It has been called one of the most unusual coincidences in American history: Lycoming County might have missed playing a bigger role in the creation of the Declaration of Independence…by about two weeks. They had no way of knowing that another group was making the same plans.
According to the Chamber of Commerce, a group of original settlers of Lycoming County decided they wanted to declare their independence from Great Britain. They assembled in Jersey Shore, not far from Williamsport, where they approved and signed their own document on – guess when – July 4th, 1776.
Their next move was to send that document to Philadelphia. The group used two messengers to get it there, but they reportedly had a rough journey, running into hostile opponents, among other trials.
Those messengers made it to Philadelphia about two weeks later, only to discover that a Declaration of Independence – the one we know today – had already been approved.
