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/258

 COLUMBIA AND MONTOUR COUNTIES of the creek to a considerable distance above the forks. This tract is now in the hands o f numerous persons. Jacob Mack w as the first of the contractors in this section to lake np t])c business exclusively. Among those who came later to settle in the township were the Bower, M illard, Evans, Hngic, .Adams and Martz families. Among the industries o f (he pioneer days were the fisheries, those in Briarcreek town­ ship being the “ Tuckahoc" and "Jaco b 's I’lains" locations on the Susquehanna. Fishing is now' almost a lost a n on the river. The early industries of the township were few. William Rittenhouse built the first mill at the junction of the north and w'cst branches of B riar creek in iKoo, having dams in both streams. H e also put up a woolen mill and a sawmill. The fulling mill w as later run by .Andrew llunlock in 18 33 and by a man named Millard at a later date. During the sixties it was destroyed by fire, ami at present nothing but a fe w timbers of the fram e are standing there. EVANSTLLE

In the upper part o f township, at the forks of Big B ria r crcck, Jam es E van s built a saw and grist mill and soon a cluster o f houses formed around il, thus evolving the little vil­ lage o f Evansville. The Evans fam ily held a monopoly of the industries of the village for many years. .A few years after bis settlement there (ieorge Evans was operating a tanneiy and Ja m e s Evans carried on the business of making linseed oil. Both of these industries had languished by 1870. The last operator of the gristm ill at this spot w as Silas M oyer, who alandoned it some years ago owing to the destruction of the dam by freshets. T lie Evangelical Church here is served by R ev. W. C. Hoch. o f Wcst Bcnvick. One of the finest farms in this neighborhood is that o f O . M. Bower, who makes a specialty o f poultr> From his hillside home may be had a s fine a view of the valley of the Susquehanna as that afforded at any point in the county. East o f Evansville and north o f Berwick is Sum m er H ill. The only buildings o f note here arc the Methodist and Evangelical churches, both o f fram e construction, the form er built in 1882 on the site o f an older building, and the Utter built in 1803- R ev. ITugh Strain is pastor fo r the Methodists and Rev. W. C. Hoeh. o f Wcst B cnvick, attends to the spir­ itual wants of the Evangelicals. T h e store­ keeper and postmaster here is Joseph I - Bower.

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One o f die largest community cider mills in the county is here operated in the season by Jacob Suit, tiic iiu n y orchards of the neigliOorhood affording an ample supply o f apples. H A K T Z V IL L E

.About the center of the tow*nship is the .scttlcmcut o f M artzville, named from the num­ ber of members o f that fam ily living there. A few pretty cottages and an old Lutheran church, with a quaint steeple, constitute the principal buildings of the village. A n ancient burying ground adjoins the church, and from this elevated point a view m ay be had o f die town o f Berw ick, and through the gap in the hills a distant glimpse o f Luzerne county is caught. A ll occasional gash in the verdure of the tntcrveiiing hills gives evidence of the in­ dustry of the lime burners o f die past. Rev. C. E. A m olil o f Wcst Berwick serves the spiritual needs of the people here. llttlA K CREEK

N ear the mouth o f B riar crcck is a village bearing that name, consisting o f about fifteen neat residences, a store, a gristm ill and a distillcr>‘. The gristmill w as built aliout 1820 by Jcssc Bowman and bumc<l in 1874, soon after coming into the hands o f George Ruckle and Charles Ash. They rebuilt it that year and ran it until i88o. when Ruckle’s interest was purchased by George W'. Ash. T hereafter he and his father operated the mill until 1890. A t that date it came into Ihe hands of A. M. and W. C. A sh. sons o f George V'. It is a large building, fitted with modern machinery, operated by a i2-foot overshot wheel, and has a capacity o f 12 5 liarrels o f flour per day. T he B riar Creek Distillery w as built m 1883 by George W'. and William A sh. In j 88C George W. .Ash ran it alone and in 1906 sold to Jam es Barrett, who now has remodeled the entire plant and carries on a wholesale busi­ ness in connection. T he capacity of the dis­ tillery is four barrels o f rye whiskey per day. T lie general store and post oflicc at B riar Creek is conducted by W'. S. Ash Sc Sons. B riar Creek post ofTkc was established in 1858, just a fte r the opening of the Lackawanna & nioom sbuig railroad. John G. Jacoby was the first postmaster. N ear here arc the laige sales stables and farm o f Elm er .Shaffer, who holds monthly auctions which arc attended by buyers from all over Columbia, Montour and sur­ rounding counties.