A few years after Montgomery officially became a borough in 1887, some of the town’s young adults decided to form an organization called The Montgomery Literary and Social Club in December of 1894. At times local papers have also referred to the organization as the Montgomery Social and Literary Club, as well.

The Williamsport newspaper The Evening News published the list of officers in the December 18, 1894, edition. They were: George A. Phillips,president, Bert Hess, vice president, Maud Thomas, secretary, Mamie Wharton, treasurer; Minnie Menges, organist, R. P. Eger and H. P. Shoemaker, trustees.

The same article stated that the club was organized in Zeller’s Hall on West Houston Avenue, and the first few meetings were held there.

Eventually the club moved into their own club room, although none of the available historical sources stated where their club room was.

The Montgomery Literary and Social Club held weekly meetings that were often reported about in local newspapers. By March of 1895, the club had their own newspaper called The Club Herald. The Evening News wrote on March 22, 1895, that it was edited by H.M. Hess.

The society meetings were held on Thursday evenings, and typically included readings, recitations, debates, philosophical discussions, and musical performances. Sometimes the musical selections were solo pieces, and other times there were trios or quartets of club members performing together. At times some of the readings were actually the creative writings of the club members, according to The Evening News on April 26, 1895.

The group became well-known for having a variety of events and special celebrations for their club members outside of their weekly meetings, and Halloween night of 1895, was no exception. It was the group’s first Halloween celebration, as the club had been founded about ten months before.

The Evening News reported on November 1, 1895, in a piece entitled, “Event of the Season” that invitations were sent out to the members of the club that read, “Ye men and maydens are besoughten to attend a meetynge at ye house of our club, to join in ye old-time sports of ye Hallowe’en. Assemble upon ye hour of eight ye thirty-first day of ye month of October 1895. Come ye arrayed in ye old-time costumes. By ye committe [sic],” according to the article.

The event included a meal that featured the following items: Mush and Milk, old-time pancakes, old-time taffies, pumpkin pie, and old-time coffee. There was also music and games to entertain the club members. One highlight of the evening was that “several flash light pictures were taken.”

None of the photographs were printed in the paper, and it wasn’t reported who took the photographs.

But the old-fashioned costumes that the members had dressed up in, “made all wish they had lived a hundred years ago.” It was also said that the club room had been so elaborately decorated that, “The costumes, however, were not to be compared with the decorations of the club room, which cannot be described in a satisfactory manner.”

The Evening News reported that the members enjoyed, “a good time in general was enjoyed until a seasonable hour, when ye old-time gents took ye old-time maydens to their homes, all agreeing that it was the most enjoyable of events . . .”