32 T HE JOU R NAL

PURCHASE AT THEMUSEUM H 0 P (Jhique Gifts of Significance

contemporary crafts Roesen note stationery copper miniatures decorative tiles authentic indian artifacts jigsaw puzzles THE postcards b/JOURNAL historical literature OFTHE

Lycoming County Historical Society

VOLUME Vll FALL NUM:BER TWO 1971 JOU R NAL MUSEUM S'TAFF of the Director LY'COMING COUNTY HISTORICAL SOCIETY John W. Strawbridge lll Adw Hist at ve Aide Pwbtisbed Semi-Annaatl] in W'illiamsport, PennsyLvaia Jean Layton Museum Office - 858 West Fourth Street Exhibits Aide Anne Gstalder Telephone (Area Code 717) 326-3326 Bztilding Cwstodiat} Ralph Wikstrom

BOARD OF TRUSTEES

CARL. H. SIMON, PRESIDENT A. F. BEIGHLEY RALPH R. CRANMER, TREASURER W'n.I.IAM E. NICHOL.S, JR., ESQ. WALTER J. HEIM ANDREW K. GRUGAN, MICHAEL LAGANA CURRENT SOCIETY PRESIDENT MUSEUM VOLUNTEER STAFF

BOARD OFGOVERNORS Gewealogist Mrs. Donald Carson ANOREW K. GRUGAN, PRESIDED'r DR. SAMUn. LONG, 3RD. VICE PRES. Regis ration Co r mit ee Miss June Foresman, Chairman ED. J. DURRWACHTER, IST. VICE PRES. MRS. DONALD M. CARSON. SECRETARY Miss Ethel Ertel Mrs. Frederick Snell DR. LORING B. PRIEST, 2ND. VICE PRES. HAROI.D B. TAMI.OR, TREE.SURER Mrs. Fred Foresman 1970-1972TERM 1971-1973TERM F4.ne Arts Progfa7}} Committee Dr. June E. Baskin, Chairman SamuelDornsife MR. D. M. CARSON MRS. JOHN LINDEMUTH Mrs. John Fischer MRS. JOHN W. BITNER MRS. ALLAN YOUNG, JR. Mrs. Robert Maples MR. SAMUEL J. DORNS]FE MRS. MARGARET BALDWIN C. Robert Schultz MR. WILLARD A. SCHELL MRS. NORMAN INGERSOLL Andrew K. Grugan

EX-OFFICIO BOARD MEMBERS OpeTatio? Z\ll seam Mrs. John Goodwillie, Coordinator MRS. JOHN GOODWILLIE, REPRESENTATIVE, PabticitT a7M Pzlblic Relations CharlesE. Noyes JUNIOR LEAGUE OF WILLIAMSPORT C a arial DePartrLents'. James P. Bressler, Chairman MR. MAX E. AMnGH - PRESIDENT Archaeology Willard Schell THE GREATER WILLIAMSPORT ARTS COUNCIL William Turnbaugh

SOCIETY STAFF Archives a?M Records Miss Gladys Tozier, Chief Miss Jean Little EXECUTIVE SECRETARY MRS. KATHRYN J. CHUTE Mrs. Robert Nevel Mrs. 'John Holland Mrs. Joseph Stewart VOLUME Vll F.ALL NUMBER TWO 1971 Edt&ca o Andrew K. Grugan Fine Arts EDITOR; Dr. June E. Boskin

MRS. EDITH L. WRIGHT 1%d s v Francis Maneval

Military History Dr. Samuel Wiersteiner Extra Copies of The Journal Fif ty Cents Each Textiles Mrs. Norman Ingersoll CONTENTS PxaE

Membership Meeting Program for 1971-1972 4 President's Letter 5 Museum Showcase:A Summary of Lycomin8oCounty History by James Bressler 6 In Memoriam -- Gibson G. Antes 8 In Memoriam -- Margaret B. Coryell 8 Dedication of Courthouse by Judge Charles F. Greevy 9 Early Settlers on the Loyalsock by Fred M. Rogers 11 GREETINGS FROM THE PRESIDENT'S DESK The Ring of the Axe and Whit of the Sawby G.addsTozier 13 PICTURE --T A VIRGIN ' FOREST OF 16 As the President of your Society, I wish to addressa few remarks to the member- PI(:TURE LOYALSOCKCREEK. 1917 ship describingin brief someof the projects with which che Societyis currently very Original drawing by J. Wesley Little 17 much involved. Piracy on the Pennsylvania Canal by Dr. Lewis E. Theism 23 A Tour of the SchulzeMansion 26 In particular I am thinking of a Historic SitesSurvey which is in progressin the A Sign of Old Times by Scott Schreiber 28 county to determine a county-wide inventory of important historic locations and build- Prayer on an Indian Grave 29 ings. This survey is being funded through the Lycoming County Planning Commission, Contents of Vol. 11, No. 10 30 and is spearheadedby the Ai:chitecture Committee of the Greater Williamsport Com- V munity Arts Council and other cooperating organizations.

MEMBERSHIP MEETING PROGRAM Anotheritem of interestto the membersof the Societyis the fact that in 1970 the TiadaghtonElm was seriouslydamaged in a storm. With the financial assistanceof 1971-1972 the WiIJiamsporr Foundation, Inc., and under the supervision of our Past President, Mr. Donald M. Carson, expert repairs are being made to the Elm in order to save it September11, 1971 (6:30 p.m. dinner, Lycova Grange Hall) for posterity. CHARLES E. NOYES, Executive Director and Secretary-Treasurer of rhe Keystone Shortway Association, and HON. Z. H. CONFAIR, President of the Keystone Shortway Association, I would strongly urge members to visit the Museum periodically to examine the :Progress along the Keystone Shorcway' many interesting temporary exhibits displayed there.

October 21, 22, and 23, 1971 Andrew K. Grugan, President Pennsylvani.a Historical Association annual convention co-hosted by Lycoming LYCOMING COUNTY HISTORICAL SOCIETY College and the Lycoming County Historical Society ' '

la list ot programstof tberemaitMer ot tbe 1.91\-\912Tear Hill be sent >o all vrtembers tbe tbsp part ot October.)

COVER PICTURE---This. sculpture was done particularly for our lumbering gallery by Steven Collier of Muncy. 6 T HE JOU RNAL 7

MUSEUM SHOWCASE Battle of Bull Run it lost 52 killed and 57 that a boom in the river was not ony proc wounded,while at Antietamit lost 27 kil- tical but essentialif logscut upstreamand A SUMMARY OF LYCOMING COUNTY HISTORY led and 89 wounded.Its losseswere in floatedon the river were to be caughtand similar pmportions at Fredericksburg, Chan- stored for large-scale operations. When the (M%sewn Dbecto?s Note. 1%tbe coarse of ,preparing aw orienta lait exhibit tor tbe cellorsville, and Gettysburg. Lycoming Coun- SusquehannaBoom Company under Perkins Mztseztm, caPsuLizing tbe bzlman bis orT ot tbe Cozlnt], Mr. James Brewster ptodaced }be rians were prominent in the famous "Buck- finally completed its gigantic pmject, 300 allowing SHw}7ml'T of cozlntT distort wbicl) Flat be ot valle to reaieri o{ this pzlbLica- 0 rail" i:egiment. In all, men fmm Lycoming million feet of logscould be scoredat one ££o#. ) served in 33 regiments. They served solidly lime. In spite of periodic flood ravages,the in the cause of the Union advantages were so great that it served the THE INDIAN PERIOD LYCOMING COUNTY ISBORN apptoximately 25 mills that lined the river GROWTH OF INDUSTRY Incredibly, ninety-eight per cent of the What is now Lycoming County was banks and mill ponds. Williamsport soon history of man in the West Branch Valley originally a part of the vast wildernessem- Because it was isolated beyond the mimics became a huge mart. bracing aU of North Central Pennsylvania, of effective tmnsportation,early industries Vase supplies of Williamsporc lumber belongs to the American Indian. From the were used for the Civil War. Soon lumber- close of the lash lce Age to che middle of lying north and west of Sunbury and known of Williamsport were mostly for the con- rhe 1700's, the Indian was always the hunt- as Northumberland County. Pressure to venience of its immediate inhabitants. But related industries as well sprang up in the er. Living in harmony with nature, with create a new county mounted as more set- with the comingof the canalin 1833and city to add to the growing importance of lust rhe toolsthat could be fashionedfmm tlers pored into the rich West Branch Val- the railroads around 1839, expensivecom- Williamsport as an industrial center. natural objects, he left behind only a few ley. As early as 1786 a bill was pi:esenced mel:cewas at last practical. The first iron By the time of the First World War, the indestructible relics which hint of his [o the legislature to create a new center or foundry was startedby John B. Hall in greater part of the forests was gone and meager existence. From the Paleo Indian government,but not until 1795was the ef- 1832. He made many of the components cheriver cities on the West Branchhad to hunter to the semi-agrarianvillage dweller, f ort successfuldue to much opposition from for sawmills and the canal. He imported look elsewhereto maintain their prosperity. as the white man found him. we can trace the mother county of Noi:thumberland.The rhe first steam engine ever used here. Early INTO THE 'l'WENTIETH CENTURY his history in changing types of weapons, building of the WilliamsonRoad to the manufactures centered largely in producing domestic tools, pottery, and the kinds of Genesee country helped swing the senti- machinery for the growing lumber industry. At the dawn of the twentieth century sheltershe built. ment. The Valley Iron Works was establishedin many of the industries mar were to become 1865 to make steamengines for export as rhe lifeblood of Lycoming County's pros The new Lycoming County embraced a well as for local use. Machinists and mach- THE COLONIAL PERIOD vast territory of 12,000 square miles out of perity were already established. The wealth which 16 counties have since been sub- inery repair shops were popular from 1850 that lumber had brought could not be sus- Northward expansioninto the hinterland divided. It took in all of north central Penn- [o 1890. tained.and the river towns had to look of Pennsylvaniafollowing the close of the sylvania from Luzerne County to the Alle- In 1850 Williamsport had a population elsewhere if they were to grow and prosper. French and Indian War brought white set- gheny River. of 1615. By 1860 it had jumped to 5,664, A major industry, AVCO Corporation, tlers into the rich bottomlands of the West After a bitrei: rivalry between Jaysburg, largely reflecting the dynamic spirit of had its roots in the DemorestManufactur Branch Valley. The typical pioneer was Chenthe most settledpart of the West . who seemsto have dominated ing Company, which was scarred in 1845 hardy and self-reliant, surviving only by his Branch, and William Hepburn and Michael rhe industrial growth of his day. It was lar- by Madame Demorest for the manufacture brawn and ingenuity. First the land was Ross (owners of most of the land that is gely through his leadership and thad of a of sewing machines.The factory was built cleared for farming. Barns and cabins were now Williamsport) the county seat of gov- fen ' others that the great lumber industry in 1889 to make not only sewing machines built from felled trees. Isolatedin the ernment was finally given to WiIJiamsporr. developed on the scale it did. Lumber was but bicyclesand operachairs. Later this wildernesswith only the river andIndian Under the stimulus of monetary values that rhe story of Williamsport to the extent thee f acton:y became Lycoming Motors, and it trails to connecthim with the outsideworld, would acct:ueif the county seat could be lo- by 1880 the city became known as the lum- is world-famousfor its excellentproduct rhe Erst Lycoming settler lived off the land cated east of , Michael Ross bering capital of the world. E. Keeled Co. was establishedin 1864 by and hunted for most of his meat. laid out 111 acresof his land in 302 lots. THELUMBERINDUSTRY J. Heathecoreand Co. Irs best known pro- In less than a decadehe was to face his Thus Williamsport was born. duct line is Keeled boilers, which also enjoy most severe trial. Repeated incursions by Put togetherthe far-sightedingenuity of an international i:eputation rhe British and Indians from the notch re LYCOMING COUNTY one Major JamesH. Perkins,the dynamic To John A. Otto goes the credit for duced all his efforts to ashes. All but for- IN THE CIVIL WAR spirit for promotion of Peter Herdic, an establishingthe fii:sc furniture factory in gotten now are the nutnerousmurders on almost unlimited stand of trees on the Sus- Williamsport in 1859. Williamsport has rhe Loyalsock and Lycoming Creeks and on The war betweenthe statesaroused much quehanna watershed, and a young nation's long since become famous for the production rhe river flats that were Lycoming's contri- patriotic excitementin Lycoming County. need for lumber, and you have all the of fine furniture,a naturalby-product of bution to the cause of freedom. Without The Woodward guards, an artillery unit, ingredients for an explosive industrial the lumber industry. adequate weapons for defense, these hardy was formed in 1856 and was one of the first enterprise. The result was the rise of a rich Williamsporr Wire Rope, now a division pioneers nevertheless stood foursquare to three regiments to go into service. The young city almost overnight. of Bethlehem Steel Co., traces its history guard the backdoor to the Pennsylvania eleventh regiment, in which the first com- Mills had been springing up along the [o 1886 when it was incorporated under tht ' settlements. It was because of men like these panies served, achieved an enviable record river francin rhe late 1830'sbut it re- name of Morrison Patent Wire Rope Co., mat freedom prevailed. and suffered severe losses. At the second mained for Major Perkins to demonsti:ate Ltd., by the Van Dusen's,Mr. Morrison, and 8 THE JOU RNAL

a Mr. Jones. In 1888 it was reorganized as of band instruments. DEDICATION OF COURTHOUSE rhe Williamsport Wire Rope Co., at which In 1882 another world-famous institution. Saturday, May 1971 lime J. Henry Cochran became associated GRIT, America's most famous family news- 1, with the firm. Its products have been used paper, was born. Founded by Reverend (Speech by Judge Charles F. Greedy) in many of the world's most impressive en- Henry M. Wolf as a Sunday paper, it has gineering proj ects. grown steadily into America's leading Lycoming County's history is a proud one, 1 /94] -- ''It is the opinion of the Lycoming Rubber Co., establishedin weekly paper. and today, clay 1, 1791, is a very special day grand jury that court officials give serious 1882, was once a major industry in Wil- The Williamsport Academy, erected in in that history--a history that datesback consideration and thought to the erection ol liamsporr.It was well known for the qualify 1814,after a long and crying period of [o April 13, 1795, when the chen governor a new and modern courthouse. of sporting shoesit produced development eventually became Dickinson of Pennsylvania, Thomas Mifflin, approved The Heruy Distin ManufacturingCo. Seminary and later Lycoming College. a bill which ci:eared Lycoming County. The /.5 ye.zri Za/ef -- ]9.56 -- "A new court chartered in 1888, was a well-known maker following day, April 14, 1795,the first Ly- house be erected as soon as possible. coming County officials received their oaths 29-59 ''We all agree that a new lnd of office. From log cabin tavern and other efficient courthouse is badly needed. It is temporary quarters in Jaysbui:g and Wil- the only answer to the crowded, antiquated, liamsport to this beautiful modern structure inadequatebuilding that the county now is the interesting story of our community's possesses. We recommend thad the county .4Wemortan: growth and development,as reflectedin commissioners and the courts of Lycoming its several courthouses and sites. This de- County take immediate steps co correct this tailed history is containedin the April, situation.' GIBSON G. ANTES 1971, issue of the Lycoming County His- torical Society's Journal. Ff e yezff go -- /966 -- ''We find that the reports of the prior grand juries that a We honor the memory of Gibson G. Antes who died April 19, 1971.He was In 1804 Lycoming County's first real elected President of the Lycoming County Historical Society in 1957 and served until new courthouse be constructed are entirely courthouse was erected on this site and it justified 19S9. For many years he was one of the most active and concerned members of che was reputed to be the finest in the Com- Society.His wealth of information on the early history of WiJliamsporr was most The numerous recommendations by grand valuable. monwealth outside . Within 50 juries, of county oMcials and citizens, and years, however, population and business in- creasemade it apparent that the building independent oHicial surveys,did not go un- A native of Nisbet and a lifelong resident of Lycoming County, he was descended heeded. ]n ]936 an eight-story city-county from West Branch Valley pioneers.His great-great-greergrandfather was Col. John could no longed: fulfill its purpose, and in building was proposed.These plans were Henry Antes who servedin the and built Fort Antes, opposite che spring of 1861 the second courthouse not approved. present day Jersey Shot:e,in 1778 as a defense against Indian and Tory invasion. on this site was completed.After 75 years, further development of rhe county, increase We shall miss the reminiscencesof Gibson Antes which so often added a bit of In 1939 articles of incorporation were of court servicesand of population brought humor and zest to our programs. granted to the Lycoming County Court a demand for a lai:ger building. The popu- House Authority. As a result ol their find- lation tripled--in 1861 the population of ings a Philadelphiaarchitect was hired, Lycoming County was 39,463. By the 1940 and plans were submittedfor a new court- censusit hadgrown to 93,633,by 1960ta house,with retail storeson the first floor. 109,360,and by the 1970census it is The court did not approve these plans ii3,296. The SecondWorld War delayedplan- ning until 1948, when a Harrisburg "firm MARGARET BINGHAM CORYELL Responsibilities tripled. By State mandate tnany obligations, duties, and new depart- n'as retained, with a Federal grant, to draw ments were added.These taxed the already up plans for a new courthouse. The design, An inherent interest in every aspect of community life and a background of major crowded conditions and made it necessary submitted the sameyear, was for a 7-story family activity in local h-istory both factorspointed cowardMiss Margaret Bingham [o rent a number of outside offices building but was not actedon by the Com- Coryell'slongtime support of the Lycoming County His:orical Society missioners. These conditions were recognized by Her fund of local information was invaluable. She was always ready with assistance grand juries for over 30 years,and they In 1955 a public survey was made that and/or with pertinent advice towards the solution of the Society'snever ending flow unanimously recommended that something showed that over 90 percent of the civic ol problems. had to be done to relieve the congestedcon- leaders favored expansion of county f acili- Miss Coryell's activities in support of the Historical Society covered a considerable ditions, and almost without exception, the ries by (1) construction of a new court- recommendations were made that a new house; (2) a new city-county building; or span of years; and although failing health in recent years limited her physical acoivity, courthouse be built. (3) an addition to the then existing court- she retained her interest and was always prepared [o assist in at least a passive fashion. house. As a result, in 1956, the Lycoming W'e shall long miss our friend "Margaret Bingham. Quoting from Grand Jui:y Reports County Court House Authority regaineda 10 THE JOURNAL 11 secondHarrisburg architect and plans were Today, May 1, Law Day, 1971, is a most EARLY ENGLISH SE'TTLERS ON THE LOYALSOCK presented, but the then board of county appropi:lace day for this dedication cere- commissioners decided not to proceed at mony. The theme this year is ''Channel chat time. Change Through Law and Reason." Al- (.Extracts ro?tl a paper compileda M delivered b] Fred M. Rogersot Forks lite Deidre though speakingmore directly to the vast tbe LJc07tlingCount) Historical Societyon FebrlfarT \6, 'L928.) Further surveyswere made and plans con- technical and social changes, in our human sidered,and it was found that the building society, this theme winds its way into our having been in five major floods that it The earlyEnglish settlements on the slate. This road started at Muncy and passed thinking this morning. Loyalsockdate back to 1794 when the sec- over the mountains by way of Huntersville, was not feasible, or in the interest of good Highland Lake, Hillsgrove, Elk Creek, Lin- government, to remodel or put on an addi- As we have seen, the decision to remedy tion was a vast wilderness. Dr. Joseph Priestley, a noted Englishman, owned a coln Falls, Kings Creek, Eldredsville, and tion or annex; and the vei:y important deci- che multitude of courthouse problems, of thenceover the mountainsto Momoeton. It sion was madelate in 1967 that a new space, facilities, and functional use, was large number of traces of land on the building be erectedon this site and that a not an easyone, or one of a quick nature to Loyalsock and its tributaries. Upon his de- was at Eldredsville where the h-sr posrofhce local firm of architects be retained to sub- decide. Only after years of thinking and cease,his son, Joseph, Jr., together with was establishedin the Loyalsock section mit p-ans.The plans were carefully drawn, planningand an ever-changingarmy of other membersof the family, came into pos- Another road that pmved to be of great county oHicialswas the final go-aheadgiven session of his lands in che Loyalsock region, considered, accepted and adopted, bids ask- as his direct heirs at law. benefit to the early settlers was built in 1810, ed for and accepted. Demolition of the and the responsibility assumed to con- about the time the Rogers woolen mill was struct a new court house.. built at Forksville. This road was from Courthouse that sei:ved for 108 years be- Samuel Wallis, of Muncy, had purchased gan Monday, May 12, 1969; and two weeks Today we stand before this beautiful a numberof tracts of land on the Loyalsock Forksto the Edkin f arm on Muncy Creek, and it was over this road that the old dye later, Monday, May 26, 1969, ground-break- building, the newest product of the 175 for Colonization purposes, some of which ing ceremonies were held, and today we kettle was brought when the factory was rears of Lycoming County's history. Each were later sold to Joseph Priestley. Jr., who stand in awe of the fruition of those plans built and equippedwith machinery.Ma- and every citizen of Lycoming County, paso was the moving spirit for the first perm- after many years of waiting. and present, has had and continues to have anent English settlementsin what is now terials and supplies were transported by the dominant voice in the construction of Sullivan County. horses and wagons, or sleds, from Phila- As the January, 1971, Grand Jury noted delphia to Forks. "For over 30 years Grand Juries have this building and joins me in this dedica- Joseph Priestley, John Vaughn, and other tion. recommended the erection of a new and Englishmen had planned an English colony, These roads hit the high and low levels modern courthouse for Lycoming County. as the English settlerswere coming to Penn- of the section through which they were With deep and solemn pride, with fervor built, and were very rugged. MI. Montgom- Today this recommendationis a living real- and devotion, we, on this first day of May, sylvania in large numbers at that time. The ity." They further noted that they were 1971, dedicate this Courthouse to all the project was soon abandonedby most of ery, who carried the erst mail on horseback especially pleased at the convenience of those early settlers, except for Mr. Priestley, from Muncy to Towanda, when askedabout people of Lycoming County, and through who ownedand controlledlands that had rhe roads remarked, "I traveled through having all the county row oMces, agencies, them to the Commonwealth of Pennsylva- and bureaus under one roof for the first time nia and the nation. belonged to his father in addition to those one mud hole nine miles long and have in Lycoming County history '', and conclud- he had purchased from Samuel Wallis another one to go through that is longer. ed, "We Grand Jurors are unanimous in our May God'sgrace and directionflow These lands along the Loyalsock and ics EARL.Y SETTLERS praise that the new Courthouse is a structure through all those who will use and serve in tributaries now comprise Elkland, Forks: of which all residentsof Lycoming County this Courthousein Ehe many, many years Fox, and Hillsgrove townships in Sullivan Joseph Priestley sent William Molyneux can be justly proud." ahead. County. and Powell Bii:d to settle on the loyalsock in 1794. They made a clearing and built a EaRLy ROADS house about a mile and a half above the forks of the Big and Little Loyalsock,at NEW GENERATION OF M.EN ENGAGED IN LUMBERING These first settlements on the Loyalsock what is known as Millview. Mr. Molyneux and vicinity were i:eached by wham was then returned to England for his family. Starting about 1850, a new generation of We're the bullies on the job known as the Carson Road, which was men was engaged in lumbering. Their hey- built in 1793 by SamuelWallis over which John Warren came on fr om Northumber- We've got [o earn our pay land to the settlementat Forks,in the spring day came after the Civil War; and perhaps to transport the supplies to the surveyors, of 1795, and took possessionof the Moly- they were still fighting that war as they The barroom roars and glassescrash, who were locating rhe land which Mr Wallis had purchasedfrom the state.This neux house until he could build his house plundered the luxuriant forests, laying about Blood stains the dirty floor; on rhe tracthe hadpurchased from Mr. them with sharp axes.Their songs are sim- Each wood-hick has his fill of fun road extendedfrom Muncy to the summit of the Allegheny Mountains, thence to the Priestley and which joined the Molyneux ilar to thoseof the canalers,one song speaks Till the dawn comesthrough the door. tract of their work, another of their favorite Loyalsock at Hillsgrove and up the 'Sock sport, drinking: From "Song and Verse of Lycoming [o Forks. Powell Bird built his house on land ad- County and Nearby Areas", wi:itten by joining the Warren tract in 1795. Swing the axe, and pull the saw, Elizabeth Hall, December, 1965. Another important road. which was open- All through a twelve hour day; ed in 1800 was the GenesseeRoad taking The Rogers family was a great factor in the early settlers through central Pennsyl- developing Forks and vicinity. Samuel vania [o the southern part of New York Rogers came to America from Barmley, 12 THE JOU RNAL 13

England, in 1801. Hle was married to Ann EaglesMere section, came to the Loyalsock THE RING OF THE AXE AND WHIR O,FTHE SAW Gaunt in England, and at the time of his early in 1800, and settled on land which his arrival in Philadelphia there were ten child- father had purchasedfrom Mr. Priestley in The archives of the Lycoming County [o the ground in a great fire. By 1798there ren living, four having died in England,and 1799. Mr. Little married Elizabeth Holmes Historical Museum contain photographs and were several sawmills in che vicinity, used four were born after the family cameto Their family consisted of nine children, records which illustrate scenesot the lum- mostly in the construction of houses.They America. most of whom settled in the vicinity of ber industry, so let us turn back to that were built along streams a id powered by Forks. water. With the lumber from these mills, Mr. Rogers lived with his son Samuel on glowing period when Williamsport was cared the lumber capital of the woi:ld, a farm near Philadelphia until 1802 when John Little, son of Theophilus, located on improvements of timber frames, clapboards, board floors, and shaved shingles could be he came to Forks and purchased one hund- a portion of his father's f arm where he build when timber turned to gold in rhe pockets a sawmill and cut and ranted his lumber of its adventurouscitizens. made to the houses. red and twenty-four acres of land on the Loyalsock, where the village of Forksville down the Loyalsock for a number of years. The ''Big Water Mill," build in 1838 on is now located, from Mr. Priestley The village of Hillsgrove was located In 1768 the Proprietary Government of rhe south side by a Philadelphiacompany: Pennsylvania purchased land from the In- which failed in a few years,was bought by by John Hill about 1789. He had purchased dians ot the Six Nations, opening territory Mr. Rogers and his son, Jonathan, built a a large tract of land on the west side of the J. H. Perkins. It used water for power and cabin below the cemetery at Forksville, and tor settlement which contained the pre- movedhis family into the cabin in the Loyalsock, which was then surveyed and pat- sent Lycoming County. The Land Oltice had four up-and down saws called "English ented in 1794. It is said chat his grandson, Gales. spring of L802. This was the first dwelling was besiegedby personshoping to buy 2 or in what is now known as Forksville John H. Rogers. was the originator of the 300 acres. Samuel Wallis came at that time, Williamsport became a trading center postage stamp. attempting to acquire as much as he could. with its convenient water t:ransportatlon, The Rogers brothers decided to build a Other early settlers of the Loyalsock Some came and squatted on a portion thad and grew slowly for a number of years.De- f actory on che Loyalsock. They first built a whose genealogies have been recorded were pleased them. Traveling by canoe, horses, velopment of the lumber business gave the sawmill and then a woolen factory. This rhe Green family who came to Hillsgrove or on foot, they ari:ived fmm Maryland, down a boost. The early water mills con- gave employment to many settlers. about 1810, the John Down family who Delaware, the lower counties of Pennsyl- verted to steam. Logs could be Hoaced ta settled in the Elkland area about 1800. the vania, New York, and the New England mills and wafted from there to distant mar- The Rogers brothers contracted with the kets.From 1850to 1860the number of saw- government to furnish kelsey cloth for the John King family who also settled in Elk- states. They found immense virgin forests army in the War of 1812, and several land township, and the John Brown family reaching in all directions. This was the for- mills increasedgreatly, and from 1843 [o who settled below Forksville. reams of horses were employed in transport- est primeval, a vast wildernessto be con- 1863 progress in the lumbering industry ing the f abrics to Philadelphia and b;ing- quered. They proceeded to cut down frees was i:apid. Some prominent namesof the Most of these early settlers were from [o clear the land and build their crude log Lime were John Charles Dodge:. John Du- ing back the raw material and supplies to manufacturing centers of England ind were the settlers.The round trip took six weeks. cabins, and in the process burned great ti:ees bois, Fletcher Coleman, White, Lentz & accustomed to living entirely different lives lust to get rid of them. Forest fines occur- White, and the Goodyear Lumber Company The woolen factory continued in success- from what they were compelledto face red in the Spring and Fall. They either died In 1854 Peter Herdic cameto Williamsporc when they reached the rugged, cold wilder- ful opemrion until 1816 when a flood in out Ol: the min put them out. when it had about 2000 inhabitants and be- the loyalsock wiped it out. A second woolen ness of the Loyalsock. I'he forests were ex- came active in the businessof the town. By tremely hard to contend with. The mighty mill was build by Jonathan Rogers in 1826 Many settlers built along the lovely Sus- 1860 Pennsylvaniaranked lust of all the on land pui:chased fi:om his father. Mr. virgin trees were heavy to handle in every statesin lumber production, and from 1862 way, and the settlers were not accustomed quehanna River. The earliest industry was Rogers operated the factory until his de- rhe grist mill where the pioneers took their [o 1894 lumber was king. The peak year was ceasein 1830. [o lumbering and contending against such grain to be ground into meal. The fii:sr such 1873 when more than jly2 million logs odds as they found in the forestsof the were cut from the mountain slopes in one Another purchase of land from Joseph mill established near Williamsport was in Loyalsock. A constant menace to the set- 1773by AndrewCulberrson. In 1792Rol- year Priestley, Jr., was made by Edward J. Eid- tlers were the panther, wolf, and bobcat, and H.all built a small mill four miles from red, a native of England,who located at and many narrow escapeswere related by The West Branch of the Susquehanna Eldredsville in 1800. Here he built a house the settlers. rhe mouth of Lycoming Ci:eek. Sometime River is 200 miles long, and traversesthe previous to 1795 Michael Ross became for entertaining travelers on the Genessee owner of about 600 acresnear the river, in- wildest and most mountainous part of the Road A memo made in November. 1801. ~Tbc twtl account ot bis lzarratiue ma] be state. It drains a large watershed with all its seated that "two hundred travelers, mostly e(d in tile archives at tk)e museum. Tbe cluding the land on which Williamsport is tributaries: the Loyalsock, Lycoming, Pine, horsemen,passed by since June last. geneclLogiesof these eatlT fazplities at tbe now situated. James Russell and wife bought Larry's, Muncy; and, farther up, rhe Sinne- LoValsockhave been recorded b] tbe Gene- a portion of the Ross tract, and erecteda mahoning with its three main branches-- Theophilus Little, Jr., pioneer of the alogist, Z\trs. Dol? Carson.) building of logs two feet thick, located on the north side of Third Street,at the cor- First Fork, Driftwood, and Bennetts ner of Mulbei:ry. They opened Russell Inn The valley abounded in a magnificent in 1796. Subsequently, hlr. Russell died and growth of pine, hemlock, and hardwoods DO YOU KNOW ? JosephDumm marriedhis widow. The Inn The trees covered the ground so thickly that then became known as the Dumm House. it became known as the "Black Forest ''-- Do you know the origin of the name names of the two families who founded Arie Dumm was born there in 1807. This dark even on the funniest days.Neatly all :CROMAR"? it is a combination of the the company (Crooks ar)d Dittmar) building stood until 1871 when it burned che trees felled in the early days were white 14 THE JOURNAL 15 pine. The white pine belt ran diagonally sight to see the spansgo out.' in early Spring to about July 1. Then, sap were constructed at School House Point acrossthe state from northeast to southwest. Other kinds of timber floated down the conditions preventedstripping above Hillsgrove. They had runners on the The quality stand was confined to the West bottom to pass easily over obstacles in the Branch valley of the Susquehanna,and was river. Trees shaped in rectangular fashion At one time rafting was the chief mode valuable becauseof its size and texture. The by hewing four sides were called ''square bed of the scream, and were generally made of getting timber [o market on the Susque- of hemlock and pine as the hardwoods were giant white pine trees measured130 to 200 timbers". They were cut as long as the trees hanna.Ihe first commercialraft to go down would permit, and run [o market in rafts the West Branch was in 1796.There were too heavy. Usually as many as a hundred feet tall. and from 2 to 6 feet in diamete. rafts were launchedfrom up the 'Socknear rafting divisions on the river: The lowermost branch was often 100 feet 'Then o'er the water came a cry, Forksville and Hillsgrove, and from other above the ground. The forest generally Ihe shout of mftsmen on their way.' Div. l--Clearfield to Lock Haven points lower down. The 35-mile run took averaged 100,000 feet to an acre of land. (Tonkin) Div. 2--Lock Haven to Columbia. or from early dawn to dark with dangerspots The most highly developed use of the Marietta [o pass, such as Figgles' Turn, Biddle's Dam, Strong hickory poles were lashed across Old Watch, and The Yellow Jackets Susquehannapine was in cheproduction of the ends of the timbersand f ascenedwith Div. 3--Marietta to Port Deposit, or sparc, or masts, for the f amid fast-sailing U-shaped ash, or white oak, bows, and Tidewater. Board rafts, as well as log mats, were clipper ships. Because of the length and floated down the Susquehanna. Made of 12 tightened with wooden pegs. Trees cut into Rafts wel:e madeof logs, and lumber strength of these spans,they were the pride short pieces wel:e called "saw-logs" and to 15 ''platforms", of an overall length of of every skipper. They were called "e;port floated down in "drives". Piecesoi timber sawed from logs, by mils sttuared near the 100 feed,each platform consistedof 25 or 30 spars", many being exported to shipyards in of any kind, size, or length were called places where the trees were cut. The or- layers of boards. Cabins or tents were usual- dinary raft was 150 to 200 leer long. In England. A No. I spar was required to be sticks". Men who worked in Belting out ly erected on them, and immense oars were straight, round, free from large knots, 92 che timber were called "wood hicks early days, the longest raff was 3Z0 feet, and placedin the front and rear to guide them. feet or more in length, and not less than 18 Lhe longest piece of timber: 115 feed. The By 1900 very few rafts were going down inches in diameter at the top end. The bark As protection against sleet. snow, and general width was 24 ieee, this being the rhe river. The last known raft f:looteddown had to be peeled off cleanly. piercing winds, rafts-men dressed in heavy greatest width allowed by the chutes through rhe West Branch in the Spring of 1912 red-checked woolen shirts, fur caps, pants which the rafts had to pass.After coming Spans were delivered to rafting landings coated with pine pitch, and high-topped through the Lock Havenchut-:, rafts ran Rafting crews varied from 2 to 10 men, on the river; the top endswere loadedon boots, not of the laced variety until later. double through the chute and dam at Sun- usuallyhaving a pilot at the front oar who a bobsled which was dragged to the land- Their caulked boots required up [o 116 burn, and were not separatedtill they reach- was in charge of running the raft. He knew ing by 3 to 8 teams of oxen or draft horses steel spikes per pair. Raftsmei were a ed Shamokin Dam which was a single chute, rhe river channel, every current, rock, and over mads of snow and ice. In the Spring strong, hardy, carefree, rollicking lot. Fre- the sameas Lock Haven.From then on bend in the river. Generally there were sparcwere rantedon the high water:,with quentlythey tied up for the night at they ran double to Marietta. As many as oarsmen for helpers and two steersmen who lash poles laid across fmm one side of the Williamsport, and for a while pi:ai:tically 2000 rafts floated down the West Branch managed the heavy oar at the back of the raft [o the other and tied with tough hick- owned the town. There were time; when as on high flood water each Spring, 20 to 70 raf t. Women occasionally substituted for ory withes.Nine or ten spursformed a raft many as a hundred rafts would be anchored thousand feet of lumber to each raft. total raftsmen, especially during rhe Civil War They were floated down to Marietta: the along the river banks. Bootlegging was ling possibly 100 million board feed. In years. Courage was needed to steer clumsy market place. Williamsport was never a very profitable. Men rowed out to passing 1853square white pine timber said at Mari- rafts on dark nights to avoid large rocks, raft-buying town. raftswith a jug of whiskey,to sell as a etta at 5c or 6c a cubic foot. and 1873 at 26c rapids, bridges, dams, and changes in the Rafts,with a cabin built on themto whole or by the drink. They did a land-oHice per cubic food.About 20,0000 men were en- river channel. Collisions occurred. lives were board the men, were called "shanty rafts business. gagedin che rafting industry during the lose, and rafts destroyed. A raftsman some- Raftsmenhad the right to shopat night and short Spring season. times made as many as seventeentrips in Later with exhaustion of the white pine tie up at anybody's land. A man called the a year, during the Spring and early Sum- growth, the forests were cleared of hemlock. mer. After delivering the rafts, the men snubbed", holding a strong manila rope which became valuable. Pine and hemlock DIARY QUOTATION fastenedto the raf t at one end, would jump had to walk back.It was the quickest:cheap were not the only species to be rafred or 'Mar. 7. 1885. River filled with ice. est, and almost the only way [o travel. Men ashoreand snub the rope around a tree, driven. White oak was in demand.but the could outwalk a horse and take short cuts often running along the bank to catch a Plenty of ice and snow all along the limited supply prevented it from reaching river. lce 20 feet high in places. over the mountains secondor third rope to bring a huge:.un- rhe height attained by white pine in world wieldy raft out of a swift current into the commerce. 'Apr. 8, 1885. River i:using. Logs After the Civil War lumber was trans- river bank. In later years, spurs were trans running quite freely. Saw 25 rafts on A demand arose for bark for the tanbark ported by canal and railroad. During the poi:ted by railroad the river from Lock Haven to Keating years from 1869 to 1871 the canal carried industry.First the oak trees in the early more lumber than the railroad. Then its use QUOTATIONS Met an old man today who said thad in days,and then the hemlock,were stripped 1857, on the 14th and 15th of April, declined. After 1881 the railroads carried FROM MY FATHER'S DIARY of their bark for the tanneries.which there fel14 feed of snow. and on the it to tan hides. The men on this work most of the lumber, it being a speedier and 19th and 20th 2 feet more. It broke cheaper way May 11, 1885. Vinyard Run. The spats were called "bark peelers". A criminal waste down many buildings. are finishedand they went out tonight of timberresulted lust for thesale of the Log driving was the start of mass produc- Fifteen spanson nine cars to Philadelphia, bark. The stripped trees were left in the Ark rafts could be accommodatedon the tion. \When woodsmen began pushing their and five more [o New York. It was a grand woods to rot. Hemlock could be cut only larger screamslike the Loyalsock.Many logs into the river, these free-floating logs 16 T HE JO U RNAL 17

d

i f LOYALSOCKCREEK, 1 91 7

Original Drawing by J. Wesley Little

A VIRGIN FORESTOF PENNSYLVANIA 18 T HE JOURNAL 19 caused much damage by bumping into the timber. When a prospective purchase was logs in the woods over winter. ness. To help slow the logs, Peter Herdic rafts. Enmity and trouble developedbe- being considered,he was sent to a tract, built a dam near Culbertson's Raffles. con- equipped with compass, a month's supply Another way of moving logs was by the tween raftsmen and log drivers. About 1857 slide. Logs were hewed to form a long sisting of three rows of oak piles, dmw- each group was lighting for its rights. Rafts- of provisions, thousands of round tin tags, bolted together, and sheetedwith plank. The trough or chutefrom the top of the moun- men stealthily drove spikes deep inca bank- and nails lol: fastening tags to trees. When lower ends had steel points to penetrate ed logs. When the logs hit the saws in the rhe tree was estimated, he tagged it so as to tain down to the water's edge. It was oiled rhe bottom of the river. mills, destruction and even death resulted avoid doing it a second time or iced to carry the logs easily and swift- from flying metal and wood. Log ddt'ers ly. Spikes were inserted to retard the faso The father of the log boom was Major countered by canying guns. Finally a law Certain bmnd marks were adopted by movement, but logs of ten jumped the speed- James Pei:kins, who had come to Williams- rhe owners and stamped on the end of the way on their wild ride. port in 1845 and purchased the Big Water was passed forbidding anyone to "iron log by a branding sledge. This mark was MiH. His consuuction of a boom revolu- logs. Some raftsmen continued rafting, buc An ingenious method was a cableway, many adopted the new way of lumbering put on the log when cut in the woods,a tionized the lumber industry and made Wil- facsimile was registered in the ofhce of the erec-redin 1888,and used by the Glen Un- and became log drivers. liamsport f amour in all lumbering states company and in that of the prothonotary. ion Lumber Co., Glen Union, Pa., from and countries. A line of large cribs, com- Misc hardwood trees could be cut in the The logs belonging to each manufacturer 1888 to 1914, to convey lumber and pmps posed of heavy square logs, placed about Fail and Winter. Tbe chopping of trees WRS could thus be identified when the work of across the to the Penn- 50 feet apart, were sunk in the river. The generallyover by January or the middle of 'rafting out" and sorting was in progress. sylvania Railroad tracks on the notch side. cribs were filled with tons of huge rocks Towers, built of heavy timbers 65 feet high, February.Then the choppersleft the woods. Different methods were used for trans- [o keep them in place. A chain of logs was As many as 4,000 would be in the woods were erected on each side of the river. Two fastenedbetween the cribs. To resist floods porting logs. White pine and hemlock were steel wire cables, 850 feel long, were for a period of about five months. They light wood and would float. Somefloated and hold the logs required great strength ground their own axes at night on their drawn over the towers and anchored at each in the piers and boom sticks. These boom fully 300 miles from the source of rhe river own time. The lumberman's two-bladed end. The large carriage, which carried a 20 sticks of white pine ran between the cribs axe was made by the local blacksmith in the aboveClearfield and Cherry Tree all the ton load of logs, was placed on the cables the full length of the boom. At the boom's way to ChesapeakeBay. Floating, or "driv- and operated by a "pulling line" with a early days. One blade was ground thin to a ing", beganwith high water in the Spring lower end was a double gate where the keen sharp edge. The other was left thick, hoisting engine on the north side of the timber could be picked out and scaledwhen with a bevel of about lly2 inch gi:ound to a Splash dams, by releasing wager at intervals, river floated out of the boom for the prospective helped push the logs along. Drivers, dressed sharp edge, for trimming branches. In later Lumber crews went into the woods in owners. years the saw was used almost exclusively in thick woolen clothes and high-topped, Eaulkedshoes, chased logs and bmke up the late summer and fall, staying in great After the temporaryboom was built in [o fell the trees. After the logs were all cut camps of 60 to 100 men or more. 'the and banked on the scream, when high water jams, using a peavey or cant hook. Log jams 1849 at a point in the river known as extended from two to six miles, exel:ring a camps were first made of logs and la- came they were rolled into it by pike poles, the ''Long Reach", a seven-mile stretch or cant hooks. and the ''drive" started for tremendousweight of logs and dimmed-up ger were constructed of cheap slabs as tem- of deep water and slow current, the logs the river and boom. water. ]t took a skillful man to find the key porary buildings. The first floor contained floated freely fmm up-river till they i:eached log and release it. Drivers entered the down- the kitchen and dining lobby; the second the boom. 'rhe flood of that year subjected Hear the rumbling, mumbling, glum stream side of the jam pi:ying logs apart floor was one large bunk room, with a this structure to a severetest, but it with- When the key log snappedloose and the smaller room for the boss. The exhausted stood the stress well enough to convince bling of the logs . . groaning, moaning, men often crawledinto their bunks with down the flooded creek they came.' jam broke, the drivers were right in the lumbermen that an improved boom should ( Tonkin) center of a whirling mass of logs and water. meir wet, cold clotheson, but they did be built. It was reinforced in 1855. Sometimes dynamics was used, but this re- not suffer rheumatism or colds. Food con- A timber estimator could travel over a sulted in losing much timber. Men and sisted chiefly of bread, meat, potatoes, beans, When fully developed, the boom stretch- tract and calculatequite accuratelythe horses followed the drive -- sometimes fish, and soups. ed diagonally six miles co Linden and was able to hold three million feet of logs at amountof lumberit wouldproduce. An- horseswith men on their backs swimming Before booms were constructed, logs sim- other method was for expert scalersto de- in log choked,icy streams,or the men one time. When the boom was full, .logs boldly i:iding the logs themselves.A log ply floated down the river and had to be wel:e packed solid by pressure [o the bot- termine correctly the number of log feet in watched. Something was needed to stop them eachlog after the treeswere cut. A jobber ger was sometimesdrowned or crushed,but tom of the river, thirty-five feet thick, and the work went on. for the mills. The first dams were merely held there until time came to stare up the was one who cut logs at an agreedprice per stones and brush piled on riffles, extending 1,000 feet. Lumberjacks felled the trees: mills. The average annual expense of keep- Weighty hardwoods, such as oak and diagonallyacross the river. One was at Cul- ing the boom in repair was $40,000. Christ cut them to the proper size, and piled the bertson'sRaffles, near the site of the Big logs on nearby skidways or along streams. maple,were hauledall the way to the mills Haier was the last of the superintendents of Water Mill. An earlymethod of securinglogs In later years,a stand of timber, or a stand by a team of four to eight oxen yokedto the Susquehanna Boom, and ies last use v/as a bobsled. The sled was low, easy to place wasby means of small boats fastened togeth- in1909 to receive a drive out of Pine of trees of a certain size, would be bought large loads on, and had a narrow track er to form rafts. To prevent logs escaping Creek. outright, leavingthe title to soil and mineral during night, large fires were built along rights to the owner of the land. which could negotiatemountain trails. Ox- en and horsescould draw a very large load the banksof the river and on flatboatsan Fresh impetus was given the lumber busi- D. L. Paddock.a timber cruiser for Silas over roads of snow and ice. In the winter choked midstream. Men had to be sca.cloned nessafter the boom was erected.The Civil Billings (lumber and timber king of Pine they often hauledday and night, the trails at several points to catch the logs as they War created a demand and prices were high Creek) had an unique way of estimating being illuminated by torches.They left no camesliding swifoly out of the eery black- A sheer boom was built, slanting down- 20 T HE JO U RNAL 21 stream,on the other sideof the river, de- An improvement was the Sash Saw, a field, Cameron,Elk, and a portion of Potter fled all the way acrossthe river and set signedto sheerthe logs over into the main toothed strip of steel screechedin a sash or contributed logs [o the growth of the lumber the woodsafire in two places.Burnt boom. Booms were erected at Lock Haven, frame. It had an up-and-down movement industry in Williamsporr about 3 million feet of lumber. The loss Jersey Shore, Shamokin Dam, and various and was usedin mills powered by water. was $50,000, but it was fully insured." other places.Peter Herdic, Mahlon Fisher, In 1872 a labor dispute occurs:ed,which The first steam sawmill, built by Peter was given the name of the "Sawdust War ' and John G. Reading bought the log boom Tinsman in 1852 on the river bank at county sawmills The floods also caused disastrous losses from Major James Perkins and others in At this time the had 75 Williamsporr, was an important innovation employing about 3,000 men. The mills op- 1857,and increasedthe tolls from 75c to With that camethe CircularSaw. a thin In 1860 the spring flood broke the boom $li.25 a thousand ker. The profits were erated from twelve to fourteen hours a day at Williamsport and 50 million feet of enormous. round blade mounted on a shaft driven by The seasonwas short, and it was impoi:cant lumber were carried down the river. belting or gearing,operated by water wheel [o clean up the work of sawing before the In the boom,logs belongingto eachfirm or steam engine. next winter. That year a branchof a nation- In 1861 the flood was almost as damag- were easily identified by their brand marks. wide labor: political organization was estab- ing. The boom at Lock Haven broke, re- Men who sortedthe logs were called"boom The Muley saw was usedextensively in lished in Williamsport. They met at Ben- leasing a heavy mass of logs which came rats''. They selectedthe logs for the owners the smaller: Williamsport mills because of der's Hall on Market Street. There were down and broke the Williamsporr boom and put them in floats to be towed [o cer- the great reduction in weight of parts. In The loss was great. this arrangement, the ends of the saw were meetings,parades, and rioting. Most mills tain points. The logs were then jacked closed.The local militia was called out. The attached to two light cmssheads opposite In 1865 the boom broke and 50 million into the various millponds by machinery. lumbermen camped in front of the Court each other. The cutting was accomplished House and then in Herdic's Grove. The feet of logs ware lost. Water pirates sometimeschipped off the entirely by a downward motion. It was branded ends and sold the logs. capableof turning ouc 6,000 feet per day. main objectiveof the men was to obtain shorter hours. .Their slogan was "A ten-hour Diary entries: Many mill ownersjoined with the firm All of these saws could cut only one board of Brown, Clark, and Howe in contracting at a time. day or no sawdust." The leaders were 'Apr. 14, 1876. Went down to the jailed, but later pardoned,and the men re- river this morning; found there is a 13 for the removal of logs from che river, to turned to work after some concessions had bank the logs. A steam mill, known as a The Gang saw,which followed, had six or or 14 foot flood now and still rising jack mill", picked the logs up an incline eight uprigh-t saws set in a square sliding been made by the employers. at the rate of 3 inches in 20 minutes. and down into a basin. They were pulled frame. They wel:e spaced the width of the There was such a fog I could not see out of the wagerand stored above{he level board desiredto be sawed.Thus a whole log Many fires occurred in the lumber yards. far. Sawthe Old Steamboatgo up the of high water. Banking was begun early in could be cut in one opemtion. Here are some eyewitness accounts from a river to see about the boom. November and finished sometimein mid- diary: The Band saw. finest of all. revolutionized Tune 18, 1876. River rose 9 inches January.Then the mill firms sent men to rhe lumberbusiness all over the world. It Apr. 28, 1876.Just at bedtimethe in 29 minutes. Dodge & Co. have their scalethe logs and count the number of each was an endless,flexible steel band revolving fire dai:m sounded. The fire was start- menout trying to securetheir logs.It firm's logs by the brand. By March the mill around two broad-faced wheels. one above ed at Herdic and Maynard'smill. The is an 18 foot flood by the bridge mark owners were ready [o have their logs put rhe other, the logs being fed in a traveling mill was saved buc a good deal of the Everything secure here. The drives will back in the river and ranted to cher respec- lumber burnt up. They had a loss of be apt to comein on this flood." tive mills. The men were often waist-deep caniage edgewiseto it. A single band saw could cut logs of large diameter. It was about $125,000, and insurance of in icy water, and icicles still remained on capable of sawing as high as 30 million feed $67,000.' 'June 8, 1877. Flood in the river ehe horses' legs and tails when they were of boards a year. logs coming in fast. The Lock Haven stabled at night. 'May 7, 1876. Large fire in town boom filled in 10 hours. Quick time. Construction of the boom stimulated the About 2000 men wel:e employed in man- in the Beaver Mill lumber yard. They ufacturing lumber for an eight-month per- had to sendfor fire companiesfrom building of many large mills near Williams- Lock Haven. Milton. and Watsontown The great floods of 1889 and 1894 iod. The largest and strongestmen were the port for che manufacture of lumber. They Burnt 12 million feet of lumber. Great caused severe damage and loss. The Wil- Filers". They placed the heavy planks in contained expensive machinery and came loss. Insurance of $119,900 which is liamsport boom broke each time. In the to be recognizedas the bessequipped in an orderly pile. All the men worked from great flood of 1889, which attained a rhe .Great houseslined 4th 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. and received $2.00 a day. As pretty heavy insurance.' height of 33 feet I inch, 300 million feet Street, containing fine woods, marble, leaded many as 30 sawmills, great and small, in the 'Oct. 15, 1876. Heard the cry of of lumber were released. Thousands and glass, and imported fixtures. It was a beau- lumber district of Williamsport lined both 'Fired' Hastened down and saw the thousands of logs wer-e carried down to tiful street.called Millionaire's Row, the sides of the river from Jaysburg and Du- flames south of Dodge's Mill in a row ChesapeakeBay and the ocean.More than first to be paved with wood. Boistown to the Loyalsock. The names of a of board piles. The flames were very half was recoveredas the men worked to few, picked at random, are: Coleman, Weed, hot as the wood was dry. We could feel pick up the logs strewn along the shores One of the earliest devices in manufactur- Payne and Cochran, Emery and Reading, the headclear acrossthe pond. It did of the river and its islands. Years later ing lumber was the Pit Saw, a two-handled Munson, Maynard and Co., Merriman, Shaw not take long for the flamesto catch some of the white pine logs floated ashore crosscut saw. This operation was performed and Merrill. At one time Dodge Mills con- in the rest of the piles. The fire en- in the British Isles. Mills were wrecked by two men sawinga log placed over a pit, verted 300 million feet of logs to building gines could do nothing as they could and some manufacturers were ruined. Dam- rhe top sawyer standing above the log, the material,thus toppingworld records in not get nearthe flames.It wasso hot age to the lumber industry alone was esti- bottom one below it sawmills. The counties of Clinton, Clear- they could not stand it. Sparks were cai:- mated at four million dollars. 22 T HE JOU RNAL 23

Here are a few interesting figures land. Noc many jobs were available. Much PIRACY ON THE PENN'SYLVANIA CANAL of this land was bought by the Common- In 1876 woodsmen were bearded. wealth of Pennsylvaniaand reforested. To- By Dr. Lewis E. Theirs In 1896 they had drooping mustaches. day you will find 110 different varieties of treesin the state forests. which have an In 1916 the woodsies were clean shav- How pictures lead us astmy, especially driven back from the frontier. Many never en. annual capacity of many millions of trees man-madepictures like that ridiculous paint- returned. Indian dept:edation continued. So The long-horned oxen of the 1870's ro yield an income ing of Washington crossing the Delaware it was not until a few years before 1800 were gone by 1886 Forest roads and trails have been con- in a little footboat,and that other picture mat local settlement began in real earnest. Horses were out of the picture by structed, fire observation stations built. Chatshows us a double row of log cabins Land speculators were another delaying fac- 1920. game refuges, hunting preserves, and recrea- at Plymouth. Washington crossedthe Del- tor. Buying land in gi:eat parcels,the spec- aware in a Durham boat. like the rest of tion parks established. Floods have been ulator aimed to dispose of his holdings in Log-loading machines replaced horses and moderated by these forests. All of which is his army. Than was a boat sixty feet long, one great sale, if possible,and so reap a man power. Narrow gauge railroads grad- of great value to present and future gen eight feel wide, and capableof carrying a quick profit and get out. This hindered the ually penetrated into every hollow, and erations in conservation of our natural re whole company of soldiers. The ice was the =livision of the land into small parcels for later trucks were supplanting the railroads sources. thinnest of sheet ice, only a fraction of an genuine settlers.Thus, for one reasorl or in transporting lumber. inch thick, and not several ker thick as another, we came to the canal days in a Those days of the lumbering era which shown in the painting. As for log cabins, still almost primitive condition. And so From 1916 to 1920 timber operations seemglamorous to us now, but were dif- early Plymouth never:saw one. They wel:e rhe region was ideal for crimes of violence. were in secondgrowth Stands.The pick ficult, tough, and dangerous,are long ov- a Pennsylvania creation. And so we gec of the trees had beentaken out. That glor- er; but J daresay the people were happy. incorrect ideas. Furthermore, the building of the canal rious stand of white pine was all cut down, They worked hard, built a fine city along had brought into the areagreat numbers mill smoke drifted afar. and the echo of a beautiful rivet:, and made the name of For much the samereason, I suspect,we of charactersof the mughestsort. They came caulked boots faded away. Williamsport known throughout the world have f allacious ideas about the Pennsylva- in the main, to work. They got jobs and dug nia Canal in its early days.The pictures of rhe canal, but they were rough beyond be- After more than 200 years of lumber-ing, as the Queen Lumber CiW. rh.is vast wooded area had been reduced idyllic, quiet, delightful stretches of the lief. It was a day when men showedtheir Gladys Tozier, Archivist canal tell us nothing as to the deaths and prowess by doing battle, so these men fought disastrously. When the lumber business died 1970 out about 1891and the mills closed,own- dangers and crime on that artificial water- as individual-sand in gangs.Strife was to ers deserted thousands of acres of timberless way. Yet these things constitute a part of the them as natural as existence. Unfortunately, true history of the PennsylvaniaCanal. many of them were so attmcted to the coun- We all know that frontier life wasa hard, tryside chat they remained after the canal was completed. Some became boatmen. desperate struggle. Only hardy and tough Some continued as laborers. Some started persons could endure it. Boating on the early canal was a pioneering experience in small businesses. And some became pirates. CHRISTMAS,1 872, FIRE an absolu-relynew field, and was no dif- In a way, the Pennsylvania Canal must ferent from pioneering elsewhere.Intended have been as attractiveto pirates as was [o connect towns and cities far apart, the rhe SpanishMain to those earlier pirates of One of the most tragic eventsin the his- teer Fii:e Company was having its annual canal necessarily had to traverse great sti:et- rhe sea.For here were rich cargoesto be tory of Williamsportoccurred in New- Christmas dance. ched of country char were almost as wild as looted. There had never been anything like berry in 1872 when a church floor collapsed. A f armed'steam was hitched to a bob- virgin territory. As this artificial waterway it before. A conestogawagon, with a few pursued i-ts way through the mountains and Thirteen people died and thirty-eight were sled across from the church. A man un- Eons of goods, had previously been about forests of the new country, it traversed wide seriously injured hitched one of the horses and started Ehe bigger prize obtainable. But here were areaswhere crime could flourish and crim- canal boars, loaded with booty--vast quan- It was at the SecondBaptist Church at on horseback for Williamsport. The doc- inals live almost undisturbed. Desperate tities of it. Even if the cargo were some- the corner of Arch and Boyd Streetstrac tor's horse and sleigh were standing in men took full advantageof this situation the churchfloor crashedonto the floor be- fi:ont of his house already hitched. The thing unartracrive, like coal or lumber, nev- man and the doctor started at once for the The canal in this immediate region was ertheless the captain of a canal boat had low duringa Christmasentertainment on money enough to make it worthwhile to rab completed about 1834. It had been several Christmas night. Without warning there scene. The man forgot his horse, which him. He had to carry cash to pay canal came a peculiar tremor and a quivering wandered around town for two days. years in the building. The West Branch rolls, buy provisions,pay wages,and so on of timbers. Oil lamps kindled fires several region, first opened for settlement as lace as limes, but they were extinguishedby the News of the fii:e spread fast, and many 1769, had been sadly held back in its de- The very construction of the canal faci- gathered to lift people out of windows and velopment.First, there were Indian war- litated robbery. When a sea pirate tried heroic work of John Carson,William Har- carry out others and aid as they could. per, and GeorgeFoster, who did much to fares.Then camethe Revolutior}which pro- to rob another ship, he had first to catch control and put out the fires. The Volun- duced the terrifying W amine massacre, Chat ship, then board it. And usually a the Great Runaway, and the second Run- sailing vesselhad quite a crew to defend it away. Thus all of the inhabitants were A canal boat ci:ew consisted of the captain, l 24 T HE JOU RNAL

Ehebowsman. and the mule driver, who was This was a mixture of rum and molasses.It so bi:ural that ohey seemedto take delight in a slatternly home, on a farm that seemed usually a lad of seven to [en years. They sold for three or four cents a glass. BoaE- in mutilating, bearing, and even killing [o have aLI sorts of livestock.A vicious could put up li-tele opposition to a gang. men drank it endlessly.They could hardly victims. It seems incredi.ble. gander was part of the outfit. Every time But the thing thadmost facilitatedrobbery avoid doing so. At every canal basin and a boat passed, this gander would rush at on the canalwas the vast numberof low dock. and in some caseseven at locks. drinks The canal, of course, passed through the little mule driver, hissing, biting, and bridges that spanned it. When a farmer had could be had. Also, there were floating countlessf arms. Here robbery was easyas flapping at him. One young driver was land trac lay on both sidesof the canal, he saloons. f armers were more or less defenseless.Canal- greatly afraid of this vicious bird. On one had to have a bridge thad would enablehim side fruit trees, henhouses,gardens, and occasion. when his boat drew near to the One consequence of this was that ali the to passfrom a field on one side of the ca- so on, were easyprey. Further, for many f arm in question, he determined to geE even nal to a field on the other side.so there evil in men came out. They fought endless years af tel: the canal was opened, boats mn ly. Canal banles were savageaff airs indeed with that bird. He took a long, strong cord, were hundreds of these bridges. They were twenty-four hours a day. Thus, in the middle Anything wen-t. Fingers and ears were bit- fixed a strong fishhook on it, and baited lust high enoughto allow a canal boar to of the night, there was nothing to prevent ten off; eyes were gouged out; men were the hook wish corn. As usual,the gander pass safely underneath.The phrase "low a light-fingered boatman from helping him- madea rush at him. The boy ran, bucdrop- kicked brutally in body and fac:. Any man self to whatever he f ancied.The farmer was bridge" comesto us from canal days. The who fell during a fight might be beaten al- ped the baited hook behind him. The pui:- mule driver had to call out when he ap- sound asleep. suing gander paused and gobbled up che proacheda bridge so that the men on the most to death by his victorious opponent. corn.The little mule driver f&n on, and the boat would notice it and not be knocked Fighting went on almost continuously. One Orchards were robbed. Rail fences disap- boat crew fought another.One individual peared with appalling rapidity lor chescnuE hooked gander necessarily followed. The overboard by the bridge. So low were these battled a second.Canal boat bullies were al- rails made the seseof firewood for cabin slatrernly housewife came out and cried, bridges that a person could with perfect safe- 'Don't run, little boy. He won't hurd you.' ty drop from a bridge to the deck of a pas ways picking quarrels in order to have an shoves.It is said that many f armers who (Wportunity to exhibit their prowess. Many lived beside the canal made a practice of But the little boy ran on, towing the gan- sing boat. Thus robbers would drop on a a man was killed in these senseless battles, der until he was around a curve and out boar, sit passive until the craft reached some planting three extra rows of sweet corn and the number of injured and maimed was along the canal becausethey knew that the ol sigh'c of the housewife. Then he slit secluded bit of woodland or mountain:. then rhe gander's thi:oat and that night there beat the crew to death. and rob both them amazing. If two boars approached a lock at boatmen would strip about that number was a feast on the canal boat. and the craft. It was an ideal setup for the sametime, the crewsfought [o win of rows during che corn season. Otherwise crime. first passage through the lock. If a canal their own supplies would have been sadly Thefts of the sort mentioned. however, boat managed to overtake and pass another depleted. Henhouses near the canal suf- althoughthey were criminal, were leahy boat. a battle was the inevitable result. Last- Photographs of the canal give us che im fered sadly. Nothing was easier than for a of li(tle importance.The chingthat mat- pression of its peaceful beauty. With regard ing hatreds resulted from such battles. One boatman to step ashore, run ahead (canal tered was the constant recurrence of rob- [o photographs, we should remember that boat crew held a grudge against another boats averagedabout three miles an hour), bery, often accompanied by brutal assaults rhe very first pictures of human faces made crew; and they fought every time they came rifle a henhouse, and overtake his boat. and even murder. near each other. by sunshine in the U.S. were no( produced On one occasionwhen a powerful boat- until about 1840. And photography, than Thee:eis one stop:yof a robber boatman At the docks where boats might have man was beset by a gang of ten robbers, he is the manuf acture and general use of sensi- who got the surpriseof his life whenhe tized films, did not becomecommon until [o wait for daysbefore they could be loaded, was attempting lust such a nocturnal errand. jumpedto a spotwhere only one ot two terrific battles occurred.Almost alwaysthe He slipped into rhe henhouse nearest the men could get at him at the sametime. As perhaps 1876. That was almost half a cen- men were inflamed by drink. Many of them tury after they beganto dig canalsin Amen canal and was greeted by the most outland- they rushed toward him he beadChem down were naturally pugnacious. Again and again savagely. He kicked them away. He flung ica. In a half century nature makes amazing ish racket he had ever heard.The wily they were sneered at, egged on by wily com- ahem against one another. He smashed changes in landscape. There were probably farmer had put his watchdog guinea hens rades who wanted [o be amused by a good in that house. His scher polHuy were safe their faces with terrific blows of his fists. never any really accuratepictures of our fight. For one reason or another, idle One after another. his attackers were dis- canal in its earliest days. These mac we in a shed far from -the canal.Naturally, thad boatmen were always fighting. abled. Finally he emerged from the fray have seen were necessarily taken years after boatman got out as fast as he could before a chargeof shot came whistling after him triumphant, buc he himself was a terribly the canal was dug. Nature:. meantime, had Perhaps all of this will give us some idea battered individual. smoothed up the rough areas and made that of the rough, tough, brutal, almost barbarous Still anc(her story concerns a boatman lovely landscape that seems typical of the days of the early canal. It goes without say- Such an outcome was of course most who waschasing a fat hen alongthe tow- unusual.More often the man attackedwas canal. No doubt the canal, as dug, was a ing that such rough characterswere more parh. The farmwife ran out and began to rough affair like the mercthat dug it Chan willing [o acquire property by theft. upbraid him for trying to steal her hen. lef t sadly maimed and battered, if not even dead. In one instance, a gang dropped on a However. there was much besides isolated Once they started to commit a mbbery, Madam," said the boatman, his tongue they stoppedat nothing. Murder was com- in his cheek, ''l wouldn't think of stealing boar just before it reached a dam. When and rugged landscapeto promote crime monplace with them the boat gor to the deeppan of the dam, There was whiskey. In those days men drank your hen. This is one we had on the deck. It got away and I am Fryingto get i't back the thugs demanded the captain's money. it as freely as today they drink water. Whis- Thefts along the canal differed as they He said he had none. Thereupon, the pirates key sold for as little as a fip a half-pint, a do elsewhere.There were sneak thieves. who Thereupon the credulous farmwife assisted the boatman to catch her own fat hen. beat him savagely.The captain's small son f ip being 6% cents. And than deadly stuff wanted [o ger something by stealth. There rushed into the cabin, picked up a loaded mat we call applejack sold for 25 cents a were boatmen who stopped at nothing in Near the lower end of the canal, at shotgun, aimed at che leader of the gang, gallon. A favorite drink was ''black strap. meir efforts to steal. And there were some Havre de Grace, lived a slacternly family and fired. The chargeblew the man'shead 26 THE JOU RNAL 27 off. The gang drew back. Instantly the coal was shipped to market in canal boats. room" or "gentlemen's room" is reached door is locked with a black iron lock of captain dived into the canal. His small son There canal robbers traveled in packs, at- through a wide open doorway. It was here a type known as ''mousetrap" style, and wriggled through a small stern window and tacking anything that appearedeasy to cap- that the men traditionally retired for their it holds the original handmade key. also dropped into the water. Father and ture. These organized pirates created a reign after-dinner brandy and cigars, leaving the If you enter the hallway through this son both got to shore safely. of terror throughout that entire region. They ladies to their coffee. tea. and social chat- becameknown as rhe Schuy]ki]] Rangers. ter. To the right of the entrance the room magnificent door, in front of you can be One of the roughest sectionsof the canal focuses on a large brick fireplace. This seen the beautiful win ding staircasethat was the Schuylkill division, where much fireplace, like all of the others remaining spirals up to the second and third floors of the mansion. Hand-carved and elegantly in the home, still operates and is used to simple in design, the cherry staircasebor- augment the central heating system which ders the wide stairs and spaciouslandings. A TOUR OF THE SCHULZE MANSION rhe Governor and other inhabitants of the house never enjoyed! The hall and the staircase (like every room in the home) are carpeted in handsome old tResearcbedb] Jack Schrader and Sbatu? Scbreck tor tbe Ann al History Fai Exhibit ]l: must be remembered that these fii:e- jeweled-tonedOriental floor covering Miss at tbe State ]anio liistoriat} conueltt ot} at PittsbHrgb, Pa. April \l, \91\) places, so numerous in old homes, were not Eck told us that her father. noted for the decorative pieces as they are today. They quail-cyof his farm crops, bought the car- served as the only means of hearing the peting for these stairs and hallways by "bar This lovely old Colonial-style mansion is sale, made the revisions in order to accom- huge, rambling structures, and they were raring," that is by exchanging grain, vege- situated only 100 yards from a busy super- modate more conveniently the needs of a large because of their functional perfor tables, and dairy products from his farm to highway in Mon'coursville, Pa. Built be- large and growing family. However, the mince and were not show pieces. pay for the merchandise.Tbe quality of tween 1832 and 1834 by former Governor new owners were sufficiently aware of ohe In this I.oom we found two other Eck the carpeting was so elegant:.she said, than John A. Schulzewhen he cameto this area need to retain original measurements and even at that time(more than a half-cen- to retire after his governmental service, the form in period architectureso that noneof sisters, who were cozily tucked in rocking the dimensions of the structure were chan- tury ago) it required two yearsto pay for house reflects the crabtsmanship and leis- chairs, waiting to greet their Junior His- tt urely style of living of that time. ged, and only the partitions and room usage torian guests. They pointed with pride to were modified and revised rhe excellentoil painting that coveredthe To the right, againstthe wall that flanks The sturdy double Chimneys on either rhe entry to the twin living rooms,stands One wall of the kitchen,which leadsto wall abovethe fireplace.They told us it end of the hou-seserve the mul-tiple fire- was painted by their great-aunt,Mrs. Mur- I piece of furniture that belonged to rhe places inside, and graceful half-fan windows rhe rear entrance,holds the original pine phy, who then lived at Bath, New York. original occupant--the Governor Schulze on the eavesof the home affirm its period floor-to-ceiling cupboards.Here, also, on the The talented Mrs. Murphy, they told us, desk. The handmade desk, with its sloping aichi-lecture. The side entrance opens into opposite waU, one finds the ''back stairs went into the woodeddell that was near pine and poplar front, is the oldest desk ol the present kitchen of the mansion, and to the [wo upper stories originally intended, her home in Bach and daily worked to its type in Lycoming County, accord-ingto che entrywayhas rhe traditional 9-over-6 no doubt,for useof the hired help in the complete the canvas. The painting shows Miss Eck. She said the desk stood neglected windows. The porch is a later addition, dat- Governor's country home. Tucked along one a serenely flowing brook wandering down in the third floor attic af the house with wall is a modern convenience the Gover- ng back perhaps half a century. through trees, with safe sunlight filtering one leg damaged. Their f ether cheerfully nor's era never knew--a "Porta-Life." which For the past sixty-two years the Schulze onto grassy banks. The brook gently cur- indulged his daughter's request thad she be Mansion has been home for two generations is a moving chair that can be used for in- ves around the rocks in the creek bed, permitted to have one piece of furniture of Eck's, the present owners. Our hostess, valid or aging residentsof the family and so cleverlyhas the artist capturedits for her very own, and the daughter selected flow that i-t deceives the eye and seems the Governor's desk. It was accordingly Miss Maple Eck, graciouslymet us at {hc 'Fhe large dining room is reached through door, and took us through the house.Her an open doorway from the kitchen, and to "follow" you no matter whereyou stand sent off to Mr. Manley, an outstanding in the room. woodwoi:king artisan at that time in Wil- family pride and genuine love of the his- here the home's colonial-type architecture toric landmark showed in every word. liamsport, and he painstakingly repaired che begins to assert itself. Soaring 14-foot ceil- Passing into the dining room again, we leg and restoredthe fine old deskto its ings, handsomely carved woodwork (appar- go through anther big open doorway and The big kitchen of the present home or- original condition. iginally served as a secondary mom. The ently of cherry), and thick, massive doors comeinto the GREATHALL. It is this mansion ki-tchen was located in an adjacent are to be seen. A magnificent multi-tiered hall which unmistakably stamps rhe Schulze We move into the twin sitting room sec- out-kitchen area. which was closed off crystal chandelier which came from the old Mansion as colonial. It is wide and high tion of the housethat runs the full length when the remodeling was effected. Afchough Heylmun house in Williamspor t, hangs over ceilinged, and runs from the front to the of the house, fran,t to rear, along the right wainscoating covers it now, the original 14- a banquet-sizeddining room table. A hand- rear of the house,with rooms opening off of the entryway. Here again fireplaces are foot fireplaceof native stoneis intact,with someoil painting, depicting the profession- either fidel in this hall certain things de- rhe focal points of the rooms. Although cooking cranes,iron kettles, and handmade ally-executed barns and stables, hangs over mand the visitor's attention.All of them there is a subtle separation of the two andirons. a server. Unfortunately, the largest of these are hallmarks of the original mansion's con- rooms,the eye follows the straight and flow- beautiful structures was destroyed by fire struction, and all have been restored or ing line of the area through the wide square The Eck family forebears,who bought in 1932 lovingly preservedby rhe Eck family. The arch. Over the twin fireplaces, reaching from the beautiful old house and handsomebarns doorway is a massive, magnificent co]onia] rhe mantle to the ceiling, are two huge and outbuildings from the Mahaffie Estate Adjoining rhe dining room, towards the doorway, surrounded by a colored full-fan land;scopes,painted by the late Emily Es- when that property was sold at a Sheriff's front of the house, the traditional "sitting winds)w set with leaded stained glass. The chenbach. 28 T HE JOU RNAL 29

Throughout the house many excellent oil this one carriesrhe marks of its period of paintings and fine princeconfirm Miss Ma- construction. Hluge hand-hewn beams of A PRAYER ON AN INDIAN GRAVE ple Eck's backgmund as a public school art oak and white pine support the upper stor- Picture Rocks, Pennsylvania teacher for more than 45 years until her ies. The massive foundation stones are hand- retirement. cut and expertlyfi-tted. The main portion of the cellar holds the remains of a large Anaong the rills from the Muncy Hills For ere they were wed, the maid lay dead Climbing the stairs,we pauseon the first fireplace. The secondary, or "root," cellar By the creek among che stones And their love had no tomorrow landing by a leaded glass window to ad- has a handsome vaulted arch of brick. which mire the view that takes in the spacious is so super)blydesigned and built that it You may find the grave of an Indian bmve hall and the fine door with its fan-arch could have stood in the living room of the The Chieftain, ''Rest-Your Bones' window. The top of the stairs opens onto house--yetits only function in the darkness And sti]] is told the legend old As bowed with grief their loyal chief Heard the braves and squawsintoning a spaciousarea, large enough to accommo- of the cellar is to give suport to the massive Of Jove so tenderly true date a comfortable sitting room, and pro- fireplaces on the floor above. Two other The funer'al rite on his wedding night, viding entranceto the hall that leads to ohe Than it floats in rhyme on floods of time cellar units are intact, too, which served Like a biroquet black canoe He wished they would ceasetheir opposite side of the house. rhe original occupants,and the Eck f emily, droning To the right of the main hall are the for such purposes as Scoring winter produce, To him in his grief how great a relief canned fruits, jams, vegetables,and jellies, master bedrooms. In each of these there is If never a word were spoken. and even flower bulbs from the gardens On Muncy shore in the days of yore a fine old fireplace, and each room has The floors are dirt. Lived "Laughing Eyes," an Indian maid. But the Great Spit:it knew so He took him windows overlooking the rear lawns and And wherevershe camea lovelit flame too. gardens. On the day we toured the mansionfire A lover whoseheart was broken. In the hearts of her lovers played. The h'allway also leads to three other men were pumping out flooded cellars sleeping rooms. All of them are sufficient- in nearby areas, but the original architect And they courtedher with gifts of fur And deerskins for a cover; ly large, according to Miss Eck, that even and master builders who engineered the With solemnrites, 'ere the end of night, her parents and their large family never Schulte mansion had done their job so well For ''Laughing Eyes" was bough-t as a prize They buried the Chief and his flower. had to use the third floor of the house. that every'chingwas dry as bone and ap- By many an ardent lover. peared ready to support the mansion as a What becker place for two of their race Before we concludeour tour. lec's look Lycoming County landmark for at least an- Than this beautiful leafy bower? at the basement. It may seem strange to other century! Chief ''Rest-Your-Bones" with his manly Then che pale face came with his shreds mention a basementin a mansion tour, but tones of fame: Attuned to loving power But list to the prayer of the story -- Had wooedand won as the dayspanned on 'Disturb noc the grave of rhe maid and her This beautiful Indian flower. brave As you hope yourself for glory. But why do we, why must it be, A SIGN OF OLD TIMES Than our joy is mixed with sorrow? By Scott Schreiber

A blacksmith of Williainsport, G. F. help so that it could be put on exhibit in Morse, once owned a shop behind his home. late September. After his deathin 1965the blacksm-ithshop FROMTHE "MORN I NG STANDARD'' wasbought by a local car dealer,Larry }ler- The sign can now be seenby the citizens of WilliamsporE and Lycoming County in ron, West Third Street:for use as a store- APRIL 23, 1868 room. On the front of the shop hung a rhe Industrial Section of the Museum. fairly (sic) weather-ed sign. lc had been Yesterday we observed a party engaged (Subsequently the plot was known as there for 49 years. It read "G. F. Morse -- Ed. }qote: Scots is a staden} at Stevens Horseshoes---(;eneral Repairing." The sign in removing the i:emains of the dead buried RossPark until City Hall wasbuilt. When was removed with the permission of the ]wnior High School wbo bas taken a great in the cemetery on Pine Street. But few excavating for City Hall more skeletons owner in Apr.il, 1970, and transportedto interest in tbe Masewp} it w s dwe solely more graves remain to be opened and when were unearthed.They were put in a casket FO bis e#orts tba tbe Maseam acq%bredtbe that is done we hope to seeaJI tracesof and buried in EaseWi[dwood with a large rhe Lycoming County Historical Museum. sign described above. It was restored during ohe summer with my che old graveyard removed and a park or granite block marking the grave.) squat:e substituted. 30 T HE JOU RNAL 31

VOL.ll, NO.10 PUBLIC SALE

O-F Shortly after sendingthe material for Vol. Vll, No. 1, to cheprinter, it was learned Vol. 11,No. 10, was publishedin the Winter:-Springof 196S-66.Mrs. Adam of the L O G S ! Adam Print Shop in Montgomerygave us two copies of this issue,one of which was given to GladysTozier for the Archives and rhe other was kept in the Soaiecy'soHice. WHITE PINE, YELLOW PINE, HEMLOCK, CHERRY, Xerox copiesof the following articlespainted in Vol. 11,No. 10, can be purchasedat OAK, AND OTHER HARDWOOD a cost of 10c a page.

ART[CLES FROM THE LYCOMIN'G GAZET'].E of Nov. 4, 1829 The Stray Log Comm.ittee of the Lumberman's Exchange. SAVED BY A CLOCK by Dr. Charles M. Steese of W'illiamsport,Pa., will sell at PublicSale, at the COURT HOUSE, in Williamsport. Pa., on ROSE VALLEY AND ROSE STREETSARE BOTH NAMESAKES OF JOHN ROSE by Carlton Fink. THURSDAY.JUNE 27th. 1889.

LETTER FROM JOHN PENN TO GENERAL GAGE, dared Dec. 31, 1763 AT I O O'CLOCKA.M APPLICATION FROM PINE(:REEK RESIDENTS FOR ESTABLISHING All the logsthat haveescaped the boomsat Williams- A STORETO ACCOMMODATETHE INDIANSWITH GOODSIN port and passeddown the SusquehannaRiver, and now BARTER-- to Gov. ThomasMifnin, datedNov. 22, 1793 lying in said river and on the islandsand shoresfrom Green's Dam down to and in the Chesapeake Bay and SERVICEUPON THE HOME FRONT by Clark B. Kahler its tributaries, divided into sections,as follows BILLY KILPATRICK -- as heard on the News of Williamsport on WRAK, Section 1. From Green's Dam to Highspire estimated May 1, 1965, by Everett Rubendall. at 14,000,000 feet, more or less. THE COST OF FREEDOM -- an address delivered before the Lycoming Section 2. From Highspire to Columbia Dam, estima Historical Society on August 12, 1965, by Frederick L. Ram, Jr. ted at 14.000,000 feet. more or less. Section 3. From Columbia Dam to Safe Harbor. esb mated at 3,200,000 feet, more or less. etc.

Any party purchasing a section of logs in the Bay is HYMNS COMPOSED IN W I LLIAMS.PORT entitled to take up any logs afloat in the Bay opposite section purchased by him or them Williamsportcan be justly pi:oudof Saints Are Marching In". With new words severalhymns composedin our town. About and fast clipped tempo, it has become a Terms and condi'tions willbe made known on day of sale 1880, Rev. .John H. Hopkins wrote the spirited march,a f avariceof Dixieland, and words and music of the Christmashymn, is even heard across the nation during foot- J. HENRY COCHRAN. Chairman 'We Three Kings of Orient Are". Perhaps ball season, for it is a f avorite of high a trifle lessfamiliar is the hymn '' When school bands, too. (Mary Landon Russell, Stray Log Committee Lumberman's the Roll is Called Up Yonder", by James A History ot tbe M.asiaot Williamsport, Pa., Exchange M. Black; but another of his compositions page 149.) takes a back seat to none: his ''When the (This is an extract from a typical broadside from the lumber era, and the original can be seen on exhibit in our Museum.) 32 T H E JOU R NAL

PURCHASE AT THEMUSEUM H 0 P Ul:pique Gifts of Significance

contemporary crafts Roesen note stationery copper miniatures decorative tiles authentic indian artifacts jigsaw puzzles THE postcards JOURNAL historical literature OFTHE

Lycoming County Historical Society VOLUME Vll FALL NUMBER TWO 1971