History Center on Main Street, Mansfield PA

04/02/2026

Book Signing April 12

Mary Ann Williams grew up in Canoe Camp in the 1840s and 50s in a Welsh immigrant family. She and her husband George worked on her father's farm until 1863 when George's family in Kansas needed their help to rebuild their fire damaged hotel.

After farming for almost twenty years on a hundred acres in Kansas, George died in an accident in 1880. Mary Ann turned the Kansas farm over to her youngest daughter, and in May 1882, she headed west on the Oregon Trail. Travelling ten to 15 miles a day it was a long, hard journey and a once-in-a-lifetime adventure.

Using diaries, letters, and news accounts, Mary Ann's descendant, Eve Whittall of Washington state, converted her story to historical fiction. We can follow Mary Ann's life from Pennsylvania to Kansas to the west on her grueling Oregon Trail venture.

The book, "A Legacy for Mary Ann" won a Book Fest award in 2025 for historical fiction. Eve and her daughter will come to Mansfield in April to visit for the first time, the place where Mary Ann started. They will also visit graves in Blossburg and view the area of their ancestors.

A book signing at The History Center on Main Street Sunday April 12 from 2 to 4 PM will give us a chance to meet Eve and hear Mary Ann's story. The event will include a poem put to music about Mary Ann's life. Help us welcome Eve to her ancestral area. Oregon Trail posters will be given to attendees. Books will be available for purchase. Call or text us ahead at 570-250-9829 or [email protected] to reserve a book.

12/27/2025

Commencement Brochures from Mansfield High School are important in our archival collections. We are missing the following: 1968, 1969, 1970, 1971, 1972, 1975, also 1949 to 1953 and 1955 to 1959. We have none from the 1980s or 1990s. If you have a copy we would appreciate any kind of copy scanned, photocopy, anything - all pages. email scans to [email protected] or mail to us at 61 N. Main in Mansfield. Thanks for helping and thanks for looking Joyce

09/29/2025

Mansfield High School class of 1975 spent part of their 50th reunion at The History Center. The group photo was taken by Joyce in the stair well. Included (in guest book order) Tim Wood, Larry Brewster, Judy Day Case, Kevin Crumb, Lee Schmitz Meschino, Kevin Abrams, Deb Talbot Bastian, Steve Eldridge, Jim Cummings, Becky Darnton, Janet Rice Johnson, Bruce Doughty, Mick Galliher, Mike Hill, Nan Wilcox, Dave Cunningham, Richard Frank, Barbara Copp Considine, Cindy McNett Kneiss, Rochelle Crumb Strange, Jeanine Clark, Bob Bradford., Eileen Baity Thompson.

09/22/2025

Bob and Jim Terry visited The History Center last week and let us record their stories of growing up in Mansfield in the 1950s. They both graduated from Mansfield High School (1952, 1958) and Mansfield State College as well. See the video on You-Tube.

Bob and James Terry tell the story of growing up in Mansfield PA in the 1950s and 60s.

09/20/2025

Mansfield High School Class of 1962 gathered in Mansfield this weekend, could not sit still for a photo, so this is our best effort at The History Center on Main Street.
Front: Bob Jones, Dick Davey, Donna Bentley Davey, Joe Moore, Bob Henninger.
Second: Mary Bailey Farrer, Marie Marple Henninger
Way Back: Don Inscho, Scott Husted Don Burnham, Jerry Farrer.

09/15/2025

Saturday Sept. 13 - The History Center welcomes the combined 1965 - 1967 Mansfield High School Class Reunion.
Front: Sam Schappelle, Rosemary Rieppel Schappelle, Bonne Baynes, Ruth Rodgers Randall.
Second Row: Jim Weiskopff, Sharon Brown Stone, John Thatcher, Paul McMillen, Bob Lynch, Kent Randall.
Back: Bobbi Jo Bradshaw Milton, Jack Stone

08/18/2025

Saturday visitors to The Museum of Us from the MHS Class of 1980. Dan Clark, John Fahsbender, Sandy Thompson Weaver, Martin Clark, Terry Baker Krohn, Laurie Bowen Frey

08/04/2025

We recently acquired from the Skelding Family 14 framed sketches by Cindy Kelly, MHS 1971. These are sketched from older postcards and photos. Added to the items we already had of Cindy's work, these make a nice display in one of our first-floor rooms.

07/30/2025

Left to right: John Schanbacher, Tom Cortright, Terry Schanbacher, Jeff Stone, Donna Stone, Kevin Specter, Ron Milton, Bobby Jo Bradshaw Milton

Cousins, spouses, grandson of Schanbacher family on a Saturday Mansfield Tour. First stop was at the Museum of Us.

07/28/2025

This photo is not local, but it is so charming, we'll post it here anyway. This is a D.C. horse-drawn tour bus ca 1902-1910. It is from the Gray-Strange family photos we received in a while ago and are finally cataloguing.

06/03/2025

June 14, Saturday, 10 AM.

Presenter: Matthew Carl

LAQUIN: The Rise and Fall of a Pennsylvania Lumber Town

Based on the new book by the same name, LeRoy Heritage Museum President and Bradford County Historical Society Executive Director, Matthew Carl, will discuss his popular new book about the history of the lumber town of Laquin, located in southern Bradford County, PA. The 512-page book , released at the end of 2023, was 31 years in the making and over 750 copies have been sold. He will also present a PowerPoint presentation taking the audience on a tour of Laquin. The new book may be purchased at the event and Matthew will sign copies at the conclusion of the program.

The History Center, 61 N. Main St., Mansfield, PA

04/11/2025

Reminder: CANCELLATION Our program for tomorrow about Laquin is postponed. Matt Carl had to reschedule. We'll let you know when we have another date for the program.