Historic Lewisburg walking Tour coming this Saturday

Christopher Benson, The Daily Item, Sunbury, Pa.
·2 min read

Sep. 12—LEWISBURG — Historic Lewisburg Tours are returning this Saturday if shopping and dining was not already a reason to visit downtown.

The tour, sponsored by Lewisburg Downtown Partnership (LDP), is a self-guided tour from 10 a.m. until 4 p.m. on Saturday. The tour highlights ten historical points within the borough while supporting a local community cause.

Although not free, all proceeds from the $20 cost per-person event benefit LDP's Make Market Street More Beautiful initiative, which supports upkeep of the baskets in the community.

"Our intent is for you to be able to learn about the structures, people involved, and their history," according to Ellen Ruby, LDP executive director.

A "Town Crier" will be dressed in period clothing and on-hand to add to the mood between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m.

"It's going to be really lots of fun," said Cynthia Peltier, director of CommUnity Zone, which shares office space with LDP.

"People will be dressed up in period clothing," Peltier said. "Already as of last week we had 40 people sign up for it."

Peltier said participants received their brochure where the tour begins and the self-guided tour will be at participants' leisure.

Touring begins at the William Cameron/Cook House on Market Street, built in 1844 and remodeled to reflect styles from the Queen Anne period, in 1882. The house was Lewisburg's first bank.

Peltier said there will be a re-enactment at the house.

Participants will move to the Himmelreich Library, constructed in 1902 with funding bequeathed by William Himmelreich, who wanted it to be a library with the "Bible at its center." The library is an example of neo-classical design with a mural painted by the same artist known for murals in the Library of Congress in Washington, D.C.

Lewisburg Hotel has survived American recessions, federal prohibition on alcohol, the Great Depression and the pandemic.

Moving toward Water Street, the tour will explain how one location, built in 1841, was a warehouse for goods traded on the river and its canal.

The home of Benjamin K. Focht, a Republican member of the U.S. House of Representatives right before outbreak of World War II, is near South Street.

First Baptist Church near South Street, built in 1870, will feature a talk for attendees about the founders of the University of Lewisburg, now known as Bucknell University.

Tour participants will learn how Oscar Stiefl and family built the Campus Theatre to help center and enrich the community in 1943 as war raged in Europe.

The theater will showcase wartime uniforms on display.

The tour will end at William Cameron Engine Company on North Street. A hand pumper from 1842, a Silsby steamer, hose carts, and other memorabilia will be on display.

Tickets may be purchased at lewisburgpa.com and will be on sale the day of the event at the LDP office, 328 Market St.