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/260

 C H A P T E R XXI C E N T R E T O W N S H IP This township w as formed in 1844 from portions o f Briarcreek and Bloom townships. Two distinct ranges o f hills, extending in a direction parallel with the Susquehanna, di­ versify the surface of the land. A narrow, rugged valley separates L ee mountain from the Sum m er hills, and between these and Lim e Kidge is one of the most fertile valleys in the county, in which the west branch o f B riar credc takes its rise. South of the ridge the land slopes gradually to the river. T his region was among those sections first settled in Columbia county. Here on the west branch o f B riar creek the VanCampen, .Salmon and Aikman families built their homes and laid out their farm s, only to be subse­ quently ins'olvcd in the devastation which fell upon the fiourkshing colony at Wyoming, in the year of the terrible massacre. Alexander .Aikman emigrated from New Je rse y in 1777 and built a cabin on the b,ank of the run now known a s Cabin run. H e spent the summer here, but in the autumn returned to New Jersey, fearing the Indians. T his w as a wise move, fo r in the years intervening between his return in 178 1 the savages burned his cabin and committed many outrages upon the un­ fortunate settlers who had remained. A fte r Aikman’s return with his family in 178 1 he re­ built his home and became a permanent home­ steader. H is descendants still live at and near the old site o f his house. One of them, John H. Aikm an, has a charming home almost on the site of the first cabin. T he silvery spring which afforded unfailing refreshment to his ancestor still flows below the house. Moses VanCampen, who had arrivc<l a short time a fte r the first visit o f Aikman in 1777, was driven from his cabin in the following yrar and the savages burned it, running off all his stock. A fte r spending some lime in the refuge o f Fort WTicclcr M oses VanCampen. his father, a younger brother, an uncle, and the lattcr’s son. about twelve years old. to­ gether with a hunter, Peter Pence, started for

their old location, expecting to remain and re­ build the cabins unmolested. Unfortunately fo r th em 'a party o f Indians and Tories had moved down from the W yoming valley to the neighborhood o f Fishing creek. T he party ar­ rived at their farm s and had been tnere five days when they were surprised by the Indians, who killed and scalped the father, brother and uncle o f V an C am p ^, and made prisoners of the rest of the party. T he Indians then marched up past Huntington creek and over to the headwaters o f Hunlock creek. Here they captured Abraham Pike, but after painting the w ife sent her and her child aw ay unharmed. A fte r several days the party came to the north branch of the Susquehanna, about fifteen miles below Tioga Point. Here VanCampen and his companions succeeded in surprising and killing their captors and escaped down the river to Northumberland. Joseph Salmon, who settled on the run at the same time as the V'anCampens and Aikm ans, w as made a prisoner by the Indians at the time they burned their homes in 1778. Salmon w as in the field and saw the Indians surrounding the cabin. H e lustened there in time to per­ suade the savages to spare them. In return they agreed to hold Salmon as a hostage. T hey carried him with them for about a year as a captive, and finally returned him to his home, unscathed. Fort Jenkins, built in 1778, is described in the sketch of the forts o f this county on an­ other page. T he site w as the home o f two brothers o f that name, whose first names have never been ascertained. T hey were settlers contcmimrancous with the families mentioned above. In 1792 Frederick H ill purchased the site from the Jenkins’ and erected the first public house in the township. A n interesting and romantic incident was the m arriage o f Benjamin Fow ler, an English soldier who had surrendered with Cornwallis at Yorktown in 17 8 1. T h e following year he rode through the valley o f B riar crcck on

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