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/184

 COLUM BIA AND M ONTOUR COUNTIES

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tbcir iron kettles hanging along the trees that brick houses replaced the simple log structures of the pioneers and the village began to as­ fringetl the shore. T he first children born in B erw ick were sume the aspect o f a town. T h e first fram e John and Anne Brow n, children o f Robert dw elling built at this period, by Rolicrt Brow n, Brown (A n n e w as the w ife o f Je sse B ow ­ stood on Front street until 1902, when it was man, deceased, and the first person m arried tom down, although still in a fa ir state o f in B erw ick ). T h e first church built w as (he preservation. 'I'he first brick house erected Quaker, a log building, where C . C . E v a n s’ in the town, by H onteter Seybert, in 18 16, residence now stands. T h e first law yer w as w as a tavern, named a fte r him self. It later named B a n c ro ft; first ju dge, Jo h n C oop er; received the name o f " S t . C lu rle s.’’ T he pres­ doctors, M oorcland and B e issw ick; post­ ent hotel o f that name is built on the site o f master. W illiam B r ie n; schoolmaster, Isaac the old one. H ollow ay; preachers, Carson and Painter. E.KLY INDUSTRIES ROADS AND URIOCES

A s time passed the necessity fo r adequate roads to attract the patronage of the traveler caused the founders o f Berw ick to apply to the State fo r help. In 178 7. E van O wen w as appointed to superintend the construction o f a State road from Nescopeck falls to the Lehigh. T w o years later the w ork w as com­ pleted and the Indian trail supplanted b y a passable road. On M arch 19, i«>4. the S u s­ quehanna & Lehigh T u rn p ike & R oad Com ­ pany w as incorporated, and in 1805 the old road w as made o ver into a graded turnpike at a great expense, both to the State and to private capitalists. A nd rew Shancr, o f B e r­ wick. w as one of the contractors, and C h ris­ tian Bow m an w as the first traveler to make the journey through to Easton. T h e Su.squchanna & T io g a T urnpike R oad Com pany w as chartered in 1806 to build a road to the north­ ern line of the State. T h is road w as finally completed to T ow an da. P a., in i8 i8. Among the projectors and stockholders w ere Nicholas Seybert. .Andrew Shaner, lessc Bowm an, tacob M ack. M cK inn ey Buckalew and John Bastian. William B rien ’s fe rry being Inadequate for the demands of the public, in i S i 3 a bridge company w as form ed, with the follow ing o f ­ ficers: President, A bram M iller, S r .; treas­ urer. John B r o w n; m anagers, S ila s Engle, Thomas Bowm an. Elisha Barton. J r. T heo­ dore B u rr received the contract and completed the bridge in 18 14. I l w as 1,260 feet long, with piers o f heavy pLinked timber, and cost S52435. 'fh e bridge form ed the connecting link for the highw ays, and a continuous route was thus e sta b lish ^ between T ow am la and Easton. T h e position o f Berw ick at the ju n c­ tion of these two roads w as o f immense ad­ vantage. and she dated her grow th and pros­ perity from the time of their construction. A n era o f building was inaugurated. Fram e and

'Lite force of the current In the Susquehanna induced E van Owen to build a gristm ill on the banks, in the hope o f utilizing the w ater­ power, but the attempt resulted In failure. Jo h n Jo n e s w as more successful in his estab­ lishment o f a limekiln on the banks of the river. H e obtained his raw m aterial fro m a ledge on the island that at that time existed in the river near the Berw ick side. T h e site is sim ply a sandbar now. T h e forge across the river on N cscopeck crcck added to the pros* years, as did the foundry o f G eorge M ack, located at Foundryvillc, about a mile north o f town. T h e first assessm ent list g iv e s these names of the founders of the respective industries and vocations in B e r w ic k : Jo h n and Peter Su it, co o p ers; Jo h n Brow n, carp en ter: Aquilla S ta rr, b acksm lth; Benjam in Doan, ta ilo r; A bel Dalby, chairm aker and p ain ter; Jonathan Cooper, m a s o n; Bush, d y e r; Ilc n ry T rau g h, t a n n e r; V allcrsham p, dentist: Herm an Inman, tinner; Sleppy & Co., gun ­ sm iths; Jam e s E v an s, w h eelw righ t; -M arshall, silversm ith; R oxan n a C artw riglil, m illiner; -- Stackhouse, butcher; Polly M ullen, w e a v e r; Sam uel H errin, cabinet­ m ak er; Col. Jo h n Snyder, saddle and harness m ak er: lohn Jon es, lime burner. Paul Thom pson cam e to B erw ick in 1798 and crectcil the first pottery fo r the m anufac­ ture o f crocks, ju g s and other coarse uten­ sils, on the spot where the M ethodist church now stands. Me owned a flatboat and sold his goo<ls along the river. H is son H ugh enlarged the pottery and ran it till 1842. when his sons, Joseph D. and Richard, took c h a ise. Together they operated the pottery on an extensive scale until 18 53. and then Joseph D. Tliom pson continued it alone until 186 3. when he closed the business, ow ing to lack o f demand fo r that kind o f g o ^.
 * K.*riiy o f Berw ick somewhat du ring later