Montrose can be explored through a range of themes: architecture and historic buildings, local fire service history, genealogical research, railroad heritage, cinema and art. A blueberry festival and an educational garden add further highlights. When planning your visit, it is worth first considering whether you would especially like to discover Montrose through its architectural history, local institutions or cultural offerings. The following highlights show the different ways to explore these themes in Montrose.
Architecture in the Historic District
The Montrose Historic District is listed as a district in the National Register of Historic Places collection. Visitors can explore historic homes, churches, public buildings and commercial buildings there; the district is easy to explore on foot. Prominent architectural styles include Greek Revival, Queen Anne, Italianate and Gothic Revival. If you enjoy comparing architectural history, you can use these four styles as a guide to your own exploration. This lets you focus on a variety of historic building styles rather than just one type of building.
Local history in museums
The United Fire Company Fireman's Museum presents the history of fire protection in Montrose. The Susquehanna County Historical Society and Museum has a genealogical research library and a museum dedicated to the history of the county. The institutions therefore have different areas of focus: one centers on the town's fire protection history, while the other focuses on genealogical research and county history.
This distinction is useful when choosing what to focus on: buildings are the main subject in the Historic District, while the two museums explore history through their respective institutional and genealogical focuses. If you want to compare historic architecture, your interest will be more in the district; for fire protection history, family research or county history, the museums offer different points of entry.
Cinema, railroad heritage and art
The Historic Montrose Theater in Downtown Montrose offers a nostalgic moviegoing experience in a cozy small-town atmosphere and has entertained audiences for more than 100 years. The Endless Mountains Trail in Montrose represents a different historical connection: it follows the former Lackawanna & Montrose Branch of the Delaware, Lackawanna & Western Railroad. Theater tradition and railroad heritage are therefore different facets of the town's history.
The Montrose Blueberry Festival features blueberry specialties and family-friendly activities. Since 1980, it has celebrated the community and raised funds for local library, museum and history programs. Program details can vary from year to year; if you include the festival in your travel plans, check the dates and offerings in advance.
The Slanted Art Cooperative Gallery in Montrose brings together works by more than 60 visual and literary artists. Participation may change. Art thus complements the historical themes with a focus of its own, whose specific selection may not remain the same over time.
A green highlight in Montrose
The Penn State Extension Educational Garden in Montrose features ten raised beds, a trellis garden, an onion bed, a green roof, apple trees and a blueberry bed. If you are more interested in landscaped planting areas than historic façades, you will find a different subject to explore here. The various elements range from raised beds and garden beds to trees and a green roof. Tours are available by request; coordinate the arrangements before your visit if you plan to take this option.
Discover more destinations: Union Dale
For the broader travel overview: Susquehanna County.
