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/185

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COLUMBIA AND MONTOUR COUNTIES

Among the names that will be remembered in connection with (he history o f Berwick are these: Ur. Samuel Headley, Honteter Seybcrl, Raul Thompson. Richard Smith. Mr. Davenport, Samuel H errin, Josiah F . Beach, Wm. Kitchen, Dr. A . B. Wilson, Dr. Jackson, Dr. Langdon, Thos. Coles, Sebastian Seybcrt, A. Miller, S r.. Robert Smith, Charles Snyder, Joseph Stackhouse. Lawrence Ruch, Judge Macic, Andrew Shiner, Jonathan Cooper. Hugh Thompson, Thomas Richardson, William Herrin, J . W. Dictrick, John Mc.Anall, Hud­ son Owen, Michael Frantz. Frederick Nicely, Jesse Bowman, and M rs. F.ckert. nearly all of whom died at an extremely old age. Dr. Samuel Headley was one of the larg­ est landowners in Berwick. W here the rolling mill now stands was part of his farm . Mul­ berry street was once all in his orchard. He also owned the land from Ju d ge K urtz's resi­ dence up to the county line and back as fa r as F ifth street, as well as the old fe rry landing on this side of the river. Christian Kunkle owned the fe rry landing on the Nescopeck side. M A IL SERVICE, A N C IE N T AND MODERN

Berwick appears as a post village first in A t that time the postmaster at WilkesB arre appointed a post rider and designated certain nouscs in Nescopeck and Bcnvick as places fo r the distribution of the mails. In 1800 Jonathan Handcock carried the mail, and several years later W illiam Brien was ap­ pointed the first regular postmaster at B er­ wick. In 1 8 1 1 Conrad T eter w as awarded a government contract fo r establishing mail coaches between Sunbury and Painted Post. H e transferred that portion of the route be­ tween Sunbury and W ilkes-Barre to M iller Horton, who owned (he first line o f coaches between these points. In 1824 Jesse M iller and Louis Horton assumed control o f a mail route from Baltimore to Owego, by w ay o f H arrisburg and Sunbury. A new era w as in­ augurated. Four-horse coaches, substantial, comfortable and attractive, rolled into B e r­ wick every day. T h e crack of the driver's whip and the blast o f his horn relieved the otherwise monotonous quiet of the village. John Jones, (avcm keeper, farm er and lime burner, also became a stage owner, operating a line o f coaches to F.aston. T he journey to that point then required two days. Joshua Dodson drove the first coach from Berwick to Elm ira, a week being required fo r the round trip. Joshua K in dy was toll collector on the

Towanda road, beyond Berwick. Philip A b­ bott and George Root were also long con­ nected with these routes o f travel, (he latter driving a stage fo r more than forty years. T he first tcl^ ra p h line was constructed through Benvick in 1850. T he postal service kept progress with the growth of the town. A t present there are five rural routes starting from Berwick, and the carrier service covers the city and the su r­ rounding suburbs in a most satisfactory man­ ner. t Following is the list o f postmasters at Ber­ wick from the first: William Bryan (B rie n ), appointed Ja n . t, i8 o t; John Snyder, Jan. 1, 1 8 1 5; David E . Owen, N ov. 2 0 ,18 2 0; Thom as C. Foster, Ju n e 5, 1 8 2 1; Robert M cCurdy, Jan . 1, 18 2 4; Isaiah Bahl, M arch 9. 18 3 7 : C. B. Bowman, March 9, 18 4 2; Stephen Mansfield, M av 16, 18 4 5; M . E . Jackson. Ju n e 25. 1 8 .^; W illiam B . Gardner, A pril 9. 1849; A drian V an Houten, Aug. 13 . 18 50; Isaiah Bahl, M ay 26, 18 5 3; John J. M cH enry, M ay 2 1 , 18 5 7; L evi F. Irw in, Oct. 28, 18 5 7; Jo h n Ruch, Aug. 17, 18 5 8 : E. G. Horn, A pril 2 2 , 18 6 7; John M cAnall, Dec. 14, 18 6 7; J. S. Sanders, Dec. 20, 18 6 7; John Ruch, M arch 17, 1869; Robert S. Bowman, Feb. 6, 18 8 5; Charles H. Dorr, M ay 18. 18 9 3; Louis J. Townsend, Oct. 8, 18 9 5; Robert S. Bowm an, Dec. 20, 18 9 9; J. U. Kurta, Feb. 20, 19 0 9; Oscar £. Letteer, 19 13. TH E STEAMBOAT EXPLOSION

Perhaps the most extraordinary event of the early history o f Berwick was the explosion of the steamboat ‘‘Susquehanna” in 1826. The navigation of the Susquehanna had long been an accomplished fact so fa r a s raftin g and flatboating were concerned, but no attempt had been made to operate power boats fu rther than the forks of the north and west branches, with the c.xception o f a few experiments in the way o f horse-driven "arks.” But the d is­ covery o f stcampower caused attention to be directed to the Susquehanna by parties inter­ ested in the then great traffic thereon, and it was deemed feasible lo operate steamboats in the trade. T he Susquehanna had been d e ­ clared a navigable highway in 17 7 1, and a sum o f money ap|>ropriatcd fo r its improvement. The steamboat "C odorus” was built at Y o r k Haven in 1825 and launched in October o f that year. She w as sixty feel long, nine feet wide, had a sheet iron hull, and drew seven inches o f water unloaded. T he hold was two and a h alf feet deep, two boilers supplied the