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/286

 COLUMBIA AND MONTOUR COUNTIES waterpower to build a mill on the banks of C ataw issa creek. In 18 3 1 Abraham Creesmer w as the proprietor, and also operated the fu r­ nace. T h e mills on the old site at present are o f modem design and arc o(>crat<Al by Je r e ­ m iah Kester. T h e Mainville R oller M ills, o f which D . W. Shum an is the proprietor, are located on the crcck between the two railroad bridges. The mill w as bitili soon after the Haudk mill, is three stories high and in a good state o f preser­ vation. Many additions and improvement.^ have been ad<^cd in the past years, the roller process superseding the old method o f milling in 1 ^ 5 . John M. N uss & Son operated the m ill from 1876 to the date o f Shum an's pur­ chase. M aim 'ille w as at one time a thriving village, h avin g the furnace and two mills, the forge, three stores and two hotels. Part of this pros­ p e rity came from the building of the Cata­ w issa railroad, between 18 32 and 1838. M any p arts of the line were graded and the high trestle bridge over the crcck and gap between Ncscopcck and Catawissa mountains was con­ structed at a great cost. T h e work ceased un­ til 18 53, when it w as resumed, but the entire structure had rotted, necessitating its com­ plete rebuilding. T his gave more work for local contractors, and a few years later the D anville. Hazleton & W ilkes-Barre railroad added to the temporary prosperity of the town w h ile in process o f construction. Both of these ro ad s now have tall steel bridges across the ravin e and creek, the Reading (o r Catawissa) railroad structure being directly over the old one. the piers o f stone still standing tn fair condition, but not supporting the new work in an y way. T lie "Sluiinan H otel" w.is ownctl by that fam ily fo r a century. It is no longer a public house. T h e "M ainville H otel" is an old-fashioned, room y structure in the lower part of the town and has a reputation fo r good service and am ple accommodations. It has lieen kept by B o yd R. Yetter for many years. W. M. Longcn l^ rger is (lostmaster. and also has a store here. Another merchant is A . F . Deancr. P. O . S . o f A . Camp No. 484 has a fine brick meeting hall here. There is also a new fr.ame high sciiool in (he (own. There are but three veterans of the Civil w ar now living in M ainville; William Utt, H enry Bredbender and Martin V an Buren Kostenbauder.

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RELICIOUS

'i'he oldest religious societies in Main town­ ship are the Lutheran and the Kcfom ied. In 1 8 1 3 they built a log churcli on the cross­ roads north o f M ainville. calling it Fish er’s church, from one of the farm ers who donated the ground for the building and cemetery. The second church upon this site was a fram e, built in 1833. T he third church, still in use, w as a brick one, built in 1877. It w as badly dam­ aged by a sionn tn 1 8 ^ (the Lutherans had previously sold their share to the Reform ed congregation and built a home of their own just north of the tow n). Frank Shuman do­ nated the land and a fram e building was erected in 1888, being dedicated in the follow­ ing year. T he cost was $4,300. The donors o f (he ground upon which the successive union churches were built were H enry Fisher, Peter Bowman and John Ncuss. T he Lutherans organized in 1822 and their M stors to the present time have been: Revs. John Beniiinger, Jerem iah Schindcl, William I. Kyer, W. (J. Laitzlc, L. Lindenstrcuth, J. H. Neiman. W. E. Roney and C. F. D ry. The parish o f M ainville now includes (he churches o f Mifilinvilic, Mainville and Beaver Valley, Rev. C. F . D ry having ch aise of them and re­ siding in the i>arsonage at Mifflinville. The Mainville Church i.< now called Emmanuel’s. i The membership is 12 5 and the Sunday school has forty-five attendants. T he storm or cyclone which struck the union church in 1896 blew in the gable and so dam­ aged it that the congregation had it tom down. T h e Lutherans having sold their interest in the building, the Reform ed congregation sold the remains of the brick church and in 1896 erected a frame church building a .short dis­ tance north of the site of the old one, at a cost o f $2,500. T he membership o f this church in 19 14 is 138, and there are fifty children in the Sunday school. T he present pastor. Rev. R . Ira Gass, resides in Mainville. I lls predecessors from the first were Revs. A . J. 'Tobi.as, A. R. Hoitcnstcin, Philip Stcerv. G. B. Decliant. Luiin Fcttcrolf, Charles H. Matchler, J. A lvin Rcber. A lfred J. Herman, Frederick A. Cook. T he officers of the church a r c : J. B. N uss. S. C. Beagle. M. M. Geiger. A. F. Deancr. Charles B. H aw k, Peter Beagle. H enry Whitenite. D. M. Miller. Prior to 1880 the Methodists held services in the schoolhousc at M ainville and were in­ cluded in the Mifflinville circuit. In that year a committee w as appointed at the second quar-