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/422

 COLUMBIA AND MONTOUR COUNTIES N ov. 24, 1820, when Jam es Loughead was ap­ pointed, and he held the office fo r fourteen years. On Feb. i, 1834, Dr. D avid Petrikin took charge of the office, under appointment, and retained it umil M arch 2 1, 18 37, when he handed it o ver to John Best, wlio lu d been ap* pointed as h is successor. M r. Best w as suc­ ceeded. M arch 25, 18 4 1, by Sbarpless T a y lo r; and he was succeeded, N ov. 9, 1 ^ 2, by A le x ­ ander Best. M r. Best located the office at his resideiK'e on M ill street. On A p ril 1 1, 1849. Gideon M. Shoop w as appointed to succeed .Alexander Best, and he served as postmaster until N ov. 26, 1852, when he was followed by Thomas C. E llis, who held the position until Sept. 2 1, 1853. when Thom as Chalfant w as appointed; he filled the position until M ay 28, I K I, when A ndrew F. R ussell w as appointed. T h e post office at that time w as located in the building on M ill street now occupied by Fred W. H ow e a s a clothing store. M r. R u s­ sell held the office o f postmaster until A pril 16, 1867, when he was succeeded by Ogden H. Ostrander, who served until A pril 5, IW9. A t the latter date Charles W. Eckm an w as ap­ pointed postmaster, and by various reappoint­ ments held the position until Dec. 5, 1885, when Thom as C ^ lfa iit w as again appoinied, by President Cleveland. In the meantime the post office had been removed to the (>crn House block and v^-as located in the room afterwards occupied by the People’s Bank. I'homas Chalfant retained the position dur­ ing the administration o f President Cleveland and was succeeded, Ja n . 28, 1890. by A le x ­ ander J . F rick. But President Cleveland, being again elected, ajifiointcd Thom as Chal­ fant. Ju n e I. 1894. and M r. Chalfant remained in (he position during the balance of the C leve­ land administration and until Feb. 15, 1899, when Thom as J. Price w as apjiointed. M r. Price w as succeeded, Manrh 18, 1902, by Charles P. H arder, whose services extended until Ju n e 27. 1906, when he was succeeiled by William L. Gougcr. In the meantime the post office had again been moved and w as now* lo­ cated in its present quarters in the E lk s’ build­ ing. com er o f M ill and Mahoning streets. Mr. G ouger held the position until Ju n e 29. 19(4. when Thom as G . X'inccnt, the present postmaster, w as appointcil. Free delivery wa.s introduced into Danville in Dcccmlier, 1892. .At the present writing there are seven rural routes out o f Danville. The post offices o f Montour county, outside of Danville, a r c : Exchange, G rovania, Mausdale. Mooresburg, O ttaw a, Straw berry Kidge 24

(tw o Hall.

routes),

W ashingtonville and

369 W hite

IN TE R N A L IMPROVEMENTS

R itT r B rid g e Bridge companies seem to have been a neces­ sar)- evil in the days gone by. T h ey were never popular and ofttim es were instmments o f great 0(ipression. and were alw ays a barrier in the w ay of the boy who wanted to cross to the opposite side and did not have the necessary means to pay the loll. When once the State opeiicfl (he w ay to free the communities from the burden o f bridge tolls these communities were not slow to take advantage of the pro­ visions of the law . and now but few, i f any, toll bridges exist. In Jan uar)', 1828. the Danville Bridge Com­ pany w as chartered to build a bridge across the Susquehanna river. Daniel Montgomery w as president, Jam es I.oughcad. treasurer, and John Cooper, secretary. T he managers at that time were Jo h n C. Boyd, W illiam Colt, Peter Baldy. S r.. W illiam 60yd, A ndrew M cR ey­ noIds and Robert C. (»ncr. T he bridge w as completed in 1829 and D.micl Hoffm an w as made the first toll gatherer, .at a salary o f $65 I>cr year. P rio r to the 14th day o f M arch, 1 ^ 6 . eleven dividends had been declared upon the S lo c k . Upon that d ay the bridge w as car­ ried aw ay by a flood. Daniel Blizzard was carried down on a fragment of the bridge and w as rescued with great difficulty near the old stone house. A fte r this flood there were no dividends declared until 1863. A fte r the bridge w as taken aw ay, in 1846, a movement w as immediately nwdc lo replace it and a contract w as made with D avid N . K ow nover. who completed his w ork in a very short time and the river w as .again spannc<l by a bridge. T h is second bridge stood the aw fu l on­ slaught o f flood .mil storm in 1865. when the w.ater rose fo u r feet .above the record of the highest flood preceding. But in 1875. on St. P.atrick’s D ay, it w as swcjit aw ay in the flood, when the Cataw issa bridge w.as carric<l down ,an<l force<l against it. A third bridge w as at once built by the Sm ith B ridge Company, o f Ohio. T h is w as a fine structure, with foot walks on cither side, protected from the drivew ay by high board (lartitions which broke the force of the storms o f winter and sheltered from the blazing sun o f summer.