The borough of Milton is situated in the Buffalo Valley region of Pennsylvania along the West Branch of the Susquehanna River. It is about fifty miles north of the city of Harrisburg and 30 miles south of Williamsport.
Milton was settled in 1770, and like so many other boroughs and cities in this region it is linked to the larger national history of industrial and technological revolution. Among the many products that were manufactured in Milton in its storied past were car parts, machined wood products & furniture, iron and steel products including nails, nuts, and bolts, shoes, and paper products. Milton had its fair share of rolling mills, flour mills, garment and textile businesses, and saw mills. It was probably the most industrialized borough between Williamsport and the mouth of the West Branch of the Susquehanna, and signs of its storied past proliferate around the town.
While the decline of manufacturing in the US certainly took its toll on the economy of the area, it still has a heavily industrial economy, anchored most famously by a large ConAgra Foods facility that used to be the Chef Boyardee, Factory, which opened in the 1930s. That delicious canned pasta we've all come to love (maybe) is still produced at this site. Besides ConAgra, Milton is home to an ACF Industries plant that manufactures railcars and railcar components. The facility is serviced by the Norfolk Southern railroad and covers forty-eight acres, with 500,000 square feet of covered work area and seven miles of railroad storage track. There is also a large distribution center for the Weis Supermarket chain located south of the central business district.
Milton was the birthplace of Fay Kellogg, considered the country’s premier woman architect in the U.S. in the early twentieth century, specializing in construction with steel structure. It was also the long-term residence of Ettore Boiardi (the famed ‘Chef Boyardee’).
Milton is no stranger to natural disasters. In 1880 a devastating fire ravaged most of the downtown buildings. In 1972 Hurricane Agnes laid waste to the flood-prone low-lying lands of the Borough. But Milton has survived this and much more.
The current population of Milton is around 7,000 Miltonians. There are a lot of vacant and blighted properties in Milton but there is also some active community initiative, led by TIME, or The Improved Milton Experience. TIME’s stated mission is to “enact positive changes in the downtown business district by promoting and sustaining local economic vitality through support and encouragement of cooperation between Milton businesses, groups and organizations, raising awareness of and encouraging preservation of Milton’s historical architecture, and creating an inviting and vibrant profile of community sponsored and supported events and programs.” TIME has been behind a lot of the revitalization efforts in parts of the borough, including creating historical walking tours with informative displays, public murals, and new parks. There is a strong sense of community pride and determination in Milton, and it is evidenced in the ways it has been trying to embrace, preserve, and promote its history which is both classically American and completely unique.
The following pictures were taken from several trips to Milton in the winter and spring of 2013. On one of the trips a large storm front was moving in, and it made for some spectacular cloud formations over the borough.
Storm Clouds over Mill
The Stetler Bar
Train Station
Police Station
Victorian Mansion
Milton Water Company 1890
White Cat
Books
S Front Street House
Bethany United Methodist Church
Boarded Structure
Broadway
Capitol Theatre Mural
Cemetery Gate
Cemetery
Markle Mausoleum
Cemetery Veterans Memorial
Cemetery Flag
Chef Boyardee Foods
ConAgra Foods
Christ Episcopal Church
Classical Revival
Custers Flour Mill
Custom Care Pharmacy
Dorothy Hermani Mini Park
Makeshift Duct Wall
Elk Lodge
Elm Street Antiques
Empire Video
First National Bank / Club Escape
First Presbyterian Church
Foe Building
Front Street – Historic
Milton Hotel
Italianate House
Huf Discount Centers
Milton Food Bank
New Hope Worship Center
Blue Chevy Van
Rebar Rubble
A Picture is Worth a Thousand Words
Mill Concrete Structure
Mill Building from Fence
Mill Building Ivy
Mill Building Side
Mill Gate House
Mill Gate House Phone
Mill Building through Window
Mill Building Doorway
'I Used to be a Building'
'Me Too'
Mill Building Rear
Mill Building Interior
Mill Rail Tracks
Mill Yard Booth
Railroad Bar
Moose Lodge No 171
One of those classic food combinations - Wings and Clams
Transportation Mural
Old Masonic Temple
Post Office
'Romanesque' House
The Miltonian
Milton State Park Flood Grounds
Milton from State Park
Storm Clouds over Houses
