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/183

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COLUMBIA AND MONTOUR COUNTIES

take advnntigc of the opportunity to obtain a home in the new world. He made his first journey of rcconnoissancc with Ilcnj.amin Doan and others in 1772, coming from H arris’ I'c rry in a "D u rham " boat, and stopping at the mouth o f Fishing creek, but the troublous times caused him to return to a more civilized locality. In 1780, eight years later, he came back and selected a s a jiermancnt residence the point opposite the mouth o f .escopcck creek. He himself did not settle here until a period of six years had intcr%‘cned. In the meantime John and Robert Brown were in­ duced by Owen lo go to his lands and make a home. 'I'he Browns and their families made the journey ovcrbnd to Catawissa, where the Quakers had already a thriving settlement, in the period between 1780 and 1787. From that village i h ^ went in canocs to the falls of Ncscopcck, landed on the site o f Berwick and located their separate allotments o f land. Dur­ ing the first year they fastened trcctops to­ gether, covering them with bark, and thus made shelters fo r the period between ihcir arrival and the harvesting of the simple crops of the virgin soil. T he following year more substantial homes o f logs were erected, as the farm ing land had proved to be of good quality. T he influx o f actual settlers and the adm ir­ able site of the setilemeni induced Owen to lay out a permanent town in 1786. 'The act was a wise one. T he location, two hundred feet above the river, with the opening in the hills southward offering an outlet to the older settlements, and the ample supply o f fuel and water, combined with tW piclurcsqueness of the surroundings, offered a site that has dem­ onstrated its suitability through all the follow­ ing years. The first settler to erect a dwelling was John Brown, who built on the south side of Front street, near Market, Roljert Brown locating on the opposite side. Evan Owen himself built a bouse on the site of the present • " S t. Charles H otel," while Samuel Jackson, a broihcr-in-law, look the opposite com er. Josiah Jackson, brother o f Samuel. o|>ened the first hat shop on Front street, below Market. Jam es Evans, a millwright. John Sm ith and H enry Traugh complete the list of the first settlers. Owen made an extended trip through the lower counties of the State, selling lots in the projected town, and was fairly successful. Jam es Stackhouse, a wealthy farm er o f Bucks county, came and built a home on .Second street. He planted the first orchard, which

w as vigorous for many years after the in­ corporation of the town. Others who came were Thomas Cole, Jam es H errin, Benjamin Doan and Jaco b Cooper. A t first the town was laid o ff into lots and the streets marked by blazing trees. From these arboreal surroundings arose the names of the streets Oak, Vine, M ulberry, Pine. Clicsinut and Walnut. A t first the residents called the town Owcnsvillc, but the Q uaker proprietor was modest and the name he gave it was that o f his old home in England— Benvick-on-Twecd—with the hyphenated at­ tachment dropped. A fte r (he settlement of the conflicting claims o f Connecticut and Pennsylvania part of the town plot was taken from Owen and included in Salem township, Luzcm c county. T his portion is now the site o f East Berwick. In 1800, John Jon es opened the flrst store in the town on what is now the site of T . H. Doan’s hardware store. In the course o f time travel through the town increased and the necessity of taverns became evident. T he first one in the town w as o])encd in 1804, at the com er o f Second and .Market strccLs. by John Brown. H e gave it the title of the "Golden I^ m b ." John Jones was the next proprietor, and w as succeeded by .Abraham Klotz and Frederick Nicety. During (he lattcr's ownership the place was known as the “ Cross K e ys." Before the bridge w as built William Bricn established a fe riy and kept a tavern at the site of the old bridge. A s an adjunct to (his hostelry Richard Smith built a log house below Bricn’s place, where he carried on the vocations o f shocmaking and the distilling o f a brand o f "squ irrel" whiskey. Samuel F . Headley later kept a public house at the com er o f hront and Mulberry streets, which he called the ".Stage Coach Inn." In 1803 a market house w as erected in the center of the street afterw ards named from it, between Second and Third. It was sup­ ported on laigc square pillars, the space be­ neath being adapted to the storage o f wagons and the protection of the horses. It was liglitcd hy small green glass “ bull’s-eyes,’’ which g ave but little light and alntost completely p re­ vented ventilation. T his building w as devoted to school purposes, preaching, public assem ­ blies and elections, and most of the denomina­ tions of the present day had their hirth in (his luimhle and crudely built edifice. .At this time (bo housewives of the village were accus­ tomed to spend "w ash d ay" on the banks of the river, and the whole year round they left