Local History: Chapter XVI - Part I: BOROUGH OF MILTON. Bell's History 
of Northumberland Co PA

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Transcribed from Bell's History of Northumberland County Pennsylvania


                     CHAPTER XVI. Part I
                       
                        MILTON.* 

PIONEER HISTORY - THE TOWN PLAT - INHABITANTS FROM 1804 TO 1808 -
TAXABLES IN 1818 - BOROUGH GOVERNMENT - THE POSTOFFICE - FACILITIES OF
TRAVEL AND TRANSPORTATION - GENERAL BUSINESS INTEREST AND INDUSTRIES OF
THE PAST AND PRESENT - FLOODS AND FIRES 

	THAT part of Northumberland county above the Montour ridge is 
justly considered one of the finest agricultural regions in the valley 
of the West Branch.  The scenery is agreeably varied, the drainage is 
excellent, the soil is fertile and productive.  At the month of 
Limestone run, a stream of relatively greater geographical importance 
than its volume would indicate, is situated the borough of Milton, the 
commercial, educational, and religious center of this region.  Founded 
in 1792, it has experienced in the century that is nearly closed much of 
slow expansion and moderate prosperity, of rapid business and industrial 
development, no less than dire disaster and overwhelming misfortune, 
from which the recuperative energies of its people have built the Milton 
of today.  By the census of 1890 the population was five thousand three 
hundred seventeen.
	
                         PIONEER HISTORY.

	 Within a few years after the purchase of 1768, the valley of the 
West Branch was marked by the presence of the adventurous pioneer, and 
to this class belonged Marcus Hulings, Jr., who secured the "Big Island" 
in the 
____________________________________________________________________
	*This chapter is largely indebted to the researches of the late 
John F. Wolfinger, from whose contributions to the Miltonian much of the 
subject matter has been derived.
	
	END OF PAGE 545 
	
Susquehanna directly west of Milton in 1770 by purchase from the 
Proprietaries. He built a log house on its eastern side north of the 
river terminus of Center street, and north and west of this residence 
planted an orchard of apple trees, one of the best in the county. In 
that rich alluvial soil the orchard flourished; the trees became large 
and spreading, and produced abundant harvests of white and yellow summer 
and autumn fruit and large red winter apples. At the same time the 
pioneer husbandman also cleared his land and planted crops of grain and 
corn.  Separated by many miles of unbroken forest or winding river from 
the older established communities in the southeastern part of the State, 
he next directed his attention to the construction of a canoe for the 
transportation of his products. This was accomplished by hollowing out a 
large pine log, and with this rude, specimen of river craft he could 
take grain or peltries to the amount of about one ton down the river at 
each trip.  The first regular river boat made here was constructed by 
John Clendenin, and after that Hulings also built boats, some of them 
large enough to carry from eight to ten tons. About this time he 
transferred his residence to the eastern bank of the river at the 
western extremity of Broadway; there he erected a rude log cabin, in 
which he was licensed to keep a house of public entertainment in 1772. 
At some time during the Revolutionary period he went down the 
Susquehanna by boat to Duncan's island, near the mouth of the Juniata. 
Subsequently he removed to Pittsburgh and thence to Franklin, Venango 
county, Pennsylvania, where he again found himself in the vanguard of 
civilization and pursued the occupation of boatman the remainder of his 
life.  His descendants still reside in that county.
	The lands in the southern part of the town, afterward comprised in 
the Farley and Cameron estates, were occupied in 1772 by Neal Davis as 
tenant, and a year or two later George McCandlish established his 
residence in the eastern part of the present borough limits. It was at 
his house that the delegates to the Constitutional Convention of 1776 
were elected for Northumberland county.  When Andrew Straub first 
visited this locality the improvements made by Hulings had been burned, 
and there were no buildings of any kind in the immediate vicinity. There 
was, however, a log house of good size in process of erection and about 
ready for the roof, evidently intended as a farm house and probably 
built by the Black family of Sunbury, by whom that part of the town 
above Broadway was partly owned at that date.  This house was 
subsequently completed, and in later years was owned by Dr. David 
Waldron. It stood at the corner of Broadway and Front street, and was 
destroyed by fire on the 4th of May, 1876.
	The "Big Island," after Hulings's departure, was practically 
unoccupied until the Indian troubles had subsided. Its next resident was 
Isaac Hemrod, who combined the occupations of agriculturist and 
waterman; in 1782, or shortly thereafter, Bethuel Vincent, having 
returned from Canada, purchased 
	
	END OF PAGE 546 
	
the island from Hulings. When the convenience of the public required it, 
a ferry was established, the landing on the eastern bank being at the 
end of Broadway. This ferry was the principal feature of the place and 
almost the only evidence of civilization. While the travel was not 
large, there was sufficient to attract attention to the eligibility of 
the location as a town site, and this governed its selection for that 
purpose perhaps as much as any other consideration.
	A body of land aggregating nearly three thousand acres, embracing 
the mouth of Limestone run and extending inland from the river a 
considerable distance, was secured by Turbutt Francis, one of the first 
justices of the county and otherwise prominent in its early history. He 
divided this extensive tract into smaller subdivisions suitable for sale 
or lease to actual prospective settlers; that part embracing the site of 
Milton, which remained in his possession at the time of his death, was 
purchased by Andrew Straub and Christian Yentzer at sheriff's sale on 
the 1st of March, 1790, and confirmed to them by deed of June 10, 1790. 
The recital of this deed states that in the common pleas court of 
Philadelphia county at June term, 1783, "judgment was given for a 
certain Isaac Hazlehurst against John Conolly and Sarah his wife, late 
Sarah Francis, executrix, (who survived Samuel Mifflin, executor,) of 
the testament and last will of Turbutt Francis, late of the county of 
Northumberland, aforesaid, deceased, in the sum of eleven hundred 
pounds. Of this sum two hundred fifteen pounds were derived from the 
sale of property by the sheriff of Philadelphia; for the remainder a 
writ of fieri facias was issued, September 6, 1788, directed to Martin 
Withington, sheriff of Northumberland county, by virtue of which this 
tract of two hundred acres was levied upon. On the 13th of November, 
1789, it was appraised, and having been found insufficient to satisfy 
the debt, was accordingly sold, and purchased by Straub and Yentzer for 
five hundred fifty pounds. At that date it was in possession of Henry 
Lebo, probably as tenant; the adjoining tract on the east was owned by 
James Jenkins, and that on the south by Neal Davis. Yentzer was not, 
evidently, well satisfied with the purchase, for on the 18th of March, 
1791, he disposed of his moiety to Straub for one hundred one pounds, 
thirteen shillings, and five pence, less than half its cost to him a 
year previously.
	Andrew Straub, the founder of Milton, was born on his father's farm 
just back of the town of Columbia, Lancaster county, Pennsylvania, 
February 14, 1748. In his early manhood he learned the trade of 
millwright. He first visited the West in April, 1784, returning to his 
home in the spring of the following year, and on the 1st of May, 1787, 
married Mary Eveline Walter. Th 1790 he took up his residence at Milton 
and built a log house on the lot now owned by the Milton National Bank. 
Two years later he built a house near the intersection of Center and 
Filbert streets and moved his family thereto. In 1795 he completed a 
residence on the eastern part of his farm, 
	
	END OF PAGE 547 
	
at or near the southeast comer of Center street and Turbut avenue, and 
lived there until his death, August 2, 1806. He was an enterprising and 
public spirited citizen, and was active in promoting the growth of the 
town with which his name will ever be associated. He made donations of 
ground for religious and educational purposes, established mills, 
encouraged local business and manufacturing enterprises, and lived to 
see Milton, a village of considerable relative importance, then, as now, 
one of the most prosperous towns in the valley of the West Branch.
	Matthew Smith, who resided on his farm a short distance above the 
mouth of Limestone run at the time of his death, was the eldest son of 
Robert Smith, of Paxtang, Dauphin county, Pennsylvania. He served in 
Bouquet's expedition, the final campaign of the French and Indian war; 
at the outbreak of the Revolution he organized a company of riflemen, 
which was assigned to Colonel Thompson's battalion and joined the 
Continental forces at Boston. On the 5th of September, 1775, his company 
was detached to Arnold's command for the expedition to Canada. Captain 
Smith survived the hardships of the march through the Maine woods, the 
disastrous assault at Quebec on the 31st of December, and the brief 
confinement as a prisoner of war which followed, and rejoined his 
regiment with the survivors of his company, but resigned his commission 
on the 5th of December, 1776, on account of the appointment of a junior 
captain to a majority. He was thereupon promoted to major in the Ninth 
Pennsylvania, to rank from September 27, 1776. In the spring of 1778 he 
was elected member of the Supreme Executive Council for Lancaster county 
and took his seat in that body on the 28th of May; he was elected vice-
president of the State, October 11, 1779, but resigned shortly 
afterward.  When intelligence of the fall of Fort Freeland reached 
Paxtang he marched to Sunbury with a volunteer company at the earliest 
possible moment, and commanded the five hundred militia who endeavored 
to overtake the retreating invaders. On the 4th of February, 1780, he 
was appointed prothonotary of Northumberland county, serving in that 
position until September 25, 1783, and resided in the county the 
remainder of his life.  The following obituary appeared in Kennedy's 
Gazette, July 80, 1794:-

	Died, the 22d instant, about sunset, at Milton, Colonel Matthew 
Smith, aged fifty four years, being one of the first patriots for 
liberty; went to Canada in the year l775, and suffered extremities. He 
was once prothonotary of Northumberland county, was interred 23d 
instant, attended by a number of his friends and acquaintances, together 
with the volunteer company of light infantry from Milton; conducted by 
Major Piatt and commanded by Captain James Boyd, who, after marching 
about six miles to Warrior Run burying ground and shedding a tear over 
the old patriot's grave, deposited his remains with three well directed 
volleys and returned home in good order.
	
                        THE TOWN PLAT.

	 The original survey of the town plat was made in the month of 
March, 
	
	END OF PAGE 548 
	
1792, and extended from Ferry lane to the north side of Broadway, with 
its eastern limit nearly identical with the Philadelphia and Erie 
railroad;  Three years later (1795) James Black laid out his land from 
Broadway to Locust; he gave to the continuation of Front street the name 
of Water, and to the second street the name of Front, for which its 
present designation, Arch, was substituted after the fire of 1880.  No 
important additions were made to the town plat until after the opening 
of the railroads. In 1853 J. J. Reimensnyder laid out "Shakespeare," and 
William McCleery's addition was made soon after. William F. Nagle's 
addition was made in 1855, J. B. Davis's in 1856, Lawson & Schreyer's in 
1864, Moses Chamberlin's in 1867, William Heinen's in 1872, and various 
others since that date, as the increase in population and demand for 
building sites required; Front street, extending along the river and 
parallel with its course, is the main business and residence 
thoroughfare of the borough. The streets parallel with it, though not 
continuous, are Elm, Arch, Filbert, Bound avenue, Cemetery avenue, Rose, 
and Garfield; the intersecting streets are Line, Ferry, Apple, Lower 
Market, Mahoning, Center, Broadway, Walnut, Upper Market, Locust, First, 
Second, Third, Fourth, Fifth, Hepburn, and Willow. While not 
characterized by the degree of uniformity that would have been 
desirable, the plan of the town is not noticeably irregular.
	
                     INHABITANTS FROM 1804 TO 1808.* 
	
	 Bethuel Vincent, postmaster, had been taken to Canada as a 
prisoner of war during the Revolution; returning after an absence of 
three years he had considerable difficulty in finding his wife, and 
their first meeting was very affecting.
	Ezekiel and James Sanderson were merchants; after the death of 
Ezekiel his brother, William, succeeded to his interest in the business.
	Jared Irwin, merchant, sheriff, colonel in the war of 1812, and 
member of Congress, was a man of prominence in the community.
	Robert McGuigan, tailor and justice of the peace, was an 
intelligent and highly respected gentleman, fond of discussing the 
topics of the day.
	Arthur and Isaac McKisson were distillers; the former subsequently 
became sheriff of Lycoming county.
	Arthur Patton, tobacconist, resided on Front street.
	Abram Trout, shoemaker, resided in the lower part of the town.
	William and Thomas Pollock were merchants; their grandparents 
emigrated from Ireland before the Revolution, and their father was born 
in Lykens valley, Dauphin county, Pennsylvania. Both entered the 
mercantile business under Thomas Caldwell, the former in his store at 
Lewisburg, Union county, Pennsylvania, the latter in his store at 
Newberry, Lycoming county. 
________________________________________________________________
	*From the "Reminiscences" of Tunison Coryell, by courtesy of S. B. 
Coryell,  of Williamsport, Pennsylvania.
	
	END OF PAGE 549 
	
They first engaged in business at Milton on a small scale, and were in 
partnership many years.
	David Rittenhouse, justice of the peace, manufacturer of surveying 
instruments, and repairer of watches and clocks, resided on Front 
street.
	Jerome Egler, blacksmith, did an extensive business, employing 
several assistants.
	John Fribley, farmer, enjoyed the reputation of being one of the 
most successful in this part of the county.
	Christian Wood, shoemaker, resided on Front street; he was an 
active and zealous Methodist, and, being a performer on the fife, headed 
the military on training days.
	Josiah Galbraith, merchant, Front street, was from Lancaster 
county. He was small of stature, and a gentleman of intelligence.
	Alexander McEwen, merchant, Front street, subsequently became the 
founder of McEwensviile.
	J. Shunk, hatter, Front street, was a German; he made hats for both 
ladies and gentlemen.
	Eliza Miller - "Dutch Lizzie" - kept a small stand for the sale of 
cakes, beer, gingerbread, etc.
	Christian Holler, inn keeper and saddler, and an officer in a local 
cavalry company, resided on Front street below the bridge.
	Moses Teas, distiller, was a man of social proclivities, dignified 
in manner, interesting in conversation, and the owner of a good library. 
His most intimate associates were George Eckert and George Calhoon; the 
trio were bachelors.
	Samuel Teas, brother to Moses, was associated with him in business.
	James Purviance, who was employed by Daniel Smith as steward of his 
farm, was an Irishman, a gentleman of old-fashioned manners, a neat pen- 
man, and good bookkeeper.
	John Chestnut, saddler, owned a farm east of Milton.
	George Calhoon, merchant, Front street, was of Irish descent, and a 
Presbyterian in faith. He acquired a valuable estate.
	The Marr family resided in the upper part of the town near the old 
Episcopal church.  One of the sons, Alem, obtained a liberal education 
and became a lawyer.
	George Lawrence, a good politician, had the reputation of being the 
best ball player in the region.
	Jacob Seydell and brother, pump makers, supplied this part of the 
West Branch valley with articles of their manufacture.  They were 
originally from Bucks county.
	Low Huff, boatman, was a man of good size, powerful strength, and 
obliging manners.
	Isaac Osburn, cooper, was hale and lusty in person, and a man of 
industry; he made flour and whiskey barrels on an extensive scale.
	
	END OF PAGE 550 
	
	Peter Schwartz, stone mason, built the first stone houses and 
bridges in this part of the county.
	Seth Iredell, merchant and miller, was an extensive dealer in grain 
and flour, and president of the first bank at Milton. He and his wife 
were Friends.
	Joseph Hammond, inn keeper in the upper part of the borough, was an 
excellent judge of horses, and introduced improved breeds among the 
farmers.
	Philip Housel, justice of the peace, was a watchmaker and resided 
on Front street.
	Michael Gower, the only regular butcher of Milton, was a German of 
large build.
	Frederick Burman, dyer, prepared woolen and cotton yarns for the 
ladies, who, in their leisure hours, generally engaged in knitting 
stockings.
	Mrs. Lamperly, druggist, had formerly been a celebrated nurse at 
Philadelphia.
	Robert Patterson, dancing master, was one of the best violinists of 
his day, popular in his profession, and intelligent in conversation.  He 
also had classes at Northumberland and other places.  The first teacher 
of dancing in Northumberland county was a Frenchman named Blondell.
	Philip Goodman, weaver and maker of weavers' reeds, was a native of 
Berks county, and an industrious man.
	John Davidson, wheelwright, made spinning wheels, for which there 
was a large demand.
	Guyan Arthur, stone mason, was an artisan of exceptional accuracy 
and skill, building his walls without line or plummet, and executing his 
work with precision by the eye. He was a native of Sweet, Ireland.
	Mr. Kirk, stocking weaver, resided on Front street.
	Christian Merkle, sawyer, had charge of Eckert's mill.
	Samuel Jordan, boatman, resided on Front street.
	James Miller, miller, had charge of the Milton flour mills; at a 
later date be removed to Jersey Shore.
	Thomas Painter, son of John Painter of Chillisquaque township, was 
a prominent politician.
	James Moodie, merchant, and dealer in grain and stock, was 
succeeded in business by Charles and Thomas Comly.
	George, John, and Montgomery Sweney resided with their widowed 
mother on Front street.  George and Montgomery were printers.
	David Derickson, auctioneer, kept a hotel on Front street below the 
bridge. Henry Alward, afterward first sheriff of Columbia county, was a 
celebrated horse jockey and politician.
	James McCord, cabinet maker, was a native of Dauphin county and a 
bachelor.  There was a great demand for his work, owing to its superior 
quality.
	
	END OF PAGE 551 
	
	William Piatt, clerk, was a candidate for sheriff while a resident 
of Milton, and defeated by only a few votes. His son became sheriff of 
Lycoming county.
	John B. Hogan, cabinet maker, succeeded to the business of McCord. 
He was a son-in-law to Bethuel Vincent; during the war of 1812 he served 
as captain and disbursing officer.
	Arthur McGowan, manufacturer of sickles, had a mill near the river.
	James Hutchinson, tailor, Front street, employed several "jours" 
and apprentices.
	Joseph Rhoads, a German by birth and son-in-law to Andrew Straub, 
resided in the lower end of the town. He derived the title of major from 
his connection with the militia.
	John Armstrong, tanner and currier, was a native of Montgomery 
county, Pennsylvania, married at Oley, Berks county, and died at Milton 
in 1814.
	
                         TAXABLES IN 1818.

	 The borough of Milton was incorporated in 18l7, and at the first 
assessment thereafter the following named persons were returned as 
subject to taxation: Guyan Arthur, James Armstrong, Joseph B. Anthony, 
Daniel Beckley, Abraham Bowman, John Bost, Jane Brady, Valentine Best, 
John Brady, Thomas Buskirk, Thomas Best, Valentine Bowman, Frederick 
Bowman, Daniel R. Bright, Hannah Buoy, Mary Brick, Frederick Brick, 
Barnhart Buser, John Burrows, Michael Berk, Elijah Babbitt, George 
Berryman, McGowan Baylicor, David S. Brown, Thomas Comly, James Crouse, 
George Corry, Elizabeth Crist, John Chestnut, David Campbell, Seth 
Christie, Levi Climpson, George Cowell, John Cowden, Daniel Clark, 
Thomas Campbell, James Dougal, James Dougal, John Davidson, David 
Derickson, Jesse Derickson, Jonathan Egler, Daniel Eckert, George 
Eckert, William Cox Ellis, Henry Eckbert, Charles Fisher, John 
Fausnaught, Henry Frick, William Fleming, Andrew Forrest, Anthony Fox, 
Joseph Gibson, Adam Gundekunst, Robert Gray, Michael Gower, Joseph 
Gibson, Andrew Gillespie, Richard Goodman, John Herron, John Hames, 
Lawrence Huff, Philip Housel, Samuel Hogan, Jr., William Housel, James 
Hutchinson, John Hetherington, John Hougendobler, Mr. Hooenecker, Samuel 
Hepburn, Joseph Hartman, Jacob Hass, Samuel Henry, William Heding, 
Joseph Hunt, Hugh Harrison, John Hunter, John Heddings, John B. Hogan, 
Charles Hegins, Andrew Huston, Joseph Hartman, Samuel Jordan, Amos 
Jordan, William Jordan, Seth Iredell, John Jones, John Jones, Obadiah 
Kelly, Peter Kelchner, Benjamin King, Joseph Kerr, Margaret Kirk, 
William Kirk, Henry Kirk, Sr., Henry Kirk, Jr., Daniel Lutz, Peter 
Lambert, Joseph Lawrence, George Lawrence, John Lawrence, Solomon 
Ludwig, Ezekiel Lunger, Abraham Martz, Samuel Morrison, William Miller, 
John McKisson, James McKisson, Christian Markle, John Markle, Arthur 
McGowan, Mary Montgomery, Robert Moodie, Robert McGuigan, 
	
	END OF PAGE 552 
	
Thomas Morgan, John Miller, James Moore, Hugh Morrow, George Nagle, John 
Moore, John Orr, Isaac Osmond, Philip Poaps, George Poaps, William and 
Thomas Pollock, George Park, Robert Patterson, Joseph Penny, William 
Pott, William Ross, Joseph Rhodes, Peter Ruth, David Rittenhouse, John 
Rippel, Hannah Reese, Jacob Rouscoup, James Ramsey, Daniel Scudder, 
James Sherer, William Story, Joseph Straub, Samuel Schwartz, Philip 
Suyer, Abraham Suyer, Aaron Sutfin, Andrew Straub, James P. Sanderson, 
William H. Sanderson, Eleanor Sanderson, Jacob Seydell, John Schwartz, 
Adam Shunk, Jacob Siegfried, Mary Straub, James Stewart, Peter Schwartz, 
Sr., George Schwartz, John Swisher, Peter Schwartz, Jr., John Sweney, 
Abraham Straub, A. J. Schneider, George Surlo, George Seitsinger, Isaac 
Straub, George Sweney, John Taggart, Moses Teas, Abraham Trout, James 
Tharp, Arthur Thomas, John Teitsworth, William Tweed, Bethuel Vincent, 
Daniel Vincent, Jr., John Vandegrift, Daniel Welshaus, William Welshaus, 
William Wheeland, George Worst, Daniel Waggoner, William Wilson, Jacob 
Wheeland, Michael Wheeland, Benjamin Whiteman, John J. Wills, Thomas 
Whitson, Christopher Woods, George Welshaus, Conrad Weishaus.
	
                          BOROUGH GOVERNMENT.

	 The borough of Milton was incorporated by act of the legislature, 
February 26, 1817. The first election for borough officers was held in 
the following month; John Chestnut was elected burgess; Bethuel Vincent, 
assistant burgess; Henry Frick, high constable; Joseph Hartman, 
constable; David Derickson and Daniel Beckley, supervisors; Amos Jordan, 
Daniel Eckert, John Davison, Adam Gundekunst, Abraham Trout, David 
Rittenhouse, and William Jordan, councilmen. The following is a partial 
list of chief burgesses: 1855, P. H. Schreyer; 1856-57, A. F. Moodie; 
1858, H. A. Moodie; 1859, David Waldron; 1860, Lewis G. Sticker; 1861- 
63, Charles Foy; 1864, Samuel A. Leidy; 1865, Robert M. Frick; 1866, 
Charles Hoy; 1867, Robert Datesman; 1868-69, William H. Bogle; 1870-71, 
Thomas R. Hull; 1872, C. C. Straub; 1873, William H. Bogle; 1874, A. 
Cadwallader; 1875, L. F. Wilson; 1876, Charles H. Dougal; 1877, John J. 
Fausnaught; 1878-79, Spencer L. Finney; 1880, O. B. Nagle; 1881-83, H. 
C. Sticker; 1884-85, William H. Hackenberg; 1886-88, A. Cadwallader; 
1889-90, John L. Hulsizer; 1891, John Jenkins.
	Proceedings for the annexation of parts of Turbut and Chillisquaque 
townships to the borough were instituted at May term, 1889, and reached 
a favorable consummation, November 7, 1889, when a decree of court was 
promulgated by which the limits of the borough were extended on every 
side. Five wards were formed from its territory, May 12, 1890.
	The Fire Department had its inception in 1798. The Harmony Fire 
Company was incorporated on the 12th of August, 1841. The Miltonian 
Steam Fire Company and three hose companies constitute the present 
organ-
	
	END OF PAGE 553 
	
ized protection against the destructive element that has figured so 
prominently in the history of the town.
	
                         THE POSTOFFICE.

	 The Milton postoffice was established, January 1, 1800. The 
following is a list of postmasters, with the respective dates of their 
appointments: Samuel Hepburn, January 1, 1800; Jared Irwin, July 1, 
1802; Bethuel Vincent, June 29, 1803; John Davison, February 22, 1822; 
Bethuel Vincent, July 13, 1822; William Jordan, June 23, 1829; Benjamin 
Morrison, May 11, 1831; Robert H. Hammond, March 6, 1832; Stephen 
Wilson, April 4, 1837; Leonard Stoughten, February 22, 1841; William C. 
Wilson, November 21, 1844; Lyman H. Wilson, June 9, 1849; James H. 
McCormick, June 3, 1853; George W. Strine, March 26, 1858; George 
Lawrence, March 19, 1861; Willis H. Lawrence, January 7, 1864; John 
Peterman, March 6, 1866; Carlton B. Davis, September 21, 1866; Daniel 
Burnman, May 4, 1867; Mrs. Mary Eckbert, February 12, 1868; William P. 
Wheeland, April 21, 1869; Leander M. Morton, December 8, 1873; William 
H. Bogle, June 23, 1879; J. A. Logan, June 21, 1882; Allen S. 
Hottenstein, July 26, 1886; Robert W. Correy, June 26, 1890, took 
office, August 27, 1890.

                    FACILITIES OF TRAVEL AND TRANSPORTATION.

	 The opening of a public road on the eastern side of the West 
Branch was ordered at the first session of the court of quarter sessions 
after the organization of Northumberland county. Some years elapsed 
before this order was carried into effect, owing to the state of the 
frontier, and during the intervening period a winding bridle-path, at no 
great distance from the river and subject to such changes in its course 
as individual preference might determine, was the avenue of overland 
communication between the Limestone run settlements and the county seat. 
The public road as ultimately opened coincided with Front street.
	River navigation contributed in an essential degree to the 
prosperity of the town during the period preceding the construction of 
the canal. Rafts, flat-boats, and other varieties of river craft were 
loaded at the public wharves of the port of Milton with cargoes of 
grain, whiskey, etc., and consigned to Columbia, Baltimore, or other 
river points. After the canal was opened this traffic was transferred to 
it; packet boats were also established, and the people of that day 
regarded themselves as highly favored with such facilities of rapid 
communication at their command.
	The Susquehanna river bridge was first built in l832-33, by a local 
company incorporated by the legislature. The contractors were Abraham 
and Isaac Straub, and the contract was executed for the sum of twenty-
four thousand dollars. In 1847 the middle section was carried away by a 
flood, and rebuilt by Thomas Murdock. The entire structure was 
demolished by 
	
	END OF PAGE 554 
	
the flood of March 17, 1865; it was again rebuilt, however, and again 
carried away in June, 1889.
	The opening of the Philadelphia and Reading railroad to Milton 
occurred in 1854. It established railroad communication with 
Philadelphia, and was continued to Williamsport in 1871. In 1883 the 
Reading Company constructed their line from West Milton to Shamokin, 
thus giving Milton the advantage of a competing line in that direction.
	That part of the Philadelphia and Erie railroad between Milton and 
Williamsport was opened in 1854; it was then extended to Northumberland 
and Sunbury, giving to the town its present rail facilities by this 
great artery of the Pennsylvania system.
	
                        BUSINESS INTERESTS.

	 Important business interests were developed at Milton at an early 
period in its history. Four merchants at this place advertised in the 
Northumberland Gazette in 1794, viz.: John Teitsworth, Robert Taggart, 
John Dickson, and Jared & Charles Irwin, while James Black, William 
Fullerton, George Calhoon, and Samuel Hepburn were also engaged in 
merchandising prior to 1800. Black's establishment occupied the site of 
J. B. Smith & Company's store on the east side of Water street above 
Broadway. During the fifteen years immediately following the opening of 
the first store no less than thirteen merchants were engaged in business 
at Milton. Arthur McGowan's establishment, a small frame building on the 
river bank below the Front street bridge over Limestone run, was the 
first in that part of the town, James Moodie had a store on the east 
side of Front street above the bridge on the lot immediately below that 
occupied by the Methodist church. It was here that Charles and Thomas 
Comly conducted business many years as successors to Moodie. The store 
of Burns & McCann and that of George Calhoon and Isaac Cowden were also 
on Front street, the former in a small yellow frame house. The next was 
that of Teitsworth & Taggart, previously mentioned. The Sanderson 
brothers, Ezekiel, James, and William, occupied the present site of the 
Milton National Bank as their place of business. William and Thomas 
Pollock had a store on the west side of Front street above Broadway and 
nearly opposite the establishment of James Black, while the store of 
Jacob Seydell was situated still farther up Water street. There were 
four other stores on Front street, owned respectively by Josiah 
Galbraith, Alexander McEwen, Mrs. Edith Hepburn, and Mrs. Lamperly.
	In 1794 there were three taverns at Milton. That of Daniel P. 
Faulkner was a log house on Broadway, subsequently owned by Dr. D. 
Waldron for some years and destroyed by fire in May, 1876. John 
Chapman's was on the east side of Front street, and that of Michael 
Gower on the northwest corner of Lower Market and Front. Faulkner was 
succeeded by John Brady, Jr.; the early successors of Chapman were David 
Derickson and 
	
	END OF PAGE 555 
	
George Nagle. In 1798 Hugh Montgomery built a frame house at the present 
site of the Methodist church, and opened therein a hotel. He died in 
1802, and was succeeded by John Brady; Jr.; when the latter removed to 
Faulkner's he was followed at this place by Daniel Eckert, from Reading, 
cousin to George Eckert, the miller. In 1802 Joseph Hammond established 
a hotel in a frame house on Front street in the upper part of Milton, 
where he was followed in the same business by Jacob Seydell and others. 
Bethuel Vincent opened a tavern in 1804 in connection with the 
postoffice, at the southwest corner of Front and Broadway. In the upper 
part of the borough hotels were established at an early date by Lemuel 
B. Stoughton, Henry Eckbert, Anthony Wilhelm, and Samuel Morrison; and 
in the opposite direction the hostelries of George Lawrence, Philip H. 
Schreyer, Daniel R. Bright, Abraham Schreyer, etc., were among the 
public houses of the town,
	The stores and hotels of Milton at the present time are a most 
conclusive evidence of the enterprise and prosperity of the town. Every 
line of business is well represented, and many of the stores are among 
the largest in their respective lines in this part of the State. The 
hotels are also large and well patronized, and without instituting any 
invidious comparison, it may truthfully be stated that there are many 
towns of much larger population in which the facilities in this respect 
are much inferior to those of Milton.
	The Northumberland, Union, and Columbia Bank, the first in the 
county and one of the earliest in the northern central part of the 
State, derived its corporate existence under an act of Assembly passed 
March 21, 1814. Daniel Montgomery, John P. De Gruchy, James Sanderson, 
John Boyd, Daniel Lebo, Jacob Dentler, John Dreisbach, Matthew Colvin, 
John Cowden, and Bethuel Vincent were appointed commissioners for its 
organization. Seth Iredell was president, and William Cox Ellis cashier; 
the banking house was on Front street. This institution became defunct 
in 1817 or 1818.
	The Milton National Bank was organized in 1858 as a savings 
institution with a capital of twenty thousand dollars; the first board 
of directors, composed of James Pollock, William Heinen, Samuel Shannon, 
William C. Lawson, Thomas Swenk, William F. Nagle, and Moses Chamberlin, 
was elected, June 28, 1858. In December of that year business was begun 
at the corner of Broadway and Front. The bank building was burned in the 
fire of May 14, 1880, all the effects of the institution being saved, 
however, and three days later business was resumed at the house of B. F. 
Wilson. The present banking house, a brick building on the east side of 
Front street, was first occupied in 1881. Originally a savings bank, it 
became a bank of issue under the State law several years after its 
organization, and assumed its present name in 1863 with a capital of 
seventy-five thousand dollars, since increased by one third of that 
amount. The first president was James 
	
	END OF PAGE 556 
	
Pollock, elected in July, 1858; he was succeeded by William C. Lawson, 
the present incumbent, July 2, 1860. R. M. Frick has been cashier since 
the bank was first established.
	The First National Bank of Milton.- The charter of this institution 
was granted, February 13, 1864, and extended, February 24, 1883. The 
first officers were J. Woods Brown, president; S. D. Jordan, cashier, 
and J. Woods Brown, William McCleery, Samuel T. Brown, John Datesman, 
James P. Armstrong, William H. Marr, William Savidge, Henry Frick, and 
John Bower, directors. The directory was increased to eleven members, 
January 6, 1805. Mr. Brown died, January 6, 1888, and H. A. Fonda was 
elected president, January 18, 1888. Mr. Jordan died, April 17, 1875, 
and J. M. Caldwell was elected cashier, April 19, 1875. Mr. Caldwell, 
the first teller, was elected to that position, May 14, 1866; Thomas L. 
Wilson was elected as his successor, April 19, 1875. Messrs. Fonda, 
Caldwell, and Wilson are president, cashier, and teller, respectively, 
at the present time. The original capital, eighty-five thousand nine 
hundred dollars, was increased, January 28, 1876, to one hundred 
thousand. The first place of business was in the old Lawson building on 
Front street; the present banking house was erected in 1880.
	The Milton Trust and Safe Deposit Company was incorporated, 
February 17, 1887, and organized with the election of the following 
officers: president, John McCleery; vice-president, S. J. Shimer; 
treasurer, Edmund Davis; secretary, M. H. Barr; directors: W. A. 
Schreyer, R. F. Wilson, S. J. Shimer, John McCleery, D. M. Krauser, D. 
Clinger, W. A. Heinen, S. W. Murray, A. P. Hull, E. H. Heaton, Cyrus 
Hoffa, J. B. Godcharles, J. M Caldwell, T. S. Moorhead, and C. W. Tharp. 
The authorized capital is two hundred fifty thousand dollars, ten per 
cent. of which was paid in when the company began business, March 15, 
1887; the present paid-up capital is one hundred twenty-five thousand 
dollars. The banking house on Front street was erected in 1888.
	The Milton Gas Company was organized, August 1, 1860, with William 
C. Lawson, president; William H. Frymire, secretary; William F. Nagle, 
treasurer, and a directory composed of William C. Lawson, William F. 
Nagle, Thomas Swenk, William H. Frymire, U. Q. Davis, Edward W. Chapin, 
and Thomas S. Mackey. At present R. F. Wilson is president, C. F. 
Follmer, secretary and treasurer, and the capital is thirty thousand 
dollars.
	The Milton Water Company was incorporated in 1883 and organized 
April 14th in that year, with R. F. Wilson, president; W. P. Kramer, 
treasurer; H. R. Frick, secretary, and S. W. Murray, John McCleery, P. 
J. Criste, W. P. Dougal, John Jenkins, and E. Bickel, directors. The 
capital, originally thirty-five thousand dollars, has since been 
increased to fifty thousand.  The Susquehanna river is the source of 
supply, and the reservoir, northeast of the borough at an elevated 
location, has a capacity of three 
	
	END OF PAGE 557 
	
million barrels. Water was first supplied for general consumption in 
January, 1884.
	
                   INDUSTRIES OF THE PAST AND PRESENT.

	 The earliest manufacturing establishment of Milton, as well as the 
town itself, was founded by Andrew Straub. A millwright by trade, he had 
doubtless considered the eligibility of Limestone run as a mill site in 
selecting and purchasing his land, and in the summer of 1791 dug a head- 
race with the idea of diverting the waters of that stream to his mill 
and thence to the river. At that time the run approached the river in a 
westerly course, but when within a hundred yards from the bank it turned 
to the southwest and joined Housel's run some two miles distant.  At the 
point where it came nearest the river there was a strip of low ground, 
which was cultivated but was frequently overflown; consequently, for the 
purposes of drainage, a depression was made at its lowest part.  On one 
occasion when an open furrow had been left here, the run overflowed and 
opened a new channel through this furrow, forever deflecting the stream 
from its former course and presenting a mill site much superior to that 
contemplated by Straub. He improved the opportunity by erecting a log 
mill near the site of the present stone structure, and it at once 
received a large patronage. In 1816 the stone mill was built by George 
Eckert, by whom it was operated until his death. The next owner was 
George Baker. The mill is no longer operated; its walls are still intact 
and give evidence of substantial construction, and the old building is 
one of the few landmarks of the past that survive the great fire of 
1880.
	Milton Steam Tannery.- The next industrial establishment, and one 
that has been continuously operated until the present time, was the 
tannery of John Armstrong. This business was begun in 1795. From 
Armstrong it passed to William Jordan, and then successively to Abraham 
Straub, Samuel T. Brown. William H. Reber, and Thomas B. Gould, the 
present proprietor. A large part of the square bounded by Elm, Center 
and Mahoning streets is occupied by this establishment. It was burned in 
1880, and rebuilt with improved appliances under the name of the Milton 
Steam Tannery. The daily capacity is two hundred fifty sides of leather 
daily, or seventy-five thousand per year; six thousand cords of bark are 
consumed annually, and employment is given to fifty men.
	Arthur McGowan's Carding Mills and Sickle Factory, at the mouth of 
Limestone run, were important and valuable adjuncts to the farming 
interests of this part of the county during the period of their 
operation. The building was considerably damaged by a flood in that 
stream in 1817.
	Five Distinct Distilling Establishments were in operation at Milton 
within a few years after the founding of the town. Moses and Samuel 
Teas, either in partnership or individually, had two, one of which was 
situated on Elm 
	
	END OF PAGE 558 
	Page 559 contains a portrait of Samuel Wilson Murray
	Page 560 is blank.
	
street at the south side of Limestone run, and the other on the opposite 
side of that stream a little farther south. John McKisson's distillery 
occupied the southwest corner of the grounds of Shimer & Sons' machine 
shops, and drew its water supply from Eckert's mill race. John Sweney's 
was situated at the present site of the Milton Steam Tannery.  These 
were all log or frame structures.  John A. Schneider's, on the north 
side of Limestone run near the alley that extends from Center to 
Mahoning street, was a brick structure of some pretensions, and in its 
arrangements and appliances was much more commodious than the others.  
These five distilleries were the earliest established, and were in 
operation many years. Two others were subsequently added, those of 
Fleming W. Pollock and John Davidson. Pollock's was built of Red Hill 
stone on the east side of the canal above Upper Market street, and was 
subsequently incorporated in a building of the Milton Car Works. 
Davidson's was on the east side of the canal at the extremity of Lower 
Market street. There was also a brewery, a large brick building on 
Mahoning street erected by William Nice and burned in the fire of 1880.
	Bickel & Bailey, founders and general machinists, Locust and Arch 
streets, are the present successors to Joseph Rhoads, by whom the first 
foundry in the valley of the West Branch was established in 1830. Nathan 
Mitchell was associated with Rhoads at the first or within a few years 
thereafter. It was subsequently operated by John and Jacob K. Trego, and 
passed to the present firm in 1875.
	The Milton Roller Mills, Kemerer Brothers, proprietors, were 
originally erected in 1832 by Fleming W. Pollock and were the first 
steam flour mills in this section of the State.  Elias Bickel succeeded 
Mr. Pollock, and was followed by W. B. Kemerer. The present firm was 
formed in 1882, when the roller process was introduced and the building 
enlarged.  It has a capacity of fifty barrels of flour per day, with 
other grain products.
	Abraham and Isaac Straub's Mills on the island opposite Milton were 
built in 1834. The proprietors were the inventors of a reaction water 
wheel, the first in the United States, and their lumber and grain mills 
at this point were quite extensive. Sufficient fall was obtained by 
damming the outer channels of the river at the head of the island, but 
the construction of the Lewisburg dam in 1840 interfered with this to 
such an extent as to necessitate removal to a new location. The mouth of 
Muddy run, a mile above Milton, was selected, and there the business was 
continued for some years.
	John Patton's Foundry, established prior to 1840, passed to White, 
Mervine & Lawson and ultimately to John S. Lawson; a variety of 
agricultural implements was manufactured, also engines, lathes, and 
mill-gearing, but the works were burned in 1880, and never rebuilt.
	The Steam Saw Mills established in 1842 by William McCleery were 
the first in the valley of the West Branch.  The original location was 
just above Locust street. Some years later Moses Chamberlin, John 
Runkle, and 
	
	END OF PAGE 561 
	
Charles Newhard became associated in the business, and a new mill was 
built on the opposite side of the canal some distance farther north. It 
was destroyed by fire and rebuilt, and ultimately absorbed by the Milton 
Car Works.
	E. F. Calvin's Foundry and Machine Shop was first placed in 
operation in 1843 by Joseph Sassaman, from whom it was purchased in 1885 
by the present proprietor.
	D. Clinger's Planing Mills, Arch street above Locust, established 
in 1855 by Balliet, Billmyer & Goodlander, were the first in this 
section of the State and have been continuously operated since their 
first inception, being almost the only industrial institution of the 
town that survived the fire of 1880. The present proprietor has operated 
the mill since 1866.
	R. F. Wilson & Company's Fly-net Factory, corner of Front street 
and Ferry lane, was established in 1856 by Robert Wilson, who originated 
the first machinery for the manufacture of leather fly-nets. His net was 
also the first patented, and early attained a large sale. Thirty men are 
employed.
	W. K. Wertman's Carriage Works were established in 1857 by the 
present proprietor on Broadway at the location of the Catholic church, 
then occupied by the Kirkpatrick academy building, which constituted the 
first factory. Here the business was conducted until its destruction by 
fire in 1880, when it was removed to Arch street. Employment is given to 
twelve or fifteen men.
	The Milton Car Works.- The firm of Murray, Dougal & Company was 
organized and the erection of the Milton Car Works was begun in 1864. 
During the first years of its existence a number of changes were made in 
the membership of the firm, which was finally composed of S. W. Murray, 
William P. Dougal, C. C. McCormick, and John McCleery, who remained 
associated and conducted the business until the retirement of John 
McCleery in 1875. C. C. McCormick withdrew in 1878, and William P. 
Dougal a few months later in the same year. The business was still 
continued under the original firm name of Murray, Dougal & Company, and 
a reorganization of the firm was made in 1880, when C. H. Dickerman and 
B. C. Carter became associated with S. W. Murray as a limited 
partnership under the law of 1874. Soon after this reorganization 
William B. Kramer became a member of the firm and in 1881 B. M. 
Longmore, and under this organization the firm has existed until the 
present.
	The business of the firm has been principally the construction of 
all kinds of freight cars including oil tank cars, which has been an 
important branch, and of which they have built a very large number. The 
firm was engaged also for several years in the construction of iron 
bridges, but the bridge department of the works was destroyed in the 
great fire of 1880 and was not rebuilt. They also for a time had a large 
trade in the construction of oil tanks for storage purposes and also 
steam boilers. The manufacture of freight cars has, however, been the 
leading business of the firm, and there is no description of car used in 
the freight traffic which has not been turned out of the Milton Car 
Works. 
	
	END OF PAGE 562 
	
	A large number of their cars have been exported to Cuba and the 
various countries of South America.
	The capacity of the works is ten sixty thousand-pound hopper coal 
cars per day, or three thousand cars per year, and employment is 
ordinarily given to about four hundred hands, though at times the number 
has reached nearly five hundred.
	Those portions of the works which were destroyed by the great fire 
of 1880 have been replaced by substantial stone and brick building, and 
every department is amply supplied with the most approved machinery and 
appliances.
	Connected with the plant is a saw mill for the manufacture of the 
oak lumber used in the business, and sixteen acres of pool for the 
storage of logs, which are purchased along the Susquehanna river and its 
tributaries and brought from Muncy dam by the canal.
	The works are located between the Philadelphia and Erie railroad 
and the West Branch canal, with a branch from the Philadelphia and 
Reading railroad running to the premises, which gives unusual 
transportation facilities
	The Milton Iron Company was organized, March 7, 1872, and 
incorporated in the same year, with W. A. Schreyer, president; P. C. 
Johnson, secretary and treasurer; W. A. Schreyer, S. W. Murray, John 
McCleery, William P. Dougal, and John P. Harris, directors, and John 
Jenkins, superintendent.  Messrs. Schreyer, Johnson, and Jenkins still 
retain their respective positions. The original capital was sixty 
thousand dollars, since increased to one hundred fifty thousand. The 
works were placed in operation, November 29, 1872. The bar mill is one 
hundred twenty by eighty feet in dimensions, with a wing of nearly equal 
area. The plant consists of one fifteen-inch train and one eight-inch 
train, one gas heating furnace, and one blast heating furnace. There are 
three double and five single puddling furnaces, and the product of this 
department is five thousand tons of merchant bar iron annually. The 
forge occupies a building sixty-five by one hundred thirty feet; it is 
equipped with three heating furnaces, one upright steam hammer, one 
helve steam hammer, two cut-off and centering lathes, and boilers over 
the furnaces which supply steam for the engines and hammer. This 
department is devoted exclusively to the manufacture of car axles and 
shape-work, with a yearly capacity of ten thousand axles. The company 
also operates the Williamsport Nail Works.
	The C. A. Godcharles Company, manufacturers of iron and steel cut 
nails, spikes, muck bars, etc., was originally organized under the name 
of C. A. Godcharles & Company in 1875; the constituent members of the 
last named partnership were M. H. Taggart, S. A. Andrews, Charles D. 
Godcharles, William H. Godcharles, R. A. Bostley, C. A. Bostley, R. 
Johnson, and C. A Godcharles. As reorganized in 1888 under the present 
name 
	
	END OF PAGE 563 
	
the firm is composed of C. A., C. D., J. W., and J. B. Godcharles; the 
original company controlled also the Northumberland and Towanda nail 
works, but since the reorganization the present company has restricted 
its operations to the works at Milton. These consist of blacksmith, 
machine, and cooper shops, and were placed in operation in the autumn of 
1875. The plant comprises eighty-eight nail machines, nine double and 
two single puddling furnaces, three heating furnaces, one twenty-inch 
plate train and one three-high twenty-inch muck train, and employs from 
three to four hundred operatives. The full capacity is fifty thousand 
kegs per month, for which fifty tons, respectively, of muck iron and 
nail plate are required in every period of twenty-four hours.
	S. J. Shimer & Sons.- In 1872 the senior member of this firm, 
associated with George Shimer, George Applegate, and C. L. Johnston, 
established a planing mill at the present location of their works in the 
Third ward of Milton. Although the business of the firm was the 
manufacture of lumber almost exclusively, a small machine shop was 
operated in connection with it, and here a matcher-head was originated 
by George and S. J. Shimer, for which they secured letters patent. The 
establishment was burned in the fire of 1880 and rebuilt as a machine 
shop, and as such it has since been operated, almost entirely in the 
manufacture of matcher-heads and other specialties. The main building, 
thirty-six by one hundred forty feet in dimensions, is thoroughly 
equipped. with engine lathes, planers, shapers, millers, drills, etc., 
and in another building, thirty-six by seventy-five feet, are the lathes 
and planers upon which the heavier product is manufactured. Seventy-five 
operatives are employed. The matcher-head made here is used in all parts 
of the United States, in Australia, England, Canada, and elsewhere, and 
has probably attained a wider circulation than any other of Milton's 
industrial products.
	The Milton Manufacturing Company, identical with S. J. Shimer & 
Sons in ownership and management, was incorporated several years since 
and buildings were erected between the Philadelphia and Erie and 
Philadelphia and Reading railroads for the purpose of developing such 
specialties in the iron trade as should be found advisable.  The 
original idea was never successfully carried out, however, and it was 
not until the fall of 1888 that the works were placed in operation under 
the present management. The plant consists of two frame buildings; the 
smaller is forty-five by one hundred twenty-five feet, with engine room 
attached, and in this building are four double puddling furnaces and one 
train of muck iron rolls; the larger building, sixty by two hundred 
seventy-five feet, contains one heating furnace and a ten-inch train of 
rolls, with other appliances for a complete rolling mill plant, and 
washer-cutting machines (originated and patented by Mr. Shimer in 1889) 
which cut from four to six standard washers at each stroke. The daily 
capacity is eight tons of plate iron and from ten to twelve thousand 
	
	END OF PAGE 564 
	
pounds of finished washers. The number of operatives varies from 
seventy-five to one hundred.
	Klapp & Luca's Carriage Works, Arch and Walnut streets, were 
established in 1880 by the present proprietors, and receive a fair share 
of the carriage trade of the borough and surrounding region.
	The Milton Steam Boiler Works, Shay & Berry, proprietors, occupy 
the former location of Lawson's agricultural works, Upper Market and 
Arch streets, and were established in 1881. Steam boilers and sheet-iron 
work of every description are manufactured.
	Jacob Fetter's Planing Mill, Center street, occupies the former 
site of a furniture factory, the only building in this part of the town 
that survived the fire of 1880. When the work of rebuilding was begun it 
was converted into a planing mill and so used until 1881, when it was 
destroyed by fire. Two years later a local company erected a building 
upon this ground for the manufacture of a patent sash weight, but before 
its completion the enterprise was abandoned; Mr. Fetter purchased the 
uncompleted building, transformed it into a planing mill, and has since 
operated it as such.
	The Milton Knitting Company was organized and incorporated in 1883. 
The first officers were W. A. Schreyer, president; H. G. Cohill, 
secretary and treasurer; W. A. Schreyer, R. F. Wilson, S. J. Shimer, S. 
L. Finney, A. Cadwallader, M. Lieberman, and Joseph Musser, directors. 
Operations were begun in February, 1889; the product consists of hosiery 
exclusively. The present president is S. J. Shimer; secretary and 
treasurer, A. Cadwallader.
	Miscellaneous Industrial Establishments include cigar factories, 
brick yards, etc., which, although relatively small individually, 
perceptibly increase the capacity of the community to furnish 
employment, and swell the aggregate of local production. The repair 
shops of the Philadelphia and Reading Railroad Company employ several 
hundred men.
	
                      FLOODS AND FIRES.

	 While immunity from calamity and disaster is the fortunate 
attribute of a very small number of towns, it is questionable whether 
there are many that have experienced a visitation of the destructive 
element to such an extent as Milton in the year 1880. Preceding this 
were several minor casualties, which may first receive attention.
	On Saturday, August 9, 1817, the waters of Limestone run, swollen 
to an unprecedented height by heavy and protracted rains in the region 
of its sources, swept away the three-arched stone bridge in Front 
street; the inn of Mr. Hill, occupied by George Nagle; the dwelling and 
store house of Arthur McGowan; Mr. Marble's saddler shop; the store 
house of Daniel R. Bright, and the foundation of his tavern, occupied by 
Henry Wolfinger; the store house of Moses Teas, and one corner of George 
Eckert's stone mill. The force of the current was so great that two 
large mill stones were swept away 
	
	END OF PAGE 565 
	
and never recovered, and a gravel bar was formed at the mouth of the 
run, extending half-way across the river. Such was the first public 
calamity experienced by the citizens of Milton.
	The river flood of 1847 carried away the middle section of the 
Susquehanna bridge, and the great flood of March 17, 1865, demolished 
that structure entirely, flooding the town and doing considerable damage 
to stores, residences, and streets. On the 1st of June, 1889, a 
repetition of these experiences occurred; the bridge was again carried 
away, residences and stores were flooded and their contents seriously 
damaged, and the water rose to a height never before attained within the 
recollection of the oldest inhabitant.
	The great fire of Friday, May 14, 1880, was one of the most serious 
disasters that ever involved an inland town of the size and population 
of Milton. It originated in the framing shop of the Milton Car Works, 
just above Locust street, east of the canal and opposite D. Clinger's 
planing mill, and the alarm was given at fifteen minutes before twelve 
o'clock by the blowing of the whistles. The day was bright and clear but 
a high wind prevailed, and, although when first discovered the fire had 
just begun, it was rapidly communicated by the combustible materials of 
the shops to the dry house and other buildings on the south; burning 
faggots were carried by the wind directly toward the business and 
residence portion of the town, and only a few minutes elapsed before 
several houses and the Lawson and Bickel & Bailey foundries were being 
rapidly consumed. By this time the alarm had called out the citizens, 
and heroic efforts were being made, to suspend the progress of the 
conflagration. The utter futility of their work became apparent when it 
was seen that the Reformed and Methodist churches were in flames, and 
with the increasing volume and velocity of the wind it became evident to 
the most sanguine that the work of the citizens was utterly inadequate; 
telegrams were sent to neighboring places for assistance, and the 
people, abandoning efforts at united resistance, turned to their houses 
to save, if possible, their most valuable effects.  Families left their 
homes, carrying with them such things as could be hastily collected, or, 
in many instances, glad to escape with life and limb unimpaired. At one 
o'clock in the afternoon the entire district lying between Locust and 
Broadway had been consumed, except the west side of Arch and either side 
of Front above Walnut. The Academy of Music, Associate Reformed, 
Methodist, Reformed, Presbyterian, and Catholic churches, with a number 
of residences and stores and several factories, were in ashes.
	The desolating element had also included in the theater of its 
activities that part of the town south of Broadway; and soon after the 
Reformed church was found to be in flames, fire was discovered in the 
postoffice building on the south side of Lincoln park, occupied by the 
Western Union telegraph office, the Miltonian, etc. Thence the flames 
spread to the opposite 
	
	END OF PAGE 566 
	
side of Front street, and down that street on both sides as far as the 
bridge, where their progress in that direction was stayed by the action 
of the wind and the efforts of the firemen. In an easterly direction, 
from Front street to the railroad, and from Broadway to Lower Market, 
scarcely a building remained except a planing and flouring mill and a 
few small houses between the canal and railroad at the Mahoning street 
bridge. Prominent among the buildings destroyed in this part of the town 
were the Baptist, Lutheran, and Evangelical churches, the Milton 
National Bank building, the principal stores and hotels of the town, 
with a number of residences and industrial establishments. Of the 
business of the place but two small groceries and one drug store 
remained.  In three hours one hundred twenty-five acres had been burned 
over, involving a loss of property aggregating in value two million and 
a quarter dollars, six hundred sixty-five buildings of all kinds were 
consumed, and six hundred families were rendered homeless.
	Immediate measures were taken for the relief and comfort of the 
destitute. A relief committee was formed, composed of Rev. S. H. Reid, 
J. F. Bucher, George J. Piper, Robert Riddle, W. A. Schreyer, W. P. 
Dougal, J. M. Hedenberg, Alem Dieffenderfer, R. F. Wilson, C. C. Straub, 
C. H. Dougal, George W. Strine, Moses Chamberlin, C. W. Tharp, Daniel 
Weidenhamer, J. F. Wolfinger, W. C. Lawson, A. Cadwallader, George 
Barclay, S. L. Finney, W. H. Reber, Cyrus Brown, Jacob Seydell, Frank 
Round, and O. B. Nagle, by whom an appeal was issued to the country at 
large for assistance. This appeal met with a prompt response. Lewisburg 
and Williamsport were the first to send provisions; the next was a car 
from Harrisburg, and these, with wagon-loads from the adjoining farming 
region, supplied the immediate necessities of the people. On Saturday a 
consignment of tents was received from Harrisburg, and these afforded 
protection and temporary shelter. Cash contributions to the amount of 
eighty-seven thousand eight hundred nineteen dollars, nineteen cents 
were received from various cities and towns throughout Pennsylvania and 
adjoining States, and distributed among the sufferers by the fire under 
awards made by Benjamin S. Bentley, James Gamble, and Samuel Linn, 
matters in chancery appointed by the court of common pleas of 
Northumberland county, August 12, 1880. The expenses of this commission 
were deducted from the relief fund, and a small balance, less than a 
hundred dollars, was placed to the credit of the borough for the benefit 
of the poor. Assistance from outside sources was also received in the 
rebuilding of churches, and the legislature made an appropriation to aid 
the directors in erecting a school building. While the town was thus 
almost completely demolished, its resources remained substantially 
unimpaired, and under the energetic efforts of its citizens the work of 
rebuilding was promptly begun and continued, with such results to the 
general material, religious, and educational interests of the community 
as need no amplification here. 
	
	END OF PAGE 567