The Karthaus Confederacy (Clearfield County)

A fictional flag of the Karthaus Confederacy

Even before the opening shots were fired that would ignite the Civil War, a battle over secession was already taking place right here in Central Pennsylvania.

Wykoff Run Splash Dam (Cameron County)

    Pennsylvania’s logging era was a fascinating period in the state’s history. Industry boomed and fortunes were made. Towns materialized overnight only to disappear once the timber was gone. Technology previously unheard of was advancing the axes and saws of lumbermen at a pace unseen before. It was a transformative period for Penn's Woods, yet it was one that stripped bare the very resource the state had been named for. 

Orviston Brick Works (Centre County)

A photo overlay of the narrow-gauge railroad that supplied the Orviston brick works with clay and coal. Now Dehaas Road

Off the beaten path in northern Centre County lies a former company town that has outlived the industry that created it. It has remained relatively unchanged since the day the factory whistle echoed off the mountains for the final time. Though its industrial heartbeat has faded, citizens continue to celebrate their heritage. Welcome to Orviston, population 94.

Queen's Run Fire Brick Company (Clinton County)

    The Queen’s Run Fire Brick Company was one of the many fire brick manufacturers in central Pennsylvania in operation through the 19th and mid-20th centuries. Fire, or refractory brick, is a combination of clay and heat resistant minerals utilized in high temperature applications such as furnaces and kilns. Concentrated deposits of clay combined with the vast network of railroads and waterways for transportation laid the foundations for one of the most prosperous fire brick companies in the region.

Renovo Coaling Tower (Clinton County)

The coaling tower

    Located in the quiet mountain town of Renovo, the remnants of a once powerful industrial giant, the Pennsylvania Railroad, lies silent. A towering concrete structure remains a silent sentinel to the community's railroad history.

Destination Pennsylvania- The Titanic Disaster

The sinking of RMS Titanic on April 15, 1912 was a tragedy that touched every corner of the globe. The 2,200 souls onboard represented a cross-section of society of the era. From immigrants seeking a new life to wealthy family empires, all were traveling upon the largest moving object on Earth at that time. Pennsylvania was the destination of many of these passengers. Some were returning home after travels abroad, while others were looking forward to seeing the Keystone State for the first time. Many would never reach their destination.

To honor the lives changed that April night, the following is compilation of passengers whose destination was Pennsylvania. 

The Bellefonte Republican April 18,1912
Image From: Pennsylvania Newspaper Archive

Passenger Snapshot #1

Name: Aminah Mubarik
Origin: Lebanon
Destination: Houtzdale, Pennsylvania

25 year old Aminah was traveling with her two sons Halim and Jirjis to Houtzdale, Clearfield County to reunite with her husband, who had opened a grocery store there after immigrating in 1908. The family boarded Titanic in Cherbourg, France on April 10th as third class passengers. Accompanying Aminah and her children was a family friend who was serving as an escort for the family.   

During the sinking, it is believed that Aminah and her sons escaped aboard Collapsible Lifeboat C, just 20 minutes before Titanic took its final plunge. The family friend did not survive the sinking. Upon reaching New York, the family received medical treatment for exposure before completing their journey to Houtzdale. Aminah later Americanized her name by adopting the name Minnie. Her children took on the names William and George. Minnie later returned to her home country where she passed away in 1922. Her husband remained in Pennsylvania and relocated to Wilkes-Barre with William and George.

Passenger Snapshot #2

Name: Daher Shadid
From: Lebanon 
Destination: Kulpmont, Pennsylvania

Daher Shedid boarded Titanic in Cherbourg, France as a third class passenger. He was 19 years old.

Daher's journey aboard Titanic had began under the most tragic of circumstances. He had fled his home country after accidentally killing a girl in his village while experimenting with a gun. Fearing revenge from the girl's family, Daher decided to leave the country and relocate to Kulpmont, Northumberland County, where his uncle was living.

Though he escaped a fate in Lebanon, Daher did not survive the sinking of the Titanic. His body was recovered and identified in the days after the disaster. His remains were first transported to Nova Scotia, before being shipped to Mount Carmel for burial. Daher Shedid was interred in St. Mary's Cemetery. His final resting place is unmarked. 

Passenger Snapshot #3

Name: Redjo Delalic
From: Bosnia
Destination: Harrisburg, Pennsylvania

Redjo Delalic boarded Titanic in Southampton, England as a third class passenger on April 10th. He was 25 years old. His occupation was listed on the manifest as "general laborer."

Redjo's experiences during the sinking are unknown. It is likely that by the time he made it to the deck from his 3rd class cabin deep within the ship, it was too late to reach a lifeboat. Redjo perished in the sinking. If his body was recovered, it was never identified. Six 3rd class passengers are known to have been traveling to Harrisburg. None of them reached their destination.

Passenger Snapshot #4

Name: Mary Corey and Claire Karnes
From: Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Destination: Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

Born Mary Emma Miller in 1879, she was reportedly a native of Cambria County. Mary later relocated to Pittsburgh and became a teacher there. She married Percy Corey in 1911. The two moved to Burma where Percy was working at the time. While there, Mary became pregnant and decided to travel back to Pennsylvania to have her baby.

Mary Corey boarded Titanic on April 10th as a second-class passenger along with her friend Claire Karnes. Claire had been in Burma as well and was returning home to Pittsburgh. She was also pregnant.

What happened to Mary and Claire during the sinking remains unknown. Their bodies, if recovered, were never identified. 

Passenger Snapshot #5

Name: Austin, James, and Walter Van Billiard

From: England

Destination: South Wales, Pennsylvania

Mr. Austin Van Billiard had boarded Titanic at Southampton with two of his five children, Walter, age 9 and James, age 11 as third class passengers. The remainder of the children stayed back in England with Austin's wife Maude. The family was in the process of moving back to Pennsylvania after living abroad.

What happened during the sinking is unknown, however Austin and his children did not make it to a lifeboat. The bodies of Austin and Walter were recovered and identified. James' body, if it was ever recovered, was not identified.

Austin and Walter were buried in Union Cemetery in Flourtown, PA. James' name is also included on the granite marker.  

Author's Photo

Author's Photo

Passenger Snapshot #6

Name: William Carter and Family
From: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Destination: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

William boarded the Titanic as a first-class passenger along with his wife and two children from Southampton, England on April 10th. They had previously planned to travel back to the United States on the RMS Olympic, but altered their plans to travel on Titanic. The Carters were also traveling with a maid, manservant, and chauffeur, who were residing in second-class.

During the sinking, William roused his wife and children and told them to run to the deck where they boarded a lifeboat. William managed to reach where Collapsible Lifeboat C was being loaded; the same boat that contained Aminah Mubarik and her children. William was allowed to enter the lifeboat when no other women or children were attempting to board.

As he was boarding, another man climbed into the lifeboat, J. Bruce Ismay, chairman of the White Star Line that owned Titanic. Ismay would be the highest ranking White Star official to survive the disaster. Titanic's captain, Edward Smith, and chief designer, Thomas Andrews, chose to go down with the ship.

The Carter Family was later picked up by the rescue ship Carpathia. The family's two dogs were lost in the sinking, as was William’s motorcar. Both the manservant and chauffeur did not survive the sinking. After the disaster, Carter received considerable social criticism for boarding a lifeboat while women and children were still onboard.  

The Centre Reporter April 25, 1912

The real story of Titanic goes beyond just the "unsinkable ship," rather it lies with the stories of those whose lives were changed forever that fateful night. Keeping their stories alive ensures they are never forgotten. 

Information Retrieved From:

Kobeissi, K. (2012). The story of the forgotten Arab victims of the Titanic, told 100 years later. Morocco World News. https://www.moroccoworldnews.com/…/the-story-of-the-forgot…/

Encyclopedia Titanica (www.encyclopedia-titanica.org).

Encyclopedia Titanica (2018). Aminah Mubarik (ref:#1044, last updated: 23rd September 2018, accessed 10th April 2020). URL:https://www.encyclopedia-titanica.org/t…/omine-moubarek.html

Encyclopedia Titanica (2020). Mary Emma Corey (ref:#388, last updated 5th January 2020, accessed 13 April 2020) URL: https//www.encyclopedia-titanica.org/titanic-victims/mary-phyllis-elizabeth-corey.html

Encyclopedia Titanica (2015). Redjo Delalic (ref:773, last updated: 6th September 2015, access 12th April 2020) URL: https://www.encyclopedia-titanica.org/titanic-victims-redjo…

Encyclopedia Titanica (2019) Austin Blyler van Billiard (ref: #1274, last updated: 15th May 2019, accessed 2nd April 2026 16:54:54 PM) URL: https://www.encyclopedia-titanica.org/titanic-victim/austin-blyler-van-billiard.html

Tikkan, A. (2019). Titanic. In Encyclopedia Britannica dictionary. Retrieved April 9, 2020. https://www.britannica.com/…/Ti…/Aftermath-and-investigation

Encyclopedia Titanica (2018). William Ernest Carter (ref:#55, last updated: 17th September 2018, accessed 14th April 2020). URL: https://www.encyclopedia-titanica.org/t…/william-carter.html

Tikkan, A. (2019). Titanic. In Encyclopedia Britannica dictionary. Retrieved April 9, 2020. https://www.britannica.com/
…/Ti…/Aftermath-and-investigation

The Central Railroad of Pennsylvania: Bellefonte's Forgotten Railroad

The last intact pier from the viaduct
Author's Photo

    This stone pillar is one of few remnants of Bellefonte's forgotten railroad. With a proper inscription, it would be a fitting headstone for the ill-fated enterprise. "Here lies the Central Railroad of Pennsylvania- A Victim of Circumstances."