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/292

 COLUMBIA AND MONTOUR COUNTIES In 1&29 th e “ North B ran ch " canal w as built and fo r a tim e affected the traffic of the stage­ coach. T h e w ork o f running the canal along the hills an d across the creek w as o f sufficient nugnitude to employ the labors o f many men for two y e a rs, and o f course R u p ert profited thereby— that is, the town a s well as the man. The opening of the canal caused such a rapid growth of the town and the near country as to cause a congestion in the schools. T he people v a in ly tried to secure adequate schools from the offK tais o f Hem lock township, so In i8 j7 they separated from the parent division and form ed the township o f Montour. In the sum m er o f 18 5 3 the railroad bridge across the riv e r w as begun, and in Scpictnbcr, 1854, the first train cam e into Rupert. T he Catawissa. V V illu tm ^ rt & E rie R ailroad Com ­ pany opened an office here in tlu t year and Wesley F lem in g w as appointed the first freight agent at R u p e rt, retaining the position fo r fifty years, until retired by the company on a p a ision. H e died about 1908. For som e y e ars the passengers fo r Bloom s­ burg took a stage at Ru|>crt fo r the balance of the jo u rn e y, but in 1857 the Lackaw anna & Bloomsburg road w as opened to Rupert and for some m onths w as the southern terminus. Later it w a s extended lo Northumberland. A s the only railroad point north of the river Rupert then Ijecame a place o f importance, although w h en the first road w as opened it w as simply a settlement o f a few houses. A fte r that time it g rew <|uitc rapidly. T h is came about p artly through the advent o f many in­ dustries, d raw n here by the fine shipping facil­ ities. IN O U STR tE S

The first result of the traffic enlargement of Rupert w a s the establishment, in i8 6 t, by Isaac S. M onroe, a lumberman o f Cataw issa, of a facto ry fo r the m anufacture o f powder kegs fo r the Dupont P ow d er Com pany, o f W apwallopen. P a., and W ilmington, Del. In i866 his son. W ashington M. Monroe, w as ad ­ mitted a s partner, and in 1879 the death of the father placed the w orks entirely in the con­ trol of the son. T he factory turned out ninety thousand 35-pound k ^ s in a year, valued at $20,000, and gave employment to eleven men. It was located beside the canal locks, over the spillway, from which it took pow er to run an overshot wheel in summer. In winter, when the canal w as emptied, the power came from a 'team engine. A fte r m any years o f success fire destroyed the plant, and it w as not rebuilt. The Susquehanna Slate Com pany, whose

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mines w ere located on Little Fish in g creek, liad some time before 18 7 1 endeavored to make paint from the refu se of the w orks. In that ye ar they removed this department to R u f^ rt to avail them selves of the shipping facilities, and the firm o f R cay & D rehr took o ver the w ork. B u t ten days had elapsed a fte r the building of the factory here when fire destroyed it. H ow ever, it w as immediately rebuilt and ran successfully fo r some years, but the’financial depression o f 1885 caused it to close, and a fte r selling o ff the stock on hand the business w as di.scontinued in 1890. T h e trarr>c on the canal and the industries above mcntionc<l caused much transient trade to pass through the town, and this w as catered to by the “ Rupert H ouse,” kept by W. R. Tubbs, and the “ M ontour H otel,” o f which M. Dougherty w as the proprietor. T h e form er stood near the railroad depot, and the “ M on­ tour H otel” wa.s locatc<I on the canal basin, opposite the coal office o f Paxton & Harm an. T h e latter buildings w ere incinerated in the fire which destroyed the powder keg factory. T w o stores, and a blacksmith shop kept by Jam es Q uick, were the limit of the sm aller in­ dustries in the past as well as the present. Q uick has been the village smith fo r many years. Besides the establishments already noted, Rupert at the time o f its prosperity comprised about twenty-five houses, a store, two hotels, the marble w orks and the coal office on the canal. T h e stores .at Rupert are conducted by I- M. B ctr, the postm aster, and A rth u r Roberts. T h e “ Rupert H otel” is owned b y H a rry J. Mensch. A. J. Duck is the local coal dealer, and there is a store at the north end of the Catawis.sa bridge operated b y R. R. G rim es & Co. R u pert is now sim ply a railroad junction, without industries. In its palm y day.s Paxton & H arm an conducted an extensive wholesale grocery and provision business there. A t the eastern end of the town and in the angle of the roads leading to the old covered bridge across Fishing crcck is the home o f L. H. Boody. form erly the P axto n residence, an old-fashioned brick building, but supplied with all m odem conveniences. It is surrounded by spacious and well kept law ns, dotted with ancient and lo fty sliade trees and beautified by ornamental plants and Rower beds. Beside the dw elling is an ancient tog building, the iden­ tical one in which M iss H arriet Rupert held the first school. In the co m er of the lawn near the creek is a stone and wood springhouse, vine-