Susquehanna State Park (Pennsylvania)
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| Susquehanna State Park | |||||||
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 The Hiawatha paddlewheeler in the West Branch Susquehanna River at Susquehanna State Park | |||||||
 Interactive map of Susquehanna State Park | |||||||
| Location | Williamsport, Pennsylvania, United States | ||||||
| Coordinates | 41°13′39″N 77°02′45″W / 41.22743°N 77.04582°W[1] | ||||||
| Area | 20 acres (8.1 ha)[1] | ||||||
| Elevation | 518 feet (158 m) | ||||||
| Established | 1961 | ||||||
| Administered by | Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources | ||||||
| Website | Official website  | ||||||
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Susquehanna State Park is a Pennsylvania state park on 20 acres (8.1 ha) in Williamsport in Lycoming County, Pennsylvania in the United States. The park is on the West Branch Susquehanna River in the western part of Williamsport, and is operated by the Williamsport / Lycoming Chamber of Commerce in cooperation with the Bureau of State Parks of the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources. Susquehanna State Park offers cruises on a paddlewheeler, boating, fishing, and picnicking.
The park land was originally part of the West Branch Division of the Pennsylvania Canal, which ran along the left bank of the West Branch from Susquehanna River from Northumberland to Lock Haven. The canal was in operation here from October 15, 1834 to July 1, 1889, when a major flood destroyed it.[2][3]
The Susquehanna Boom was a system of cribs and chained logs in the West Branch Susquehanna River, designed to catch and hold floating timber until it could be processed at one of the nearly 60 sawmills along the river between Lycoming and Loyalsock Creeks in Lycoming County, Pennsylvania in the United States. Susquehanna State Park is located within just a small section of what was once the boom. The Susquehanna Boom was originally built under the supervision of James H. Perkins,[4] and operated from 1851 to 1909, when it shut down for lack of timber.[5]
When flood control levees were built around Williamsport, the park land was left outside the levee system. It was developed as a "riverfront recreational area" by the state and city, opening in 1961.[1] The modern paddlewheeler Hiawatha began excursions here in 1982. In the winter of 2000-2001, the Hiawatha was rebuilt with a new hull at a cost of $200,000.[6]
While the Williamsport / Lycoming Chamber of Commerce operates the park, responsibility for its facilities within the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources lies with Shikellamy State Park.[7]
