Removal of old bridge piers completed at site of Amtrak’s new Susquehanna River Bridge

 

(Trains) An Amtrak contractor has completed the removal of 10 bridge piers dating to 1866 from the Susquehanna River, a required move in advance of construction of new bridges connecting Havre de Grace and Perryville, Md. Continued

Let the River Run Wild

 

Conowingo Dam

(NYTimes) IF the Chesapeake Bay is America’s Estuary, then its largest tributary, the Susquehanna River, could arguably be called America’s River. But we certainly don’t treat it as a national treasure: This once magnificent watercourse, which runs through New York, Pennsylvania and Maryland toward the coast, is today an ecological disaster — largely thanks to four hydroelectric dams, built along its lower reaches between 1904 and 1931.

An impending license renewal by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission for two of these dams will lock in another half-century of measures woefully inadequate to remediating the dams’ environmental consequences. Instead, all four should be removed. Continued 

 

Holtwood Dam

Safe Harbor Dam

York Haven Dam

 

Three Mile Island

 

(Wikipedia) - The Three Mile Island accident was the most significant accident in the history of the American commercial nuclear power generating industry.... The accident began on Wednesday, March 28, 1979, and ultimately resulted in a partial core meltdown in Unit 2 of the nuclear power plant (a pressurized water reactor manufactured by Babcock & Wilcox) of the Three Mile Island Nuclear Generating Station in Dauphin County, Pennsylvania near Harrisburg. Continued 

Aged grist mill awaits scarce federal funds

(Baltimore Sun) PERRYVILLE, Maryland — A 250-year-old grist mill near the mouth of the Susquehanna River has sat mostly vacant since the end of the Civil War, its thick stone walls serving no purpose but the protection of a few old tools.
Though the building is historic — it was listed on the National Register of Historic Places decades ago — it is uncelebrated and receives few visitors. While many old mills are being restored, plans to develop the Cecil County property have stalled.
The lack of interest in the old mill is partly due to its owner: the federal government. Continued

Join River Sweep and cleanup along the Lower Susquehanna Heritage Trail

(Aegis) Lower Susquehanna Heritage Greenway 12th annual River Sweep, a volunteer shoreline and roadside clean-up in honor of Earth Day, will take place in Havre de Grace, Perryville, Port Deposit and on Garrett Island on Saturday April 21.
Registration begins at 8:30 a.m., with the cleanup from 9 a.m. to noon, rain or shine. Continued

Effort under way to replace Confederate soldier's gravestone along Susquehanna

(YDR) Carol Posinski drove along the Susquehanna River in Hellam Township to find the grave of an unknown Confederate soldier after the flooding from Tropical Storm Lee washed away the headstone.
Posinski, a Civil War history buff, spotted the grave marked with a Confederate flag along the narrow River Drive. All that remained was the base of where the modern, granite stone once stood.
"I was hoping we could find the original stone," Posinski of Codorus Township said.
So far, though, no one has been able to find the marker, and an effort is under way to replace it. Continued

Photo: "The 1st Virginia Cavalry at a halt" bt Alfred Waud.

Tour of Lock 12 gives glimpse of York County life in late 1800s

(YDR) As families picnicked and hikers navigated the trails at the Holtwood Environmental Preserve in Lower Chanceford Township, about 10 nature lovers spent their sunny Sunday afternoon learning about an unusual historical site.
The Susquehanna Gateway Heritage Area sponsored a nature walk in the Lock 12 historic area of the preserve as part of its new initiative to provide hands-on experiences for people interested in the history of the lower Susquehanna region, said Marie Cartwright, outreach coordinator.
Lock 12 was built in 1840 as part of the 28-part lift-lock system constructed along the Susquehanna River from Wrightsville to Havre de Grace, Md., according to Mark Arbogast, the walk's leader and a retired land manager for PPL, which owns the preserve's land. Continued

The great pumpkin flood

From "The History of Columbia and Mountour Counties" There was an old tradition, or rather a prophecy, among the Indians that roamed about the Susquehanna, that great floods in this river occurred at regular intervals of fourteen years. The first great flood of which we have any account was in 1744; the second in 1758; the third in 1772, and that which is known as the great 'pumpkin flood' was in 1786--there being just fourteen years between each of these floods.
The 'pumpkin flood' was in the month of October, and was so designated on account of the immense number of pumpkins that floated down the stream from the fields above. It began to rain on the 5th of October, 1786, and rained incessantly for several days. The water rose rapidly and swept all before it. Several persons were drowned near the place now called Rupert, and at Sunbury houses were overflowed and many people were lost. Northumberland was also flooded and much damage was done. This flood was long remembered and known among the old settlers as 'the great pumpkin flood.' Continued

Photo: Reliving History, Inc.

Louis Wernwag

(Wikipedia) Louis Wernwag (b. Alteburg, Württemberg, Germany, 4 December 1769; d. Harpers Ferry, Virginia, 12 August 1843) was a prominent bridge builder in the United States in the early 19th century.
... He constructed the first Conowingo Bridge in 1818 and rebuilt Theodore Burr's Port Deposit Bridge in 1824, both crossings of the Susquehanna River in Maryland. His last bridge was across the Potomac River at Harper's Ferry for the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad, and was built in 1833. Continued

Susquehanna Heritage seeks national designation

(YDR) For the third time, the Susquehanna Gateway Heritage Area is trying to be designated a National Heritage Area, a designation that requires an act of Congress.
And that seems to be the holdup.
"We're hoping...this time it'll be passed," said Susquehanna president Mark Platts.
The Susquehanna area first sought the federal designation in 2008. Its request passed National Park Service muster, meeting the federal guidelines for historic and cultural significance, but by the time the request that would grant the designation got to Congress, its session was ending and it did not pass. Continued

1738: Conojocular War ends

(Wikipedia) Cresap's War (also known as the Conojocular War — from the Conejohela Valley where it was located (mainly) along the south bank was a border conflict between Pennsylvania and Maryland, fought in the 1730s. Hostilities erupted in 1730 with a series of violent incidents prompted by disputes over property rights and law enforcement, and escalated through the first half of the decade, culminating in the deployment of military forces by Maryland in 1736 and by Pennsylvania in 1737. The armed phase of the conflict ended in May 1738 with the intervention of King George II, who compelled the negotiation of a cease-fire. A final settlement was not achieved until 1767 when the Mason-Dixon Line was recognized as the permanent boundary between the two colonies. Continued

Md. senators announce $22M to replace Susquehanna River Bridge

(AP) Maryland’s senators say the state will receive $22 million to replace the Susquehanna River Bridge.
Democratic Sens. Barbara Mikulski and Benjamin Cardin said Monday that the money is part of the U.S. Transportation Department’s investment in high-speed rail in the Northeast Corridor.
The Amtrak Susquehanna River Bridge is more than 100 years old. Continued

Photos: MDRails

Architect Latrobe mapped lower Susquehanna River

(YDR) Benjamin Henry Latrobe is best known as one of the fathers of American architecture. He designed the U.S. Capitol, Baltimore Basilica, Bank of Pennsylvania and Philadelphia Waterworks. In 1801-02 Latrobe used his engineering skills to complete a project much closer to (our) home, channel improvement and detailed surveying of the Susquehanna River from Columbia to the Chesapeake Bay. Continued

Photo: Susquehanna River Ark, Pen and ink drawing by J. W. W. Loose (LancasterHistory.org).

Three Mile Island

(Wikipedia) The Three Mile Island accident was the most significant accident in the history of the American commercial nuclear power generating industry. ... The accident began on Wednesday, March 28, 1979, and ultimately resulted in a partial core meltdown in Unit 2 of the nuclear power plant (a pressurized water reactor manufactured by Babcock & Wilcox) of the Three Mile Island Nuclear Generating Station in Dauphin County, Pennsylvania near Harrisburg. Continued

Harford, Cecil waterfront poised for federal parks aid

(Baltimore Sun) A stretch of Susquehanna River and Chesapeake Bay waterfront between Harford and Cecil counties could be among the first areas to win federal funding for the construction of "water trails." The National Park Service has identified the Lower Susquehanna Heritage Greenway as a priority segment of what will be the first combined land and water trail in America. The national designation will help the non-profit group that runs the heritage area to secure federal funding for its plan to link existing trails along the Susquehanna River and build more, ultimately into a 40-mile network of waterside walkways through the two counties. Continued

Image: Rock Run Tollhouse

Archaeological dig yields treasures in Columbia, Lancaster County

(YDR/Lancaster Intelligencer Journal) A recent archaeological dig at Rotary Park has set Columbia Borough's historical clock back a few thousand years, revealing an American Indian community dating to a time when pharaohs ruled Egypt and Stonehenge was under construction.
"We've found spear points dating back to 3000 B.C. and pottery that goes back to the 1300s," said Meg Schaefer, curator with the Wright's Ferry Mansion in Columbia, said Aug. 10. "We've even found evidence of what Natives were eating, including carbonized nut hulls and fish scales, which we can carbon date." Continued

Image: Display of artifacts from the Susquehannocks, in the State Museum of Pennsylvania, Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, United States, March 2007. Photograph by Ruhrfisch, some rights reserved.

Perryville's historic Rodgers Tavern to be restored

(Baltimore Sun) The state has awarded a $125,000 grant to the Lower Susquehanna Heritage Greenway to complete the final restoration of the Rodgers Tavern in Perryville, a 315-year-old landmark that played a role in the nation's early history.
The tavern will serve as a modern-day anchor for downtown Perryville revitalization and provide public access to the water and the town in Cecil County. The grant will pay for interior and exterior repairs. Continued

Photo: Michael O. Bourne, Maryland Historical Trust

Susquehanna, once number one, off list of endangered rivers

(YDR) Five years ago, the Susquehanna was number one on a national environmental group's ranking of the country's 10 most endangered rivers. This year, it's not on the list at all.
Good news, right? Maybe, according to environmental activists.
"The Susquehanna has got some continuing threats," said Sara Strassman of American Rivers, the Washington D.C.-based conservation group that releases the annual list. Continued

The Columbia and Port Deposit Railroad (PRR Port Road)

(Keystone Crossings) The Columbia and Port Deposit Railroad was started in 1865, and remained unfinished until 1877. This Branch, electrified in the 1938 expansion of the catenary, and de-electrified in the early 1980s, is still in active service today. The branch, which stretches from Port Deposit, northwest to Columbia, covers approximately 40 miles of scenic Susquehanna river country. Much of the track is difficult to access, but I will try to point out some of the accessible locations in the following sections. Our tour will start in Perryville, proceed north under the B&O, through Port Deposit, past the Octoraro Branch, the Conowingo Dam, Pilot, Peach Bottom, Holtwood, Pequa, the Conestoga Creek bridges at Safe Harbor, and into Columbia. As of this writing, the catenary poles, and PRR position lights are still in place, however these may not last long. 

Photos: MDRails

War of 1812 Re-enactment at the Susquehanna Museum

Come and watch American and British forces drill and train throughout the day in preparation for the attack on Havre de Grace later that afternoon. Listen to historical lectures on the event and interact with the re-enactors in a variety of activities. The event culminates with a Star Spangled Banner presentation by the Fort McHenry Guard -- the unfurling of a full-sized replica of the flag that flew over the fort during the War of 1812

Schedule

10:00 Morning Gun – Event Begins

10:30 Militia and US Marine Drill

11:30 Cannon firing

12:00 Troops stand down for Lunch

1:00 Discussion of Background of War of 1812

1:30 “The John O’Neill Perspective”

2:00 Militia Pre-Attack Activities

2:30 Attack on Havre De Grace

3:30 Star Spangled Banner Presentation

4:00 PM Event ends

Link