Submitted Story
Have you ever been on a scavenger hunt? Well, now’s your chance – sort of. The Sullivan County Historical Society is going to have what we’re calling a History Quest 2016. This will be done along with the Sullivan County Conservation District this summer. And it is hoped that if this program goes over well that it can continue for at least a few years.
The idea is to pick up a brochure that will be listing twelve questions, of which you will fill out the answers to at least ten of them. Upon completion, you would then turn in the questionnaire to either the Sullivan County Historical Society Museum in Laporte (458 Meylert Street) or the Conservation Office outside Dushore (9219 Route 487, above the American Legion).
The questions contained in the brochure will take you all around the county with the idea of doing just that – getting out and about. Along the way, you will learn about many different features of the county. This program is for visitors and locals alike, young and old, families or individuals. The jaunt you take is intended to be at your own pace and to be a fun adventure to specific destinations you may not normally have discovered.
Additionally, this summer on Sunday, July 17 at 1 pm outside Nordmont (off of Route 220 south of Laporte) on Christian Camp Road, the two organizations will host a talk on the history of the town and the acid factory by Kathy Pritchard, and on the stream reclamation project by Corey Richmond, Watershed Specialist for the Conservation District.
Kathy Pritchard is a graduate of State College and Mansfield University with a masters degree in elementary education, reading specialist certification and mid-level history certification. Although Kathy is now retired, she taught for over 30 years.
She is active at St. Paul’s United Methodist Church in Nordmont and Vice President of Cherry Grove Cemetery Assoc., as well as master of ceremonies there. Her ancestors are the Botsford family who were one of the first two permanent families to have settled in the Elk Lick area of Nordmont.
Cory Richmond is the watershed specialist for the Sullivan County Conservation District. He obtained a bachelor’s degree in Environmental Biology with a minor in Chemistry from Mansfield University. Corey began his career with the conservation district in 1993 and has focused on improving water quality in the streams and waters of Sullivan County. He assisted in the co-ordination, clean-up, and stabilization of the site where the acid factory was located.
Corey partners with many like-minded organizations to achieve various practices that improve or stabilize water issues. He was recognized by the Pennsylvania Environmental Council in 2015 for his work in forming successful partnership to tackle issues.
Both speakers and both parts of the history for that location are of interest, despite the fact that the acid factory no longer exists. Questions may be asked at the end of the talks but come see what you can learn from the past, and about the present of just one subject in Sullivan County.
For future years the program will be repeated but with entirely different questions. Brochures will be available at the Sullivan County Museum, the Conservation Office and some businesses.
And, there’s a reward for filling our at least ten questions – a wooden nickel that can then be obtained by going to one of the representing offices. The Conservation Office from Mondays to Fridays, and the Museum on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays from 1 to 5 pm or by contacting the Museum by mail at 458 Meylert St., Laporte, PA, 18626.
For this or any other information needed please phone us at 570-946-5020 or email to museum@scpahistory.com, or just stop in when you see the ‘Open’ sign in the window.
Also, please like us on Facebook at Facebook.com/sullivancountypahistoricalsociety