A history of Sunbury,
since 1772
Postcards, papers and photographs of Sunbury from public archives, woven together by decade. Neighbors fill in the gaps.
The story
from WikipediaRead it all ↗The first known settlers at the site of Sunbury were likely Shawnee migrants. A large population of Delaware Indians was also forcibly resettled there in the early 18th century after they lost rights to their land in the Walking Purchase. Canassatego of the Six Nations, enforcing the Walking Purchase on behalf of George Thomas, Deputy Governor of Pennsylvania, ordered the Delaware Indians to relocate to two places on the Susquehanna River, one of which was present-day Sunbury.
Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
Timeline
built from the dates on the items belowFinish Sunbury’s story
Most archives stop around 1920. The photos from after that are in family albums, not libraries.
1 of 10 decades since 1900 have photos 🔁Retake an old viewCourt House, Sunbury, Northumberl…, 1851: stand where they stood+15 📦Share a family photoSign in to add one+10Famous people from Sunbury
See all 16 →
Sunbury, decade by decade
1990s
4 historic places in Sunbury
Sunbury has 4 listings on the National Register, and they protect 241 historic buildings, because Sunbury Historic District alone counts 238.
Where they are
Architectural styles
When they were listed
Listed 1974Northumberland County Courthouse
Listed 1976Beck House
Listed 1983Sunbury Historic DistrictListed 2025Sixth Ward SchoolThen & now
No then-and-now pairs yet. Take a photo from the same spot as Court House, Sunbury, Northumberland County, Pennsylvania, 1851, James Fuller Queen, USLOC, pubdom (1851) and it appears here side by side.
🔁 Retake this view · +15Stories next door
nearby towns’ historyFrom Wikimedia Commons (4) and the Library of Congress (8). Images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.