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/265

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COLUMBIA AND MONTOUR COUNTIES

pioneer, and was owned by Burd Patter­ son and W. F. D eBerg, o f Pottsville. They sold it in 1844 to Fincher & Thomas. Its site w as on Slabtown crcck, a short distance from the junction with R oar­ ing creek. A waterpower sawmill had b<wn built here over the little creek by Simon Shive a few years previously. There w as no supply o f ore or coal at hand, but an abundance o f timber for charcoal with which to operate the furnace. The ore was secured from the Fishing crcck valley. T he product o f this furnace w as exclusively pig iron, al­ though earlier writers have statct that stoves and plows were made here. Isaiah John and Samuel B. Dlcmer leased the furnace from the Bittlcr heirs in i860 and ran it until the Civil w ar came on. Then they shipped a lot o f iron to New Jersey, from which place it w as sent to the i^ u th, captured by the Confederates and lost. T h is caused the failure of the firm and the abandonment of the furnace. Other earlier operators of the furnace were Lloyd Thom as, John Richards and D. J. W aller, br. T he furnace is now completely destroyed and but a pile o f stones, overgrown by trees and bushes, m arks the site. ROADS

T he first roads o f this township were merely bridle paths to Catawissa, the only source o f supplies. A fte r the coming of the Quakers a number o f G ernuns came from Berks county by w ay o f a road which they opened from Reading across the mountains. T h is Reading road w as much used after 18 12. and in 18 17 a sum o f money w as appropriated by the county to improve it. T h is occasioned much bitter­ ness between rival innkeepers. Caspar Rhoads induced the viewcr.<i to decide on improving the upper road past his hotel, but the stage drivers refused to use it. so the lower road w as also improved. T his caused Rhoads to open another tavern in 18 32 on the low er road, in the house built three years before by .Ben­ jamin W illiams. Soon a few houses arose around this spot, causing it to acquire the name o f Rhoadstown. A post office w as located here from 18^5 to 1864.' In 18 2 5 a line o f stagecoaches appeared on the Reading road, operated by J o s ^ h W eaver. Benjamin Potts started an opposition line in 1839. and fo r some years both lines changed horses at John Y eag er’s hotel, at Slabtown. T h ey both ceased operations a fte r the build­ ing of the Catawissa railroad.

CHURCHES

The first church building in Locust township w as erected by the Quakers, half w ay between Newlin and Slabtown, in 179b. T hey had been bolding weekly meetings for ten years previous. The year of the erection of the meetinghouse a prcparati%'C meetcng w as established here under the iiainc o f "R o arin g Creek Prepara­ tive.” JoM ph Hampton was the first overseer, fullowiffl in 1802 by Am os Arm itagc, in 1804 by I'hom as f’enrosc, and in 1H08 by Bcialcel H ayhurst. T he title to the property w as held in trust fo r some y e ars by different local resi­ dents, but is now in the liands of the Philadel­ phia Society. T he Catawissa Meeting w as dis­ continued in 1808, but in 18 14 restored under the name o f Roaring Crcck Monthly Meeting. Sessions arc held now in the old church in Locust township monthly, with the exception of the Ju n e meeting, which is held at Catawissa. Meetings are also held half-yearly at M illville. There arc but few members now attending these services, the principal families connected with this sect being the K esters.and the B ea­ vers. The old meetinghouse is located about a mile south o f Slabtown on a hill, with the small burying ground beside it. A woodenroofed stone wall surrounds the spot where the bodies o f deceased Friends lie, marked by a simple rough fragm ent o f stone, unnamed and unrecorded, and often unknown, ( k c a sionally a more pretentious m arker o f quaint design and simple lettering is seen, but the m ajority of the graves that have carved toml>stoncs bear only the initials o f (he occupant, 'fh e old building is in a fair state o f prescr'ation, and is carefully looked a fte r by the few who attend the infrequent services there. In (he year 18 0 $ both the Lutherans and (he Reform ed denomination had a foundation in Locust township. In (he barn o f John H clw ig a short distance north of the site o f N u ­ midia, Rev. John Dictcrich Adam s and Rev. Frederick Plitt had previously held services for the Reform ed and Lutheran adherents res­ ident here. In 18 15 Rev. Jacob Dicffenbach came and began plans for a church building. T he building committee, Caspar Rhoads. George M iller and Matthias Rhoads, bought a lot from Jaco b K line on the road east o f Numidia. Here a building w as begun, the cornerstone being laid Ju ly 5. 18 16 . but the edifice w as not completed until fifteen years had elapsed. Services were held here once a month. In 1870 the two congregations be­ gan another church, using the old cornerstone.