Author Publishes Book on Penns Valley History

REBERSBURG — Historian and author Evonne “Vonnie” Henninger recently released her fourth book,  “The Penns Valley Area: A Trip Down Memory Lane,” which is filled with stories dating from 1700 to 2000.

Henninger said she has a database of stories of Penns Valley that she has accumulated from various sources over the years. |

“I had all this stuff and I thought it was really important that I do something with it because it’s history that I need to get out to people,” she said.

Henninger’s book includes 170 pages of Penns Valley-related stories. Some of the events described could be considered mundane or  somewhat trivial, but all are woven together to provide the reader with an understanding of everyday life in the valley over a 300-year period.

Among the stories is that of James Auman, the only Miles Township resident killed in World War I. Auman met his fate on Oct. 30, 1918, in France, but his body didn’t arrive home until two years later, on Nov. 16, 1920, at which time he was given a belated military funeral.

Another story chronicles some early 20th-century excitement in Potter Township. In 1903, robbers were known to inhabit the Seven Mountains and Potters Mills areas, and committed robberies in Laurelton, Woodward, Centre Hall and Linden Hall. One of the robbers allegedly had once ridden with the Jesse James gang.

The criminals attempted to burglarize the Penns Valley bank in Centre Hall, but were scared off when William McClanahan, the night watchman, fired shots at them. They fled, then jumped on a railroad hand car and rode to Linden Hall, where they successfully burglarized a store. Later, at a home in the Seven Mountains, there was a shootout between Centre County Sheriff Hugh S. Taylor, county treasurer Phil Foster and the robbers.

Stories involving local schools, businesses, churches and individual citizens are recorded in the pages of Henninger’s book. It will be for sale at the Rebersburg Firemen’s Carnival and town-wide yard sales later this month, as well as at the Grange Fair in August.

Proceeds from the book’s sales will be used to support maintenance and improvements to the Gramley Schoolhouse Museum in Rebersburg and the Penns Valley Historical Museum in Aaronsburg.