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HISTORIC LIVERPOOLThe canal circa latenineteenth century.

Liverpool and Preservation...

Liverpool was identified as a historicdistrict during the cultural resourcesstudies for improvement to

Route 11/15. The district is eligible forlisting in the National Register of HistoricPlaces as an example of a nineteenth-century canal town.

Our federal and state govern-ments are committed to theunderstanding and protection of

historic properties. The National HistoricPreservation Act requires federalagencies to consider the effects of theiractions on such properties, and the

Pennsylvania History Code includes asimilar mandate for state agencies.This commitment means that placesfrom the past are available to helpfuture generations understand andappreciate our heritage.

The Pennsylvania Departmentof Transportation is proud ofour role of providing a highway

system that meets present and futureneeds while protecting ourCommonwealth’s past. We invite youto learn about Liverpool and visit someof the places that evoke its history.

Historic photos graciously provided by Brad Lowe of Lowe’s Diner, Liverpool

Along the bustling roadwaysof Route 11/15, the quietcommunity of Liverpool is

nestled between the windingSusquehanna River and the climbingmountains in Perry County. In thenineteenth century, Liverpool was abustling market town on theSusquehanna Division of the Pennsylva-nia Canal.The richheritageandabundanthistory ofLiverpoolcan beabsorbedby strollingthe av-enues ofthe formercanaltown.

Long before the establishmentof Liverpool, Native Ameri-cans lived along the

Susquehanna River. Mobile hunters,known as Paleoindians, the earliestinhabitants, arrived 12,000 years ago ormore. At that time, glaciers coveredmuch of what is now northern Pennsyl-vania; the climate was cool and wet,

and the Susquehanna was a torrent carry-ing boulders and debris from the icesheets. All knowledge of Paleoindians isfrom archaeological sites. One such site,

used byPaleoindiansand subse-quentNativeAmericangroups, wasexcavatedat the southend ofLiverpool aspart of thestudies for

the improvements to Routes 11/15. Infor-mation from this site will contribute to ourunderstanding of the prehistory of Pennsyl-vania and the Northest United States.

In 1682, William Penn founded the colony of Pennsylvania. Gradually, European settlement spread west-

ward. By 1800, the state contained 25counties and the number of towns andvillages in the state continued to increaseat a rapid pace.

John Huggins purchased 121 acresalong the western bank of theSusquehanna River in 1808. There

he laid out the town of Liverpool.Before drawing any lots for houses orbusinesses in planning the new commu-nity, land for a graveyard, a school, and achurch was reserved. The original villageof Liverpool was bound on the southwestby StrawberryStreet and onthe northeast byNorth Alley.With lateradditions,Liverpool grewto include whatis now LibertyStreet and theland immedi-ately north ofLiberty Street.

river and allow goods to be carriedmore months of the year was needed.Because of the local landscape, a roadwould not have been suitable, thus legis-

latorsdecided tobuild anew canalparallel totheSusquehannaRiver.

Owens Hotel(No. 5 on the map)

During the first twenty years ofthe nineteenth century, heavytraffic along the river hauled

lumber, coal, and grain downstream. Onthe return trip, these boars carried finishedgoods. Because the river level was too lowin the summer and autumn for largeriver-craft, goods were transported mostlyin the spring. During these early years, atwo-mile long row of rafts moored on theriver was not an uncommon sight inLiverpool. An alternate form of transporta-tion that would decrease congestion on the

Methodist Episcopal Church(No. 14 on the map)

Canals in Pennsylvania were increasing in importance during the early decades of the

nineteenth century. In 1824, ground wasbroken for the Pennsylvania Canal thatwould connect Philadelphia andPittsburgh. In 1831, the SusquehannaDivision of the Pennsylvania Canal wascompleted and stretched 39 miles fromthe point where the Juniata andSusquehanna Rivers met toNorthumberland, located approximately24 miles north of Liverpool. This canalnot only served local and regionalneeds, but by connecting to the maincanal line, could carry goods to andfrom faraway destinations.

The canal generated neweconomic opportunities inLiverpool for teamsters, boat-

builders, boatmen, and longshore-men. The village grew and wasincorporated as a borough in 1832. In1840, the population of Liverpool was451. Twenty years later, the populationhad grown to 662. Walking down thestreet, one could see new buildingseverywhere. S. Shuler operated a dry-goods andgrocerystore onFrontStreetwhile J.Holmanhad a storeon thecorner ofRace andMarketStreets.TheOwensHotel andJohnShanks Hotel were constructed alongFront Street. Dr. T. D. Morris had apractice on Front Street while JohnMonroe was employed as a portraitpainter on Market Street. Other ser-vices were provided by P. Williamson,a carpenter, and by George Snyder, thelocal tanner. Homes and churches,

such as the United Brethren Church andthe German Reformed Church, both onPine Street, and the Methodist Church on

Market Street, were quickly growing innumber. Liverpool had become a boomtown.

Notable residents of Liverpoolincluded the Shuler brothers.The three brothers, Joseph,

John, and Samuel, created a name forthemselves locally by designing theirown long, single-barrel rifle. Today,Shuler rifles are difficult to find and areprized by collectors. Another prominentresident, Dr. Elizabeth Reifsnyder, was apioneer medical Missionary in China for30 years before returning to Liverpoolwhere she died in 1922.

Canals that had been bringinggoods to the region were soonthreatened by the development

of railroads. In 1858, the Sunbury andErie Railroad bought the SusquehannaDivision of the Canal and continued tooperate it, since early trains were notstrong enough to move heavy cargo suchas coal. As technology improved andtrains could carry heavier loads, canalsgraduallyfell out offavor as thepreferredmode oftransporta-tion. TheSusquehannaCanalceasedoperationsat the turnof thecentury.With theclosing of the canal, jobs directly andindirectly related to the canal declined inLiverpool and Perry County. Some ofthese jobs were in the lumber industrythat supplied the wood for canal boats.Agriculture in the region also declinedbecause it became more expensive forgoods to be sent to market. In 1880, thepopulation of Liverpool numbered 838;however, by 1920, the borough’s popula-tion had fallen to 586. In the 1950’s,

Route 11/15 was constructed over thecanal. With new jobs related to theservice industries along the highway,the population of Liverpool began togrow. Today the borough has about

1,000resi-dents.

Liverpool’sgrowthanddevel-

Second Empire House(No. 2 on the map)

opment was closely tied tothe Susquehanna Division of

the Pennsylvania Canal for most ofthe 19th century. Although thephysical vestiges of the canalstructure are now under the road,the history of Liverpool is witnessedthrough the buildings in theborough that continue to evoke thefeeling of a canal town. On thereverse side is a suggested walkingtour that will lead you throughhistoric Liverpool.

Trinity EvangelicalLutheran Church

(No. 9 on the map)

The following takes you on awalking tour of present-dayLiverpool. Because of the canal,

Liverpool was full of businesses,homes, churches, and schools. In the1870s and 1880s, the town appearedgeographically much the same as itdoes today. Although the canal is nolonger present, many of the buildingsconstructed during its peak are stillstanding.

1.) This stable was constructed duringthe canal period and would havebeen located on the bank of thecanal. At one time, it might havebeen associated with a store thatwas on the same property.

2.) The residence is an example of aSecond Empire (1855-1885) house,characterized by the Mansard roofand hooded windows.

3.) The Carman Funeral Home is anoutstanding example of QueenAnne (1880-1910) architecture withits asymmetrical plan and tower.

4.) The frame mill was convenientlylocated along the canal and nowserves as an antique mall.

5.) The Owens Hotel is an example ofItalianate (1840-1885) architecture,characterized by the long windowsand the brackets under the eaves ofthe roof. The hotel is now an apart-ment building.

6.) These attached Greek Revival (1825-1860) residences are defined by theirsix-over-six windows and friezewindows at the top.

7.) This residence is in the Federal style(1780-1820). The fanlight is one of itsdefining features. It is one ofLiverpool’s oldest buildings.

8.) This building was at one time Josephand Samuel Shuler’s shop which wasestablished in 1842. The Shulers’shop has been enlarged and todaycontains an antique mall and framingshop.

9.) The Trinity Evangelical LutheranChurch was constructed in 1882,replacing an earlier structure atanother location in town. Thechurch is now Landmark Apart-ments.

10.) This Italianate residence was thehome of Dr. Reifsnyder. Althoughthe brackets are no longer present,traces of them can be seen underthe eaves. The ornate windowhoods are another characteristic ofthe Italianate style.

11.) The Evangelical Church, constructedin 1867, is Greek Revival in style(noted by the heavy entablature justunder the roof) and once has asteeple. Today, it is a duplex resi-dence.

12.) This residence has Queen Annefeatures, including a wraparoundporch and two-story bay window.

13.) Across the street is a largeItalianate structure that served asJ. Holman’s store on the corner ofRece and Market Streets. Thecupola on the roof is anothercharacteristic of the Italianatestyle. Today, it serves as a resi-dence.

14.) This Gothic Revival structure is theMethodist Episcopal Churchconstructed in 1877. This buildingreplaced an earlier church thatwas built on this site in 1858.

15.) The high school was constructedin 1876, and is a combination ofItalianate and Gothic Revival withits bracketed eaves and cross-gable roof.

16.) This cemetery was established in1827 for Irish Catholics working onthe canal.

17.) This cemetery was associated witha Lutheran Chuch which stood atthis location prior to the construc-tion of Trinity Evangelical LutheranChurch in 1882.

Brochure designed by KCI Technologies, Inc., 2001.

16 17

Selinsgrove20 miles

Harrisburg35 miles