The Bradford County Historical Society will host a free program entitled "The Pittsburgh, Binghamton & Eastern: The Rise and Fall of a Bradford County Railroad" scheduled for September 18, 2009 at 6 p.m. Doors open at 5:30 p.m. Although the event is free, participants are asked to register by calling 570-265-2240 or by email at info@bradfordhistory.com.
The program will be presented by Bradford County Historical Society Managing Curator, Matthew Carl.
Originally proposed as an electric trolley system, the valley of the Towanda Creek contains the remnants of a steam railroad that never ran. The Pittsburgh, Binghamton and Eastern Railroad went bankrupt before the line was completed. Was it really bankruptcy, however, that halted the P.B. & E.?
The program will be illustrated with several slides showing the railroad under construction. These photos come from both prints and glass negatives in the Historical Society collection, as well as from LeRoy Heritage Museum in LeRoy Township.
A portion of the program will feature a description of the electric trolley system that was planned to extend from Towanda to Canton in the late 1890's. The formation, work and eventual demise of the Pittsburgh, Binghamton & Eastern, a steam railroad, will also be described.
This program is part of the 2009 "Friday Night at the Museum" programming series that will be held the third Friday of each month from May until October. Each event is held in the Great Room at the Bradford County Historical Society, located at 109 Pine Street, Towanda, PA. Free refreshments are provided at each program.
The Bradford County Historical Society is a recipient agency of the Bradford County United Way. For more information about the society visit the new society website at www.bradfordhistory.com or the Curator's Blog at www.bradfordcurator.blogspot.com.
