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There's a lot that could be said about the work to restore history and digitize the stories that are often lost regarding women and women's groups across the county.
Friends and colleagues of Mary Sieminksi, retired independent researcher, librarian and writer, all agree that her work as part of the Lycoming County Women's History Project is a "treasure" and a "priceless impact."
The project, which Sieminski described as a "collective effort," archived source materials relating to women's history and stories in Lycoming County including photographs, correspondence, minute books, diaries, scrapbooks, recipe books and newspapers -- much of which came from the Williamsport Home, the Williamsport Hospital School of Nursing Alumni Association and the YWCA of Northcentral Pa. She has also been a part of the help to get historical markers for impactful local women to be placed.
"It's a community project," she said.
Many organizations and people were involved in the making of the project including Lycoming College Snowden Library, James V. Brown Library, Lycoming County Historical Society, Pennsylvania College of Technology Madigan Library and more.
The archived material has reached thousands, according to John Piper, historian and retired dean and professor of history at Lycoming College, and Janet McNeil Hurlbert, retired associate dean and director of library services at Lycoming College.
"It's a treasure trove of information... it's the real deal," Piper said.
"It (the project) opened my eyes to the rich history for women and the things they have done in this area that I was not aware of," Lisa Barrett, technical services library technician at Lycoming College said. "I feel honored that I got the chance to work with her over the years."
"It's great research," Gary Parks, executive director at the Thomas T. Taber Museum, said. "Women's history is so awesome... it is important to bring these stories forward."
Sieminski agrees.
She has a long family history in the county since the lumber era. Her great-grandmother, Margaret Small, was a servant in Peter Herdic's cousin's home.
After college, she left the area for New England and returned 25 years ago to be the director of Penn College's library. After retirement, she worked temporary positions at other college libraries including Bucknell, Lock Haven and Lycoming, as well as volunteered and gave tours at the county's historical society and studied local history.
When temping at Lycoming College, Hurlbert "challenged" her to find an archival project, and thus, the Lycoming County Women's History Project began.
"I began to ask questions... and one of my big questions was, and continues to guide me, 'where were the women in our history?'" Sieminski said. "It's a calling for me to continue to do this. It has brought back an energy to continue. It is important."
She noted that when doing research she often found that women were referred to by their husbands' names, for example, Mrs. Peter Herdic.
"But what was her name?" Sieminski asked.
"I benefited from talking to her about these women," Piper said. "Until relatively recently, these women in these organizations were known by their husband's name... they were all agents of their men. Mary helped me identify these women, and often we would come across someone and say 'oh, that is someone we might want to write about.'"
And that is just what Sieminski did.
She gathered colleagues who worked alongside her with the Lycoming County Women's History Project like Hurlbert, and others including Dr. Judith Gouldin, Patricia Scott, Sean Baker, Elaine Decker, Kerry Richmond, Nancy Baumgratner and more, to continue to develop the project and write stories about women who they were intrigued by for the Sun-Gazette.
"Mary and I have known each other professionally for a long time, since she started at Penn College. This happened to be a special interest of hers and mine. It has been a wonderful adventure," Hurlbert said. "We have had a great time and a wonderful response to the articles we wrote. It was fun to do together."
Aside from the digital archive and articles, Sieminski worked to get historical markers of impactful women placed in Lycoming County.
"She was instrumental in getting the historical markers," Hurlbert said. "This is a life passion of hers."
According to Sieminski, there had been no historical markers in Lycoming County for women. She took on the challenge and worked with a professor from Michigan, Mitch Kachun, to have a marker for Julia Collins, a 19th century African American author.
Sieminski said the process was a competitive application process, but was nonetheless awarded the historical marker.
"It was the first marker for a woman, first for a Black woman, first for a teacher and writer," Sieminski said. "We were excited to get that on the Riverwalk."
She also worked on Robyn Floyd, a women's historian, and the YWCA to get a William G. Pomeroy Foundation historical marker for women's suffrage. The marker is displayed out front of the YWCA, located at 815 W. Fourth St.
"Mary had called me one day and had said the YWCA was very involved with the suffrage movement in Lycoming County and she said there is an opportunity to provide a marker to dedicate that involvement of the YW and of the county," Dawn Linn, CEO of the YWCA, said. "We are fortunate to have someone like Mary in our community who took her passion for history and decided to make sure that it got recorded in a way that it would be there for everyone, for future generations to enjoy."
According to a Sun-Gazette article, the rich history of the suffrage movement came from a group of area women who joined together to organize the Williamsport Suffrage Club at the local YWCA in 1914. There was a justice bell that was tied to prevent it from ringing until women had the right to vote and it traveled through Pennsylvania, eventually reaching Williamsport in 1915 alongside prominent women in the suffrage movement including Susan B. Anthony and Lucretia Mott. The 48th annual statewide convention of the Pennsylvania Woman's Suffrage Association was also held in Williamsport in 1916.
The marker was dedicated in March of 2022, and was a two-year process.
"When you meet someone, a person who is devoted and committed, it is an absolute treasure," Linn said. "Mary inspires me by her passion and her commitment to think of what additional ways can we, today, follow those before us in helping us to make our communities a better place."
"She gets everybody involved," Parks said. "I wish I had her energy. There is an excitement within her and she gets other people excited."
A third marker, honoring the life of Williamsport artist and illustrator Frances Tipton Hunter, will be installed in Way's Garden in June 2024.
Sieminski related that these markers are "not possible without partners."
"The community is still involved," Sieminski said. "People are engaged in these stories. It is fascinating to me... the stories of women who have done really great things. It fills in a hole, a gap of local history that hasn't been talked about...It is a sense of curiosity that I have that I enjoy finding out. I have deliberately gone out to look for stories, but when I see anything about one of these women, I wonder what happened."
"She was always concerned about the women that weren't talked about, the stories that weren't told and always has been a spokesperson for women's stories. Mary is a special person and a delight to work with," Hurlbert said.
"What Mary has done, in my opinion, has helped a whole new and future generation know the shoulders they stand on. That is a priceless impact... and hopefully as we read her stories, that would provide some sort of inspiration for us to make ways to make the future better for generations. I am personally grateful for Mary and her contribution," Linn said.
"My hope is to find a way for this project to continue under new leadership, perhaps changed in a way to serve the 21st century so that we don't have to ask, "Where were the women?"" Sieminski said.