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/269

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COLUMBIA AND MONTOUR COUNTIES

law, John M errill, rebuilding the gristmill. T he gristm ill w as operated thereafter by Jones & M ears and then M ears & Thom as, until 1868, when Francis W. and Jam es E. Jones, sons of Richard, bought it. It is now operated by H. S. Gruver. Jonestown derived some im ^ rtan cc in (he past from its position on the Susquehanna & I'ioga turnpike. John M . B u ck acw graded one mile o f this road fo r $ 13 0 . T he charter o f this company is still in force, a though the collection of tolls ceased many years ago. The road is now under the charge of the State, which had a definite interest in the road from the first, having contributed several thousand dollars towards its construction.

A t the junction o f Fishing and Huntington creeks is the sawm ill built in 18 10 by John Padcn. T h e next owner w as Andrew l^ u bach, then came £. M. Laubach, next his daughter, M rs. E. A. I’tfnnington. N ow E. A. Pennington, the oldest grandson, runs the mill. 'T h e old machines fo r manufacturing wooden pumps are still in use, as is the oldtime cider press, worked by a lever. A chop mill and a circular saw are run by the turbine, which has replaced the old overshot wheel of the past. The wheel pit is o f cribwork and has an ancient look in comparison with the more modern tu r­ bine it houses. One of the largest sawmills in the county w as that o f Evan and E li A. Bcishlinc, built in i88t at Van Camp, east o f Stillwater, it PORKS scarcely Iiad time to get under w ay before it w as burned in 1884, together with a large quan­ Although aspiring to be a village in form er tity o f lum ber; there w as no insurance on cither times, this place is now simply a station on it or the mill. (he Bloomsburg & Sullivan railroad. Rush H arrison is the station agent, expressman, RELIGIOUS storekeeper and postmaster, l l i c r c are but T he first denomination to hold services in three houses at the station, but around it and along the two creeks are (he summer resi­ this township w as the Methodist, Revs. Jolm dences o f many citizens of the larger towns and Christopher Bowman, from Briarcreek, of the county, who form a considerable popu­ holding services in the home o f Abram Dodder some time before 18 12. Preaching w as con­ lation in the warm er months. Bernard Aminerman settled at Forks about tinued at Dodder's until a schoolhouse was 1820. and opened a store a little later. In built. Meetings were also held at John A n ­ 1855 he was made postmaster at that point, and drews’ liouse, on the road from Asbury to held the office until 18 6 1, when it w as trans­ Jonestown, in 1836. T he Stillw ater church ferred to Pealertown on Huntington creek. w as organized af>out the same time at the home In 18 7 1 J. M. .Ammerman, his son. became o f A lexis Good, some distance from the vil­ postmaster there and continued to hold (he lage. on the banks o f Fishing creek. The office until the installation of the rural routes. Jonestown church w*as built in 1880, the one In 1908 the old Ammcrman home w-as sold at Stillw ater in the same year, while the .As­ to William H . Derr, o f Bloomsburg, wrho ob­ bury church, west o f Jonestown, w as built in tained a hotel license, changed the name to 1848. T be first two mentioned are now in “ F orks Inn,” made many alterations and addi­ the Orangeville circuit, while that at .Asbury tions to it, and has converted it into an at­ is abandoned. Stillw ater Christian Church (D isciples) w as tractive hotel, the resort o f auto parties and fishermen from (he surrounding countr)*. one of the first to be established in this county. i.ocAtcd at the immediate junction o f H un­ In J8 35 Revs. John Kllis. J . J . H are y and tington and Fishing creeks, it is surrounded John Sutton associated together to establish by picturesque spots and has .some fine trout preaching places from Union to Luzerne coun­ poo s near by. .An artistic wire suspension ties, Rev. John Sutton coming to Stillwater. bridge connects the inn with the railroad flag H e preacliM here occasionally until 1838, when a monthly appointment w as begun. Moses station. A little farther up Fishingereek is IVilliams M cH enry was one of the founders o f this Grove, an equally popular resort. T he beau­ church and w as the first person in the town­ tiful scenery along these two streams has long ship to be baptized by immersion. M any protracted meetings preceded the or­ held out invitations to the lovers o f nature, and numerous cottages and camps line the ganization of the church, which took place in banks, summer seeing a throng o f fishers, 1838, with a list o f twenty-nine members. T he boatmen and campers taking full advantage of first church and parsonage were built here in 1842, the latter being a log schoolhouse, rebuilt. these many allurements.