad system at that time and when it was rebuilt trains could be run over the Linden branch through South Williamsport and indeed all the way into Pittsburgh without again crossing the river. A station was established in South Williamsport, a rope ferry erected on the site of the washed-out Market Street bridge and for several months freight and all kinds of supplies were brought into Williamsport by way of the Linden branch and the rope ferry. Passengers were also landed in the same way.

There are several important industries in South Williamsport, among them the Stuempfle Brick Works; the Delvan Block Company, E. C. Williams and S. V. Brown, makers of building blocks; Keystone Friction Hinge Company, V. C. Luppert, president; and Keystone Furniture Company, V. C. Luppert president and secretary, Elizabeth T. Luppert vice president and treasurer; Imperial Band Instrument Company, V. C. Luppert president, C. H. Mink treasurer; Williamsport Milk Products Company, makers of Hurr’s ice cream, John H. Hurr president, L. M. Hanswork vice president and J. L. Miller secretary and treasurer; Keystone Silk Mills, weavers of broad silk, C. H. Drinkwater president. Mr. Drinkwater was formerly connected with the Holmes silk mill and upon leaving that established the plant in South Williamsport which has proved so successful. South Williamsport has one bank, The Bank of South Williamsport.

All of these industries are in a flourishing condition and employ a large number of men and women at good wages.

In the year 1920 South Williamsport had a population of 4,341.

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Armstrong Township
From the South Williamsport Area Historical Collection
"Armstrong is the only township in Lycoming County that has had two boroughs carved from it. DuBoistown was the first of the two boroughs established. Located at the mouth of Mosquito Creek, it is a tract of land once owned by Samuel Boone, brother of Hawkins Boone, a martyred Indian fighter and cousin of the famous Daniel Boone.

Andrew Culbertson owned 172 acres adjoining Boone’s property and established a gristmill, sawmill, and a home for his family within the boundaries of present-day DuBoistown.

A small town started to develop. In 1856, John DuBois purchased land within the boundaries of the area and laid out a town that he christened “DuBoistown.” Thirty years later, he founded another town, this time in Clearfield County, which he just called “DuBois.” DuBoistown was incorporated as a borough Oct. 14, 1878, despite opposition from residents of Armstrong Township. C.C. Brown was chosen the first burgess, or mayor, of DuBoistown, but he moved shortly after his selection. George Foulkrod assumed the duties. "