History of Northumberland County, Pennsylvania, Part 52

Author: Bell, Herbert C. (Herbert Charles), 1868- ed; John, J. J., 1829-
Publication date: 1891
Publisher: Chicago, Brown, Runk
Number of Pages: 1424

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Dr. R. H. Awl furnishes the following account of the first and only canal boat ever launched on Shamokin creek: This boat was built in 1832 or 1833 by Adam Shissler, Jacob Martz, and others on the farm now owned by Benjamin Zettlemoyer at the north side of the creek. It was launched in the spring when the water was deemed high enough and floated with the current as far as Leisenring's fording, between L. T. Rohrbach's and Charles Rhinehart's farms. There the boat stuck, but after considerable prying it was extricated and reached the mill dam by the close of the first day. On the following morning an effort was made to get it over the dam by the use of skids, but without success; William McCarty's jack was then brought into requisition, after which an attempt was made to pull it over by means of a rope attached to the boat and connected with the windlass on the shore, but all without avail. At this juncture a heavy rain began, and the creek rose rapidly; the boat was borne over the dam with John Shissler, William Martz, Aaron Vansickle, and others aboard, and its progress down the stream was witnessed by hundreds of people on the banks. It ran aground at the island back of Haas's mill, but was pulled out into the current by means of ropes by persons on the bank. As it was thought that the stream was too high to per- mit the passage of the boat under the bridge near the mouth of the creek, it was pulled up the tail-race to the mill and loaded with flour; when the waters had subsided sufficiently it was floated under the bridge and down the river to Clark's Ferry, where it entered the canal, ultimately finding its way to the Schuylkill canal, where it was finally completely wrecked by going over a dam in a freshet without skids, jacks, or ropes to steady its course.

The first steamboats built at Sunbury were the Susquehanna and Shad 28

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HISTORY OF NORTHUMBERLAND COUNTY.

Fly; both were constructed by Ira T. Clement, the former for the Shamokin Valley and Pottsville Railroad Company, the latter as a private enterprise. Mr. Clement has since built six steamboats at Sunbury, five of which are still in operation. In 1889 Jeremiah Savidge built the Iona, the last steamboat constructed at this place. ៛

Breweries .- The old stone building erected by James Towar as a distill- ery was converted into a brewery by Philip and Gottlieb Brymier about the year 1836. After the dissolution of this partnership the business was con- tinued by Philip Brymier individually for a time and then abandoned.

Cold Spring brewery, established in 1865 by Joseph Bacher, was pur- chased in 1873 by J. & A. Moeschlin, the present proprietors. The plant comprises brewing and bottling departments, and has an annual capacity of five thousand barrels.

Foundries and Machine Shops .- In 1838 George Rohrbach, formerly of Columbia county, Pennsylvania, and one of the oldest citizens of Sunbury at the present time, established a small foundry a mile east of Sunbury between the Centre turnpike and Shamokin Valley railroad. Two years later, having secured a location on the south side of Chestnut street between Fourth and Fifth, he removed to Sunbury; this was the first foundry at that place, and was operated for some years by George Rohrbach, either individually or asso- ciated at various times with his brothers, William, Jacob, and Daniel Rohr- bach. They were succeeded by Clinton D. and Jacob Rohrbach; the latter retired in favor of T. G. Cooper, and in 1866 the firm of Rohrbach & Cooper gave place to Rohrbach & Son, of which George and W. H. Rohrbach were the constituent members. After the admission of Jacob Rohrbach as a part- ner the style was changed to Rohrbach & Sons, by whom the business was continued until 1883. The establishment was then sold to Halfpenny Broth- ers, and several years later the plant was purchased by John J. Batman.

A second foundry was established in 1858 by Edward Y. Bright; it was located on the north side of Chestnut street between Third and Fourth. The plant was purchased by William Rennyson, who removed it to Shamokin in 1864.

Jacob Youngman started a foundry on the south side of Arch street between Third and Fourth in 1867 and operated it until January, 1871, when it was purchased by George B. Youngman. The business was contin- ued by Haupt & Youngman until the plant was purchased by John J. Bat- man.

The Keystone Machine Works, situated in East Sunbury on the south side of Market street, comprise a two-story frame building sixty-five feet long and thirty feet wide, occupied as a machine shop, with foundry thirty by forty feet in dimensions attached, and blacksmith shop thirty by twenty- four feet on the same lot. The proprietor, John J. Batman, began business at Sunbury in 1874 as successor to Haupt & Youngman on Arch street, and

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removed to his present location in 1880. The Keystone radial drill press, of which Mr. Batman is the inventor and patentee, is manufactured as a spe- cialty.

M. C. Bowlby's foundry and machine shop, a two-story frame building on Church street near Fourth, was established in 1883 by Bowlby & Zimmer- man, to whom the present proprietor succeeded individually in 1886. The Bowlby lath mill and bolter is manufactured as a specialty.

The Lumber Industry .- The first saw mill at Sunbury was built in 1847 by Ira T. Clement at the site of his table factory on Front street. In 1867 he sold it to William Reagan; it then passed successively to the Sunbury Lumber Company and to the firm of Friling, Bowen & Engle, who became insolvent in 1877. The mill was then conducted under the auspices of their creditors until 1883, when it was again purchased by Ira T. Clement and is now occupied as an extension table factory.

Ira T. Clement's various industries include at the present time a saw mill, planing mill, table factory, and coffin factory, extending from Front street to Third, north of Race. The saw mill was established in 1867 and the planing mill in the following year; the latter was originally a two-story frame build- ing sixty by eighty feet in dimensions, but has been materially enlarged. The upper story was equipped for the manufacture of coffins in 1875, and in 1887 a two-story frame building forty by one hundred forty feet in dimensions was erected for the exclusive purposes of a coffin factory. The manufacture of extension tables was begun at the planing mill in 1880, and in 1887 the old Friling, Bowen & Engle mill was adapted for use in this department of work. One hundred twenty-five men are employed as operatives in the saw mill, planing mill, table factory, and coffin factory, the annual products of which are valued at two hundred fifty thousand dollars.

The Sunbury Lumber Company, organized in 1885, was originally com- posed of William Whitmer & Sons, to whom Hiram Driesbach was added in 1888 and George W. Rhoads and F. S. Kauffman in 1890. A building at the intersection of Mulberry and Center alleys, previously occupied by the Hill & Neff Organ Company, was the first location of the works of this com- pany; the present site in the southern part of the borough with a river front of six hundred fifty feet was secured in 1888. The plant consists of a two- story planing mill, ninety by one hundred forty feet in dimensions, a saw mill, fifty by one hundred feet, and a kiln capable of drying eight thousand feet of lumber per day. Seventy operatives are usually employed.

Simpson Brothers' planing mill, as originally established in 1886 by a firm composed of William Whitmer and John and William Simpson, was a frame structure forty by one hundred feet situated on Awl street; it was de- stroyed by fire in November, 1887. The present mill, a frame building thirty- five by eighty feet, employs eight operatives; John and William Simpson are the proprietors.

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HISTORY OF NORTHUMBERLAND COUNTY.

The Pennsylvania Railroad Company's Repair Shops at Sunbury were originally established in 1866. The plant comprises the following buildings: a round-house three hundred feet in diameter, with stalls for forty-four en- gines; a machine shop and planing mill, which form one building two hun- dred twenty by eighty feet, half of which is occupied by each; a building seventy by one hundred ten feet, occupied as blacksmith shop, boiler shop, and store-room; a car shop two hundred by one hundred twenty feet, and other minor buildings used for miscellaneous purposes. The number of op- eratives employed in the various departments at this time (December, 1890), is as follows: machinists and helpers, sixty-nine; blacksmiths and helpers, thirty-four; boiler-makers, twenty-two; coppersmiths, four; tinsmiths, five; car inspectors, forty-nine; the car shop employs one hundred seventy-eight, and the number not included in the foregoing classification (in which the master mechanic and foremen, engine cleaners and preparers, clerical force, etc. have not been embraced) is ninety-seven-a grand total of four hundred fifty-eight. The stationary engines have a capacity of eighty horse-power. The entire plant is lighted by electricity, derived from motors requiring a fifty horse-power engine. The establishment is devoted exclusively to the repair of locomotives and cars, and receives all the work of this nature from that part of the Pennsylvania system embraced in the Eastern and Sunbury divisions of the Philadelphia and Erie railroad and the Susquehanna division of the Northern Central railway. The position of master mechanic has been filled successively by T. J. Hamer, Martin Wall, W. F. Beardsley, and Henry K. Stout, the present incumbent, who assumed charge in April, 1882.

The Sunbury Nail, Bar, and Guide Iron Manufacturing Company was organized in 1883 with a capital of one hundred thousand dollars (since increased to one hundred fifty thousand), and the following officers: presi- dent, John Haas; vice-president, D. Heim; secretary, E. W. Greenough, and treasurer, Lloyd T. Rohrbach. The works, situated at the eastern limits of the borough, were erected during the same year; these consist of a nail mill two hundred seventy-five by seventy-five feet and a factory one hundred twenty-five by one hundred feet, equipped with one heating furnace, three double and three single puddling furnaces, forty-one nail machines, and six engines aggregating four hundred thirty horse-power. The cooper shop, hoop and stave sheds, and blacksmith shop are attached to the main buildings. The mill gives employment to one hundred twenty-five men, and has a capacity for manufacturing seventy-five thousand kegs of cut iron and steel nails annually. It has been in continuous operation since its erection with the exception of three months in the year 1889; this suspension was caused by the damage occasioned on the 9th of January in that year by a violent wind-storm. Mr. Haas, who has been president of the company since its organization, retired from the active management of the works in April, 1890, when George B. Cadwallader assumed charge as general manager. D.

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Heim is the present vice-president and Lloyd T. Rohrbach the present secre- tary and treasurer. William S. Rhoads has been chief clerk and Levi Bus- sler superintendent since the works were placed in operation.

The Sunbury Carpet Cleaning and Novelty Works were established in October, 1889, by the present proprietors, C. C. Ray, A. Moulder, and E. F. Hoover. Novelties of various descriptions are manufactured.

Defunct Enterprises include, in addition to those mentioned, Young, Gussler & Company's paint mill, placed in operation in 1856; Snyder & Harrison's steam flour mill, erected in 1857; Morgan & Masser's linseed oil mill, placed in operation in 1868; Wolverton & Purdy's phosphate mill, burned on the 17th of June, 1871; the works of the Sunbury Smelting Com- pany and of the Hill and Neff Organ Company, etc., etc.

The Sunbury Canal Company is worthy of notice in this connection. Its organization was authorized by an act of the legislature approved on the 10th of April, 1826, appointing Lewis Dewart, Hugh Bellas, Alexander Jordan, Samuel J. Packer, Henry Shaffer, Martin Weaver, Ebenezer Greenough,. John Young, John G. Youngman, George Weiser, and Isaac Zeigler commis- sioners for its organization. In 1834 the time for the completion of the work was extended five years from the expiration of the period of ten years originally prescribed, and about that time the canal was partially excavated between the North Branch and Spring run. In the summer and autumn of 1841 a number of men were employed in excavating that part of the canal connecting with Shamokin creek. In 1842 William McCarty was president of the company and Kimber Cleaver was engineer; a prospectus issued in that year indicates the location of the basin above Race street and connection with the river at that point, although the plans of the company in this respect were not carried out until ten or twelve years later. A prospectus issued in 1853 gives the names of C. Hager, president, and William Riehlé, secretary and treasurer; at that time a reorganization had been effected under the name of the Sunbury Canal and Water Power Company; the Sunbury Lum- ber and Car Manufacturing Company, an affiliated corporation, owned fifty thousand acres of timber land on'the headwaters of the West Branch. It was proposed to float the logs from this tract to Sunbury, and a large lumber mill was erected on Shamokin creek, but the project never materialized and the mill was never placed in operation. What is now known as the upper basin was excavated by the canal company, and connection was established with the river by means of an iron lock designed by Kimber Cleaver; the latter was constructed by the Philadelphia and Sunbury Railroad Company under ter- minal privileges granted by the act of April 2, 1853. When the ground froze in the first winter after its construction the lateral pressure (for which the engineer had made no provision) was such as to break its iron sides, thus rendering it entirely useless. And thus the great canal project finally col- lapsed.

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HISTORY OF NORTHUMBERLAND COUNTY.

BANKING INSTITUTIONS.

The first public movement for the establishment of a bank at Sunbury was made in 1810, when, at a meeting of the taxable inhabitants on the 27th of April, resolutions were unanimously adopted requesting the Bank of Pennsylvania to locate a branch at Sunbury. "The certain increase of the trade of this part of the country arising from the turnpike road now in operation from this place to the borough of Reading, would," the directors of that institution were assured, "enable the bank to support an establish- ment here which will be very productive to their institution." It is needless to observe that the application was not favorably considered, and it was through the Bank of Northumberland that the citizens of the county seat first secured local banking facilities.

The First National Bank of Sunbury was originally incorporated under the title of the Bank of Northumberland, April 1, 1831, with a capital of two hundred thousand dollars. The first election of directors was held at the house of James Lee, in the borough of Northumberland, Pennsylvania, on Thursday, August 1, 1831, and resulted in the choice of the following gentlemen: John Cowden, John B. Boyd, James Merrill, A. B. Cummings, John Taggart, Joseph Wallis, Abbot Green, James Hepburn, Daniel Brau- tigam, Henry Frick, William Clyde, Alexander Jordan, and Dr. David Petriken. On the 8th of August, 1831, James' Hepburn was elected as president and Joseph R. Priestley as cashier; and on Monday, September 26, 1831, the business of the bank was regularly commenced. The stock was originally subscribed by one hundred fourteen different persons; by the terms of its charter the institution was located at Northumberland, and its administration was in the hands of citizens of that borough for some years. James Hepburn, the first president, resigned, April 23, 1840, and on the 30th of the same month he was succeeded by John Taggart; he served until November 26, 1855, when William Cameron was elected by a board of directors composed of Samuel T. Brown, F. W. Pollock, Paul Masteller, John Walls, William Cameron, William H. Waples, Amos E. Kapp, Jesse C. Horton, William I. Greenough, George Schnure, Edward Wilson, C. R. Paxton, and John B. Packer. A change in the management of the institu- tion was effected by the election of this board, which occurred at the regular annual meeting of the stockholders on the 19th of November, 1855. Upon the resignation of Mr. Cameron as president, June 25, 1857, John B. Packer was elected as his successor, and has continued in that position until the present time. Joseph R. Priestley, the first cashier, served in that capacity until his death, November 10, 1863; Samuel J. Packer, the present cashier, was elected on the 19th of November, 1863, and has since been the incum- bent of that office. By virtue of an act of the legislature approved April 16, 1864, the bank was removed from Northumberland to Sunbury on the 25th of July in the same year, There it continued as a State bank until the

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1st of July, 1865; the last directory under the State charter was composed of John B. Packer, James K. Davis, Jesse C. Horton, William H. Waples, William M. Rockefeller, George Conrad, Daniel Heim, E. Y. Bright, Samuel John, Andrew Ditty, John B. Linn, Paul Masteller, and John Haas.

On the Ist of July, 1865, the Bank of Northumberland surrendered its State charter and was organized as a national bank under the title of "The First National Bank of Sunbury " with an authorized capital of five hundred thousand dollars, of which two hundred thousand was paid in in four thousand shares of fifty dollars each. Of this amount the stockholders paid in thirty- five dollars per share; the balance, fifteen dollars per share, was derived from the earnings of the bank while it was a State institution. The present num- ber of shareholders is seventy-eight. The first board of directors after the organization as a national bank was composed of John B. Packer, James K. Davis, Jesse C. Horton, William H. Waples, Simon Cameron, William I. Greenough, Alexander Jordan, John Haas, William M. Rockefeller, George F. Miller, William Cameron, George Smuller, and A. B. Warford; John B. Packer, James K. Davis, H. E. Davis, William I. Greenough, John Haas, Will- iam M. Rockefeller, George Schnure, James C. Packer, and D. B. Miller consti- tute the present directory. The present (1891) officers are as follows: president, John B. Packer; cashier, Samuel J. Packer; bookkeeper, A. L. Bastress; teller, George W. Deppen; clerks, W. F. Rhoads and D. E. Bloom; messen- ger, Nathaniel Strain. The period for which the institution was originally incorporated having expired, it was rechartered in June, 1885, for another period of twenty years.

This bank is one of the oldest in central Pennsylvania, and throughout its entire history has maintained the highest standard of financial integrity. While the notes of a large number of the banks of the State were at a dis- count, the notes of the Bank of Northumberland were uniformly redeemed at par in gold in Philadelphia; and during the panic of 1873, when nearly all the banks of the country declined to pay to their customers more than fifty dollars in currency at one time, this bank paid all checks without limit, thus demonstrating its ability to meet promptly all demands of its depositors, although the deposits at that time averaged three hundred fifty thousand dollars. The institution has paid in dividends since its organization in 1831 (not including the fifteen dollars per share previously mentioned) one million forty thousand dollars, and its undivided profits at the present time amount to one hundred thirty-five thousand dollars.

The Augusta Bank was originally incorporated under the name of the Farmers' Mutual Life Insurance and Trust Company of Upper Augusta Township, the organization of which was authorized by an act of the legis- lature approved on the 13th of April, 1867. The company was not formed until 1872, however, and the name was subsequently changed to "The Au- gusta Bank" by decree of court upon petition of the stockholders. J. Adam

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HISTORY OF NORTHUMBERLAND COUNTY.

Cake was president and George W. Saylor cashier. The institution was located in that part of Sunbury known as Caketown; business was continued four years.

The Sunbury Trust and Safe Deposit Company was organized on the 15th of July, 1890, with the following officers: president, Charles W. Nick- erson; vice-president, Hiram Long; secretary and treasurer, J. Weiser Bucher; directors: Charles W. Nickerson, Hiram Long, Henry Clement, George B. Reimensnyder, R. F. Wilson, C. H. Dickerman, P. H. Snyder, Adolph Oppenheimer, A. R. Trexler, S. P. Malick, George B. Cadwallader, John R. Kauffman, Sr., S. E. Slaymaker, O. R. Drumheller, and Irvin F. Guyer. The authorized capital is two hundred fifty thousand dollars. A. L. Bastress became secretary and treasurer on the 1st of March, 1891.

GAS, ELECTRIC LIGHT, AND WATER COMPANIES.

The Sunbury Gas Light Company was incorporated on the 22d of Decem- ber, 1876, with a capital of twenty-five thousand dollars and the following corporators: Truman H. Purdy, Hiram Long, S. P. Wolverton, Ira Hile, John Eckman, and William M. Rockefeller. S. P. Wolverton has served as president and Truman H. Purdy as treasurer of the company since its or- ganization. The plant was erected by the Sunbury Gas Company (incorpor- ated in 1873), purchased by Truman H. Purdy in 1876 at sheriff's sale, and transferred by him to the present company.

The Edison Electric Illuminating Company of Sunbury was organized in 1883; the first directors were Thomas C. Detweiler, James W. Sweely, Frank H. McCormick, Seth T. McCormick, and Charles B. Story. Light was first supplied on the 4th of July, 1883.

The Sunbury Electric Light and Power Company was organized in 1890 with H. E. Davis, president, C. M. Clement, secretary, S. P. Wolverton, treasurer, and a board of directors composed of H. E. Davis, F. P. Aber- crombie, C. M. Clement, H. A. Schuck, A. R. Trexler, P. P. Smith, and Thomas Murty. The dynamo has a capacity of fifty arc lights. Light was first supplied on the 4th of July, 1889.

The Sunbury Water Company was incorporated on the 2d of March, 1883. The first officers were John Haas, president, L. T. Rohrbach, treas- urer, and S. E. Slaymaker, secretary, who have held their respective positions to the present time. The capital is thirty-three thousand dollars. Little Shamokin creek is the source of supply; the reservoir has a capacity of five million gallons.

LOCAL PAPERS.

Der Freiheitsvogel, the first newspaper published at Sunbury, was estab- lished by Jacob D. Breyvogel in 1800. The succession of local papers since that time has been as follows: The Times, Publick Inquirer, The Gazetteer,

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Der Northumberland Republikaner, Nordwestliche Post, Shamokin Canal- boot, The Workingmen's Advocate, The Sunbury Gazette, Susquehanna Em- porium, Der General Staats Zeitung, The Sunbury American, Der Deutsche Amerikaner, Der Deutsche Demokrat, The Northumberland County Democrat, The Sunbury Independent, The Weekly Independent, The Sunbury Enter- prise, The Sunbury Weekly News, The Sunbury Daily, The Daily American, The Morning Express, The Evening News, and the Northumberland County Legal News. Three weeklies, the American, Democrat, and Weekly News, and two dailies, the Daily and News, are published at the present time.

THE POSTOFFICE.

The following is a list of Sunbury postmasters, with dates of their respect- ive appointments: Robert Gray, January 1, 1797; John Weitzel, October 1, 1798; Solomon Markley, July 1, 1802; Lewis Dewart, April 19, 1806; Edward Gobin, March 13, 1816; Thomas Painter, May 14, 1822; Samuel J. Packer, December 9, 1822; John G. Martin, February 12, 1824; Rachel B. Packer, March 27, 1835; John Youngman, March 5, 1855; Martin E. Bucher, December 15, 1856; George M. Renn, March 19, 1861; Jonathan Bostian, April 26, 1864; John J. Smith, April 19, 1871; Jacob Rohrbach, May 5, 1881; Jacob E. Eichholtz, May 25, 1885; A. N. Brice, March 20, 1890.

SECRET AND OTHER SOCIETIES.

The following is a list of secret and other societies at Sunbury, with dates of organization or institution: Lodge No. 22, F. & A. M., October 4, 1779, and March 26, 1787; Northumberland H. R. A. Chapter, No. 174, December 27, 1852; Sunbury Lodge, No. 203, I. O. O. F., November 9, 1846; Fort Augusta Lodge, No. 620, I. O. O. F., January 25, 1868; Anna (Rebekah Degree) Lodge, No. 56, I. O. O. F., May 18, 1871; Washington Camp, No. 19, P. O. S. of A., March 13, 1869; Washington Camp, No. 149, P. O. S. of A., July 19, 1873; Susquehanna Commandery, No. 9, P. O. S. of A., Sep- tember 10, 1872; Eastern Star Lodge, No. 143, K. of P., March 24, 1869; Cayuga Lodge, No. 416, K. of P., December 6, 1873; Diamond Division, No. 40, Uniform Rank, K. of P., June 9, 1890; Lance and Shield Conclave, No. 11, S. P. K., November 11, 1870; Lieutenant William A. Bruner Post, No. 235, G. A. R., May 21, 1883; Colonel James Cameron Camp, No. 160, S. of V., July 1, 1887; Woman's Relief Corps, November 2, 1888; Shamokin Tribe, No. 69, I. O. R. M., 1885; Alphoretta Tribe, No. 98, I. O. R. M., 1888; Sunbury Council, No. 945, O. U. A. M., June 8, 1886; Ivy Castle, No. 414, K. G. E., April 6, 1889; W. C. Packer Council, No. 285, A. O. U. W., July 17, 1889.

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History of Northumberland County, Pennsylvania, Part 52

Author: Bell, Herbert C. (Herbert Charles), 1868- ed; John, J. J., 1829- Publication date: 1891 Publisher: Chicago, Brown, Runk Number of Pages: 1424

Author: Bell, Herbert C. (Herbert Charles), 1868- ed; John, J. J., 1829-
Publication date: 1891
Publisher: Chicago, Brown, Runk
Number of Pages: 1424