Why Northumberland, PA is a hidden gem
Do not confuse the borough of Northumberland with the larger county of the same name. The borough is small, walkable, and strategically placed where the West Branch Susquehanna joins the North Branch. That geography made it a Native corridor, a pioneer town (laid out 1772), a canal hub, a Pennsylvania Railroad center, and — in 1794 — the unlikely American address of one of the Enlightenment’s most famous minds.
Travelers who only know Harrisburg or State College miss a place where you can tour a National Historic Landmark laboratory in the morning, picnic at Pineknotter Park by noon, and watch the confluence from Shikellamy Overlook before dinner across the river in Sunbury.
Quick facts
- Laid out
- 1772
- River
- Susquehanna fork
- Icon
- Priestley House
- Parks
- Point · Pineknotter
- Vibe
- Green-town quiet
- Pair with
- Sunbury
Northumberland history — first stories to today
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Before the borough
The confluence was part of the same Indigenous world that centered on Shamokin (across/at the fork, in what became Sunbury). Lenape, Shawnee, Tutelo, Seneca, and Iroquois diplomacy moved people and goods through this hinge of the Susquehanna system for generations before English deeds.
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1768–1772 · Purchase & survey
After the 1768 Treaty of Fort Stanwix expanded Pennsylvania’s purchases from the Iroquois, European settlement intensified. Northumberland was laid out around a central village green in 1772 — an English pattern you can still feel underfoot — on land associated with early proprietors including Quaker interests (Reuben Haines among the names in the founding story).
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1778–1784 · Big Runaway & return
During the Revolution the village emptied in the Big Runaway; resettlement solidified after 1784. Frontier violence and refugee movement defined the Susquehanna’s wartime geography.
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1790s · A town of meetings and makers
By the time the Priestleys arrived (1794), Northumberland held Quaker and Wesleyan meeting houses, potteries, a brewery, potash works, a clockmaker, a printer with a weekly paper, stores, and roughly a hundred houses — small, but culturally ambitious for the backcountry.
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1794–1804 · Joseph Priestley in exile
After the 1791 Birmingham Riots destroyed his English home and laboratory, Priestley sailed to America (arriving New York, June 1794). He was celebrated by the American Philosophical Society in Philadelphia, helped spark Unitarian preaching there, then chose Northumberland — five rough days north — to be near his sons’ Susquehanna land scheme (the “Susquehanna Settlement” utopia largely failed). He built his clapboard manor with laboratory and kitchen wings, continued chemical work, advised on education (later echoing in Jefferson’s University of Virginia correspondence), founded local Unitarian worship, and died here in 1804.
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1800s–1900s · Canal, rail, industry
The Pennsylvania Canal and later the Pennsylvania Railroad made Northumberland a transportation hinge. Roundhouse and silk-mill eras left photographs and scars. The North Shore Railroad still operates in the borough — living continuity, not cosplay.
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Present
A residential river borough with King Street Park events (Pineknotter Days, lemonade stands, seasonal gatherings), Pineknotter Park & The Point boat access, Priestley House tours via Friends of Joseph Priestley House / PHMC orbit, Amish-goods shopping at Point Barn Pantry, and an easy hop to Shikellamy and Sunbury. Hidden gem status: earned.
Joseph Priestley House — what to expect
Address: 472 Priestley Avenue, Northumberland, PA 17857. National Historic Landmark and National Historic Chemical Landmark. Tours have historically run weekend afternoons; check joseph-priestley-house.org for current hours, restoration notes, and donation/admission details before you go.
Inside: parlor, dining room, library, chambers, and the laboratory wing that makes this site unique — not only a house museum, but a shrine to pneumatic chemistry and Anglo-American intellectual migration. Outside: river yard, outbuildings, plaques, and the feeling that Enlightenment Europe briefly parked itself on a Pennsylvania bluff.
Northumberland photo gallery
House, lab, borough streets, rail remnants, river views — stacked for browsers and search engines alike.
Things to do in Northumberland, PA
1. Tour the Joseph Priestley House
Non-negotiable for first visits. Pair with the Priestley Memorial Chapel (1834) and memorial garden on Front Street.
2. Pineknotter Park & The Point
Picnic with river views; use the public boat ramp and dock. Watch the branches argue and agree in real time.
3. King Street Park & borough green
Community events, gazebo, and the English layout that still structures daily life.
4. Priestley-Forsyth Memorial Library & local museums
Quiet civic culture; ask about the Northumberland history museum offerings and walking-tour architecture.
5. Rail & canal ghosts
North Shore engines, roundhouse remnants, Front Street Station’s railroad eatery energy — industry as atmosphere.
6. Point Barn Pantry & valley food
Amish-made goods, local wine tasting notes, and a reason to linger after the museum.
7. Shikellamy State Park
Overlook + marina — the shared postcard of Northumberland and Sunbury.
Itineraries
Two hours — “Oxygen express”
- Priestley House tour (confirm hours).
- Quick Point / Pineknotter river stop.
- Drive Shikellamy Overlook.
Full day — “Twin towns”
- Morning in Northumberland (Priestley + parks).
- Afternoon in Sunbury (Edison Hotel, Fort Augusta, river path).
- Sunset back at the overlook.
Science & spirit weekend
- Saturday: Priestley House + Unitarian/chapel sites + library.
- Sunday: confluence paddling or marina morning, then antiques in Sunbury.
The other half of the fork
Northumberland without Sunbury is only half the confluence story. Fort Augusta, the county seat, and Edison’s 1883 lighting experiment wait across the water: Visit Sunbury, PA.
FAQ — Visit Northumberland PA
Is Northumberland the same as Northumberland County?
No. The borough is a small municipality inside Northumberland County (whose seat is Sunbury).
Can I visit Priestley House without a reservation?
Walk-ins are often welcomed during posted tour windows, but always verify current restoration hours on the official site before traveling.
Is Northumberland good for kids?
Yes — river parks, boat watching, and a museum that makes chemistry feel like adventure. Pair with Knoebels for a louder afternoon.
What is Pineknotter Days?
A local community festival/events tradition tied to King Street Park and borough life — check seasonal calendars when you plan.
Sources & further reading
- Wikipedia: Northumberland, Pennsylvania; Joseph Priestley; Joseph Priestley House.
- Friends of Joseph Priestley House / joseph-priestley-house.org; Pennsylvania Historical & Museum Commission.
- Susquehanna River Valley Visitors Bureau — Northumberland town page.
- Borough of Northumberland parks & recreation notes (Pineknotter Park, The Point, King Street Park).
- Image credits: Wikimedia Commons (Ruhrfisch and many others), public-domain lithographs, museum photography under Commons licenses.