The Mahanoy Mountain, located about 12 miles south of Sunbury, has a history that reaches back to a time long before settlers reached this area. Mount Mahanoy is located at the junction of Line Mountain and Little Mountain, two long mountain ranges that fuse just east of the Susquehanna River’s shoreline.
From the air or a geological map, they resemble a giant hairpin. Line Mountain stretches to the east about 24 miles into Schuylkill County, where it joins with the Mahantongo Mountain and has just one gap at Dornsife, which allows the Mahanoy Creek to pass through it. Little Mountain extends about 30 miles northeast and ends near Ringtown, with two gaps through which the Shamokin and Roaring Creeks flow.
Towering impressively over the Susquehanna, at an elevation of more than 1,000 feet, the Mahanoy Mountain is visible from busy Routes 11-15 near Port Trevorton.
The mountain served as the northern boundary of the Province of Pennsylvania from 1749 to 1768, the time of the greatest struggle between the settlers and American Indians. Tulpehocken Road, the first surveyed road in Northumberland County, headed north from the old Indian trail located near the base of the mountain to Fort Augusta.
In lieu of cash for services rendered to the proprietaries, famous treaty negotiator Conrad Weiser had acquired nearly 3,000 acres of land in the area. Journal entries indicate that Frederick A.C. Muhlenberg, grandson of Conrad Weiser, traveled through the area in June 1771 to inspect the land. He wrote, “On the 28th in the afternoon, I went up a high mountain at Mahanoy. Here the Conestoga and Delaware Indians formerly had one of their strongholds. But they were vanquished by the Six Nations. More than two wagon-loads of bones are still lying here. I tried to fit together a skeleton, but the time was too short.”
Many travelers passed through the area once inhabited by various tribes over the years, including John Bartram and Lewis Evans in 1743, as well as Moravian missionaries Zinzendorf, Zeisberger and Spangenberg, to name a few.
Today, one can still enjoy a spectacular vista of the Susquehanna River, its islands and surrounding countryside from the mountain’s summit. It remains a popular climbing spot, and each year, Susquehanna University’s graduating seniors continue a long-standing tradition by hiking it during Senior Week.
News
Related Photos
Discussion
Once upon a time in ... Northumberland County
A mighty mountain remains worth climbing
- News
-
-
'To Do': Montandon Community Days
MONTANDON - Montandon Community Days will be held from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. May 26 along Railroad Street.
-
California’s Coronado named nation’s best beach
CORONADO, Calif. (AP) — Like a Hollywood star, Coronado’s 1.5 mile-long beach literally sparkles, thanks to the mineral mica glinting in its sand.
That’s one of the reasons why Coronado — flanked by the iconic hotel featured in Marilyn Monroe’s 1958 film “Some Like It Hot” — has been named the No. 1 beach in the United States in the 2012 survey by “Dr. Beach” professor Stephen P. Leatherman of Florida International University. -
Typical CEO made $9.6M last year, AP study finds
Profits at big U.S. companies broke records last year, and so did pay for CEOs.
-
Barnstorming cattle badger citizens for beer
BOXFORD, Mass. (AP) — Police say a roving group of cows crashed a small gathering in a Massachusetts town and bullied the guests for their beer.
-
'A Day in Towne' tradition draws crowds to Boalsburg
May 25--For the 148th year, Boalsburg will be the gathering place for regional families to remember all ranks of Armed Forces veterans.
-
Fired Pa. president gets more time to clear office
CALIFORNIA, Pa. (AP) — A judge has canceled a hearing to determine whether California University of Pennsylvania president Angelo Armenti can remove his personal property from his former office, because state officials have given him more time to do so.
- Weird crime of the week: Peddler in pickup scams bargain-hunting meat seeker
-
Police Log 05.25.12
A roundup of police news reported by departments across the Central Susquehanna Valley.
-
Four charged in ripoffs that hurt eight local senior citizens
Four Philadelphia men have been charged with operating an elaborate scam that targeted hundreds of elderly residents across Pennsylvania, including eight Valley seniors.
-
Jerry Sandusky charity to shut down and transfer programs
PHILADELPHIA — The charity for troubled youths started by Jerry Sandusky more than three decades ago — and through which the retired Penn State assistant football coach met the boys he is charged with sexually abusing — said today it is seeking court approval to shut down and transfer its programs to a Texas-based youth ministry that serves abused and neglected children.
-
Memorial Day Observances
Here is a listing of Memorial Day events this weekend in the Central Susquehanna Valley.
-
Man pleads guilty in 2006 Penn State student death
STATE COLLEGE — A man whose murder conviction was previously thrown out in the fatal beating of a Penn State student six years ago has pleaded guilty in the killing under a deal with prosecutors.
- More News Headlines
-
'To Do': Montandon Community Days
