Sunday, October 19, 2025 at 2:00 pm
"Shikellamy, Weiser and Sunbury"
Presented by Glen Retief, Associate Professor, Susquehanna University
The friendship between Oneida Chief Shikellamy and Conrad Weiser, German immigrant who was an interpreter and diplomat with the Native Americans, will be featured as part of the program presented on Sunday, October 19th, at 2 pm at the Northumberland County Historical Society.
Glen Retief, author and Associate Professor of non-fiction writing at Susquehanna University, will talk about the founding of Shamokin (now Sunbury) and pioneer life in the 1740's and 1750's. He will inform the group about the arrival of refugees especially after the Walking Purchase of 1737 before the French and Indian War and will talk about “Shamokin” being considered a "wild place" as well as how Katie Faull's recent translations of "The Shamokin Diaries" have changed the view of historians.
He will share his thoughts about the roles of Shikellamy and Weiser to resolve major diplomatic issues arising at the confluence of the Susquehanna. The program will also include information about the abandonment and burning of "Shamokin" during the French and Indian War and how it ended up being called Sunbury.
The presentation is being held at the society, 1150 North Front Street, Sunbury, and is free to the public. Parking is available behind the Hunter House and is easily accessed from Fort Augusta Avenue.
Sunday, November 16, 2025 at 2:00 pm
"From Culture to Hardware"
Presented by Deborah Bernhisel
Most area residents drive by Cole’s Hardware 2nd and Chestnut Street in Sunbury without ever realizing that what is now a parking lot and hardware store was once a cultural center attracting big name performers and some of the latest Broadway releases. On November 16th at 2:00 P.M. at the Northumberland County Historical Society, Deborah Bernhisel will turn back the clock to the 1920’s when Pietro A. Magazzu was the manager the Chestnut Street Theater, and Sunbury was in its heyday as a cultural destination as she shares some of the theater’s history, provides the names of some of the entertainers who graced the stage, and gives context to Sunbury’s place as an entertainment destination.
As a special treat, tympani and accessories that were actually used at the opera house will be on display in the library. Those items will be on display from November 16th until December 3rd when the historical society will host its annual Open House.
This presentation is free to the public. The parking in back of the Hunter Mansion is most easily accessed from Fort Augusta Avenue.