To
Perry County Womanhood
as exemplified in the life of
Elizabeth Reifsnyder, M.D.
Born 1858 — Died 1922
Outstanding Woman of
Perry County's First Century . . . — — Map (db m119868) HM
The Cochran-Anspach House was built in 1821 by Isaiah Clark for Thomas Cochran, one of the first settlers of Millerstown. Cochran and his three brothers, Protestants, were forced to leave their native Ireland. After disposing of their land . . . — — Map (db m241846) HM
A big spring in the far western end of Perry County has long been a popular place to visit. Stagecoaches traveling over the mountain in the 19th century stopped here to rest and water their horses. A Saturday picnic in 1903 was attended by 4,000 . . . — — Map (db m257349) HM
This peaceful forest known as Henry's Valley was once an industrious community where people lived, farmed, worshipped, and worked.
In the 1790s, John Henry bought some valley land from early settler Daniel Diehl. As Henry's family grew, the . . . — — Map (db m257373) HM
This tavern operated as early as 1798. The tavern's name refers to a large blue ball suspended from a pole; when raised, it announced to travelers and teamsters that overnight accommodations were available. Blue Ball Tavern played an important . . . — — Map (db m241984) HM
Born November 8, 1780 in the home of his parents Colonel George Gibson and Ann West Gibson 124 northwest of this marker
His fame was unequaled — — Map (db m109884) HM
1821: Harrisburg & Millerstown Turnpike chartered.
1829: Pennsylvania Canal opened through Perry County.
1849: Pennsylvania Railroad completed through Perry County.
The building of turnpikes, . . . — — Map (db m308098) HM
16,000 years ago: Native Americans arrived in North America
11,000 years ago: Paleoindians settled in Perry County
1,000 years ago: Maize farming villages . . . — — Map (db m242037) HM
At the hub of Newport's four historical transportation arteries — the Juniata River, the 1829 Pennsylvania Canal, the 1849 Pennsylvania Railroad (now Norfolk Southern), and State Highway 34, stands a tribute to the men and women who have provided . . . — — Map (db m220578) HM WM
Millerstown's first postmaster, Thomas Cochran who arrived in 1801, built many of the fine stone houses which still stand. The Millerstown borough was officially created and a town council formed in 1848. The chief burgess was Abraham Addams and . . . — — Map (db m241854) HM
The canal in the Lewistown Narrows was part of the Pennsylvania Main Line Canal's Juniata Division, which stretched 127.3 miles along the Juniata River from Duncan's Island, Perry County, to Hollidaysburg, Blair County. The 6.5 miles of canal which . . . — — Map (db m292499) HM
Constructed between 1794-1809 of Pennsylvania stone, this 'bank' house has served as a residence, a legal and law office, an inn and a stage coach stop. John Dunbar purchased a lot measuring 150 feet by 60 feet from borough founder Abraham Landis . . . — — Map (db m242148) HM
The motor vehicle both altered and saved the local economy. In 1903 businessman W. H. Gantt owned one of the first automobiles in the borough. By 1925 the livery stables and carriage manufacturers in Newport were out of business. The town . . . — — Map (db m220375) HM
In November 1829, a canal boat loaded with elected officials arrived in Newport from Mifflintown. The boat was drawn by two white horses. An American flag was flying, a cannon roaring and a band playing! Thus, the canal era officially opened . . . — — Map (db m175051) HM
The Pennsylvania Railroad (PRR) reached Newport in 1849 and connected with Pittsburgh by 1857. As with the 1829 Pennsylvania Canal, Newport area business and population increased. By the late 1800s as many as seven passenger trains a day . . . — — Map (db m175062) HM
Millerstown, founded in 1790 as the first borough in Perry County, has long served as a transportation hub. From the time of settlement river arks and flatboats navigated the Juniata River. As early as 1822 a stage road, called a turnpike, . . . — — Map (db m241856) HM
1. In present-day eastern Perry County, the Susquehanna River makes an abrupt southeastward bend around the end of Peter's Mountain. Here, just northwest of this mountain, many millions of years ago, the Juniata River joined the . . . — — Map (db m257415) HM
These markers were funded with a grant from Federal Highway Administration through the National Scenic Byways Program.
The Hoosier National Forest - Then and Now
This area has been inhabited continuously by humans for 12,000 years. . . . — — Map (db m178232) HM
Pennsylvania's Most Historic Bridge
the 100-foot bridge was built by workers under David Stoner between 1852 and 1854, with its design being based on the truss-lattice support designs of Connecticut architect and civil engineer Ithiel Town. . . . — — Map (db m257387) HM
Since 1825, Perry County has constructed numerous buildings for judicial and legal services. The most prominent is the County Court House, the oldest in Pennsylvania and, since 1975, on the National Register of Historic Places.
After World . . . — — Map (db m241986) HM
Lutheran congregations formed in Perry County beginning in the late eighteenth to early nineteenth century. The Mother Synod, the Evangelical Lutheran Ministerium of Pennsylvania, sent missionary pastors to Ohio to preach to the growing number of . . . — — Map (db m13094) HM
On April 6, 1917, the United States declared war on Germany and began the arduous task of recruiting and training an army for battle in France. From May 2 to August 14, 1917, Company F, 3rd Regiment of the Pennsylvania National Guard gradually . . . — — Map (db m241926) HM
1862-1863: Prominent Perry Countian A. L. McClure advised President Lincoln.
1863: Emancipation Proclamation issued.
1865: Robert E. Lee surrendered and Civil War ended.
As the end of June 1863, . . . — — Map (db m242079) HM
This Newport Heritage Park location was made possible in 2015 by the generous community spirit of the congregation of St. Paul’s Lutheran Church.
First recorded Lutheran services were held in Newport homes and school houses by the Rev. John W. . . . — — Map (db m89726) HM
Perry county has had at least five separate fairs over two centuries. The first was in Landisburg in 1821, only decades removed from frontier society. New Bloomfield hosted the fair from 1852 to 1859. With 68% of the county involved in . . . — — Map (db m241887) HM
The South Arch
This memorial honors Pennsylvania's military heroes of the Civil War (1861-1865). A pair of arches topped by tall pillars, the project involved 12 noted sculptors over a 15-year period. It is considered one of most ambitious . . . — — Map (db m191697) HM
These lands were warranted in 1763 by James and Isabella Blaine who came here with their small son Ephriam, who later became the noted General Ephriam Blaine Commissary General of the Continental Army under General George Washington
The . . . — — Map (db m257367) HM
ca. 1842: African American settlement near Millerstown.
1850: Fugitive Slave Act enacted; Compromise of 1850.
1852: First fair by the Agricultural Society of Perry County
Surrounded by highly productive farmland and served by good roads, the Pennsylvania Canal and the Pennsylvania Railroad, Millerstown became a commercial hub for northeastern Perry County during the 19th century.
On Cluck's Corner, at the . . . — — Map (db m241820) HM
While many American families defended slavery in the early nineteenth century, Benjamin Hanby’s family did not. Benjamin Hanby was born in July 1833 in Rushville, Ohio to Bishop William Hanby and Ann Miller Hanby. Ben’s father grew up in poverty . . . — — Map (db m107209) HM
Side A
Erected in 1828, the Randolph Mitchell House is a five-bay, Federal-style "I" house. Its facade features a doorway with an Adam-style fan and sidelights. The interior boasts a grand stairway in the foyer and fine woodwork . . . — — Map (db m224972) HM
On February 4, 1887 a charter was granted by the Commonwealth for the construction of the Perry County Railroad from Duncannon to New Bloomfield. On September 12, 1889 the first locomotive entered New Bloomfield. The Duncannon Station sat just to . . . — — Map (db m119908) HM
The overlook at Cannelton offers a spectacular view of the Ohio River, including the Cannelton locks and dam. The Perry County Parks & Recreation Department has developed a facility on this bluff, called the Eagles Bluff Welcome Center. Eagles . . . — — Map (db m286655) HM
Jesse Otto Rodgers (1911-1973) born near Waynesboro, first cousin to Jimmie Rodgers, began singing on Mexican border radio stations after relocating to Texas. He wrote songs and recorded for Bluebird Records in the mid-1930s, . . . — — Map (db m80349) HM
Lithia Spring Water: In 1865 an underground mineral spring was discovered while drilling for oil on a farm two miles northwest of Newville. Initially named "Cloverdale," the water source later became known as "Lithia Spring" based on a . . . — — Map (db m242203) HM
1756: French & Indian War began.
1756-1763: Indians drove settlers form Shermans Valley.
1766: Donegal Presbytery authorized Perry County congregations.
Scotch-Irish settlers moved north from Carlisle . . . — — Map (db m291051) HM
From its beginning, Millerstown residents have enjoyed leisure activities with a community focus, including sports, music, theater, and outdoor recreation. Hunting and fishing provided family food as well as many tall tales. The Juniata River . . . — — Map (db m241865) HM
In the 18th century, thousands of French and German protestants migrated to Pennsylvania seeking religious freedom and rich farmland. George Beaver, a Huguenot from Alsace, arrived in 1741 and settled in Chester County.
A grandson, Peter . . . — — Map (db m311008) HM
In 1808, the Presbyterian Church served as the first School house in Millerstown. It was adjacent to the church cemetery on "Grave Street." The Borough enlarged the school in 1834 and combined it and a Juniata River school into one . . . — — Map (db m241816) HM
On this site in 1800 brothers William, Caleb and Joshua North of a prominent local family, constructed the Rock Oak Tannery the town's first industry. After a business sojourn in Thompsontown, the brothers returned in 1814, enlarged the . . . — — Map (db m241853) HM
In 1832, a Governor's commission tasked with establishing a centrally located, permanent seat for Perry County government, accepted George Barnett's donation of eight acres in what became New Bloomfield. With the construction of a courthouse in . . . — — Map (db m242035) HM
Around 1891, Charles C. and Emma Lupfer, from Gibson's Rock near Dromgold's Corner, bought four tracts of farmland along the east side of Sherman's Creek. As early as 1912, they allowed local groups to picnic in a grove of trees not far from the . . . — — Map (db m242159) HM
1866: First bank organized in New Bloomfield.
1869: First water company organized in Blain.
1891: First telephone line strung between Newport and Loysville.
1898: Newport Square lit by electricity.
The first bridge to cross here was constructed between 1827 - 1828 as a combination vehicular, pedestrian, animal transport and general utility structure. A flood destroyed it in less than 10 years. It is unknown if a painting exists of the first . . . — — Map (db m257410) HM
Thin black lines indicate changes in relevance. Between each pair of lines entries are ordered geographically but all have the same relevance.
* Inflectional forms of words are their plurals, singulars, and possessives as well as gramatical tenses and similar variations.
