The lumber industry brought great prosperity to some in the Williamsport PA area. At one point around 1870, there were more millionaires per capita in Williamsport than any other US city. The lumber barons owned the land the trees grew on, the boom which collected the logs on the river, the sawmills which processed the logs and the railroads which transported the finished product. As they grew wealthy, they also owned businesses in town, became politically well connected and thrived in many ways. The workers who labored in the mills, on the boom and in the forest, barely survived financially. There was labor strife and riots but the gap between the rich and poor grew steadily throughout this period. Some comparisons are given now with the riches the Marcellus gas deposits are bringing to some in the area.
Not all the fabulous mansions of the lumber barons are being restored. So many of them became boarding homes and were chopped up. They had exterior fire escapes added, window air conditioners adorn many windows. Yards were sacrificed for parking. It appears to me, only 10-20% of these old mansions are in a state today which could be renovated.
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