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/305

216 Trenches, and then in 1903, when it was r ^ u ilt and remodeled by M r. Shew. The third fire was in 1905, after which the present fine outfit o f modem paper machines was installed, The power comes from turbine water wheels and an auxiliary steam plant. Eleven men are employed the year round. The works comprise four brick buildings on a plat o f fortythree acres, and are connected by side tracks with the li. & S. and S. B. & IS. railroads* which here liave a junction point.

T his place acquired its name from Josiah Espy, who in 1775 bought a tract o f three hundred acres from the Fenns, which included the present site of the town. Soon after>vards his son George built a two-story log house on a spot about twenty yards from where the canal later ran* and near the center of the present town. He built the house in 1785 and occupied it until t8io* when he removed to Craw ford county. In 1800 he laid out the town into lots* which he sold to various persons, all o f w*hom did not occupy them. H e gave the name o f Libertv to the settlement* but latcr on the residents a(fo]>tcd his name* which was fixed in 1828 by (he establishment o f a (here were fourteen 1 <^ houses and twelve frame (hvellings in the place.
 * >ost office here with that title. A t that time

Among the first residents of the town were John Edgar, Alexander Thompson, John Kenncdy, Samuel McKamev* a M r. Hinkle* John Havcrman, a M r. M iller and Frederick *orman. The first frame house was huilt o f lumher sawed at the Elias Barton sawmill in Hemlock townsliip ami was owned hy John Shuman. The first hotel was built al>ou( 1805 by John Kennedy, rebuilt in 1853 hy Henry Tremblv. and at present is owne the people o f (he town'were suiqilied with water from three wells at the hotel ami the houses o f Jolm Webb ami Philip Miller, the latter at the corner o f Main and Market streets.

During the early hislor>* of the town the hog in the rear lictwccn (he hills and the settlement was almost impassable, a log bridge callefl the "Indian Path" being the onlv mcthml o f passage tow*ards Light Street. Over this morass a corduroy road was laid in 18 15 by John Ilauck to haul ore over from the ridge to his furnace at Mainville. This bog extends from the brook near .Mmcdia to the edge of

the corporation line o f Bloomsburg and lias for years been a waste spot, llowever* in 1907 a company was fonned to exploit the peat deposits and in 19 13 w as reorganized by the Espy Humus Fertilizer Company* o f which D r. Ira K. W olfe is president* M. W. W olfe treasurer and F. E. Lord sccrctar)* and manager. The deposits o f peat* which are twelve tcct in depth* arc dug* dried by steam and pulverized, being then shipped to different plants over the Union to be converted into fe r­ tilizer by adm ixture with other materials. Thus a worthless spot has been developed into a source o f almost unlimited wealth.

Probably the palmy days of the town o f Espy were during the o]>eration of the canal, A tout the first boat for use on the canal from this point w as made by George and Thomas Webb, and until 1873 canalboat ing was a prominent industry o f Espy tow*nspeople. Boatyards were operated by Barton & Edgar* Krcs.slcr d: *ansicklc. Fowfcr* Tronsuc & McKam cy. all o f which were later absorbed by the Pennsylvania Canal Co«npany. The latter finii continuetl to 0|>erate (heir yards until (he canal was abandoned* and in 1900 the boatyard was destroyed, together with (he Milncs gristmill beside the canal basin.

W hile the lioatyards were in operation there were three planing mills in Espy, tw*o owned by Thomas W. Edgar and 011c by D. Snyder & Co.* respectively. There were also a tanncr>'* a pOttcr>-* a distillery, a vinegar factory and a brickyard A ll of these liave passed into oblivion.

The Atlas Manufacturing Company, for the nianufacturc o f a special design o f stepladder. was formed in 1881, by Jam es and William J. McCormick, who ran u till 1884 and then rcmoved to Danville.

The first merchantin Espy w as William Mann, wlio continued in business from t8 i6 to 1818. Between )8^o and 1850 stores were operated by Worman & Sw*al>y* Miles Bancroft, C yrus Barton ami John Pctrickcn. The volume o f hustnes.s in the town at one time was so great as to sup|>ort a private liank* of wdiich William Mlines was the owner and John V. l^ g a n cashier. The present storekeepers a rc; H. C. Ruckle, T . W. Hartman* F. P. Pursel, N. Reichert, K . S . Creasy. W . E. Hummel.

The old planing mill on the line of the t..ackawanna road w*as purchased in 19 10 hy George R. Markle. o f Hazleton* who also owned (he John Robinson farm. He s p ^ t $50,000 and dcvclopcsl a large {lOiiUry busincs.s, making a s{>ccialty o f squabs, hundreds o f which he