USA > Pennsylvania > A history of the Juniata Valley and its people, Volume I > Part 22
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When Colonel Frederick Watts' battalion was organized in 1777, a majority of the men came from Perry county and a large number were from Toboyne township. William Blain, who lived in that part after- ward cut off to form Jackson township, was captain of the Fourth com- pany, and Thomas Clark commanded the Eighth company. In Captain David Moreland's company in the War of 1812 there were about twenty men from Toboyne.
New Germantown, the only important village in the township, is situated on Sherman's creek, near the eastern border. It was laid out by Solomon Sheibley about 1820 and was named after Germantown, near Philadelphia. At that time the business enterprises consisted of a shoemaker's shop, a blacksmith shop, a hatter, a carpenter, and Jacob Kreamer's mill. Prior to 1820 the place was known as Limestone Spring. One of the first taverns was the "Old Stone Castle," kept by David Koutz until 1831, when he left the town. The village was seri- ously damaged by a fire in March, 1876, and in the fall of 1885 J. E.
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Rumple's store was destroyed by fire. In 1844 New Germantown was incorporated as a borough, but the citizens failing to attend to the roads, the charter was taken away in 1847. It is the terminus of the Newport & Sherman's Valley railroad and in 1910 reported a population of 250. It is the principal trading and shipping point for the western part of the county.
Tuscarora township, in the northern tier, is bounded on the north by Juniata county ; on the east by the Juniata river, across which lies Greenwood township; on the south by the townships of Oliver and Juniata, and on the west by Saville. Its greatest length is about eleven miles, the average width is three miles, and the area about thirty-one square miles. Tuscarora was erected in a different manner from most of the townships. In response to a petition, the court in October, 1858, ordered an election to be held, at which the people were to vote on the question of forming a new township. The election was held on the last day of November, the return was filed with the court, and on January 3. 1859, the following decree was issued :
"Whereupon, the clerk of the Court of Quarter Sessions having laid the within return before the court, it is ordered and decreed that a new township be erected agreeably to the lines marked out by the commissioners, whose report is filed, and that the said township be named 'Tuscarora,' and, farther, the court do order and decree that the place of holding elections shall be at the house of Michael Donnally, at Donnally's Mills, and do appoint Jacob Yohn, Judge, and James H. Deavor and David Leonard, Inspectors, to hold the spring elections for the present year, and also appoint John S. Kerr, constable."
Soon after the lands in the Juniata valley were opened to settle- ment, a number of persons located in what is now Tuscarora township. Among them were Robert Larimer, Lewis Gronow, Robert Campbell, Thomas Craig, James and John Black, Robert Cochran, Samuel Atlee, Henry and William Bull, James and Matthew Loudon, John Murray, Robert McCrary, William and John Miller, Philip and Peter Jones, Wil- liam White, William Brown, and a number of others, descendants of some of whom still reside in the county.
What was known as the Bull school house was originally a carpen- ter shop. The Narrows school house, on the road leading from Rac- coon valley to Buckwheat valley, was built some time prior to 1780.
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Another old school house, known as the Oakland, was located in the Buckwheat valley. There were seven school districts in the township in 1912. Bull's Hill graveyard had its beginning about 1780, when a man was frozen to death while trying to cross the Tuscarora mountain and was buried at this place.
About 1853 one Andrew J. Smolnicker bought at sheriff's sale some 300 or 400 acres of land near the top of the mountain, on which he put up a frame building twenty by forty feet for a residence and church of the new sect he had founded, which was called the "Peace Union." He wrote a book setting forth his creed, but his death a few years later left the movement without a leader and the church went down.
Millerstown station, on the Pennsylvania railroad, opposite Millers- town, and Donnally's Mills are the only villages of importance. Henry Bull built a grist-mill at the latter place at an early date and a small settlement sprang up about the mill. Later he sold the mill to Michael Donnally and in time the place became known as Donnally's Mills. The population was 104 in 1910. It is the principal trading point for the people living in the Raccoon valley.
Tyrone township once included all that part of Perry county lying west of the Juniata river and has been called "the mother of townships, fourteen new ones having been created from its original territory. It is now bounded on the north by Saville; on the east by Spring; on the south and southwest by Cumberland county, and on the west by the township of Madison. Sherman's creek flows through the central por- tion and the Newport & Sherman's Valley railroad crosses the northern part.
As Tyrone originally embraced such a large district, many of the early settlers are mentioned in connection with other townships, in which they were located after such townships were erected. A number of squatters settled in Sherman's valley before the land was purchased from the Indians. James Kennedy, John and Joseph Scott, Thomas Wilson, and several others were there in 1753 and took out land war- rants as soon as possible after the region was opened to settlement. Andrew Montour received a warrant for 143 acres between the little stream known as Montour's run and Sherman's creek. This place after- ward became the property of Abraham Landis, Montour having left
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the country soon after settlers began coming in. A mill was erected on the tract by Jeremiah Rice in 1786. Conrad Weiser, the Indian inter- preter, stopped at Montour's in 1754, while on his way to Aughwick to hold a treaty.
In 1912 there were ten public schools in Tyrone township. The first school house known to have been within the present limits of the township was built in 1794 near the Lebanon church at Loysville. Prob- ably the next was built at Landisburg, and another stood near the old Patterson mill. There was also a school house in the Kennedy valley at an early date.
Loysville and Greenpark are the flourishing villages. Part of Loys- ville was laid out by the poor directors in 1840 and named Andesville. A postoffice by that name was established there about two years later, but subsequently both the postoffice and village were named Loysville, in honor of Michael Loy. The other part of the town was laid out about the Lutheran church, on what was known as the McClure farm. Michael Kepner, Andrew Welch, and Robert Dunbar opened a store here in 1830. Loysville is a station on the Newport & Sherman's Val- ley railroad, about nine miles southwest from New Bloomfield, and in 1910 had a population of 500.
In Greenpark the first house was built by William Reed, about 1834. In 1857 Martin Mootzer and John Bernheisel opened a store and Jacob Bernheisel & Sons started a machine shop. Greenpark is on the line of the Newport & Sherman's Valley railroad, seven miles from New Bloomfield. The population was 178 in 1910.
Watts township, occupying the point of land between the Juniata and Susquehanna rivers and including Duncan's and Haldeman's islands, is one of the smallest in the county. It is bounded on the north by Buffalo; on the east and south by the Susquehanna river; and on the west by the Juniata, across which lies the townships of Miller, Wheat- field, and Penn.
Marcus Hulings settled at the mouth of the Juniata in 1753. Three years later he was driven off by the Indians. After the cessation of hostilities he returned and obtained a warrant for 200 acres at the junction of the two rivers. He also warranted another tract farther up the Susquehanna. He died in 1788 and his son Thomas succeeded to the estate. Other early settlers were John Eshelman, Frederick
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Watts, Robert Ferguson, Benjamin Walker, and Joseph Nagle. The names of Stophel Munce, George Etzmiller, Francis Ellis, Samuel Neaves and John Miller appear in the early records as landowners, and some of them may have lived in the township.
The Pennsylvania canal ran through this township and the Pennsyl- vania railroad now follows the Juniata river on the opposite side. The township was named for David Watts, who presided over the court at the time the township was erected in 1849.
The first school house was built on what was known as the "Church Lands." It was without a floor and it is said to have settled so much that the teacher could not stand erect in it, when it was rebuilt. In 1912 there were three public schools-McAllister's, Centre, and Liv- ingston's. The schools of New Buffalo, the only borough in the town- ship, are not included in the above.
Wheatfield township was erected on January 5, 1826, in response to a petition filed with the court in May, 1824. Several unsuccessful attempts had been made prior to that time to divide Rye township, from which the territory of Wheatfield was taken. At the time it was created it contained 298 taxpayers, but it has since been reduced in size by the formation of Miller, Centre, Penn, and Carroll. Since these townships have been cut off Wheatfield is bounded on the north by Miller, east by the Juniata river, south by Penn, and west by Carroll. It is ten miles long and three miles wide, having an area of thirty square miles.
Frederick Watts, a native of Wales, was one of the early settlers. He was born in June, 1719, married in his native land Jane, daughter of David Murray, Marquis of Tullibardine, who espoused the cause of Charles, the Pretender, and after the battle of Culloden became an exile. Watts came with his family to America about 1760 and two years later warranted 331 acres fronting on the Juniata in what is now Wheatfield township. Levi Owen, also a Welshman, settled in Wheat- field in the spring of 1767. Arnold Van Fossen, Robert Ramsey, John Smith, who entered in 1788 the tract where the Montabello furnace was afterward built, Benjamin Abram, and William Baskins were among the pioneer landowners. The Montabello furnace was built about 1834 and the Fio forge, on Sherman's creek, was built in 1827. The former was destroyed by fire in 1875 and the latter was abandoned after a flood destroyed the dam in 1846. A large tract lying between Sherman's
VIEW OF NEW BLOOMFIELD, FROM THE NORTH.
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COUNTY JAIL, NEW BLOOMFIELD.
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creek and Pine hill was bought by Peter Billow in 1812. Here the old Billow tavern, a well known stopping place for many years, was opened by the proprietor, who also started a distillery.
About 1810 a school house was built on Levi Owen's place and was used for school purposes for about ten years. Wheatfield accepted the school law in 1835 and in 1912 there were seven districts.
In Perry county there are nine incorporated boroughs-Blain, Dim- cannon, Landisburg, Liverpool, Marysville, Millerstown, New Bloom- field, New Buffalo, and Newport.
New Bloomfield, the county seat, is pleasantly located near the cen- ter of the county and had its beginning in 1823, when the site was selected as the seat of justice. There is a story that when the site was selected on June 1, 1823, the clover was in full bloom and this gave name to the town. Another account says that Mrs. George Barnett, whose husband donated the ground to the county, was given the privilege of naming the town. She suggested "Bloomfield," but, when the ob- jection was made that there were so many towns of that name, she pro- posed "New Bloomfield," which name was adopted. Robert Kelly was employed by the commissioners to lay out the town and a square was set apart at the intersection of Main and Carlisle streets for the court- house. Opposite the court-house was the market-house lot, but no market-house has ever been built. David Lupfer bought a lot just north of the court-house and erected thereon a two-story brick building for a hotel, the first in the town. A postoffice was established in May, 1825, with Jonas Ickes as the postmaster. According to the Perry Forester, in August, 1826, Bloomfield contained "eighteen snug and comfortable buildings, some of which are large and commodious, besides from 12 to 15 stables."
At the time the site was selected as the county seat there was not a single building upon it. In 1829 there were "29 dwellings, 21 shops and offices, court-house and jail, 4 stores, 5 taverns, I printing office, 2 shoemaker shops, 2 tailor shops, 2 tanneries, a saddler, a tinner, a hatter, 2 blacksmith shops, 2 or 3 carpenters, more than half a dozen lawyers and half as many doctors."
On November 25, 1830, the citizens of the town met to consider the question of incorporation. A petition was presented to the legisla- ture and an act was passed by which New Bloomfield became an in-
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corporated borough on March 14, 1831. The first election was held four days later, when Alexander Magee was elected burgess.
The first newspaper was the Perry Forester, which began its career at Landisburg in 1820 under the ownership and management of Alex- ander Magee and H. W. Peterson. The latter retired and, in April, 1829, Mr. Magee removed the office to the county seat. The first school house was a small brick building, erected about 1829 on a lot donated by George Barnett on the north side of High street and the second was on McClure street. The Bloomfield Seminary was opened by Robert Finley in the fall of 1837 and the Bloomfield Academy was incorporated in April, 1838. In 1912 there were four teachers employed in the public schools of the borough. The Methodist church was organized in 1829 and the first building was erected in 1831. The first Presbyterian church was built in 1835, the Reformed church in 1857, and the Luth- eran church the same year.
In the fall of 1893 a company was formed, with a capital of $15,000. and A. R. Johnson as president, for the purpose of supplying the bor- ough with water. The source of supply is at Garland Springs, one and a fourth miles west of the town and New Bloomfield has a plenti- ful supply of pure water for all purposes. In 1898 the Joshua S. Leiby Company, of Newport, secured a franchise for putting in an electric lighting plant, and the spring of the following year saw New Bloom- field lighted by electricity. The plant is controlled by the Prairie Elec- tric Light, Heat and Power Company.
The borough has a national bank, several manufacturing enterprises, among which are a knitting mill and a shirt factory, several good stores, two hotels, etc. It is connected with Duncannon by the Susquehanna River & Western railroad, and in 1910 had a population of 762.
Blain is the outgrowth of a settlement that grew up about the mill erected by James Blain in 1778. The mill was purchased by William Douglass early in the nineteenth century and a postoffice was established there under the name of Douglass' Mill. In 1846 the town was regu- larly laid out and the name of the postoffice was changed to Blain. The first store was opened by Anthony Black. Blain was incorporated on November 3, 1877, and the first election was held in February, 1878. It is located on the Newport & Sherman's Valley railroad, twenty miles west of New Bloomfield, and is said to occupy the prettiest site in the
SOLDIERS' AND SAILORS' MONUMENT, NEW BLOOMFIELD.
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county. Before the building of the railroad it was connected with New- port by a stage line. Blain has a bank, a number of good stores, some cozy residences, a graded school employing two teachers, churches of different denominations, a hotel, etc. The population in 1910 was 326.
Duncannon, formerly called Petersburg, is located in the eastern part of the county on the Susquehanna river and the main line of the Pennsylvania railroad, and is the eastern terminus of the Susquehanna River & Western railway. It was laid out by Christian Miller in 1792 and three years later there were eighteen lot-owners. Robert Stewart was one of the pioneer merchants and the first hotel was erected about 1794. John Chisholm built a grist-mill about 1810. The Dun- cannon Iron Works were established in 1827 by Stephen A. Duncan and John D. Mahon. In 1873 a rolling mill and nail factory were started, the latter with a capacity of 800 kegs a week. In 1865 the name was changed from Petersburg to Duncannon, under which name it was in- corporated. It has two national banks, a number of manufacturing en- terprises, well stocked mercantile houses, good hotels, modern public school building in which eight teachers were employed in 1912, lodges of the leading fraternal organizations, etc. The population in 1910 was 1,474.
Landisburg, ten miles southwest of New Bloomfield, was laid out by Abraham Landis in 1793. An attempt was made to dispose of the lots by lottery, but it appears to have been unsuccessful and they were then sold in the usual way. The oldest deed on record is dated Decem- ber 1, 1795, when George Wolf bought a lot and set up in business as a wheelwright. When Perry county was erected in 1820, the county business was transacted and courts were held at Landisburg until the court-house at New Bloomfield was completed. The first hotel was the Bigler House, kept by Jacob Bigler. William Power was one of the early merchants. Landisburg was incorporated on December 23, 1831, but the early records have not been preserved. It has a bank, a good public school building in which two teachers were employed in 1912, several stores, churches of different faiths, and in 1910 reported a population of 252.
Liverpool, situated in the eastern end of the county on the Susque- hanna river, was laid out by John Huggins in October, 1808, and was incorporated as a borough in 1832. Samuel Haas had laid out a town
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adjoining Liverpool in 1818, but at the time of the incorporation it was taken into the borough. Haas' town bore the high-sounding name of "Northern Liberties." In 1835 an engine house was, built on the market square, but it was destroyed by fire in 1873. Thomas Gallagher was the first merchant and John Huggins kept the first hotel. Among the early industries were the distillery of George Thorp, the tannery of John Speece and Rohrbach's foundry. The first school house was a log structure about twenty-five feet square, afterward weather-boarded and painted. Four teachers were employed in the borough schools in 1912. A newspaper called the Mercury was started by John Huggins in July, 1821, and ran for about five years, when it was merged into the Perry County Democrat. Liverpool has a national bank, some well-stocked stores, a money order postoffice, several neat houses of worship, etc. The population in 1910 was 596.
Marysville, the second largest town in the county, is in the extreme southeast corner on the Susquehanna river and the main line of the Pennsylvania railroad. It was laid out by Theophilus Fenn in 1861 and was incorporated on April 12, 1866. Five houses had been built on the site in 1860. Samuel Hunter had a saw-mill here many years before. Near the west end of the railroad bridge once stood an old house which was the headquarters of a band of horse thieves. Marysville has a national bank, several churches, well-improved streets, nine teachers in the public schools, a number of manufacturing establishments, good hotels, electric light system and water works, and in 1910 reported a population of 1,693, an increase of 230 during the preceding decade. The borough is the terminus of a branch of the Philadelphia & Reading railway system.
Millerstown was laid out in 1780 by David Miller. The old Ferry Hotel had been built two years before and was probably the first house on the site of the town. The Union Hotel was built in 1800 by John Wood. The same year Joshua North started a tannery. A school house was built in 1808 and continued in use until 1856, when a new one was erected. The borough now employs three teachers in the new graded school building. Millerstown has a bank, the usual quota of stores, shops, and churches, lodges of various orders, and in 1910 had a popu- lation of 549. Across the Juniata river is Millerstown Station, on the Pennsylvania railroad. A bridge was first built here in 1839.
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Newport ( formerly Reiderville) was laid out by Paul, John, and Daniel Reider, whose father had purchased the site from David English in 1789 and left it to his sons by a will dated August 6, 1804. When Perry county was erected in 1820 the name was changed to Newport and an effort was made to have the county seat located there. It was in- corporated in 1840 and in 1910 it was the largest town in the county, having a population of 2,009, an increase of 266 over the census of 1900. Newport has a national bank, good hotels, first-class mercantile establishments, several manufacturing concerns, neat churches, fine pub- lic school buildings, in which ten teachers were employed in 1912; im- proved streets, waterworks, electric lights, sewers, etc. It is the eastern terminus of the Newport & Sherman's Valley railroad and is on the main line of the Pennsylvania railroad twenty-seven miles west of Harrisburg.
New Buffalo, on the Susquehanna river, about seven miles above Duncannon, was laid out by Jacob Baughman some years before Perry county was created and was at first called Baughman's Town. It was incorporated on April 8, 1848, and John Shaffer was the first burgess. A school house was built in 1834 and was used for forty years, when a two-story brick building was erected. Jacob Baughman was the first hotel keeper and he also operated a grist-mill and distillery. A man named Kepner was the first merchant. Before he started in business the inhabitants went across the Susquehanna in canoes to Halifax, Dauphin county, for their supplies. The population of New Buffalo in 1910 was 135. It is the smallest borough in the county.
Shermansdale, although not an incorporated borough, is one of the flourishing towns. It is located on Sherman's creek, about eight miles south of New Bloomfield, which is the most convenient railroad station. A tavern was built near the village at an early date and was kept by Thomas Norton. The name Shermansdale was given to the postoffice when it was established in 1850. Daniel Gallatin was the first merchant. The population in 1910 was 572.
In addition to the boroughs and villages already mentioned in this chapter, the postoffices of Perry county are: Alinda, Centre, Logania, Mannsville, Markelsville, Montgomery's Ferry, Nekoda, Pfoutz Valley, Saville, Walsingham, and Wila. There are twenty-six rural free deliv- ery routes in the county, to wit: One from Andersonburg, one from
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Blain, four from Duncannon, one from Elliottsburg, two from Landis- burg, two from Liverpool, two from Loysville, one from Marysville, four from Millerstown, three from New Bloomfield, three from New- port, and two from Shermansdale.
CHAPTER XII
MILITARY HISTORY
Pennsylvania Always Patriotic-Conditions in the Early Part of the Eighteenth Cen- tury-The Ohio Company-French Opposition-They Build Forts in Pennsylvania -Washington's Expedition-General Braddock's Defeat-Indian Troubles in the Juniata Valley-Forts Patterson, Granville and Shirley-Indian Raids in the Valley -- Destruction of Fort Granville-Armstrong's Expedition-The Pontiac War- The Revolution-Committee of Correspondence and Safety-Meeting of Deputies- United Action-First Continental Congress-Provincial Convention of 1775-Com- mittee of Safety-Call for Troops-Thompson's Battalion-Roster of Juniata Com- panies-Washington's Opinion of the "Riflemen"-Organization of the Militia- Whigs and Tories-Weston's Tory Expedition-Jacob Hare-Frontier Forts-War of 1812-Volunteers from the Juniata-Perry's Victory-Heroism of Metlin and Tool-Pennsylvania's Record.
U NHAPPILY, the story of human progress is one of war, cruelty and bloodshed. Through the application of the theory that "the fittest survive," the weaker or inferior races have been vanquished by the stronger ones and their lands taken from them. Long and bloody contests have been waged by civilized nations for the territory thus wrested from savage peoples. Sometimes, as in the Revo- lutionary war, the people have rebelled against the oppression of a royal ruler, and, in a few instances, wars have been fought to uplift humanity. It has been said that war brings an element of patriotism that cannot be developed in times of peace. Whether or not this be true, the people of Pennsylvania have never been charged with a lack of patriotism or loyalty to their race, their government or its institutions. Since the first settlement of the province they have taken part in every conflict fought upon American soil. As pioneers they pushed their way into the wilderness, the trusty rifle being always within reach to defend their families and homes against the tomahawk and scalping-knife of the red man. They were among the first of the American colonists to protest against the tyranny of the mother country, and her sons served with honor and distinction in the War for Independence. In the War
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