History of Lycoming County, Pennsylvania, Part 69

Author: edited by John F. Meginness
Publication date: 1892
Publisher: Chicago, Ill. : Brown, Runk
Number of Pages: 1650

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The Baptist church was founded in 1840. The building has recently been remodeled. It is a frame structure and cost about $2,000. The Rev. J. Green Miles is pastor.

The above two churches are in Elimsport. A short distance east of the village is located what is called the." Frame church." It was founded as early as 1842 or 1843 by the Lutheran and German Reformed societies. The ground for the church as well as the cemetery was donated by Daniel Bear.

Cemeteries .- It was probably as early as 1829 that Jacob Bailey, one of the early settlers, gave the ground for a graveyard a short distance west of the village. In the course of years it had to be enlarged, when it was properly laid out and the friends of those buried there began to adorn it. To-day it is a very pretty little cemetery. The remains of many of the early settlers in the western part of the valley rest there, and the neat tombstones and monuments testify to the love and affection of their living descendants.

CLINTON TOWNSHIP.

At May sessions, 1825, a petition was presented to the court praying for a divis- ion of Washington township, and the court appointed Andrew D. Hepburn, Will- iam Wilson, and Joseph J. Wallis as viewers. They carefully considered the matter and reported in favor of a division at December sessions, 1825, whereupon the court entered a decree for a new township and named it Clinton, in honor of De Witt Clinton, then Governor of the State of New York.

Clinton is the twenty-first in size in the county and contains 12,160 acres, with a population of 1,326 by the census of 1890. It is bounded on the east by the river, which gracefully sweeps around the eastern end of Bald Eagle mountain and then flows due south; on the north by the river, which is here flowing from the west; on the west by Armstrong and Washington, and on the south by Brady town- ship.

Geologically the township consists of formation (No. IV) (Medina and Oneida), forming Bald Eagle mountain, while on the north and south flanks occur Clinton shales, (No. V,) which form a long loop around the valley, to which Lower Hel- derberg limestone (No. VI) succeeds in forming the center of the valley for almost its entire length; while next to this succeeds Chemung (No. VIII) in the southeast corner of the township along the river.

Black Hole Valley is a very rich and beautiful part of the county. The land is unsurpassed for fertility and the farms are well kept and models of neatness. How such a peculiar name came to be applied to the valley is not clearly explained. One tradition is that in early times a party of prospectors became mired in a swamp near the base of the mountain, and it was with considerable difficulty that they extri-

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HISTORY OF LYCOMING COUNTY.

cated themselves. The swamp was composed of a very black muck, and when the adventurers got out they vehemently declared that they would not be caught in that " black hole again!" From this circumstance, it is said, the name was applied to the valley.

Another tradition is, that when first seen by pioneers from Muncy Hills, on the east side of the river, the valley was covered with a heavy growth of pine, and lying under the shadow of Bald Eagle mountain, it presented such a dark, sombre appear- ance that they instinctively called it "black hole!" And from that expression it came to be known as "Black Hole valley."

Of the two traditions it is believed that the one relating to the swamp is the more likely to be correct. That swamp is still there, but probably not as bad as it was when the adventurers fell into it. Clearing away the timber has been the means of reclaiming much of it. Cranberries have been found growing in this swampy district from the earliest times. There is a patch on the land of Peter Rentz, one on the farm of Daniel Hartman, and Col. C. R. Lilley has one. Possibly there may be others.

Penny Hill .- Another peculiar natural feature of the township is a bold prom- ontory called Penny Hill. Its eastern escarpment is almost perpendicular where it overlooks the river, and its rocky cliffs overhanging the railroad track at its base afford some wild and picturesque views-especially in winter time, when great icicles hang from the rocks. It evidently was a continuation of Muncy Hill at one time, but through some great convulsion of nature it was separated and a channel for the river was made by the fracture. The origin of its peculiar, yet simple, name excites inquiry. But tradition answers the question. On the western side, where the hill gradually recedes to the valley, a few yards east of Road Hall, once dwelt a man named David Torbert. This is supposed to have been about 1790. He was the owner of a small dog named Penny. This dog had acquired the habit of going to the summit of the hill and sitting there for hours apparently viewing the beauti- ful landscape spread out before him. Penny evidently possessed a poetic soul, or he could not have appreciated the sublime scene which was unfolded to his canine eyes. From this fact tradition informs us that the natives named it "Penny Hill."

Early History .- The early inhabitants of this township, on account of its hav- ing been a part of Washington, passed through the stormy times of the Indian wars and the Revolution. Cornelius Low was one of the first settlers in Black Hole valley. In 1778 he leased 320 acres of land from the celebrated Dr. Francis Alli- son. The lease was what might be termed an "iron clad" document, and bound him under strict conditions to remain five years and make many improvements.

It does not clearly appear when Low and his family occupied the land, but it probably was soon after the execution of the lease, as there were a number of set- tlers already located in that section of the new country. But the Red Man seri- ously interfered with its terms; and although there was no reservation of that kind made, he prevented Low from carrying out the terms on his part. Indian troubles soon commenced and Low was advised by the friendly Indian, "Shaney John," to fly. He at once sent his family and stock down the river, but remained to see what the outcome of the rumors would be. The "Big Runaway" had commenced and he barely escaped the vengeance of the pursuing savages. In a few days he

Henry Decker

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rejoined his family at Fort Augusta and they straightway continued their flight to New Jersey, whence he never returned. His experience in the Indian country satis- fied him. Some of his sons returned, however, because Cornelius Low, of Will- iamsport, was a grandson. And it might be mentioned as a singular circumstance that a great-grandson now lives across the river almost within sight of the farm where his great-grandfather had such a rough experience in 1778.

Allison sold the land to John Bell. About 1783 it was purchased by William Mackey, but he did not occupy it. In 1786 Maj. John Ten Brook, of New Jersey, came to the valley and took a ten years' lease of the farm. Ten Brook was born near Trenton and was a posthumous and only child of Cornelius Ten Brook, and inherited a fair estate from his father. He commanded a battalion of New Jersey militia at the battle of Monmouth with the rank of major. His first wife was a Miss Katie Low, by whom he had two sons and one daughter. (The Lows, there- fore, and Ten Brook were related. Ten Brook was of Hollandish origin, and the name originally was spelled Broeck, the "ten" being a prefix, like "van" and " de.") His second wife was Miss Katie Emmons. Major Ten Brook sold his farm near Trenton in 1785 and took his pay in Continental money, and in six months it became worthless and he was almost penniless. He had kept a tavern in connec- tion with his farm. After the battle of Saratoga the Hessian general Reidesel and his famous wife and their attendants were assigned to his keeping as prisoners, because he could speak their language.

After occupying the Mackey farm for ten years Ten Brook renewed the lease for another ten years. Early in November, 1787, snow fell to the depth of four feet, and it lay on the ground till late in April, when a destructive flood in the river followed.

The winter of 1787 was an unusually severe one. There were not enough teams in the settlement to keep the roads broken. Nearly all the stock froze or starved. Men could only get from place to place on snow shoes. The settlers had had but meager crops, their stocks of provisions were low, and the outlook was dis- couraging. Game was plenty, but it, too, starved or was frozen to death. The hunters searched the woods on snow shoes; sometimes they fell through the ernst over deep drifts, and they had to "tramp, tramp, tramp" under them till they packed the snow into a stairway to get out. Major Ten Brook was a good marks- man and hunter, and he kept several families in venison through the winter. The snow had bent down many small trees aud broken large ones. The bent and broken trees formed a sheltering place for the deer, where they huddled, starved, or froze to death during the long and rigorous winter. On one occasion Major Ten Brook killed two deer at one shot under one of these retreats. In the spring he had only one mare left of all his stock. With this animal and a neighbor's yoke of oxen they put in and tended their crops.

As soon as the roads could be traveled in the spring Mr. Emmons, Ten Brook's father-in-law, came to the valley with a four-horse wagon load of salt, seed, wheat, corn, and garden seeds. The settlers had eaten up everything during the winter they had raised the season before. He also brought a fishing seine several hundred feet long. With this seine the settlers went to the fishery at Lawson's island, about two miles above the mouth of Black Hole creek, and at the first haul caught

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HISTORY OF LYCOMING COUNTY.

2,500 shad, each weighing from four to eight pounds! The half-starved people thought this haul almost as miraculous as when the net was cast in the sea of Galilee! The statement was cut in the bark of a soft maple standing on Lawson's island, which could be plainly read twenty years afterwards.

In the spring of 1788 Mr. Emmons and his son came again from New Jersey with another four-horse wagon load of salt, seeds, and provisions, which they dis- tributed among the needy. In return for their kindness the people turned in and assisted them with the big seine to catch a wagon load of shad, which they dressed, salted, packed in barrels, and took back with them.

While traveling Mr. Emmons camped by the roadside and slept in his wagon. One night while thus sleeping, with his son, a tree fell across the wagon-whether from being blown down, or burned at the root by his camp fire is unknown-and the sharp end of a limb was driven through his head, killing him instantly. Thns died the kind hearted man while returning from an errand of mercy to the starving settlers of Black Hole valley.

As Lawson's island was the only good fish landing at that point in the river, there was much contention about the right to use it for seining. There were always some parties using it when others came. Disputes therefore often arose and to settle them fisticuffs were resorted to. On one of these occasions Andrew Ten Brook, son of Major John, and one David Macy had a fight. Macy's party had possession when Ten Brook and his party arrived, and they were obliged to do the best they could on the ripples. Ten Brook being of Holland descent spoke broadly and called out to his party along the seine, "this carrant is taa strang," meaning "current," and "strang" for "strong." Macy was the champion pugil- ist and ever ready to pick a quarrel, and he began mocking Ten Brook. This incensed the latter, and when they landed they had a terrible fight and Macy was whipped.

Lawson finally purchased the island and monopolized the fishery. When the canal was built the riprapping along Muncy Hill so changed the current that in time it cut the island entirely away, and Lawson's heirs recovered damages from the State. It contained from seven to ten acres.

Years afterwards Major Ten Brook, with two of his sons, moved to White Deer valley and purchased a farm, where he died between 1816 and 1820, aged about eighty years. Andrew, who whipped Macy, lived and died in White Deer. The other brothers emigrated west.

William Mackey permanently settled on his farm after Ten Brook left it and he became one of the leading men of the township. He died in 1821. No descendauts remain.

Nicholas Shaffer settled in Black Hole bottom in 1784. In 1795 he built a grist mill. It was destroyed about 1820, but rebuilt in 1834, when it passed into the hauds of Robert Porter. Mr. Porter was born in County Donegal, Ireland, March, 1790, and died January 17, 1880. His father, George Porter, and mother, Cathar- ine Riddell, came to America in 1793 and settled where the borough of Jersey Shore now stands. There Mrs. Porter died at the age of eighty-three. Three years later her husband removed to Armstrong township, where he died on the 23d of February, 1842. He was a farmer by occupation. In 1825 Robert, the son, married Nancy

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Porter, daughter of James Porter, of Loyalsock township. Though of the same name they were not related. After marriage they settled in Clinton. Mrs. Porter died, August 23, 1859, aged nearly sixty. They left six children, three sons and three daughters. Hon. Frank Porter, of Montgomery, is the youngest son.

Peter Stryker settled near the site of the present Lutheran church in 1754. He died in 1795 and was buried in the Lutheran graveyard, this being the first inter- ment.

In 1790 the Coleman family came into the valley and built a mill on the site of the one now owned by the Thomas Brothers. They purchased large tracts of land, but they have long since passed out of their hands and are now owned by strangers. Those who settled in what is now Montgomery will be referred to in the sketch of that borough.

David Bear and family came in 179S and made a fine improvement on the river. The Bear and Mackey families were related. Dr. Bear, of Jersey Shore, is a descendant. One of the oldest settlers was Conrad Miller. He came about 1784 and settled where his daughter, Mrs. Moore, afterwards lived. In 1795 he built a mill. It was a primitive affair, but served the purpose for which it was erected for a long time. It is related that each customer had to turn the bolt by hand and bolt his own grist. Near the sight of the old mill Benjamin Frick and Peter Sheddy built a wool carding mill in 1828. It was operated for several years when it fell . into decay and disappeared.

One of the oldest men who ever lived in the township was Adam Hart, father of ex-State Senator Hart, of Williamsport. He was born on Warrior run. Northum- berland county, May 6. 17SS, and died May S, 1890, at the great age of one hun- dred and one years, ten months, and two days. Mr. Hart came to Black Hole val- ley when quite a young man, settled, and remained there to the close of his long life. He was a farmer by occupation, and was able to go about his farm until within two or three years of his decease. He was the father of nine children, six of whom are living. His wife died about twenty-four years before him at the age of sixty-eight.

Streams and Mills .- Black Hole creek is the principal stream in the township. It rises in Loyalsock gap, flows through the borough of Montgomery, and falls into the river less than a mile away. A small stream named Turkey run empties into the river in the eastern part of the township.

A mill was built at Clintondale in 1832 by Col. L. C. Kinsey, the same year that Chicago was founded. Afterwards it was owned and run by Frank Porter. It was destroyed by fire, September 12, 1890.

Postoffices .- The only postoffice in the township at present is located at Muncy station on the Philadelphia and Erie railroad. It was established June 11, 1860, and John Rinehart was appointed postmaster. His successors have been Henry W. Petrikin. appointed October 22, 1866; John H. Bibby, January 13, 1875; Mrs. Elcie M. Rothrock, February 2, 1875; John Kift, March 27, 1SS2; Henry Fry, November 28, 18S3; John Kift, March 24, 1SS6, present incumbent.

A postoffice was established at Eagleton, January 19, 1SSS, and Luke Eger was appointed postmaster. It was discontinued January 31, 1891.

Churches .- The Lutheran and Reformed societies jointly built a church in

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HISTORY OF LYCOMING COUNTY.

1817, where the present Lutberan house of worship stands. The old house was destroyed by fire in 1848, and the present structure was afterwards erected. The first Lutheran minister was Rev. Eyer; first Reformed, Rev. Engle. The Baptists erected a church in 1836. The first Baptist minister was Rev. Thomas Smiley. He was followed by Rev. George Higgins.

Schools .- Educationally the inhabitants of Clinton are abreast of the times. They have six school houses, bearing the following local names: Muncy Station, Mountain, Baptist, Clinton Mills, Pine Street, and Mountain Grove. The report for 1891 shows an average of six months taught by three male and three female teach- ers, for which they were paid an average of $35 per month.

ARMSTRONG TOWNSHIP.

The territory of Armstrong was first embraced in Washington township. In 1787 part of its territory was given to Lycoming township, and in 1825 it was organized into a new township and called Clinton. In 1842 enough territory was taken from Clinton to form a new township, and it was called Armstrong, in honor of James Armstrong, a prominent member of the bar, and afterwards a Supreme court justice.

Armstrong township is the eighteenth in size in the county and contains 13,440 acres, with a population of 7,385 by the census of 1890. It is bounded on the east and north by Clinton township and the river, on the west by Bastress, Susquehanna, and Limestone, and on the south by Washington and Clinton townships. Three- fourths or more of its surface are very hilly and broken, and the great Bald Eagle mountain crosses it from east to west, leaving but a narrow strip of tillable land on the south side of the river at its base. Mosquito valley, or more properly a great basin, lying southwest of the borough of DuBoistown, is hemmed in by high mount- ains. It is reached by a narrow ravine from the latter borough, through which Mosquito run, a stream of pure mountain water, dashes. A road runs through the ravine up the valley and over the mountain into Nippenose valley, another peculiarly shaped basin in Limestone township.

Mosquito Valley contains a number of good farms and is pretty thickly settled. Its soil is noted for the production of grass. Fruit trees grow well and there are several fine orchards. The surrounding mountain scenery is bold, attractive, and pleasing to the eye. On account of its secluded condition and pure water, several summer cottages have been built on the banks of the stream in the upper part of the valley, where the owners and their families spend the heated term very pleasantly. Fish ponds were erected a few years ago and an effort at raising trout made, which proved quite successful as long as they were protected and carefully looked after.

The great Indian trail from White Deer valley crossed the mountain and descended into the eastern end of Mosquito valley, passed down the stream through the ravine, and came out at DuBoistown. It was a famous path in Indian times and was much traveled, and over it many wbite prisoners, including women and children, were hurried along into captivity. In after years, when Culbertson built his mill at the mouth of Mosquito run, and the settlers in White Deer valley traveled it with their grists of grain on the backs of horses, it came to be known as Culbertson's path. It is distinctly visible in many places to-day, and can be easily followed over the mountain.

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ARMSTRONG TOWNSHIP.

The geology of this peculiarly isolated valley and the bold mountains which surround it, affords an interesting study. Abraham Meyer, Esq., local geologist, writes :

Armstrong township consists of formation (No. III), Hudson river and Utica slates making the surface and rim around Mosquito valley, a small oval valley at an elevation of about 800 feet above tide. Next above this occurs formation (No. IV), Medina and Oneida sandstones and conglomerates, which form the greater part of its area, making a mountain crest on the north and the south at an elevation of 1,900 feet above tide. Next above these, geologically, is formation (No. V), Clinton shales, on the north slope of the river mountain, inclined at a high angle and well exposed in some of the railroad cuts. Succeeding these, but concealed. is for- mation (No. VI). Lower Helderberg limestone.

Mosquito valley has long been noted for its so-called marble quarry, which has furnished some good ornamental tiling, but no marble. It has been called the Trenton group, but a visit to the quarry will convince any one that it is a calcareous slate and not a true marble.

Another error has been made by many confounding the black shales and slates of this formation-(No. III), Hudson river and Utica slates-with Hamilton and Marcellus (VIII b) and (VIII c) of the Chemung, on the north side of the river. The Hudson river formation (No. III) is some 5,000 feet lower in the geological column than the (No. VIII) black shales. The topog- raphy of the two localities will show that (No. III), black shales, is 335 feet higher

The surface of this township is much varied and many striking phenomena are presented, which are well worth being studied by those interested in geology.

Mosquito valley in early times was covered with a dense thicket of underbrush and heavy pine timber. How it obtained its name is unknown, unless the early explorers and settlers gave it that title on account of the myriads of gnats and mosquitoes which evidently abounded there.

Settlement .- Among those who laid early land warrants were: Thomas Hartley, February 11, 1773, warrant for 2773 acres: Michael Graybill, 2774 acres; George L. Leffler, 283 acres; John Kern, 290 acres. According to the law of that time one man was forbidden from taking up more than one tract. It was evaded, how- ever, by getting others to warrant land and then purchase it from them for a nominal consideration. Colonel Hartley evidently desired to become the owner of the entire valley. for on March 31, 1773, Graybill, Leffler, and Kern conveyed their tracts to him, which made a total of over 1,000 acres in his name. June 30, 1773, he conveyed one-half of the four tracts to James Rose, of Philadelphia; and August 21, 1795, Hartley conveyed to Seely Huling and Thomas Huling the four tracts named "Kelsoe," "Ledbury," "Grammont," and "Hartley," making 1,115} acres. The increased acreage probably resulted from more care in surveying. A mortgage for £3,375 15s was executed by the Hulings, August 26, 1795, to secure payment.

Marcus Huling, the father of Seely and Thomas Huling, who made this large land purchase, settled in the eastern end of Mosquito valley, near where the Indian trail passed a fine spring, in the year 1795. His family consisted of a wife and five or six children. He built a cabin, a saw mill, and a distillery, cleared land, and was a man of enterprise. When he and his wife died they were buried on a piece of ground overlooking what are now the ruins of the marble mill. Their son Thomas, who afterwards conducted the distillery and carried on an extensive busi- ness, was buried by the side of his parents when he died, as well as his wife and many others. To-day a few rude stones in a thicket, in the midst of a large culti- vated field, mark the site of this early graveyard.

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HISTORY OF LYCOMING COUNTY.

When Thomas Huling died the other members of the family had left the valley, and the property, which had not been paid for, fell back into the hands of the original owner, and it again lapsed into a wilderness and virtually remained in that condition until reclaimed by German settlers in 1832. When Colonel Hartley died, December 21, 1800, his administrators experienced much difficulty in settling his estate, and the litigation which ensued probably retarded settlements in Mosquito valley.

Lumbering .- Owing to the heavy growth of choice pine, lumbering became one of the earliest industries. Huling's saw mill, built where he settled, was the second one on the stream. It was erected about the beginning of this century. Much of the lumber manufactured at these mills was hauled to the river, made into rafts, and floated to market. Altogether, from the mouth of the stream and through the valley. there have been eleven saw mills. The pine in the valley has long since been consumed, the mills have rotted down, and the sound of the saw is no longer heard.

Storage Reservoirs .- The eastern part of Armstrong township, lying on the · river, is very rich agriculturally. and the well tilled farms are admired by all who see them. The township has contributed much of her best land for the formation of two boroughs-DuBoistown and South Williamsport. The two principal streams in the township-Mosquito and Hagerman's runs-drain an extensive territory on the north side of Bald Eagle mountain, and fall into the river, the first at DuBois- town. the latter at South Williamsport. Both furnish water for the City of Will- iamsport. which is conducted across the river by mains. The reservoir of the water company in Mosquito valley has a storage capacity of 21,000,000 gallons: the second, on Hagerman's run, has a capacity of between 7,000,000 and 8,000,000. Two fine roads cross the mountain into White Deer valley.

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History of Lycoming County, Pennsylvania, Part 69

Author: edited by John F. Meginness Publication date: 1892 Publisher: Chicago, Ill. : Brown, Runk Number of Pages: 1650

Author: edited by John F. Meginness
Publication date: 1892
Publisher: Chicago, Ill. : Brown, Runk
Number of Pages: 1650