“A New County to Be Called Snyder”

Snyder is a small rural county covering 327 square miles with a population exceeding thirty thouĀ­sand. Situated near the center of the Commonwealth, it is bounded on the northwest by Jack’s Mountain, on the southeast by the Mahantango Creek and on the enĀ­tire eastern end by the beautiful Susquehanna River. Most of the remaining boundaries are unrelated to natural features. Geologically,...
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Rural Bust and Boom: Snyder County, 1880-1920

Between 1880 and 1920 a dialectic of sorts operated in Snyder County. These were years of decline. This decline was both absolute, in population and the generation of wealth, and relative, when compared to the growth in numbers, wealth and cultural richness occuring elsewhere. The area did not have easily tilled fertile soil; its minerals were neither accessible nor rich; its population was...
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Building a Brand for Pennsylvania Products

Over the centuries most Pennsylvanians have traded their team of horses for cars, their work boots for street shoes, and their plows for computers. yet we still hanker for a taste of our rural roots. While many of us may be weekend gardeners, farmers are lifetime gardeners, producing a quality, diverse food supply for the world year-round. What better way to support local farmers than by...
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Lost and Found

Lost The Middle Creek Hydroelectric Dam, located three miles south of Selinsgrove, in eastern Snyder County, a significant example of a timber crib dam and small electric generating station, was typical of early rural electrification efforts in the United States. It was also a major component of a plan to modernize and promote an economically depressed area. George W. Wagenseller, a resident of...
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