Montoursville: a town in history 1 a town in history Contents …a snapshot in time of Montoursville history Chapter 1, Aboriginal Culture & Founding……………………………… 2 Chapter 2, Surviving the Wars…………………………………………………. 2 Chapter 3, Early Life………………………………………………………………… 3 Chapter 4, Lumber Built the Town………………………………………….. 4 Chapter 5, Rafting on the Loyalsock……………………………………….. 5 Chapter 6, Land Among the Waters Gave Us Recreation………… 5 Chapter 7, The Borough Waterworks………………………………………. 7 Chapter 8, The Water System Made Progress Possible…………… 8 Chapter 9, Schooling in Andrew’s Town………………………………….. 8 Chapter 10, Transportation……………………………………………………… 10 Chapter 11, Two Great Wars……………………………………………………. 11 Chapter 12, Visions from the Last Fifty Years………………………… 11 2 Historic Broad Street 8 Loyalsock Ave. Normal School 3 Home of Thomas Lloyd 9 First high school 3 Home of John Else 9 Montour Street School 4 Home of Gov. Shulze 9 Today’s high school 5 Park coaster 10 The “Green” bridge 5 Park Theatre 10 Old bridges 6 Indian Park today 10 Old view of the airport 6 Covered bridge 10 The airport today 7 John Hazel 12 Flight 800 memorial statue 8 Old borough building 14 Broad Street today Note: Pictures are marked as modern or historic There is a running timeline featuring key years in Montoursville history beginning on page 2 and continuing through page 11. This informational pamphlet and associated website created by Chris Garneau. Please see last page for more information. 2 Montoursville: a town in history 1. ABORIGINAL CULTURE to inhabit the land. The Susquehanna approximately 22 cents an acre. was a mecca for fisherman from Andrew Montour was twice married It was on February 19, 1850 that an act southeastern Pennsylvania and and fathered two sons, Nicholas and of the General Assembly of Delaware. The town of Otstonwakin John. Andrew was awarded additional Pennsylvania set the borough of was basically a Delaware community. lands on the Juniata and on the Ohio in Montoursville apart from Fairfield The town was situated on both sides of Western Pennsylvania. There is a Township. That decision has been both the creek and extended north to Sand Montour High School named for him in celebrated and condemned by persons Hill. Those Indians were actually that area. He died prior to 1775. since that time. The decision allowed vassals to the higher Iroquois lords. The our community to organize for the mighty Iroquois were able to control a 2. SURVIVING THE WARS public good in a manner that the huge area using an army of about 600 During the French and Indian War, the surrounding countryside was not very mobile warriors. They traveled former worked very hard to secure this afforded, but at the same time reduced trails that paralleled the Loyalsock as far area of the frontier. An expedition us to a 4.2 square mile parcel of real as Wallis Run. From there, the path cut designed to cement their hold on the estate that does not include land over Jacoby Mountain to Bodines, where territory camped across from Madame and Andrew Montour might it continued north on what later became Otstonwakin, while a scouting party have recognized as their home town. Route 14. Access to present New York proceeded to Blue Hill at the confluence Montoursville is mostly an elevated State may have been easier than of the North and West Branches of the flood plain; a fact thoroughly believed. The trees were so tall that Susquehanna. The scouting party understood by those brush did not have a chance to grow. decided that Fort Augusta, located who may have tried to As a result, there was along the river at Sunbury, was much dig a deep trench or much space on the too strong for their force. They even holes for the forest floor for paths to reportedly scuttled two brass cannons clothesline posts. The become permanent. It near the mouth of the Loyalsock and community is located was those roads that proceeded over Indian trails to New at the confluence of the were used by the early France in the North. The deep water Loyalsock Creek and Moravian missionaries where the dumping of the cannon is the Susquehanna who attempted to use supposed to have occurred is still called Historic Broad Street River. Indeed, John Madame Montour’s the “Cannon Hole.” That event did Meginniss, who wrote the early history town as their base of much to discourage the French in this of this part of the state, claimed that the operations. area. Loyalsock is actually a mountain river. The matriarch of the Indian The Loyalsock and Susquehanna were The name is a corruption of community was in reality Elizabeth able to sustain a stable population due LawiSaquick, meaning the “middle Couc, the daughter of Pierre and an in part to the numerous species of fish in creek.” That signifies that it flows unknown Algonkin wife. We know that the waters. King of the fish was the between Muncy and Lycoming creeks. she married a chief. We also know that shad. Many early residents of our town The “Sock” drains an area of 490 square she had a reputation as a leader, and kept fish traps that provided a constant miles. Winter snows, drenching rains, that she was the mother of Andrew source of nourishment for the family. steep slopes, narrow valleys, and the Montour. The name Montour was Many of the early settlers were Dutch folly of man combine to make the creek possibly taken as a business name and Swedish, who had come from New at times a very wild stream. It was employed in the fur trade. She was paid Jersey to escape trouble between the Conrad Weiser, the Moravian pioneer a soldier’s wage to act as an interpreter. British and colonists. Some of the and missionary, who early described a Andrew Montour served as an settlers who inhabited the lower reaches swollen Loyalsock, full of ice, and as we interpreter for Washington’s forces of the “Sock” were Indians who had might imagine very dangerous to cross. during the French and Indian war. been converted by the Moravians. Archaeological work done in recent Madame Montour probably died at Fort Those converts probably made up at years has demonstrated that for Augusta around 1745. According to the least some of the burials in the early thousands of years, Indians have General’s own accounts, Andrew cemetery that presently lies under the visited, inhabited, and worked the land distinguished himself at Fort Necessity. railroad tracks on the west bank of the we now call home. Unearthed in recent Reports were that Montour was an creek. As early as 1769, Thomas Brown years have been keyholes used to store imposing warrior with a prominent settled about two miles up the grain, stockades, and many implements European cast. In 1768, Andrew Loyalsock in the vicinity of Snyder’s of a fishing and hunting culture in place Montour accepted a grant that included farm. on this land. On this alluvial land, the present Borough of Montoursville. Otstonwakin (sometimes spelled The grant contained 880 acres lying on differently) was situated. The Indians both sides of Loyalsock Creek. The we honor were the last of many groups original cost of this tract was $193.60, or Montoursville: a town in history 3 It was the waterpower potential that The man recognized as the founder of town was referred to as “Coffee Town” afforded an opportunity to establish a Montoursville was John Burrows. This and the western section “Tea Town” mill on Mill Creek. This and farms as interesting man was born near Rahway, due to the products consumed by the far as Farragut were targets during the New Jersey in 1760. He had actually German and British inhabitants Great Runaway of 1777. The water had carried mail on horseback from New respectively. sustained the families, but had also York to Philadelphia at the tender age of General Burrows was an enterprising served as the highway for the British 13. When the War for American man. He succeeded as a farmer and was and Indians who invaded the region Independence broke out, Burrows able to sell produce from the operation and inflicted the greatest inhumanity found himself in the thick of the battle. locally and in Baltimore. One year saw toward man that this valley has seen. He was involved in the Christmas a profit of $4000.00 that allowed our There was much carnage and of special expedition against the Hessians at founder to pay all of his bills. That city note was the scalping of James Brady on Trenton as well as other battles with the was reached by raft and the products land near Canfield Island in present British. Young John was at the Battle of sold included the lumber from the rafts. Loyalsock Township. During the retreat Monmouth, where his horse fell with The gristmill, constructed on Mill Street to Fort Augusta, the Susquehanna him and was given another by by the general in 1825-28, was became a highway of escape. Every Washington large and served as a stimulant conceivable mode of conveyance was himself. to business in the fledgling used to escape the valley. Men community. A few years later, walked along the shore in armed the canal was constructed. A units to prevent the slaughter of millrace ran from the canal to their families during the “Great the mill, which was situated Runaway.” Many settlers never along the creek and across from returned and those who did a modern sand and gravel waited a few years to resettle their operation. Near the end of his families. Home of John Else life, Mr.