The total eclipse of the sun began in the Pacific that Monday morning, sweeping across central North America, and around 11 am that day at Howard Falls the sun began to be entirely eclipsed by the moon. Soon, Howard Falls was plunged into total darkness, as the moon completely obscured the sun. Four minutes later, the sun began to emerge again, suddenly re-illuminating the Falls. It is unlikely that anyone was there to witness that rare and extraordinary event. The date was June 16, 1806.
That day, 300 miles to the west, Native Americans used the eclipse to enhance their stature. It would go down in history as “Tecumseh’s Eclipse.”
The 1806 eclipse is sometimes called “Tecumseh’s Eclipse.” The story goes that the Shawnee chief and his brother Tenskwatawa (called “The Prophet”) were set on forming a tribal confederacy. The Governor of Indiana challenged Tenskwatawa to prove his powers by causing “the sun to stand still,” among other challenges. Tenskwatawa correctly predicted the eclipse.
The Last U.S. Total Solar Eclipse This Long Was In 1806. Its Echoes Are Still With Us By Jamie Carter
Three hundred miles to the east, James Fenimore Cooper witnessed the same event and documented it in his autobiographical vignette titled “The Eclipse.” In it, he wrote:
At twelve minutes past eleven, the moon stood revealed in its greatest distinctness — a vast black orb, so nearly obscuring the sun that the face of the great luminary was entirely and absolutely darkened, though a corona of rays of light appeared beyond. The gloom of night was upon us.
But, appalling as the withdrawal of light had been, most glorious, most sublime, was its restoration! The corona of light above the moon became suddenly brighter, the heavens beyond were illuminated, the stars retired, and light began to play along the ridges of the distant mountains. And then a flood of grateful, cheering, consoling brightness fell into the valley, with a sweetness and a power inconceivable to the mind, unless the eye has actually beheld it. I can liken this sudden, joyous return of light, after the eclipse, to nothing of the kind that is familiarly known. It was certainly nearest to the change produced by the swift passage of the shadow of a very dark cloud, but it was the effect of this instantaneous transition, multiplied more than a thousand fold.
It was not in the least like the gradual dawning of day, or the actual rising of the sun. There was no gradation in the change. It was sudden, amazing, like what the imagination would teach us to expect of the advent of a heavenly vision. I know that philosophically I am wrong; but, to me, it seemed that the rays might actually be seen flowing through the darkness in torrents, till they had again illuminated the forest, the mountains, the valley, and the lake with their glowing, genial touch.
I shall only say that I have passed a varied and eventful life, that it has been my fortune to see earth, heavens, ocean, and man in most of their aspects; but never have I beheld any spectacle which so plainly manifested the majesty of the Creator, or so forcibly taught the lesson of humility to man as a total eclipse of the sun.
The Eclipse by James Fenimore Cooper
Another 150 miles to the east, the town of Grafton, Vermont was also in the eclipse path. Astonishingly, a total eclipse in that location had not happened in over 1,600 years. Living in Grafton at the time was Ziba Howard and his son David. They would have witnessed the event, along with David’s future brother-in-law, Elijah Smith. About 30 years later, David’s yet unborn sons, Henry and Levi, would settle at Howard Falls after accompanying their Uncle Elijah to Girard, PA.
Thus, about 30 years after the eclipse of 1806, the third generation of the Howard family settled at the Falls. From the 1830s, it would take another four Howard generations before the family witnessed another total eclipse over the Falls. Two hundred and eighteen years would pass until that celestial phenomenon of 1806 was repeated. This time, generations seven, eight, and nine of Howard would be present to experience the unforgettable event.
While total eclipses occur frequently worldwide, they can be very rare at any given location. Their paths are ever-changing, and the likelihood that a path will pass over a particular location frequently is small. Using the location of Howard Falls as an example, there were five total eclipses in the 1st millennium, three in the 2nd millennium, and five again in the 3rd millennium. No wonder they are so very special, as the opportunity to experience one can skip several generations, as shown above.
At Howard Falls, the weekend of April 6-7, 2024, had long been anticipated, as the lead-in to the total eclipse would occur on Monday, April 8. Planning for viewing the eclipse had been intense, and the weather was an ever-present concern and topic of conversation. April in northwestern PA has highly varied weather, from snow to rain to bright blue skies. ‘What weather would be in store for the eclipse?’ was on everyone’s minds. While it had been 218 years since the last total eclipse visible at Howard Falls, it would be another 120 years until the next one. Regardless of your age, this was unquestionably a once-in-a-lifetime experience that the weather would surely not dare to mar!
Snow fell at Howard Falls overnight on Friday, April 5, and we awoke to a yard covered in white. By noon, the snow had dissipated, and we could again see the white lines we had marked in the yard indicating where we wanted the tent placed. By 3 pm that day, the 30’x30′ tent had been erected.
Over the next two days, the weather continued to improve, and by the afternoon of Sunday, April 7, the skies were cloudless and azure blue. Our pre-eclipse party that evening was very well attended, with upwards of 80 family and friends enjoying the celebration. A guest book was provided for people to record their attendance and experience.
Monday, April 8, arrived with a cloudy sky and even a shower or two mid-morning. Yet the forecast called for clearing in the afternoon, and optimism abounded as family and friends gathered again at Howard Falls to experience the eclipse. We had family and friends from near and far, including Pittsburgh, New York City, Boston, and Houston. By early afternoon, the sky was a patchwork of broken clouds and blue sky, and just after 2 pm, the moon began its transit of the sun and made first contact. The patches of blue continued to increase, enabling all to see the moon’s progression across the face of the sun. As we approached second contact, the excitement was growing in the air.
At 3:16 pm, we reached totality as the moon eclipsed the sun, and darkness descended on Howard Falls. Just as James Fenimore Cooper had described in his ‘Eclipse,’ the onset was not gradual. As the moon continued its transit of the sun, there was not a perceptible progression of darkening until the very last of the sun’s light remained.
Where the orange glow of the Sun once stood, now a black dot, outlined by the soft pearly white glow of the corona. Many commented about the small but vibrant reddish features observed at the outer edge of the moon, contrasting vividly with the white of the corona. Known as prominences, the red flares are massive loops of the sun’s plasma that hang attached to the visible surface of the sun.
Everyone was in awe of what was being experienced. There is no other experience in nature to compare to a total eclipse. And with such eclipses happening every two hundred years on average, most people will never even experience one. Most of us did not know what to expect, and the totality left us dumb-struck about what had just happened. We stood there astonished in total darkness in the middle of the afternoon yet surrounded by a 360-degree aura at the horizon. Unlike a sunset or a sunrise, where the glow of the sun illuminates a small portion of the horizon, we were surrounded by a ring of light while darkened from above by the night sky.
Yet the best of the experience was still ahead. A few moments after 3:19, the sun began to emerge from behind the moon. Just like during the onset, there was no gradual progression back to daylight. Once the slightest crescent of the sun became visible, a virtual explosion of light re-illuminated the sky and surroundings. It was sudden and unexpected, leaving everyone in awe of the glory of the sun’s return.
Cooper was exacting of the moment when he wrote:
…….never have I beheld any spectacle which so plainly manifested the majesty of the Creator, or so forcibly taught the lesson of humility to man as a total eclipse of the sun.
The Eclipse by James Fenimore Cooper
The next total eclipse at Howard Falls will occur on Saturday, October 26, 2144, one hundred twenty years from now. From a generational perspective, our grandchildren’s grandchildren and their families may be able to experience that eclipse as it moves across the skies above Howard Falls.
In anticipation of that day when Howard family will again gather to experience nature’s grandest, we are creating a time capsule monument. Within the time capsule will be memorabilia of the 2024 eclipse, the guest book from our event, and commemorative items to capture current events of 2024. We hope that Howard descendants will still reside in the area, will read about our eclipse from the capsule, and will cherish their own experience of the 2144 eclipse over Howard Falls.
