Preservation Williamsport has always been noted for its exciting and unique events and fundraisers, and the latest one is no exception. They will be presenting “Boo From the Porch,” a Halloween-themed fundraiser on Friday, October 22, from 5 to 7 p.m.

Preservation Williamsport invites you for another stroll down Millionaires Row. It has been two years since they have been able to invite you to their historic porches. Come in your Halloween finery because they will be having a costume contest for this haunting Halloween event. There will be five vintage homes decked out, befitting Halloween’s ghoulish spirit. They will be serving spooky drinks and food around the Rowley House, 707 West Fourth Street. This is where a ticket for this unique event can be purchased. You can buy tickets ahead of time at Fink’s Paint Store, 338 Mifflin Place, or through Larry Fryda, 570-560-7188, and Lisa Fink, 570-220-4090.

The five porches will all be within a block of the Rowley House; Chef Hosch has graciously opened the Carriage House to entertain you as only a professional caterer can. West Fourth Street will be closed from Walnut Street to Mifflin Place for this fun and unique event.

There will be a silent auction on the lawn of the Rowley House that will be well worth participating in. And bring a few extra sawbucks for the 50/50 drawing. Public-spirited and generous local businesses donated all auction items. The proceeds from the auction, the 50/50, and tickets for the event will go to Preservation Williamsport to help them continue their goal of preserving and maintaining the Rowley House and its museum and the rest of Williamsport’s precious architectural heritage.

Many local restaurants are donating food, including the Peter Herdic House and the Bullfrog Brewery. The event’s generous business sponsors include Pennsylvania Skill, Chef Hosch and Ann Catering, Eiderson Dean, Home Service Beverage, Jim and Cindy Bower, Keystone Furniture and Restoration, Wegmans, and Pick/Fought Financial Advisors of Raymond James, Catherin Erle, Elion, Greico, Carlucci and Shipman, PA, Evergreen Wealth Solutions, Farrington Place, Fink’s Paint Store, First Community Bank, Horizon Federal Credit Union, Hutchinson Realty Development, LLC, La Blanc Bakers, R.A. Maguire, Midstate Beverage, William Nichols & BJ Van Ess, PPL Electric Utilities, The Print Shoppe, Plumbing Masters, Susquehanna Gallery and Frame Shoppe and Mary Welch.

Preservation Williamsport is dedicated to preserving and protecting Williamsport’s architectural heritage.

In recent years, the Millionaires Row Historic District has seen a significant interest in preserving and restoring this historically sensitive area. It is now a National Register Historic District.

A long-range plan for the Millionaires Row Historic District was completed in 1989 with personal participation by members and funding by the Williamsport-Lycoming Chamber of Commerce, the First Community Foundation Partnership of PA, and the Rotary Club of Williamsport. Large amounts of private money have been invested in returning former mansions, which had become “boarding houses” back to private residences and professional offices. Park Place is a dramatic example of adaptive reuse while preserving architectural heritage.

With the expansion of Pennsylvania College of Technology, the Maynard Street corridor, the Streetscape Project, and the new Transportation Museum, the surrounding neighborhoods benefit as the area transitions into a tourist destination.

The mission of Preservation Williamsport is to restore and preserve Williamsport’s rich architectural heritage and to educate the public about the importance of preservation. The acquisition of the Rowley House was a natural adjunct.

Historic preservation provides a community with a sense of place, connecting people to their neighbors and their past. With the addition of the Rowley House Museum, visitors to the area will be able to discover not only names and street addresses of the industrious generations who came before us, but they will now be able to experience first-hand how these millionaires lived and worked. They may view an authentic and vivid time slot of history, with original amenities still intact nearly 130 years later.

Preservation of Williamsport Foundation, Inc. was established in 1986 and incorporated in 1990 when a group of preservation-minded citizens saw the need for an organization dedicated to protecting Williamsport’s rich but endangered historical heritage.

In 2004, a board of 10 members was formed to pursue the acquisition of the Rowley House. Officers were elected, and funding sources were sought. With a $75,000 grant from the First Community Foundation Partnership of PA and a large private donation from Allen and Kay Ertel, Preservation Williamsport acquired the Rowley House. All avenues to secure funds to pay for the building and to perform repairs and restoration work are being targeted. Annual membership solicitations and various fundraisers have been conducted regularly.

Preservation Williamsport’s most noted and flagship event, Victorian Christmas, will take place November 19, 20, and 21, 2021.