History is evident everywhere in Georgetown, PA. An arrowhead churned up in a newly turned garden, a faded diary or old deeds in a local attic, a log cabin discovered under clapboards, the Indian petroglyphs on the rocks on the river bank opposite Georgetown ― these and many other things capture our interest in what is often thought of as the long dead past. Homes and churches of another century line the streets of Georgetown. Much is worth celebrating. Much gives us a sense of continuity.
Every community also likes to consider itself distinctive. Georgetown, too, has that notion. Its history shines with many notable events and achievements. In this the two hundred-nineteenth year since its founding, Georgetown can point to its homes and churches with pride. The town deserves its reputation as a “good place to raise children”. However, its ferry, hotels, taverns, general stores, barber shop, tea house, photography studio, and school are bygone. Presently, it faces an uncertain future that I hope will not reflect less brightly. The sand digging operations on either side of town, the expansion of the waste product reservoir for the bituminous coal electric generating plants in Shippingport, PA, and the Marcellus Shale drilling platform on the hill above the town make for an unhappy condition in as much as the welfare of the town will no doubt be dominated by one of these industrial concerns.
Copyright © 2012 Francis W Nash
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