Sunbury, Pennsylvania

Sunbury is a city and the county seat of Northumberland County in Pennsylvania, United States. Located in the Susquehanna Valley, Sunbury is positioned on the east bank of the Susquehanna River.
Sunbury's roots stretch back to the early 18th century. As of the 2010 census, it had a population of 9,905. The city is one of the three principal cities in the larger Bloomsburg–Berwick metropolitan area.
Sunbury is connected to inventor Thomas Edison. In 1883, the Hotel Edison became the first building in Sunbury to be illuminated by Edison's innovative three-wire electrical system. The hotel was later named in honor of Edison.
Sunbury is home to the Beck House and the Northumberland County Courthouse. The Sunbury Historic District is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

WWW Official Site

History

The first human settlement of Sunbury were likely Shawnee migrants. A large population of Delaware Indians was also forcibly resettled there in the early 18th century after they lost rights to their land in the Walking Purchase. Canassatego of the Six Nations, enforcing the Walking Purchase of behalf of George Thomas, Deputy Governor of Pennsylvania, ordered the Delaware Indians to go to two places on the Susquehanna River, one of which was present-day Sunbury.
From 1727 to 1756, Sunbury was one of the largest and most influential Indian settlements in Pennsylvania. At that time, it was known as Shamokin, not to be confused with the present-day city of Shamokin, Pennsylvania, which is located about 13 miles to the east.
In 1745, Presbyterian missionary David Brainerd described the city as being located on both the east and west sides of the river, and on an island. Brainerd reported that the city housed 300 Indians, half of which were Delawares and the other Seneca and Tutelo.
In 1754, much of the land west of the Susquehanna was transferred from the Six Nations to Pennsylvania at the Albany Congress. However, Shamokin was not sold and was reserved by the Six Nations, "to settle such of our Nations as shall come to us from the Ohio or any others who shall deserve to be in our Alliance." According to Weslager, "the Pennsylvania authorities had no opposition to the Six Nations reserving Wyoming and Shamokin from the sale, since friendly Delawares, including Teedyuskung and his people living in those settlements--and any other Indians who might be placed there--constituted a buffer against Connecticut."
The French and Indian War brought fighting to much of the region. The Delaware Indian residents of Shamokin remained neutral for much of the early part of the war, in part because a drought and unseasonable frost in Shamokin in 1755 left them without provisions.
However, the Delaware Indians at Shamokin joined the war against Pennsylvania and the English after the Gnadenhütten massacre in 1755, and Shamokin was abandoned in May 1756. Pennsylvania Fort Augusta was built in 1756 on the former site of the village of Shamokin. The Bloody Spring is a historic site from the era.
On March 21, 1772, Northumberland County was incorporated and subdivided. The settlement was named Sunbury that same year, and the present-day city of Sunbury identifies 1772 as the date of its establishment. It was named after Sunbury-on-Thames, a town in the Surrey borough of Spelthorne, England, just outside Greater London.
Lorenzo Da Ponte, the librettist of Mozart and of Salieri, lived in Sunbury for some years after his arrival in America.
In July 1883, American inventor Thomas Edison installed the first successful three-wire electric lighting system in at what was then known as the City Hotel. At the city's 150th anniversary celebration in 1922, it was renamed the Edison Hotel.

Historical Places

This is a list of the historical places located in Sunbury, Pennsylvania.

NAME	BUILT	LOCATION	CATEGORY	NRHP
Beck House	1785		Building-Home	76001659
Keefer Station	1888	Mill Rd, Sunbury, PA 17801	Structure-Bridge	79002313
Northumberland County Courthouse	1865	201 Market St, Sunbury, PA 17801	Building-Government	74001800
Snyder (Caspar) House	1798	Lower Augusta Township, PA 17801	Building-Home	09000101
Sunbury Armory	1938	206 Armory Rd, Sunbury, PA 17801	Building-Government	89002082
The Hotel Edison	1871	401 Market St, Sunbury, PA 17801	Building-Commercial
Sunbury Historic District	1870	Arch-Chestnut Sts., Sunbury, PA	Location-District	83004240
Maclay-Wolverton House	1773		Building-Home
Tilgham House	1772		Building-Home
Hall House	1795		Building-Home
Penn's Tavern	1791	113 River Road, Sunbury, PA 7801	Building-Commercial
Northumberland County Prison	1876		Building-Government

PHMC Historical Markers

This is a list of the Pennsylvania Historical & Museum Commission historical markers located in Sunbury, Pennsylvania.

NAME	MARKER TEXT	LOCATION	PHMC ID
Danville-Pottsville R.R.	Opened Sunbury to Paxinos in 1835, operated on wood rails by horsepower. Steam locomotive first used in 1838; and iron rails, 1853. The terminal was nearby; here anthracite was loaded on canal boats for shipment to Philadelphia, Baltimore.		1947HM00288
First Electric Light	First successful use of a three-wire electric lighting system was made July 4, 1883, in the City Hotel building in Sunbury. Thomas A. Edison directed the work. The Edison Electric Illuminating Co. plant was at 4th and Vine Street.		1947HM00289
Fort Augusta	Built in 1756–57 by Cols. Burd and Clapham and the key frontier outpost of the region. Mansion built 1852.		1948HM00126
Lorenzo Da Ponte	Mozart's librettist in the 1780s for "The Marriage of Figaro," "Don Giovanni," and "Cosi fan tutte" came to America in 1805 and lived in Sunbury from June 1811 to August 1818. Da Ponte wrote that on visiting Sunbury, the adopted home of his wife's family, "I grew so enamored of the town that I resolved to settle there." A teacher, distiller, and merchant, he lived at the southwest corner of Third and Market Streets.		1994HM00032
Northumberland County	Formed March 21, 1772 from Lancaster, Cumberland, Berks, Bedford and Northampton counties. Some 27 counties today occupy its once vast area. Sunbury, the county seat, was laid out 1772. Site of Fort Augusta, a key post built 1756–57.		1982HM00047
Shikellamy	Oneida chief and overseer or vice-regent of the Six Nations asserting Iroquois dominion over conquered Delaware and other tribes. He lived at Shamokin Indian town, Sunbury, from about 1728 until his death, 1748. Said to be buried near here.		1947HM00293
Shikellamy	Erected as a memorial to Shikellamy, also Swataney, "Our Enlightener," in the province. First sent to Shamokin in 1728; appointed vice-gerent in 1745. Died Dec. 6, 1758; He was buried near this spot. This diplomat and statesman was a firm friend of the province of Pennsylvania.		1915HM00011
Sunbury	Laid out 1772 as the county seat of Northumberland on the site of Indian Shamokin by surveyor-General Lukens and William Maclay. Borough incorporation Mar. 24, 1797. Here Fort Augusta was built in 1756. Historic center of travel, trade and industry.		1947HM00295 1947HM00296
The Sullivan Expedition Against the Iroquois Indians - Fort Augusta	First selected as rendezvous for Sullivan Expedition Lt. Col. Adam Hubley's Command. The only regiment quartered here to march against the Six Nations.		1929HM00020
Thompson's Rifle Battalion: Capt. John Lowdon's Company	Recruited from nearby points in June 1775, Lowdon's Company was a part of the first battalion in the colonies authorized by Congress. Among those who entered Continental service in this company was Timothy Murphy, whose many feats of marksmanship were to make him a hero of the Revolution.		1987HM00007
William Maclay	Lived in the house opposite, 1773–86, and then moved to Harrisburg. Member of first U.S. Senate; wrote a famous Journal of its debates. A critic of Washington and Hamilton; pioneer leader of Jeffersonian democracy. He helped survey Sunbury, 1772.		1947HM00298
The Bloody Spring	Here, during the French and Indian War, one colonial soldier venturing from the garrison at nearby Fort Augusta, was fatally shot by an Indian foe. His blood is said to have crimsoned its waters.		1967HM00026

Geography

Sunbury is at . It is located at the point where the west and north branches of the Susquehanna converge.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of, of which is land and is water.

Demographics

Sunbury is the largest principal city of the Sunbury-Lewisburg-Selinsgrove, Pennsylvania, a Combined Statistical Area that includes the Sunbury, Lewisburg, and Selinsgrove micropolitan areas, which had a combined population of 173,726 at the 2000 census.
As of the census of 2010, there were 9,905 people, 4,540 households, and 2,637 families residing in the city. The population density was 4,716.7 people per square mile. There were 4,864 housing units at an average density of 2,316.2 per square mile. The racial makeup of Sunbury in 2000 was 95.26% White, 1.29% African American, 0.14% Native American, 0.26% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 1.91% from other races, and 1.11% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 3.09% of the population.
In 2000, there were 4,540 households, of which 28.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 39.2% were married couples living together, 14.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 41.9% were non-families. 36.3% of all households were made up of individuals, and 16.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.24 and the average family size was 2.91.
In 2000, the city the population had 23.9% under the age of 18, 8.7% from 18 to 24, 29.5% from 25 to 44, 20.5% from 45 to 64, and 17.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females, there were 87.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 83.7 males.
The median income for a household in Sunbury was $37,851 and the average $52,975 in 2020. About 19.8% of the population was below the poverty line.

Notable businesses

Weis Markets, a regional supermarket chain operating in seven states, is headquartered in Sunbury. The company is a significant employer in the city and the region.
Great Coasters International is a roller coaster design and manufacturing firm and lists its contact address in Sunbury, though it is located outside of the city limits.
Sunbury Motor Company is a family-owned and -operated company since 1915; it is on North 4th Street.
The Squeeze-In on Market Street is an iconic business that sells hot dogs seven days a week with just five stools. The business is just 7.5 feet wide. Hot dogs are sold to-go out the service window. Serving hot dogs since 1945.
Zimmerman Motors on Market Street is a family business that began making horse-drawn carriages in 1889 and now sells automobiles.

Education

The local public school system is the Shikellamy School District. There is a campus of Lackawanna College in the city.

Primary and Secondary Education

Shikellamy School District

Name	Category	Low Grade	High Grade	Address	Website
Shikellamy High School	Secondary	6	12	600 Walnut St, Sunbury, PA 17801	https://shs.shikbraves.org/
Shikellamy Virtual Academy	Secondary			Virtual
Chief Shikellamy Elementary	Primary	3	4	338 Memorial Dr, Sunbury, PA 17801	https://ces.shikbraves.org/
Grace S. Beck Elementary	Primary	5	5	600 Arch St, Sunbury, PA 17801	https://bes.shikbraves.org/en-US
Oaklyn Elementary	Primary	K	2	115 Oak St, Sunbury, PA 17801	https://oes.shikbraves.org/
Priestley Elementary	Primary	K	2	423 Cannery Rd, Northumberland, PA 17857	-

Libraries

The Degenstein Community Library at 40 South Fifth Street provides books, DVDs, internet access, educational classes, summer reading, and adult programs. The Degenstein Community Library was awarded a Gold Star from the Pennsylvania Library Association in 2018 for its participation in the PA Forward Star Library program. The library has maintained its gold star for the past 5 years.
The Northumberland County Historical Society maintains the Charlotte Darrah Walter Genealogical Library. It contains material on local history along with thousands of records of early families from Northumberland County and surrounding counties. Access to records is on a fee basis. The permanent exhibits deal with the site in prehistoric times, at the time of the Moravian Mission and blacksmith shop, and Fort Augusta during the French and Indian War and later under the Americans, during the Revolutionary War.

Media

The local newspaper is The Daily Item. There are a variety of local radio stations, including the all news/sports channel WKOK 1070 kHz AM, the Big Country Radio Network and WFYY Y106.5 FM and 94.1 WQKX.

Notable people

18th Century Figures

Colonel William Clapham lived in the area while supervising the construction of Fort Augusta in 1756–57.
Lewis Dewart was a Jacksonian member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Pennsylvania.
William Maclay, was a politician from Pennsylvania who served as a senator.
Timothy Murphy, American Revolutionary War soldier/sniper
Shikellamy, also known as Swatana, was an Oneida chief and overseer for the Iroquois confederacy who, as a supervisor for the Six Nations, oversaw the Shawnee and Lenape tribes in central Pennsylvania along the Susquehanna River. In 1742, he moved to the village of Shamokin, modern day Sunbury, and lived there until his death in 1748. He is reputed to be buried nearby.

19th Century Figures

Betty Brice was a silent film actress from Sunbury.
Charles M. Clement, Pennsylvania Army National Guard Major General.
William Franklin "Birdie" Cree was a Major League Baseball outfielder for the New York Highlanders.
Herbert Wesley Cummings was a Democratic member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Pennsylvania.
Charles L. Dering, Wisconsin lawyer and politician, was born in Sunbury.
William Lewis Dewart was a Democratic member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Pennsylvania.
Honorable John Peter Shindel Gobin, Lieutenant Governor, Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and Commanding Officer, 47th Regiment, Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry
Isaac Clinton Kline was a Republican member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Pennsylvania.
John Black Packer was a Republican member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Pennsylvania.
Lorenzo da Ponte, Mozart's librettist lived in Sunbury from 1811 to 1818.
Simon P. Wolverton, was a lawyer and Democratic politician who served two terms as a U.S. Representative from Pennsylvania from 1891 to 1895.

20th Century Figures

Tim Boetsch is a UFC fighter with training in American mixed martial arts.
Euell Gibbons, an outdoorsman and early health food advocate
Steve Kline (left-handed pitcher)
Brenda Lewis, Metropolitan Opera soprano and Broadway star
Glen Retief, Lambda Literary award-winning writer and author of The Jack Bank, A Memoir of a South African Childhood.
Mark Smith, racing driver
Peterson Toscano, playwright, actor, Bible scholar, and human rights activist.

In popular culture

In the episode titled "Nixon vs. Kennedy" in first season of the AMC cable drama Mad Men a train supposedly carrying the unrecognizable body of Pvt. Dick Whitman, who was killed in the Korean War, arrives in Sunbury. The escort officer with the casket is said to be Lt. Don Draper, and the casket is met by Dick Whitman's adoptive mother, his half brother, Adam and his mother's second husband. In fact, the person killed in Korea was Don Draper, and Dick Whitman has switched identities with Draper. Though Dick Whitman posing as Draper attempts to hide, Adam Whitman sees him, recognizes him, and chases the train as it leaves the station.
On September 29, 2020, Sunbury was featured on the Comedy Central television series Tosh.0 in a recurring video category called Shithole of the Week, a segment in which host Daniel Tosh takes images or videos of various communities found online and will select the "Winner" based on the comedic negative features based in that community. The image that secured Sunbury's placement was a June 2020 video of a man spray painting "WIGHTE LIVES MATTER" on his personal fence with the intent of spelling "White Lives Matter". Nearby city Shamokin was a previous "winner" of the same segment in 2016.

Parks and recreation

The extensive Sunbury Riverfront Park Project is in the planning and implementation stages in Sunbury. An extensive floodwall protection system was designed and built by the US Army Corps of Engineers in 1951. Additional height was added to the wall in 2003. The system has provided protection from 15 major flood events over the past 50 years. In 1972, flood waters from Hurricane Agnes crested at at Sunbury, two feet higher than the crest in 1936. The wall held back the water and residents showed their gratitude in messages they wrote on the wall.
Hurricane Agnes in late June 1972 was blamed for 10 deaths in Lancaster County, eight in Dauphin County, five in York County and four in both Northumberland and Luzerne counties, according to the Susquehanna River Basin Commission.
Additionally, a multimillion-dollar fish ladder is being built across the river in Shamokin Dam to mitigate the impediment of the shad migration up the Susquehanna River caused by the annual inflation of the Adam T. Bower Fabri Dam.
The Adam T. Bower Memorial Dam, an inflatable fabric-tube dam barrage impounding the Susquehanna River, creates the Augusta Lake for recreation. It is inflated in May and deflated in the fall. The new waterfront development in Sunbury will provide a marina with transient boat docks, walking trails, gardens, an amphitheater and a new accessible fishing pier. Three acres of land will be added to the river side of the flood wall.
The city offers baseball fields, a skating park, tennis courts, playgrounds, a community pool and a small park that is next to the county courthouse, in the downtown area.
A vacant building in the Shikellamy State Park along the river is under consideration for redevelopment as an environmental research and education center. Designed in the 1960s, the facility was originally the Basse Beck Environmental Center. It has been empty for several years.

Economy

The city and state struggle economically, part of America's "Rust Belt". A Brookings Institution publication has cited reasons including a lack of inter-municipal coordination and cooperation, a changing employment base and a dearth of jobs paying a living wage, out-migration of young people, an aging population, the need for workforce development, and an inequitable local tax structure.
The Greater Susquehanna Valley United Way in 2006 commissioned a study regarding what matters most in area communities. They found that some major concerns were alcohol and drug use among all age groups and its effects on the community, the dependency on social services and assistance across generations, and a lack of public transportation. It is the intention of the organization to focus spending on these issues.
The Susquehanna Industrial Development Corporation received $173,500 in planning grant funding to support the redevelopment of the Wilhold Manufacturing facility in Sunbury. The BOS funding paid for a market study, phase II environmental study, wetland review, traffic impact study and title survey. The site, an former rail yard and plastic manufacturing plant, is to be developed into four, shovel ready sites. It was suggested that the redevelopment of this facility will result in the creation of 120 jobs. The site was purchased by Moran Industries, based in Watsontown, for $200,000. Moran is using the space for food grade storage.
Weis Markets has its corporate headquarters in Sunbury.