The farm where Aunt Marian grew up is located very near U.S. Route 15, which is a major north-south highway in Pennsylvania. The intersection near the farm is right before the road starts to ascend the mountains south of Williamsport. (An aside: Williamsport is where the Little League World Series is held each year.)
When I take photos of the Solomon homestead, I’m always surprised how near it is to various commercial establishments that line the highway. It is probably less than half a mile from the farm to a Family Dollar store, a Subway, and a surplus outlet.
According to Joan Wheal Blank in Around Montgomery:
Now known as U.S. Route 15—a major highway that extends from South Carolina north into New York—the section referred locally to as the Montgomery Pike opened in October, 1930. Before the road was improved, tolls were collected at the top of the mountain to fund any repairs or grading that was needed to make the dirt road passable.
My Aunt the WAC 
Given the way waves of urbanization have surrounded your Aunt Marian’s old farmstead, we ought to call it the Solomon Island. 🙂
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🙂 Fortunately the area quickly gets more rural as one goes further from the highway.
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I grew up on route 15 when it went right through the city streets of Williamsport until they built the beltway. It may be why to this day I do not like silence, as I grew up with the roar of tractor trailers day and night! But, when it is what you have always known, it really didn’t bother you. I did not know about the tolls on the mountains.
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I know what you mean. I grew up on a farm that was only a mile or so from Route 80. I can remember the sound of the trucks often lulling me to sleep when I was a child.
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I think the collection of tolls for the road is very interesting.
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In the “old days” they had to be more creative about how to get funding for road repairs.
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Hi Sheryl. When we went to find various addresses in Scranton where my mom lived, it was so disappointing to find that every building was either a parking lot or a new building. The only exception was the hospital. Jane
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Scranton has really changed over the years. It had a lot of really rough years–though my sense is that it is currently on an uptick. I always have mixed feeling when revitalization involves the destruction of beautiful old buildings that seem like they could be refurbished and repurposed.
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That is just what usually happens to me when I go looking for old family homes. Or they are just vacant lots now.
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So many places that I have fond memories of have deteriorated over the years. I know that the years are passing more quickly than I want to think about, but sometimes it makes me feel like I am getting old when I see how much has changed. 🙂
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Now I know where Aunt Marion lived! Interesting about the tolls.
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It really is very close to the highway.
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When I think how often I passed by and thought of the people who lived on that stretch of road I never knew I would ever find out! I will think of her the next time I head into Lewisburg and beyond!
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Urban sprawl is taking over so many bucolic areas. I guess the good thing about that is the improvement in the roads and speed with which you can get supplies. Good vs. bad, always.
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How true–change often has both negative and positive aspects.
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