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Walking through Montgomery history

A borough in Lycoming County has a new tool to help preserve its history for generations to come. Newswatch 16's Chris Keating shows us how it works.

MONTGOMERY, Pa. — If you are driving down Main Street in the borough of Montgomery, you will most likely pass Memorial Park, and there you will find a monument.

"A B-17 Flying Fortress was shot down in World War II. The navigator was Delmar Decker, who was a Montgomery native," said Mark Schifflet, president of the Montgomery Area Historical Society. "In 2015, the town of Zegveld, Netherlands, where the plane was shot down by the Germans, erected a monument to that crew."

The borough of Montgomery erected the same "San Antonio Rose" monument. In front of it is the first walking kiosk in the borough.

The sign details the monument and remembers the lives of 2nd Lt. Delmar Decker, the first Montgomery native to join the army during World War II, and his sister Marion McCormick, a former Montgomery Area Historical Society member.

"People can now go around and see their town's history is very important in having a sense of pride in their town."

The metal stand displaying the sign was built by students in an industrial arts class at Montgomery Area High School.

"They actually designed it and put it together, and the students themselves created this, so we are quite happy about that," said Larry Stout, vice president of the Montgomery Area Historical Society.

The historical society's goal is to add more walking kiosks in the coming years. The organization says railroads and old factories are prime locations for Montgomery.

"We have a rich heritage here through industry and transportation with the railroads. We are trying to identify those places and say what they were in the past," Stout added.

The historical society will officially unveil the kiosk Sunday at 2 p.m. Family members of Marion and Delmar will be in attendance.

Posted by Montgomery Area Historical Society on Sunday, June 5, 2022

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