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/300

 COLUMBIA AND MONTOUR COUNTIES church to the other two denominations which still use K. T he Orangeville Methodist Church w as for­ m erly in the Bloomsburg circuit. In 1852 the O rangeville circuit w as formed. The first Methodist sermon w as preached in Orangeville in 1829 by Rev. Jam es W. Donahay, in the schoolhouse. T he first church, a brick build­ ing. was erected in 1843, opposite Snyder's mill. In 1881 the present brick church w as dedicated, at the com er o f Mil) and Pine streets. The pastors since organization have been Revs. A l­ bert Hartm an, T . O . Clees, E . M . Chilcoat,

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A. B. Hooven, and others whose names arc not available. T he present pastor is Rev. A riel R. Turner. The membership in his three charges is 268, Sunday schools, 2 5 7; and the value of the church propenic.s is $12,80 0, besides the parsonage, $1,000. During the pastorate of Rev. T. O. Clees the frame church at the Mc­ H enry appointment, now "W hite's Cliapel," was built. T he Orangeville Lutheran charge w as or­ ganized in 1857 by Rev. P. Bergstrcsser, and included Orangeville. Zion’s, Rohrsburg and Briarcreek.

C H A P T E R X X X IV P I N E T O W N S H IP 'I'he natural beauty of the mountain scen­ e ry o f this township may attract the tourist now that good roads have been built within its lim its, but the absence of the latter and the rugged appearance of the country were deter­ ren ts to the original settlers o f Columbia county. Thereby the settlement o f Pine town­ ship w as postponed fo r some years a fte r the filling up of the other townships, and the in­ crease o f population a fte r a few venturesome hunters entered this wilderness o f forest and hills, was slow and irregular. Pine township w as formed in 1853, and had previously been included within the confines o f Derry township, Northumberland county, and Madison township. Columbia county. M ost of the Land w as owned by the .Asylum l.a n d Company, and their untrustworthy meth­ o d s held many a .substantial settler from enter­ in g this region. Peter Brugler, a hunter from New Jersey, w a s the first to come to this com er of the county, and he lived for many years u{>un the p r o c e s s of the chase, a s the region alioundcd in deer, bear and other game. INDUSTRIES

M any shingle makers canic to Pine town­ ship. but none o f ihem were permanent set­ tlers. J c r t y Lyon came in 1796 from New Je r s e y to Greenwood, where he remained six ye ars, and then cros.sing the Muncv hills made the first permanent improvement m the town­ ship, on land now occupied by his descendants and those o f Jerem iah Fow ler, to whom the land had been sur*cycd. 1 le was soon followed

by David Hamilton and Daniel Whipple, who settled some distance above Sereno. Joshua and Samuel Davis next arrived and built the first sawmill on the site o f that o f Edward Ritchie at Sereno, now in ruins. I^ te r John Thom as built another sawm ill on Little Fish­ ing creek, north of the first. T his w as after­ wards run by Jacob Christian. F o r many years these two mills did all the work fo r that end o f (he county, (he timber being hauled to the Susquehanna and rafted down that river. In 1835 Richard Greenly built the sawmill on W olfhouse run, and in June, 1836. a cloudburst dc.stroycd the mill, dam. house and l>ams. It w as not til) 1841 that he returned here and rebuilt his d e v astate property. J . L . E v es w as the last owner. The Itenficid .sawmill at Sereno w as built in 1853, as also those o f Zehulon Robbins and Henry Battin in other parts of the township. A fte r this date a great number o f small sawmills arose at various points, consummated their purpose and sank into ruin. T o enumerate them would be wasteful o f space. T he tan­ nery at Sereno w as for a time o f some consc<|ueiicc. It was operated by Edw ard Ritchie in connection with his sawmill, from 1837 to 1872. Sereno post office was established in 1853. with John S ta rr as the official, T he villaM Iwd fo r a time been callerl W arnersville. Frank P . M asters was the postmaster in 18 6 1. H is f.athcr, Jam es M asters, w as his predecessor and (he'first schoolmaster in the township, in 1830. TaUnar. a village in the northern part of the township, consists o f a store kept by H.