Sonestown, Pennsylvania

In 1843, George Sones built a sawmill and founded Sonestown, an unincorporated village within what is now Davidson Township in Sullivan County, Pennsylvania.[1][2] This occurred before Sullivan County was formed from part of Lycoming County on March 14, 1847.[3]

A bridge was then erected in 1850. During the late nineteenth century, Sonestown "boomed like crazy"[4] as the county's lumber industry grew. The village was home, at that time, to a plant that manufactured staves for barrel making. The Eagles Mere Railroad (1892-1928), a narrow-gauge line providing rail access to the resort town of Eagles Mere, also had its southern terminus in Sonestown.

Although the town had a clothespin factory that operated roughly from 1903 to 1929, it lost almost all of its industrial capacity by the 1930s.

As of 1996, Sonestown had a population of roughly two hundred; most commuted to work in Muncy, Montoursville, and Williamsport. In 1996, the village had a few stores, an inn with a restaurant, which attracted tourists and hunters.[4]

The village gives its name to Sonestown Covered Bridge, which is 1 mile (1.6 km) south of the village on Route 220.