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/264

 COLUMBIA AND MONTOUR COUNTIES pointed postmaster there, and continued to serve until 1847, when the office was moved to N ewlin. in 18 55 it w as restored to Slabtown, the official name o f Roaringcreek bcuig given ic. The present postmaster is E. C. Yeager. T he Yeager tavern, now called the “ N a­ tional H otel," w as successively run by Isaiah and Wellington Y eager, smd John R ivers. The present proprietor is A . L . Merkle. "Brookside H otel," above the town, is conducted by J . R . Bibby. ' The tannery at Slabtown w as built in 1835 b y John Yeager, operated afterw ard for a num ber o f years by M . & L . Yeager, and finally closed in 1885. The Linville gristm ill is occasionally run in the season by Peter O lslicsky. T h e present storekeepers at Slabtown are H . D . Leiby, E . C. Y eager and John Snyder. T h e population is about two hundred. T he first bridge across R oaring creek at Slabtow n was built in 1874, at a cost o f $1,50 0. T h is w as removed in 19 13, and replaced by one of the most artistic and substantial small bridges in this part of the State, constructed o f concrete and steel, at a cost o f $5,500. A bout 1 7 ^ a mill w as built by Samuel Cherrington fo r Nathan Lee. on R oaringcreek, a short distance from the Friends church, and about two miles southeast o f Slabtown. A ll of the machinery w as brought from Philadel­ phia over the Reading road. T h is mill was the only one in the lower end of the county at the time, and when it was burned in the winter o f i S i i almost a famine w as caused by the loss o f most of the grain there. John L ee and Jerem iah Snyder were later owners of the m ill. I t ' is only occasionally operated now b y the present owner, a Polander. K E W LIN

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oline engine, as well as a turbine, and the out­ put is buckwheat flour, about seventy bushels o f grain being ground per day. Newlin at the present time is even smaller titan in the past, having suffered a loss o f pop­ ulation while Numidia has grown larger. T o e only store at Newlin is kept by B. S. liodinc. NU M ID IA

T his village is the principal one in Locust township, being surrounded by some of the finest farm s In the county. Nathan L ee was the owner o f this spot o f land, and his sonin-law, Peter Kline, built the first house in the village. A store w as opened in this house in >832. The town was definitely laid out in 1835 by E lija h Price, who changed the name o f Leestown to N e w M edia. T his has been corrupted to Numidia. Anthony Dengler built a store here in 1842, and was appointed post­ master in 1847. T he present postmistress is M rs. Charlotte Daniel, who also continues the store left her by her husband, the form er post­ master. The other storekeeper is W illiam J. Beaver, who occupies the lower floor of the Odd Fellow s building. The first physician at Numidia was D r. J. II. Vastinc, who carried on practice fo r twentyone years, until his death here. Other physi­ cians thereafter were Drs. G. W. M ears, Pius Zimmerman, Jo h n Rhodes, J. H. Shircy, and the present residents, D rs. J. C. Winterstecn and A. V. C arl. D r. Wintersteen has resided here fo r twenty-three years. T he hotel is kept by M. Y eager & Son, who have a reputation fo r capability extending all over this and surrounding counties. Good W ill Lodge, No. 3 10, I. 0. 0 . F ., o f Numidia, has grown with the town's prosper­ ity, having 13 0 members at present, in con­ trast to but eleven in 1886. T he organization owns its hall, the largest building tn the town, having a storeroom below. T h e estimated population o f Numidia is 350. and there are few old buildings here, a fire having consumed many of them not long ago. Most of the residences arc attractive and modern in construction, while some of them are quite metropolitan in appearance and in­ terior furnishings. T h is is the largest town between Catawissa and Centralia and draws upon a fine farm ing community fo r support.

C aspar Rhoads built a tavern on the site at the forks of the middle branch o f Roaring creek about 1830, which came into the pos­ session o f Jolm K ern in 1S40. l i e gave the nam e o f K ern sville to the little settlement o f about ten houses, but in 1884 the post office here w as named Newlin and E lias W. Wffiitner p laccfl ill charge. The post office is now abol­ ished. but the name stil sticks. T h e gristmill on the creek here w as built by a M r. H errin g to n, who sold it, the purchaser selling to Benjamin Bahm, and it w as after­ ESTHER FURNACE w ards owned by Elias Smrdcr. T he present proprietor is W illiam L. Snyder, who bought T h is charcoal Iron furnace w as built in It from Elias. The mill is operated by a gas- 1822 by Samuel Bittler, son o f M ichael, the IB