USA > Pennsylvania > Northumberland County > History of Northumberland Co., Pennsylvania. With illustrations descriptive of its scenery, palatial residences, public buildings, fine blocks, and important manufactories > Part 46
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It is sixteen miles hence to Northumberland, the venerable town to which, from this part of the County, all highways lead-just as it was once said that all rourls lead to Rome. The roofs of the village of Dewart can be seen to the northward, and the spires of Milton are visible four miles down the river. The ground upon which Watsontown stands, was, oo February 3d, 1769, grunted by the Province of Pennsylvania, to Lieutenants Housegger and Hunsicker, in payment for military services; the former owning below, and the latter above, the present line of Front street, which line formed the boundary between their respective grants. A few years Inter, these grauts- having in the mean time passed through several hands-were parchased by John Watson, Sr. He laid out the road or lane, running straight back from the river, on the Hunsieker and Honsegger line. It is now aamed Front street, but for many years it was enlled Main, until that name was, very properly transferred to the long, principal street of the present town, which erosses Front at nearly a right angle, and rons upward a course nearly thirty-three degrees west. This laying out was made in 1794, and Mr. Watson sold stall lots of land to several purehusers, among them being James Watson, (not, however, a relative of the proprietor) who, upon his lot, on the north side of the ( then ) Main street, commenced a business which is, nod has ever been, the curse of all communities, new and old, and yet, one which seems alway> the first thought of in new settlements, particularly-a shop for the sale of whisky. His establishment was a shaoty built of slabs, and altogether a very disreputable place, frequented by the lowest class of boatmen aud others, and from this slab-built hovel, the entire neighborhood soon gained the undesirable appellation of " Slabtown."
Mr. John Watson was very naturally incensed ut this, and repenting of having sold any lots at all, he now tried to re-purchase them, and was in several case> >necessful, but not, however, in that of James Wateoo. After this he sold no more, and at his death his lunds, embracing nbunt one thousand and fifty aures, were divided between his three sons; David receiving a tract lying on the river and below Main (now Froot) street; John a similar tract abore the same street; and George's portion, consisting of the higher Innds, to the eastward of, and adjoining those of both his brothers, David and John. David was the merchant of the family. He established trade in a small way in Slabtown as early of 1794, and continued in it, experiencing the prosperity and inerense which usually attend honest and well-conducted enterprise, until 1839, a period of forty-five years, His son, John L. Watson, Esq., now seventy-six years of age, and one of the oldest and most respected citizens of Milton, remained with his father continnonsly (except nbsences at school ) for twenty-seven years, amil well recolleets many of the incidents of his succesful career. Among these, it is noteworthy that he ( David) " ran the river" with his arks and Durham honts, carrying produce to the lower markets without necident or loss, for thirty-nine years ; and when, in 1833, an ark of his, carry- ing eleven hundred bushels of wheat and some barrels of whisky, was sunk in the river, ( the wheat being a total loss and the whisky mostly saved ), he very philosophically said it was but n just toll paid to the river highway, which, for neurly forty years, had served him gratuitously and well, and then he abandoned it forever.
His place of' basiness was first a log store-house fronting the river, on tho lower side of Main ( Front) street. Contiguous to and below that, he soon built the warehouse, which the increase in his business rentlered necessary, and in these modest structures, he bought and sold, and bartered with profit, up to the fortieth year of the present centary.
It seems proper to make this much mention of his private affairs, beeanse, at that time, he aod his business were all there was of Watsontown, or rather, Watsonburg, for this Intter was the name which first obtained, after the op- probrious one of "Slabtown" Inudì passed into disuse. The place had really but very little history for many years. John Watson, the brother of David, prosperuus too, but not prominent, living on the spot, and in the stone-house where his father-the proprietor of all-had lived. George, dwelling baek in the higher lands, a farmer, but quite as independent as either; and James Watson, notwithstanding, the anathema of the elder John, still holding his own-though not in that slab enstle which had brought such scandal on the neighbors-five or six dwellings in all, while np the river, were the farmns of Rev. Mr. Hogue, Major Wilson, William Irvin, Samuel, and John Brown, Robert Craig, and still further up, the Kerrigan and Marrny farms, all of which, and several others, laid between the tract of John Watson and the Mnoey Hills.
130
HISTORY OF NORTHUMBERLAND COUNTY, PENNSYLVANIA.
As early as 1822, a mail for Sugar Valley and other westerly points, began to pass through Watsonburg, and across the river, by the ferry which Daniel Caldwell had established about the first year of the century. It was n weekly mail, carried on horseback, by Samnel MoKee. Mr. Caldwell was the father of the route, for he had procured its establishment under the administration of James Monroe.
But Watsontown had no post-office until 1830. David Watson was the first post-master, as was entirely proper, for there was no other person in the place who was in all respects eligible.
A SECOND STORE
Was opened in 1827, by Thomas Arbuckle, in a building owned by James Watson, and which was on Front street, near where Mr. Kirk's mansion now is. This store did not continne long. Mr. Arbuckle removed to Union County, where he still lives at a very advanced age.
THE WEST BRANCH CANAL
Was finisbed as far np us Muncy Dam, in October, 1828, but there was really no business tlone on it until 1830. From that time on, David Watson and others, sent their grain and produce down, and received goods up by canal, instead of river as before; but this change prodneed no marked effect in growth, or prosperity to Watsuntown.
THE SUNBURY AND ERIE RAILROAD
Was approaching completion, in 1854, and then the question-and a vital one it was for Watsontown-arose where the depot should be located. The officers of the company were in favor of a point below the mouth of Warrior Run, and it would doubtless have been placed there, but that John L. Watson, and E. L. Piper-the son, and the son-in-law, respectively, of David Watson-promptly mude a free gift to the company, of land for n depot, also, a never-failing spring, near, and much higher than their track, for a water-station, and over six hundred dollars in cash. These inducements de- cided the question in favor of the donors. The depot and water-station were located ou David Watson's land. The next year, the railroad went into operation, and the future of the town was secure.
In 1857, just after the opening of the railroad, Mozes Chamberlain built his lumber mill, which was the commencement of the business now earried on by Cook & Parder. At that time, the entire settlement consisted of not more than twelve buildings, the stone-house of John Watson, at the river bank, fuot of Front street; the brick-dwelling, store and warehouse on the river, below Front street ; and another brick-house higher up, on the sonth side of the street; these last four being owned by David Watson. The tavern house of James Watson, on the north sule of Front, near Main street and the frame-house of Joseph Hugue, just west of the tavern on the south- east corner of Front and Main streets, was the store of E. L. Piper, (now the stand of Goodman & Brother,) to which he had removed the businesss of his father-in-law, David Watson, and which was also the pust-office. Directly opposite this, on the north-west corner of Front and Maia, stood Cooner's tavern, which had been built the previous year on the spot before occupied by George Fox's blacksmith-shop. Above this, upon the Main street, there was but a single building, a very small one-story frume, built by E. L. Piper, for the Misses Campbell, two elderly and needly muiden sisters, who had been in his employ. (This is now standing below and ad- joining Minerva Hail.) Relow Front street on Main, there was bnt a single house, that of Thomas Burr, built in 1851. These were the insignificant proportions of Watsuntown, in 1857. David Watson had died the previous year, and now when his brother Jobn followed him to the grave, E. L. Piper, who had bought his lands, laid them out in lots and offered many in- dacements to such as would purchase with a view to settlement, and yet it was not until after 1861, that there was much increase. In that year, when Joseph Everett built his brick-house on what is now Liberty street, it was the only building east of the railroad track; while upon Main, above Second, there were as yet but two houses, one occupied by Joseph Bly, and the other by Zachariah Yeagel. Bat from that time, the town's growth com- menced and continued with such rapidity, that ia six years it had reached a stage of importance which warranted its
ORGANIZATION AS A BOROUGH.
The incorporation was made November 4th, 1867, and the first election held November 16th, 1867. It resulted in the choice of the following offi- cers: Burgess, Joseph Hollopeter; Council-Thomas Carl, Frederick S.
Whitman, C. O. Bachman, John Bly, D. C. Hogue; High Constable, Eli Lochner; School Directors-J. Y. Ellis, William Cooner, H. K. Whitman, James Ott, H. W. Kriner, Thomas Barr; Justice of the Peace, John Orr; Overseers of the Poor-Peter Sheaffer, Robert Johnson.
The horough limits include an areu one mile-and-three-quarters in length, and more than half-a-mile in width. The population, in 1870, was one thousand one hundred and eighty-one. It is now probably fully two thon- sand. It has three public houses, eight general stores, one dry goods-store, three hardware-stores, two drug-stores, two boot and shoe-stores, two saddlery- stores, and harness-makers, and the usual variety and number of small dealers and shops, found in similar towns.
The Attorneys and Counselors at Luw are three in number, viz .: A. J. Guffy, Ozear Foust, und W. Field Shay.
There are five Physician> : Drs. H. D. Hunter, J. Rhouds, Joseph Hon- ter, J. I. Leiser, and J. A. McClure, one of whom (Dr. Hunter) was the first medical practitioner who established in Watsontown. Before his com- ing, patients in the town and its vicinity had been attended by physicians from Milton, and from Union County.
The Watsontown Record newspaper was first published in April, 1869, by a joint stock company, with Oscar Foust, Esq., as editor. On the 27th of June, 1871, the office was purchased by John J. Auten & Co., (J. J. Auten and H. F. Algert, ) and was conducted under that firm name for four years. In 1875, Algert sold his interest to Auten, who has since edited and published the paper alone. The Record has a circulation of nearly eight hundred, and is, financially, quite prosperous.
Minerva Hall is a handsome frame building, at the south-east corner of Second and Main streetz. Erected in 1869, by the " Minerva Association." Its size is sixty by ninety feet, and two stories in height. The street floor is ocenpied by the post-office, and two stores. The entire second floor is embraced in the audience-room, which is reached by a broad stairway, afford- ing ample facility of egress, in case of fire. It is handsomely frescoed; bas a good stage, and all the appointments necessary for a place of public enter- tainment.
Watsontowm Lodge, No. 401, A. Y. M., constituted in 1868. Past Masters- Joseph Hollopeter, Isaac N. Messinger, Isaac Vincent, Joseph H. Wagner, Jacob M. Follmer, Oscar Foust, William M. Wagner, S. G. M. Hollopeter. Place of assembly, Masonic Hall, Miller's building, corner Fourth and Main streets.
Warrior Run Chapter, No. 246, H. R. A., constituted June, 1874. Past High Priests, Robert M. Claxton, Jr., Oscar Foust. Assembles at Masonic Hall, Main and Fourth streets.
W'utsontown Lodge, No. 619, I. O. of O. F., meets in hall over the shop and ware-rooms of the Wutsontown Boot and Shoe Manufacturing Company.
Patriotic Order Sons of America; Wawenoe Tribe, No. 153, I. O. of Red Men; Order of United American Mechanics; Junior Order United American Mechanics. These four last-named societies meet weekly in Hogue's Hall, Muin street.
Knights of Pythius ineet in Shay's Hall, Main street.
Watsoutown Silver Cornet Rand, organized in December, 1872, consists of fourteen members. Uniform, cadet gruy, trimmed with scarlet; gray cap, with scarlet and white plume. Their performances are held in very high estimation by the towns-people.
The Fire Department .- Uutil 1873, the borough was entirely without a fire-engine. Some years before, several ladders, fire-houks, poles, etc., had been procured, but they were entirely too heavy for any force which the town conld furnish, and so they were never used. But, in the Spring of that year, the borough decided to, and did, purchase a hand-engine and hose- carriage, and a company was at onee raised to operate them. It was organ- izetl June 11th, 1873, and was called the "Hope Huse Fire Company, No. 1." Very soon after, a second company was started, and named the "Eureka Fire Company." The Hope Hose Company had charge of the hose-carriage, and the hand-engine was given to the Eurekas.
The "Hope" soon became ambitious of independent organization, and the ownership of a book-and-ladder truck, with first-class appointments. Re- ceiving the hearty co-operation and assistance of' the citizens, they were enabled, on the 1st of July, 1875, to dedicate to the service of the towns- people, an apparatus, which is said to be one of the most perfect of its kind.
'Though an independent company, it is, when on duty, under orders of the Chief of the Fire Department.
131
HISTORY OF NORTHUMBERLAND COUNTY, PENNSYLVANIA.
There has been erected, especially for its use, n tine trame building, twenty by forty-five feet, with tower and fire-alarm, and with a well-furnished meet- iug-room on the second story.
The company is incorporated, and numbers thirty-six men, fully equipped. They have figured prominently at 6res in Milton and Williamsport.
In June, 1874, the borough authorities purchased a new No. 3 "Silshy" steamer, with two hose-carringes and one thousand feet of hose. To have in charge and to operate this apparatus, the " West Branch Stenm Fire Com- pany " was raised. Their number was about one hundred, among them being many business men of the place. The engine-house is on East Fifth street, and there lies the engine and paraphernalia, nunguum non paratus,
Happily, there have been ao grent confingrations in this borough, but many of the best citizens of Milton say that their town was anved from destruction by the prompt and generous succor rendered by the firemen of Watsontown and Lewisburg, on the night of December 12th, 1875.
Watsontown has neither gas nor water-works, but its manufacturing indus- tries are very considerable, and chief among them is the business of the
Watsontown Lumber Company .- These mills were commeneed in 1866, and completed in April, 1867, by Ario Pardee, of Hazleton, Pennsylvania, at a cost of one hundred thousand dollars. Since May of the latter year, they have been operated by the above-named company, composed of A. Pardee, A. T. Goodman, John H. Goodman, and John Bly. The stock of logs is furoished from Mr. Pardee's timber lands on White Deer Creek, and on the tributaries of the west branch, in the counties of Clinton, Elk, Clearfield, and Cameron. These lands nggregate one hundred and fitty thousand artes, and are believed to be sufficient to keep the midls fully supplied for thirty years.
These mills are singularly well located. The river, which brings them their stock, is within a cable's length; and then the caual nud the railway track both pass so near, that the manufactured lumber is shipped upon cars or boats without extra handling. The upper will, or "jack-mill," as it is called, takes the logs from the river, carries them high over the canal, and transfers them to the log-pool, or basin, from whence, in due course, they are drawn up into the saw-mill, and cut into merehantable lumber. The "jack- ing" of the logs from the river into the company's basin, although so in- genious and admirable an operation, would be very difficult of written explanation; but the process, as well as the arrangement for securing logs iu the river, are both so perfect that, in nine years' business, and during the floods, which, in that time, have created such havoc among lumbermen, this company bave never, to their knowledge, lost a single log.
During the process of transfer from the river to the pool, all such logs as are in part defective, ure separated from the others, leaving only the perfectly souad ones to be floated to the gangs. Of the defective logs, the sound portions are ent into shingles, and the mill for this purpose has a capacity of twenty-five thousand shingles per day. The main mill has four gangs and three Mulay saws, all driven by an engine of one hundred and twenty horse- power, supplied with steam by twelve boilers, ench thirty-two feet in length. Fuel for these boiler-furnnees, is furnished by the saw-dust alone. The capacity of the snw-mill is one hundred thousand feet per day. Of the slabs, the best parts are manufactured into fence-palings, and the inferior portions into latus. Twelve thousand finished pnlings, and twenty-five thousand laths are turned out daily. Below the suw-mill is the company's planing-mill, producing matched flooring, siding, and dressed lumber, principutlly for the lower river and seaboard markets.
These mills nre mentioned the more minutely, partly because they are among the very best in Pennsylvania, and, more particularly, heenuse the establishment of Mr. Pardee's enterprises (of which this is the principal one, ) in Watsontown, was renlly the commencement and chief enuse of the pros- perity and growth of the place.
Lumber-mills of Cook & Pardec .- The commencement of this business in Watsontown, was made by Moses Chamberlain, of Milton, au'l William H. Follmer, who, in 1857, built their first mill, on the West Branch Canal, and (then) entirely above the settlement. The next year, an interest in the con- cern was purchased by Joseph Hollopeter, and, in 1859, Chamberlain left it. The mill was destroyed by fire November 3d, 1860. On the re-building of the establishment, in 1861, Chamberlain returned to the firm, and its style became Follmer, Hollopeter and Chamberlain. In 1863, Hollopeter retirer, leaving the business to Chamberlain and Follmer, from whom, in 1865, it was purchased by Cook, Hollopeter & Co., this firm being composed of Robert G. Cook, Joseph Hollopeter, Enoch Everett, and Enos Everett. In 1867, Hollopeter, and the two Everetts sold out to Ario Pardee, and this
constituted the present firm of Cook & Pardee. The production is about thirty thetsand feet per day-nearly all bill lumber. They run one circolar, and two Mulay saws. Number of hamls employed, ahout thirty. Belonging to the establishment is a factory for tho manufacture of match-stieks, em- ploying a number of' men, but this is not now in stendly operation.
Watsontown Planing-mill Company .- Their works occupy the space from Sixth to Seventh streete, on the Philadelphia and Erie Railroad. They commenced work on May 1st, 1876. The manufacture is, flooring, siding, mouldings, surfaced work, sashes, iluors, frames, . and every kind of work usually done by such establishments. Hands employeil, thirty-five. The company is made up of J. Il. Wagner, J. W. Muffly, William Hnekenburg, and F. B. Wagner. This business is a continuation of' that done by the old mill of Wagner, Starr & Co., built by them in the Spring of 1868, on the ennal, between Second and Third streets, and which did an annual business of eighty thousand to one hundred thousand dollars, up to the time of its destruction by fire, September 221, 1875. The loss by that disaster was twenty-five thousand dollars above insurance.
The Watsontown Steam Flour-mill, is located on the line ut the Philadelphia and Erie Railroad, at Eighth street, and was built in 1868, by John MeFar- land, who is still its proprietor. The mill is fifty by sixty feet, with engine- house attached, undl also a storage-house, thirty by forty-six feet. The engine is of sixty-horse-power. There are four setts of burrs, doing merchant work to the amount of one hundred and sixty thousand dollars annually.
The Watsontown Tunnery, situated in the north-easterly portion of the town near the railroad track, was built in 1867, by William M. Wagner nod Joseph Hollopeter. In 1869, it was purchased hy Messrs. George Burns and Samuel Caldwell, Mr. Vagner however, retaining an interest, The present owners are Samuel Callwell, George Burns, Samuel Miller and William M. Wagner. The yearly tannage has renched ten thousand sides, but at present the establishment is not in operation.
Watsontown Car-works .- These are extensive buildings recently erected by Ario Pardee, and others, with view to the manufacture of railway and mine ears, but thus for they have stuod unemployed, and it is now improbable that they will ever be devoted to the business for which they were intended. The shops statul on the line of the railroad in the upper part of the town.
Watsontown Boot wound Shoe Manufacturing Company .- Isane Vincent, president; Samuel Miller, treasurer ; F. H. Miller, secretary ; O. S. Lawrence, superintendent. The enterprise was innugurated in 1869, and the factory builling, fifty-five fert front by eighty-five feet in depth, three stories high, was erecterl on Main street above Second. The company employs forty hands in the manufacture of work for men's wear, of which their nanual production is to the amount of fifty thousand dollar -. In the third story over the company's work, and warerooms, is a ball need for the meetings of the lodge of the I. O. of O. F.
The Ferry from Watsontown tu White Deer Mills, was started by Daniel Caldwell, about the year 1800. His house stood on the west bank of the river, and there he lived and plied his ferry during a peruxì of more than half the years of man's life-allotment. His buats were propelled across the strenm nt low water, by "setting jules" of which one end was set upon the river bottom and the other placed against the shoulder of the ferryman; but ut high stages when the poles would not touch the bottom, large oars or "sweeps" were used, aml if the hnoming current carried the hoat far below its proper lundling place, then when they reached the still water near the shore the oarsman must head her up stream, and pull patiently till the lost ground was regained. But when Mr. Caldwell died, on the 18th day of December, 1836, and when soou after, the ferry franchise was purchased by Henry High, he determined to abumlon the old method and adopt the more modern one of attaching the boat to a vable stretched from shore to shore, by which plan nut only is the drifting avoided but the current itself is made to propel the hunt across. So a manilla rope one-andl-three-quarters inches in dinmeter was purchased and placed in position, but the experiment was not successful, for wet weather produceil an irresistable contraction, which neither the euble uor the shore fistenings could withstand; and again, the dry heat of summer lengthened it till it sometimes nearly renched the sur- face of the water. The raftsmen, tou, passing down the river were prone to do minlicious injury to the cable when it vame within their reach.
These objections were su great that it was abandoned in a few months, and sweeps and setting-poles came in nse again. In 1854, High sold to a stock company, composed of John Bly, John L. Watson, and others, who revived
132
HISTORY OF NORTHUMBERLAND COUNTY, PENNSYLVANIA.
the project of the cable, but this time it was a metallic one, which they pur- chased of John A. Roebling, of Trenton, New Jersey, the cugineer of the Niagara suspension bridge. This provedl successful, and it is still in use.
After several changes of ownership, the ferry became, in 1873, the prop- erty of Captain John Bly, who is still sole proprietor, and who says that since the wire cable was put in position in 1854, it hns safely crossed more thun eighty million feet of logs from the western to the eastern side of the river.
The ferry is but an bumble enterprise, yet it has been, and is, a very ma- terial convenience to the people of the two counties. The citizen, in his daily avocations ; the traveller on his journeys ; merry pleasure parties and sad , mourning processions, all have safely crossed over it, while clergymen und physicians, on their errands of spiritual and corporeal ministration, have passed to and fro without money or price for three-quarters of'n century.
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