USA > Pennsylvania > Northumberland County > History of Northumberland County, Pennsylvania > Part 78
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RUSHTOWN.
Rushtown, a post-village of one hundred fifty inhabitants, is situated three miles and a half from Danville at the intersection of the road leading from Sunbury to Catawissa with the road from Paxinos to Danville. Among the important features of the place is a large and commodious Grange hall, the property of a flourishing branch of the order of Patrons of Husbandry. There are two blacksmith shops and one store. The village was formerly known as Liberty Pole, from the fact that political demonstrations were often held here in which pole-raisings were a feature of the program.
SCHOOLS.
The most important of the early schools was that of the Rev. Samuel Henderson; it was conducted in a stone building erected for the purpose by John Hirsh and the Vastine family. Many leading citizens of the township were educated here; there were also accommodations for boarding pupils from a distance, and this feature of the institution was fairly well patronized.
A log school house at Rushtown, in which James Patton and Albe C. Barrett taught, and the school taught by S. D. Pasco and E. Kline at a building on the farm of William Mettler, were also among the early educa- tional facilities.
Rush first appears among the districts accepting the public school sys- tem in 1842. The first teachers under the new arrangement were Ezra Newton and his two sisters. The present school buildings are all brick structures.
CHURCHES. 1
The Presbyterian Church of Rush township is generally recognized as 42
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HISTORY OF NORTHUMBERLAND COUNTY.
the successor to the old Shamokin church. Obadiah Campbell, Alexander Moore, and William Kase were among the first elders. The first church edifice in this township, a small frame building, was erected in 1828; the present brick structure was built in 1856. An acre of ground was donated for church and burial purposes by John Haughawout, to which Perry Patton subsequently added half as much more.
Rush Baptist Church was originally composed of seventy-eight mem- bers, among whom were Mrs. John Moore, Mrs. Catherine Vastine, Miss Kate Henderson, A. Berger, Miss Ann Woodruff, Jacob Reed, Jeremiah Vas- tine and wife, Aaron Campbell and wife, Edward Wilkerson and wife, Isaac Hoe and wife, Benjamin Vastine and wife, Thomas Vastine and wife, John Vastine and wife, William Rote and wife, Paul Ammerman and wife, Lizzie Ford, Joseph Kelly and wife, John Vanzant and wife, Mrs. Ann Wolverton, and Mrs. Rebecca Reeder; they had all been previously connected with the Shamokin Baptist church, from which they were dismissed by resolution of that body, July 27, 1839, an amicable division having been decided upon on the 4th of May in that year. The erection of the church edifice was begun under the auspices of the Shamokin church, which, on the 5th of May, 1837, resolved to erect two places of worship; that which now constitutes the church building of the Rush church, a one-story brick structure forty by sixty feet, was dedicated on the 6th of October, 1838. The following pastors have served this congregation: Reverends George Spratt, Henry Billings, Isaac Jones, John Worrell, A. J. Collins, E. P. Barker, W. F. Johnson, Joseph Rush, W. W. Waltz, T. O. Critchlow, Mr. Ward, Mr. Miller, A. J. Collins, James Runyon, J. Green Miles, W. W. Watkins, W. P. Hile, and W. H. Ellis.
Rushtown Methodist Episcopal Church, of which the corner-stone was laid in the early spring of 1890 and the dedication occurred in the following autumn, was erected under the supervision of a building committee composed of William H. Mettler, J. C. Campbell, Isaac Hoffman, L. C. Bassett, and Frank Ryan. It is a one-story brick building. The society forms part of Snydertown circuit.
743
JACKSON TOWNSHIP.
CHAPTER XXX.
JACKSON TOWNSHIP.
ORIGINAL BOUNDARIES-PIONEERS-INDUSTRIES-EARLY HISTORY AND GROWTH OF HERNDON-MAHANOY-SCHOOLS-CHURCHES.
THAT part of the original area of Mahanoy township comprised between Swartz's ridge on the south and Line mountain on the north, with Union county on the west and Washington township on the east, comprises the present territory of Jackson township. It was erected by decree of court, January 6, 1836, when a boundary line reported by David Rockefeller and Peter Pursel was confirmed. The eastern boundary began at a point on the summit of Line mountain where the present line of Cameron and Little Mahanoy intersects the northern line of Washington and extended south seven degrees east five hundred sixteen perches to Middle creek, five hundred thirteen perches with the course of that stream, and south seven degrees east eight hundred forty-six perches to the Mahantango, which formed the southern boundary. Fidler's run and the western line of Jordan consti- tuted the southwestern boundary. The formation of Jordan in 1852 and of Washington in 1856 has reduced Jackson to its present limits.
The first township officers were Jacob Brosius and William D. Hoffman, overseers of the poor; William Gastman and Daniel Schwartz, supervisors; John Miller, George Reed, and Jacob Weiser, auditors, and M. Drumheller, constable.
PIONEERS.
John Michael Shaffer and Henry Zartman were two of the first settlers upon the territory of Jackson township. Henry Latsha, Henry Kobel, P. Leffer, C. Stump, and P. Troutman were also residents prior to 1776, while a Mr. White resided upon the island opposite Herndon at a contemporary period. John Beakley, John Leas, John Miller, John Haas, Samuel Weiser, and Abraham Mckinney were also among the pioneers.
An Early Hotel was conducted at the site of J. G. Smith's present resi- dence. John Kunsman erected a brick building on the same site, of which Adam Gable and John Stump were at one time the landlords. It was remodeled by J. Galen Smith and known for many years as Smith's hotel, until its doors were closed as a public house in 1880. It is probable that the first hostelry on this site had been established nearly a hundred years previously.
1
744
HISTORY OF NORTHUMBERLAND COUNTY.
INDUSTRIES.
If traditional information may be credited, a mill was in operation on Mahanoy creek in this township as early as 1785. The site is a mile and a half north of Herndon, and the building, a dilapidated stone structure, is now owned by David Bohner. It was erected by Abraham Mckinney.
In 1809 William Dobson built a mill at the site of C. W. Dewitt's; it was subsequently rebuilt by Jacob Gonser and furnished with three sets of buhrs. Reuben Weiser afterward operated it until 1882, when it was purchased by W. W. Dewitt, father-in-law of the present proprietor. It is situated at Mahanoy postoffice.
Kobel's mill, a three-story brick structure located on Mahanoy creek at the gap in Line mountain, was built in 1855 by Jonathan Dunkelberger. It is furnished with a turbine wheel and three sets of buhrs. The present owner is Henry Kobel.
J. W. Seal's tannery was established in 1860 by Daniel Seal in the south- eastern part of Jackson township. The plant comprises a frame building forty-eight by thirty-two feet, bark sheds, bark mill, and twenty-three vats.
HERNDON.
This village is situated at the junction of the Northern Central and Phil- adelphia and Reading railroads. A town was first projected in this locality by Robert A. Parrish, of Philadelphia, about the year 1840; the Mahanoy slackwater navigation, originally projected in 1827, promised early realiza- tion at that time, and with the intention of taking time by the forelock Mr. Parrish purchased several farms at the mouth of Mahanoy creek, upon which the town of Port Royal was elaborately laid out; but as the navigation proj- ect collapsed shortly afterward, the town also failed to materialize. In 1855 the Trevorton, Mahanoy and Susquehanna railroad was opened, connecting with the Pennsylvania canal by a bridge across the Susquehanna river. When the Northern Central railway was opened in 1857 connection was es- tablished with that line, and the company which owned the Trevorton road purchased the land about the junction from George Seiler for terminal pur- poses. The only house within the limits of the village at that time occupied the site of the Herndon House, and had been erected before the close of the last century by a Mr. White, who owned an island in the river and an exten- sive tract of land at the mouth of Mahanoy creek. This house was a summer resort, and was also well patronized by the traveling public.
As a necessary requisite the town received a name, in the selection of which honor was rendered to the memory of Lieutenant Herndon, U. S. N., who was lost with his ship in the Gulf of Mexico. The name was suggested by the postoffice department, and J. E. Strickler, appointed in 1858, was the first postmaster. The first toll collector at the bridge was Patrick Hensey, who was succeeded by William H. Lamb. The first store was opened by Philip
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JACKSON TOWNSHIP.
Bowman at the old White hotel. Peter Ziegler and Abraham Deppen built two of the first dwellings. An important local enterprise was the erection of a building for school and church purposes; Abraham Deppen, Benjamin Strickler, and Abraham Ziegler contributed the principal part of the neces- sary funds. Mr. Ziegler was then conducting a brick yard, and donated the bricks for the building.
The present business interests include two general stores, two hotels, one blacksmith shop, and a candy factory. Two saw mills were once in operation, established by Ziegler & Brother and Albert & Bower, respectively, but both have been destroyed by fire; the latter has been rebuilt, and is now owned by Isaac Albert.
MAHANOY.
The post-village of this name is situated in the eastern part of the town- ship in the midst of a thickly settled locality. It is one of the oldest post- offices in the county. In the early part of this century and until the discon- tinuance of the old militia system the battalion muster for the southern part of Northumberland county was annually held here. It has also been for many years the location of a widely patronized mercantile establishment. An early hotel was also conducted, at the site of the present residence of J. Galen Smith, ex-treasurer of Northumberland county. The present brick building was erected by John Kunsman, remodeled by a subsequent owner, and known for many years as Smith's hotel. Its doors were closed as a pub- lic house in 1880.
Mahanoy Lodge, No. 551, I. O. O. F., was organized under a charter granted on the 6th of March, 1859.
SCHOOLS.
During the period of early settlement a school was established near Ma- hanoy postoffice; James Haslett, Matthias Heim, and James Leavengood were among the first instructors. The first school at Herndon was taught by J. H. N. Laudenslagle at the old White hotel; schools were conducted there and at various other places until 1862, when the union school building men- tioned was erected.
The public school system was adopted on the 27th of February, 1869, and the first board of directors was composed of Daniel Zartman, president; H. B. Latsha, secretary; Joseph Haas, treasurer, Jacob Bower, Joseph Dressler, and Benjamin Stepp. At the present time (1890) seven schools are sustained.
CHURCHES.
St. Peter's Church, Lutheran and Reformed, is one of the oldest in the county. On the 6th of May, 1795, William Gray, deputy surveyor, surveyed "a tract of land called church land," containing twenty-seven and three
746
HISTORY OF NORTHUMBERLAND COUNTY.
fourths acres, " for Gottlieb Leffler and Henry Krebs in trust for the Lu- theran and Calvinist (Reformed) church school house by virtue of a warrant dated the 4th day of April, 1774." Thirteen acres of this land are still in possession of the churches mentioned; the remainder was sold in 1859. The first building on this ground was used for both school and church purposes. A second was erected about the beginning of the present century; it was a log structure, subsequently weather-boarded and painted yellow, with galler- ies around three sides of the interior. In 1859 it was replaced by the present church edifice, a brick building forty-five by sixty-five feet in dimen- sions, with main audience room and basement. It was remodeled in 1885 and is an attractive place of worship. It occupies an elevated location on the north side of the State road, with Mahanoy creek on the northwest, Green- brier creek on the north, Mouse creek on the west, and David's run on the south, all in range of vision and within a radius of three quarters of a mile. On the opposite side of the road is the residence of the organist, which has been so occupied since 1865; prior to that date it was jointly used as a dwelling and for school purposes.
The earliest record now extant is an old book kept in the church. It is evidently defective; the first legible entry is as follows: "Peter Zart- man-a child born on the 20th day of July in the morning at two o'clock, 1788, and was baptized on the 3d day of August, 1788, and received the name of Maria. The sponsors were John Henry Brenninger and his wife, Anna Maria." The book referred to contains a record of eight hundred forty-three baptisms prior to the 14th of January, 1842. No entries appear from December 27, 1805, to March 11, 1811, but with the exception of this interval the record is probably complete.
The Reformed congregation has been served by the following pastors: Rev. George Geistweit, 1796-1800, and perhaps longer; Mr. Pulfrich; Fred- erick Adams, 1810-17; John Felix, 1817-21; Henry Herman Knoebel, 1821-28; John Houtz, 1828-30; Benjamin Boyer, 1831-34; Rudolph Duenger, 1835-54; Henry S. Bassler, 1854-55; Jared Fritzinger, 1855 to May 7, 1871; John Wohlbach, May, 1871, to May 7, 1876, and A. R. Hot- tenstein, present incumbent, who assumed charge on the 2d of November, 1876. The following family names occur in a communion list of this church for the year 1822: Hilbush, Smith, Rebuck, Hensyl, Herb, Carl, Peifer, Latsha, Goodman, Renner, Schlegel, Lieder, Haas, Schneider, Seaser, Michael, Heim, Schwartz, Kobel, Schlenker, Kembel, Kerlin, and Roth- ermel. The Hilbush, Bahner, Kobel, Otto, Latsha, Seiler, Smith, and Zart- man families are most numerously represented at the present time. The congregation forms part of the Mahanoy charge.
Since the erection of the present church edifice the Lutheran congrega- tion has been served by the following pastors: Reverends Augustus Bergner, W. Hasskarl, J. F. Bayer, and J. C. Smith; Mr. Smith is the present pastor,
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JACKSON TOWNSHIP.
having been twice recalled by the congregation. Rev. J. N. Hemping, who resigned in 1847, is said to have preached in the old church forty years. His predecessor was Rev. Daniel Ulrich. This church formed part of the Mahanoy pastoral district until 1884, when it became a separate and individ- ual charge.
Zion Church, Lutheran and Reformed, Herndon, was originally erected as a union place of worship, but ultimately came into the exclusive posses- sion of the Methodist society. In the spring of 1887 it was purchased by the Lutheran and Reformed congregations, of which it has since been the joint property. At a meeting on the 5th of May, 1888, steps were taken to remodel the building; a bell was placed in the tower and an organ in the audience room, the exterior was painted and the interior frescoed, and on the 12th of August, 1888, the corner-stone was relaid and the building was dedi- cated as Zion's Evangelical Lutheran and Reformed Church of Herndon.
The Lutheran organization was formed by Rev. J. F. Bayer in 1882 at the house of Elias Lahr; prominent among the membership were Elias Lahr, S. W. Brown, Peter Bobb, Elias Reubendahl, Daniel Holshue, John P. Tressler, and John Albert. Mr. Bayer was pastor until within a few months of his death; on the 1st of April, 1887, he was succeeded by Rev. D. M. Stetler, who has added quite a number of members. After the pur- chase of the church property a reorganization was effected with Elias Reu- bendahl and Peter Bobb as deacons, Henry S. Byerly and John Albert as elders, and Elias Lahr and Daniel Holshue as trustees.
The Reformed congregation was organized by Rev. A. R. Hottenstein with the election of David Bohner, John Deppen, Peter Ziegler, Willoughby Waldt, and George Ziegler as officers. A chapel, erected in 1884 by several parties independent of the church for occupation by a union Sunday school, was the place of worship for a time, after which the congregation united with the Lutherans in the purchase of the present church building. Rev. A. R. Hottenstein is the present pastor.
A flourishing union Sunday school is sustained. The congregations have also secured ground for a cemetery in the northern part of the village.
St. John's Evangelical Lutheran Church, a branch of the old St. Peter's church; came into existence through a disturbance caused by the dissatisfac- tion of a part of the membership with their pastor, who, with those members that sustained him, was locked out; they formed another congregation in the spring of 1884 at the house of John S. Klock, and services were held in his house and barn; this organization is known as the St. John's Evangelical Lutheran church. The first officers were Rev. J. F. Bayer, pastor; John Clark and Abraham Deppen, elders; Josiah S. Lahr and George L. Snyder, deacons; Elias F. Zartman, John S. Klock, and George Malick, trustees; and among the other members were Adam Zartman, Joseph Harner, George Lenker, Aaron Billman, B. F. W. Latsha, Joseph Zartman, Daniel
748
HISTORY OF NORTHUMBERLAND COUNTY.
Klock, and William S. Tressler. The new church edifice was erected in 1885, and dedicated on the 20th of September in that year. It is a frame building thirty-five by forty-five feet, with tower and bell and basement and main room; the latter is frescoed and artistically arranged. The present pastor, Rev. D. M. Stetler, took charge on the 1st of April, 1887. Of the seven church buildings, located at a distance of three miles apart, St. John's alone is exclusively Lutheran. Both English and German languages are used.
Salem Church of the Evangelical Association .- Services were first held in this region by the Reverends John Seibert, Stever, Reisner, Hull, Barber, and W. W. Orwig, who preached from place to place in private houses. The first camp-meeting was held in 1844, in the woods of Daniel Zartman, and four years later a log building was erected on land then owned by George Deppen, which was used for school purposes and also as a place of worship by the Evangelical, Lutheran, and Reformed congregations of that section. Later this society worshiped in a frame school house situated on land of Daniel Zartman, and on the 15th of .September, 1861, a brick church edifice was erected on his farm. The first pastor was Rev. William Heim, and the first trustees were Adam Kembel, Michael Bower, and Joseph H. Reitz.
Mt. Zion Church of the Evangelical Association, Herndon, was organized in 1867 with the following officers: class leader, H. B. Longsdorf, (who still serves in that capacity); exhorter, Jacob Heim; trustees: H. B. Longsdorf, Hiram Brown, Washington Wilt, and Daniel Reed. Reverends Cornelius Loose, David Lentz, J. F. Wohlfarth, David Stauffer, W. H. Weidner, David Martz, B. H. Miller, F. P. Lehr, J. K. Fehr, D. Z. Kembel, W. H. Stauffer, J. Werner, S. L. Wiest, H. D. Schultz, E. R. Seip, and L. N. Worman have served as pastors. The first church edifice, a brick structure twenty-five by thirty feet, was originally erected in 1867 for school and church purposes and afterward secured by this society. The present frame church building, thirty-five by fifty feet in dimensions, was erected in 1887 under the super- vision of a building committee composed of Edward Baum, Samuel Trout- man, and Adam Kembel.
Emanuel Church of the Evangelical Association was organized, Jan- uary 4, 1878, with Jacob Still, Bastian Stepp, Benjamin Peiffer, Daniel Peiffer, and John C. Reiger as trustees. The church edifice, a frame structure thirty-six by forty-two feet, was purchased from the "new" Lutheran con- gregation. Reverends B. H. Miller, Mr. Fehr, John Brown, Charles Warm- castle, Howard Bomberger, and Mr. Fisher have served as pastors.
749
COAL TOWNSHIP.
CHAPTER XXXI.
COAL TOWNSHIP.
SUGGESTIVENESS OF THE NAME-ORGANIZATION-STREAMS AND ROADS-INDUSTRIES- VILLAGES-COAL POOR DISTRICT-CHURCHES.
T THE name of Coal township is an appropriate index to its economic re- sources, the industrial character of its people, and, in some measure, to the circumstances of its early history. Utterly destitute of agricultural attractions, early immigrants to Northumberland county passed through its territory over the old Reading road without a suspicion of the mineral wealth concealed beneath its rugged and uninviting surface, and with no misgivings when their passage through the gap placed them upon the border of a rich and fertile farming region. The only early settlements of importance were made at or near the site of Shamokin, and are treated at length in the chap- ter on that borough.
The territory that now constitutes Coal township was embraced in Au- gusta until 1785, when it became part of Catawissa and was transferred to Ralpho (Shamokin) in 1788; in 1813 Little Mahanoy was formed from Au- gusta and Shamokin, and in November, 1837, upon the report of Robert Phillips, David Rockefeller, and John Taggart, viewers appointed in the pre- vious January, Coal township was erected from Little Mahanoy and Sha- mokin, embracing, in addition to its present area, the townships of Cameron, Zerbe, and Mt. Carmel. The first township officers, elected in the spring of 1838, were David Thompson and Daniel Ware, supervisors; George Ker- stetter and George Gottshall, overseers of the poor; Samuel Eisenhart, con- stable, and Abraham Dunkelberger, auditor.
The township is drained by Shamokin creek and its tributaries, of which the most important are Furnace run, Buck creek, Coal run, and Weikel's run. It is traversed by the Shamokin division of the Northern Central rail- way and the Philadelphia and Reading railroad. The old Reading road and the public roads leading from Shamokin to Trevorton and Gowen City are the principal local highways.
INDUSTRIES.
The collieries of the township, eighteen in number, are the Cameron, Luke Fidler, Neilson, Bear Valley, Stirling, Burnside, Henry Clay, Buck Ridge, Royal Oak (Alpha), Enterprise, Excelsior, Corbin, Hickory Ridge,
750
HISTORY OF NORTHUMBERLAND COUNTY.
Hickory Swamp, Garfield, Lancaster, Eureka, and Big Mountain. A com- plete history of the mining industry is given in Chapters X and XI of this work.
Eagle Run brewery, William Beury & Company's powder mills, and the powder mills of the Shamokin Powder Company, of which the statistics are given in the chapter on Shamokin borough, are also located in Coal township.
VILLAGES.
The villages of the township are Bear Valley, Boydtown, Brady, Conti- nental, East Shamokin, Enterprise, Excelsior, Fiddler's Green, Luke Fidler, Maysville, Scotch Hill, Springfield, West Shamokin, and Uniontown. East Shamokin, West Shamokin (laid out by William L. Helfenstein), Springfield, Uniontown, and Scotch Hill are suburbs of Shamokin; the remainder possess little of historic interest except in relation to the coal operations upon which their population depends.
Springfield adjoins Shamokin on the east, and occupies the northern slope of the mountain which separates the watersheds of Coal run and Sha- mokin creek at this point. In order from the north the streets extending east and west are Railroad, Tioga, Chemung, Oneida, Wabash, and Eagle, crossed at right angles by Emory, Howard, Logan, Sherman, Sheridan, Meade, and Thomas. The survey of the plat was made in 1867 by C. L. Boyd for John B. Douty and Thomas Baumgardner, who named it Marshall- ton in honor of William H. Marshall. The official designation has never gained popular currency, however. The town has graded schools, a hotel, several stores, and a population of probably more than a thousand. A move- ment for incorporation as a borough is in progress.
Enterprise and Excelsior are situated on the Lehigh Valley and Phila- delphia and Reading railroads about midway between Shamokin and Mt. Carmel. On the Lehigh Valley railroad the name of the station is Fulton, and the place was known entirely by that name until Excelsior postoffice was established with Charles Chamberlain as first postmaster. That part of the village south of the Reading railroad is known as Enterprise. There is a Methodist church, and Reformed and Catholic Sunday schools are also sus- tained.
COAL POOR DISTRICT.
Coal poor district is composed of Coal township and Shamokin borough, and was erected by act of the legislature, April 15, 1863. This act provides for the erection of a poor house, its management, and the general method to be pursued in alleviating the condition of the destitute; its provisions were accepted by the voters of the township at an election held on the 12th of June, 1863. The first directors were William H. Marshall, Joseph Bird, and George McEliece, of whom Mr. Marshall served one year, Mr. Bird two
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