10/16/2026
mThe Sayre Historical Society’s well-received Visitors from Our Past program drew a full house to the Sayre Museum on October 15. This year’s characters were John Shepard, portrayed by Mike Noone; Mara Sargent Grace, portrayed by Cindy Holdridge; and Elizabeth Hager Pratt, portrayed by Elaine Pierson. As John Shepard, Noone described life in early Bradford County, including Shepard’s operation of the county’s first mill and the tremendous hardships faced by early pioneers. Holdridge portrayed Mara Sargent Grace, who witnessed the Battle of Bunker Hill, and traced her life through its conclusion in Bradford County. Two attendees—elementary school students from Chemung, New York—were descendants of Grace. Pierson, a retired Athens history teacher, told the story of Elizabeth “Betsy the Blacksmith” Hager Pratt and her life in Boston during the Revolutionary War. She noted that Elizabeth married at age 32 and had 12 children, continuing to give birth into her 40s.
The society selected all three characters to continue commemorating the United States Semiquincentennial during its 250th anniversary year.
To accommodate the large audience, each character’s skit was performed three times during the evening.
The program will be presented again at the Sayre Historical Society’s annual meeting on March 20, 2027, at Celebrations Black Diamond Café in Sayre.
Pictured are Cindy Holdridge as Mara Sargent Grace, Mike Noone as John Shepard, and Elaine Pierson as Elizabeth Hager Pratt, “Betsy the Blacksmith.”
