How would you like to live on MILLIONAIRE'S ROW?
by Jeffrey Allen Fedorowicz
Williamsport, a community of 70,000, nestled at the base of the Bald Eagle Mountain, once was home to more millionaires per capita than anywhere else in the country, including Beverly Hills and Palm Beach, so claims Thad Stephen Meckley in his postcard history book "Williamsport's Millionaires' Row." It was the late 1800s, lumber was king, and Williamsport was home to a number of powerful lumber barons who made their millions from the nearby timber-rich mountains. For these larger-than life businessmen, and a few businesswomen, money did really grow on trees, so they led a life of opulence and indulgence. Their homes were no exception.
Although the lumber era's roots eventually withered, reminders of their grand lifestyle remain, most noticeably on the Millionaire's Row section in the city's historic district. It is there, on a tree-lined street occupying a dozen blocks along West Fourth Street, a collection of ornate mansions and houses of worship stand like sentinels of the past. They offer a glimpse of how the privileged once lived. Although many of the homes have been converted to apartments or student housing for nearby Penn College, several serve as single family residences.
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