Lewisburg Walking Tour - Bucknell University

Walking tour of Lewisburg
by Janet Jones & Ben Marsh
1) Begin by standing on the walk at the east front of Roberts Hall -- facing town and river.
Start by noting how Lewisburg is nestled in the valley of the Susquehanna River between two ridges. If the
Gateways are at 12 o’clock, note:
at 9 o’clock -- Nittany Mountain (visible behind Taylor Hall)
at 12 o’clock – the Susquehanna River Valley (the river is visible over the low red Physical Plant
Building at the bottom of the hill at about 1 o’clock)
at 3 o’clock -- Montour Ridge

Now note the details of the scene before you:
at 6 o’clock – Roberts Hall (the second oldest college building, dedicated in 1850) which was
originally called Main Building and then “Old Main”. It contained recitation rooms, a chapel, a
library, meeting rooms, and a Commencement Hall on the third floor, which was the site of early
commencements. The wings contained study rooms and dormitories. You are standing on the east
side which was once the principle façade of the structure but which is now mostly forgotten as the
campus has turned its focus away from town and toward Highway 15.
at 9 o’clock -- Taylor Hall (the oldest building on campus, opened in 1849) to which the newly
founded college moved from the basement of the Baptist meeting house in Lewisburg
at 10 o’clock – Bucknell Hall (dedicated in 1868) and used as the campus chapel for decades; it is
now a recital hall and home of the Stadler Poetry Center.
at 11 o’clock – University Ave., once the principle access to campus when the college was more
closely tied to the town for both its students and its identity; it is now still the ceremonial entrance
to campus from the town side -- What is the principal formal entrance to campus now? and what
does this say about the orientation of the college? what is the principal informal entrance to the
college and why is it so heavily traveled?
at 12 o’clock – the Gateways stand over the site of the original football field
2) Walk down three short sections of staircase and turn left down the walkway to the bottom the hill.
Stop at the flagpole between the gateposts and face down University Ave.
You are now standing at the original entrance to campus looking down the wide ceremonial avenue which
led to “The Hill” as it was known. Note that University Ave. cuts diagonally toward campus defying
the rectilinear plan of most town streets (take this occasion to have a good look at your copy of the
town plan, the layout should be very familiar to you) and self-consciously connecting the town to the
periphery and to the isolated academics who had taken residence on the hill to the south of town.
To your left on the far corner is the President’s House. It was built in 1855 by Rev. Justin R. Loomis,
Professor of Natural Sciences and President who bought a one-acre lot from the Trustees for $ 400.00
and built the Gothic Revival house. In 1879, the University bought the house and enlarged it for
David J. Hill, who was President from 1879 to 1888. It has been the home of Bucknell presidents ever
since.
To your right on the far corner is the Lowry House bought by the university and renovated in 1985 to
house Psychological Services. It was the home of the famous hymn writer (“Shall We Gather at the
River”) Rev. Robert Lowry, Class of 1854, Professor of Rhetoric, and pastor of the First Baptist
Church from 1869 to 1875. Read the Historical Marker.
3) Walk down University Avenue, noting as you pass:
Cooley Hall (the 1890’s Italianate mansion on the right at the corner of University Ave. and Malcolm St.)
and surrounding buildings in which the machines of University Relations (e.g. alumni relations, fund
raising) hum away at a distance from the academic programs.
#63 University Avenue (on left) current home (Victorian/Queen Ann/Eclectic style) of Judge McClure and
noted as the location (in the carriage house) of a stop on the Underground Railroad. Read the
Historical Marker as you pass.
Bull Run (running under University Avenue) a quaint, but deadly creek which flows into the Susquehanna
River just out of sight to the right. Many of you are familiar with its dangers from the September flood
of 1999.
The Civil War monument at the end of University Avenue on the right which commemorates the town’s
terrible losses typical of those suffered by small towns all over during the Civil War.
4) Turn right down Mill St., the little one-way connector road just before the Civil War Monument, cross
Third St., then Brown St., to the Historical Marker just to the left of the Derr House (the large white
house set back from Brown St.).

The Derr House was originally the home of Ludwig Derr, founder of Lewisburg in 1785. He purchased a
large parcel of land on the banks of the Susquehanna where he built a profitable grist mill, surveyed
the parcel for settlement using the grid plan with which we are familiar, and died as early plans for the
settlement were going forward.
If you look to the right (east) you see Mill St. headed toward the river and, tracing it back the way you have
just come, you are actually seeing the path of the old mill race for the grist mill which took its water
from a weir on Bull Run.
5) Walk up Brown St. noting as you pass:
The typical college town combination of student, faculty, and other local resident housing.
6) Turn right and walk down St. George, noting as you pass:
The “flood proof” condominium group recently built along lower St. George which appear to be normal
townhouses until….(to be continued below)
The flood gauge painted on the street sign at the corner with Front St. (for reference, the 1973 flood was 34
ft., the January flood of 1996 was 25 ft).
The town boat launch at the end of the St. George St.
7) Walk back up St. George and turn right up the alley, noting:
…the back of the townhouses which are built so that the entire first floor is garage and non-living space in
case of (almost certain) flooding.
The arrangement of the typical Lewisburg residential lot with a house fronting on the street (usually not set
back to any degree), a long narrow yard, and a garage on the alley.
All blocks in the area of the original town survey were split by an alley running north/south (parallel to the
river) except the blocks fronting on Market St. in which the alley runs east/west.
8) Turn left up St. Catherine, turn right on Second St. and walk up to the Union County Courthouse.
Stand on the sidewalk in front of the Cronrath Funeral Home and note the neo-Classical east façade of the
courthouse in the Ionic order, rendered in wood. What “feeling” was the architect trying to induce in
the observer with the use of this style?
9) Turn right down St. Louis and walk toward the river.
Look to the left and the right at the alley to see again the typical arrangement of alleys running north/south
behind the houses.
10) Near the corner of St. Louis and Front St. note:
To the right, the Tasker Bliss House (just down Front St. a half block) – see the Historical Marker for
details of another sidelight to Lewisburg history.
To the left, signs of the “gentrification” (i.e. reconfiguring historic, traditional, and often somewhat rundown
houses and neighborhoods to suit the need of the new “gentry”) of the Lewisburg housing
market. Well-off doctors from the Geisinger Medical Center in Danville or other professionals
working outside of Lewisburg have chosen the town as a residence for its atmosphere and poured
money into the nicer homes in the town (note the custom-made orange shutters at 31 S. Front St.). In
front of these houses, and in various other locations around town you can still see the stone used to
help in mounting horses. See more on the gentrification of Lewisburg below.
11) Continue down toward the river … at the corner of St. Louis and S. Water St. note:
In the river, the remnants of the slackwater dam just south (right .. downstream) of the Water St. corner,
extending all the way across the river and visible only in low water. This dam pooled the water so that
canal boats could cross to Lewisburg from the Pennsylvania Canal which ran up the east side of the
river. Canal boats were the first exportable product of the town and that industry was the antecedent
of Pennsylvania House Furniture, Lewisburg’s most noted industry. (Where are they getting the wood
over time and how were they transporting it?)

12) Walk up S. Water St., noting:
The houses at #s 37 & 27 S. Water St. These are two of the earliest houses in Lewisburg (dated to 1786 and
1789 respectively). #37 was the first store and school. Note the orientation of these houses toward the
river. (Look at the houses across the street at #24 & 26 [built in the 1850s] and #18 & 20 [built in the
1860s] -- which way do these houses face? what does this say about the importance of the river and
the outlook of the town 60 years later? Why didn’t people love the river then? where did their sewage
go? )
The east/ west alley on the left runs parallel to Market St. rather than at a right angle to it.
The flood gauge on the back of the garage nearest to S. Water St. (remember 34 ft. was the height of the
1973 flood – now look at the level of the houses on the river side of the road nearby. Hmmm.)
13) Turn right and walk out on the bridge (Market St. / PA Route 45) until you are standing over the
river’s edge.
Note that the houses along the river have no alley or garages, in fact, their yards (and first floors,
sometimes) lie within the flood plain of the river. The river rose over the lower yards of these houses
in January 1996.
Depending on the time of day you are here, you should be able to notice the high level of traffic (especially
truck traffic) across this bridge and through downtown Lewisburg. The passage of Rt. 45, an important
east/west corridor, through town is both a blessing and a curse -- good for business, bad for sleeping.
14) Walk back off the bridge and down Market St. away from the river, noting:
Soldiers Memorial Park upstream of the bridge, with round twin foundations of water towers by the bridge,
and the low, red former factory building of Pennsylvania House behind the railroad grade just beyond
the park. Established at the site of a canal boat works, this was the “Chair Factory” for decades, and
has become an antique mall in the last few years … it’s the pre industrial, industrial, and postindustrial
story of the town in one building.
The Ionic architecture of the neo-classical Presbyterian church building on the right between Water and
Front Sts.
The large houses of the wealthy lining this main artery leading to the commercial district of town.
The town is giving lessons in gentrification. Beyond Front St. look for the earring store, the glass gold
jewelry and leather wallet store, the Celtic everything store, the fly fishing and mountain bike store,
the “collectibles” store, and, in recent memory, the cigar store, the gourmet coffee and new age
personal growth bookstore, the pricey camera equipment store, the Italian ices store (oops -- now a
chiropractor’s office), and the ammunition store. Interspersed with these are the fewer longtime local
stores -- two framing galleries, a stationery store, a bargain priced movie theater, and the downtown
grocery -- but lost in recent memory is the local butcher, the old time drugstore, and (several
generations of bank buy-outs ago) all the local banks (e.g. Lewisburg National, Lewisburg Trust).
15) At the corner of Market and Second St., note:
The next two blocks of Market St. were the original market area of town – what does Market St. do here
that reveals this?
The Lewisburg Hotel built in 1831 just as the canal and the railroad brought big business to town.
16) At the corner of Market and Third St., note:
Here the two main avenues of Lewisburg intersect. Market and Third Streets are wider than the other
streets of town and were planned as the principal east/west and north/south corridors. For residents of
Lewisburg, this is the main intersection of town – interestingly, when I have asked students (several
hundred over 10 years) to identify the main intersection of town they have rarely listed this
intersection, seeing Rt. 15 & Market St, or 7th & Market as the main intersection – what does this
reveal about the geographical picture that students have formed of the town?

Note the Doric architecture (and pronounced entasis of the columns) on the Sovereign Bank, the Doric
porches on the Post Office, and the Ionic architecture of the Mellon Bank.
Detour south one block to the intersection of Third and St. Louis where there are churches on three of four
corners – what does this say about the spatial arrangement of Lewisburg as compared to an ancient
city?
On the way back to Market St. note the pier of the old Opera House (1869) at the entrance to the town
parking lot on the left (west) side of the street. This parking lot preserves the footprint of this
important communal entertainment structure which burned early in the 20 th century.
Note the ugly structure which now houses the CVS — this was built to replace an imposing structure which
burned (see illustration of Market St. at top.)
Continue west on Market St.
17) Cross Market St. and walk up the north (CVS) side of Market. Stop at the corner of Market and
Fourth Sts. and note:
Market St. does again what it did at Market and Second, marking the end of the central market area.
The Ionic architecture of the M&T bank.
The orange and blue tiled, Art-Deco “Campus Theatre” where you can still see first runs in a spacious old
time theater at small town prices and walk home at 11pm feeling reasonably safe. It’s recently under
new management and showing more interesting films while retaining its small town feel.
At the corner of Market and 5 th Sts, Subway is situated in a magnificent example of late 19 th C commercial
architecture – the façade of this building is cast iron.
18) Walk to the railroad tracks, turn right and walk down the tracks to Roller Mill (the large red
building on the left almost to St. Mary).
This area represents the second major phase of industrial development at Lewisburg, the railroad based
industrial center (as opposed to the early mills and factory by the river which represent the first phase
of industrial development — river based industrial center). You will find the newer, road based
industrial centers along Rt. 192 exemplified by the huge PlayWorld headquarters building, or JPM
Industries and the old International Paper factory along Rt. 15.
Note:
• on the left the warehouse structures ranging along the tracks toward Rt. 15.
• the large mill at the junction of the two rail lines — one line runs north/south along the river; the
other runs east/west crossing the river, running along the line of present St. John and then west to
Mifflinburg and beyond. Note the two sidings curving to join the n/s line; one is represented by
multiple concrete piers in the low area to the south of the mill
• Bechtels, the Lewisburg dairy, has its plant and warehouses farther up the tracks, near Rt. 15.
19) Walk back and turn right on Market St.; stop just past the Lilac Moon Restaurant, and note:
Hufnagle Park, the large open area across the street. This once was a block of structures similar to the
others, but many structures here by the creek (note how Market St. slopes down to Bull Run) were
razed after the flood in 1972 and a park was established in the flood plain. It was named in honor of
the former Lewisburg chief of police who died here trying to rescue someone from rising water in
1972.
In the middle distance – at St. Louis and Fifth Sts. – is the Borough Office building in the old railroad
terminal. Generations of Bucknell students arrived in Lewisburg at this spot.
In the distance, the large (some would say too large) PlayWorld castle funded through donations and set up
in the fall of 2000 by local volunteers including Bucknell students. It replaces a smaller wooden
“climber” which was considered outdated, unsafe, and decrepit. PlayWorld is an international supplier
of playground equipment which recently set up a large headquarters building and factory in
Lewisburg.

The bandstand in the park, site of numerous touching small town communal events — the Christmas tree
lighting, the 4 th of July band music concert, music in the park on summer evenings, peace rallies, etc.
It is also popular with local skateboarders.
20) Walk on to the bridge over Bull Run and note
The rip-rapping of Bull Run to stabilize the stream bank against flood erosion.
The bridge small footbridge to the right constructed by a Bucknell civil engineering class.
21) Continue up Market St. noting the signs that you are nearing the college:
Multiple pizza places and bars.
For rent signs in ill-kept properties (there are no “condemned” signs in sight at the moment) advertising
vacancies two years from now.
22) Walk up to the intersection of Market (Rt. 45) and Rt. 15:
This is the high traffic intersection in town. Looking at the properties on the 4 corners of this intersection
and the degree of access to them, why would you say that several of the businesses here have gone out
of business several times. What businesses work best here? Who are they aimed at — local residents or
passers through?
Note how Rt. 45 changes orientation after it crosses Rt. 15 heading west into the Linntown area. Look at
your town map and note how this affects the planning of the grid as settlement extended toward the
west.
23) Walk back to 8th St., turn right and walk to the cemetery, noting:
The quiet, residential street just a block off of raucous, busy 7 th St.
The large town cemetery which, like most town cemeteries of the 1820s AD or 600s BC, was built at the
far periphery, or just outside, of the town. Most ancient cemeteries which were engulfed like this
vanished.
24) Walk back to campus through the cemetery on the small road which continues the line of 8 th St.:
Read some of the tomb stones — what is the earliest date you can find on this route? Remember that town
was founded in 1785, so some of these folks were first generation residents.