Page:Historical and Biographical Annals of Columbia and Montour Counties, Pennsylvania, Containing a Concise History of the Two Counties and a Genealogical and Biographical Record of Representative Families.pdf/136

 COLUMBIA AND MONTOUR COUNTIES brother, an officer in the British army. Cooper had been somewhat antagonistic to the suit of L yo n, so that the latter s sudden disappear­ ance caused his arrest. W hile on his w ay to the jail at Sunbury a rifle belonging to one of the pos.sc was dropped into the river, and in the altercation Cooper, who was accused of throw ing it overboard, w as struck by the ow n er with a tomahawk. H e lived fo r twenty d ay s, and then expired in prison. I^ tc r on L yo n returned and the dead man’s innocence w as established. A fte r the peace o f 1783 immigration once m ore turned toward this section, but Blooms­ burg, owing to its supposed swampy location, w as not the gainer. Thomas Clayton had meanwhile remo%'ed to Catawlss.a, while Evan O wen had gone to found Berwick. In 1783 E lish a Etarton came to this spot. He built the “ R e d " mill on Hemlock creek, owned a large farm th eri and became justice of the peace, the first one in this section of the county. U pon Owen’s departure his land came into the possession of Joseph B. I-ong, of New Jersey, who later sold it to Ludw ig Eyer, the founder o f Bloomsburg. In 1801 Joseph Hcndcrshott and .Andrew Schooley arrived, as also did Jac o b Wanich. Ludw ig E yer at this time decided to give impetus to the settlement of the locality and in 18 0 2 laid out the town o f Bloomsburg. A t the time the town was laid out there were three buildings on the site, the Episcopal church. Jo h n Chamberlain’s tavern and a descried log hou.se. But these were soon increased by the building operations of the incoming settlers. Soon after the founding of the town George Vance, a Scotch-Irish Presbyterian from New Je rse y, built a cabin on the south side o f Main street, at the junction of East. Abraham Grotz came from Easton in 1806 and built the first fram e house in the new town, at what is now the com er o f Second and Iron streets. Christopher Kahler and John Coleman .also cam e from New Jersey in that year, the latter occupying the first mentioned deserted log house until he could build on what is now the com er o f Center and Third streets. He planted there the first orchard in the town. In 1809 Philip Mehrling, a native Hessian, opened tlw first store, near where the "Central H otel" now stands. Daniel Snyder came in 18 10 and bought land next lo the town plat from Jo h n Vance. .At this time Ihe town bore the name o f Oycrtown or Eyerslaedtft.

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BLOOMSBURG IN l S l 2

From reminiscences o f an old resident of the town a mental picture of the appearance o f B]oom.shufg in 10 12 can he made. A t that time a log house stood on First .street at the skc of the ’fustin home; the frame home of Daniel F ry stood at the com er o f First and W est; at the forks on the east end o f Second street was a one-story log house, owned and ocaipicd by Daniel Snyder, who later opened a hotel there; .Abraham Cirotz. the hatter, was at the southwest com er o f Second and Iron streets; Christopher K ahlcr's home w'as on a lot ca.st o f (he "Central H o te l"; John Cham­ berlain, the hotelkeeoer, lived in a frame house on the site of M oyer's drug store; oppo­ site Kahler’s house was the home o f John Hagenbueh, and on the northwest com er was the one-story fram e store o f Philip Mehrling, who w as later succeeded by William M cKclvy, C yrus Barton and E . II. B ig gs; a twostory frame hotel occupied the site of the present “ Exchange HotcV’; a onc-story frame was at the com er o f Jefferson alley and Second street, occupied by Mrs. M ooney; a log house on the com er o f Center and Second, owned by .Mr. F ish e r; the two-story frame hotel o f John Chamberlain on the northwest com er o f Second and C enter; and on the opposite com er the Episcopal church, where the Townsend building now stands. On the north side o f Second street there was no house nearer than the log home o f John Hess, at the site of the residence o f J. C. Rutter, J r. T he original town laid out by K yer w as from Iron to West streets. A ll of the section on East street, be­ low Third, was called "H opkinsville,” after Rev. Caleb Hopkins, the Episcopal minister who laid out an addition to the town at that point. .At that date a subscription school, (aught by a M r. Ferguson, stood at the northcast com er of Second and Iron streets. OU) TAVERNS AND T IIE IR SUCCESSORS

A t the time John Chamberlain kept his tav­ ern each guest was expected to spend at least sixpence at the bar for (he privilege o f slce]>ing on the bare floor of the public room that night. His establishment was a pretentious frame structure on the corner o f Second and Center. Casper Chrisman w as the host o f a smaller tavern on (he .site of the present "Exchange Hotel." T his house was burned Feb. 24, 1870, when H enry?. Clark w as the proprietor. T lie second building on the site was erected soon