Clinton County PA History
Richville
The village of Richville is in the western part of Pine Creek Township, and is built on a tract of land which was obtained by warrant in 1786 to Felix Christman. By him it was conveyed by deed dated Sept. 2, 1816 to C. D. Hepburn; by deed of Hepburn and wife, dated June 18, 1834 to John Rich; by deed of Rich and wife, dated March 25, 1864 to J. F. and C. B. Rich and is now in the possession of J. F. Rich.
The first first dwelling-house built in Richville was destroyed by fire several years ago, but its site is yet honored as being the birthplace of Rev. James Curns, an earnest and respected minister of the Methodist Episcopal church. The largest building in the village is a woolen factory, which was erected in 1843, by John Rich, and is now operated by J. F. Rich. The next building of importance is the Methodist Episcopal Church and the third is the public school-house. Seventy-one pupils are at present in attendance at this school. There are eight dwelling-houses in Richville and thirty-eight inhabitants, who, with two exceptions, neither drink liquor nor chew tobacco.
Chatham's Runs, which flows through Richville, is a clear mountain stream, and reaches its confluence with the West Branch of the Susquehanna, two miles distant from the village. - History of the First 100 Years in Woolrich, By M. B. Rich, Woolrich, Pennsylvania 1930 Page213, Chapter 1, Contemporary History As Taken From the History of Clinton County by John Blair Linn, 1883 - Transcribed by Nancy Piper
Charlton
The tract was bought by Thomas Proctor, Sr., in 1785, and in 1792, Thomas Proctor, Sr., "in consideration of the love and affection for his sister, Jane Charlton, widow, and the sum of five shillings lawful," deeded a small tract of land, upon which, in 1839, the first house of the town was built, being the one now occupied by Squire Kissell.
From 1839 to 1843 some five or six houses were built, and it was agreed to name the town "Charlton," in honor of the widow, Jane Charlton.
There was however, a house built a little north and west of Charlton, on the Cook tract, as early as 1785 by Robert Crawford, a tanner, and the following year he erected a tannery, which is owned and operated at this time by Squire Kissell. The house was torn down by Mr. Condon about fifteen years ago. In May, 1844, John F. Ramm, of Philadelphia, opened a store and the following year, with a few other energetic persons, succeeded in getting a post office established. Mr. Henry Myer was made postmaster. The name of the office was "West Branch" till 1850, when it was removed to Quiggle & Co.'s Store at the run, about a mile west of Charlton, and the name was changed to "Chatham's Run," which name it still retains.
The business men of the place are as follows: Ramm & Co., store; E. Cramer, grocery; J. Landis, blacksmith; P. Zahn, blacksmith and wagon-maker; G.S. Farley and P. Marks, shoemakers; Fred Strasser, undertaker and cabinetmaker; E. Herman, carpenter; T. G. Shurr, tailor; G. M. Betts, postmaster, A. C. Kissell, justice of the peace; Louis Schneider, M.D.; D. B. McCloskey, minister Methodist Episcopal church. There are a few fine dwellings and a substantial two-story frame school-house, in which a grade school is maintained four months in the year. The people are intelligent and enterprising, but the place has not improved much of late, owing to the general prostration of buinsess. - History of the First 100 Years in Woolrich, By M. B. Rich, Woolrich, Pennsylvania 1930 Page213-214, Chapter 1, Contemporary History As Taken From the History of Clinton County by John Blair Linn, 1883 - Transcribed by Nancy Piper
Phelps' Mills
These mills are in Pine Creek Township, two miles from Jersey Shore. Jonathan Walker built the original grist-mill in 1798. It was a large structure, had four runs of stone and stood sixty-five rods above the present Phelps mill. Walker was succeeded by Michael Wolf, who sold to Conrad Cook. Cook gave it to his daughter Catharine, who married Henry Crist, father of Mrs. A. H. McHenry. The Crists sold it and the land thereto attached to Anson G. Phelps of New York in 1847, who that and the following year erected a large saw-mill, began operations on an extension scale, and a village sprang up wearing a business aspect. In 1856, Phelps & Co. put in operation a large steam saw-mill for manufacturing boards, shingles, laths, palings, etc.
These two mills numbered in the aggregate sixty-four gang and English saws, with eight circulars. They were capable of making eight million feet of lumber per year. The company erected a large flouring-mill just above the old gristmill, and two miles farther up the creek it had another. It had a neat store in the village and a substantial church built. A substantial bridge was built across the creek at an expense of five thousand dollars, which was borne exclusively by the company for their own and the accommodation of the surrounding country, free of toll. All the buildings erected were beautiful frame edifices. This was the most extensive lumber establishment on Pine Creek and its site one of the best in the country. This was the most extensive lumber establishment on Pine Creek, and its site one of the best in the country. They had excellent facilities for harboring their logs in extensive booms, and in fact every natural and artificial advance to be desired. A railroad was built to the canal a distance of two miles, where their lumber was transported and deposited upon the wharf ready for shipping. Their sawing department was under the supervision of J.C. Howard, and the general agent of this immense establishment was E. B. Campbell. The village was named after the late Anson G. Phelps, of New York, well known throughout the country for his many acts of public and private benevolence, and while living was the head of the firm, and after his death was succeeded by William E. Dodge, the distinguished philanthropist of New York. The present owner of the mills is Mr. Wentz, who came here from McElhattan's Run mill, but was originally from Lebanon County. Henry Crist, the fourth owner of the original mill, came from Dry Valley, Union County in 1814; and Conrad cook, its third owner, was a native of Hesse-Cassel, and was a Hessian soldier in the Revolution.. - History of the First 100 Years in Woolrich, By M. B. Rich, Woolrich, Pennsylvania 1930 Page214-215, Chapter 1, Contemporary History As Taken From the History of Clinton County by John Blair Linn, 1883 - Transcribed by Nancy Piper
A mile below the Phelps' mills property was another large mill owned by McElder, Trump & Co., of Baltimore. It ran thirty-eight saws and had a capacity of four million feet per annum.
Pioneer Mills, Wells, Etc.
Chatham's Mill, a log building on Chatham's Run, built by Col. Chatham before the Revolution, and a mill on Pine Creek, the building of which was superintended by the celebrated Judge Walker, were the only mills we had for a long time. Mills built near the same localities are the only ones we have now. There has been a saw-mill at the mouth of Chatham's Run doing sawing as far back as my memory goes.
Big walnut logs were sawed in the neighborhood before the Big Runaway, perhaps at Henry Antes' mill. As evidence there is in the possession of Misses Hamilton of this township, a large walnut meal-chest, made of inch and a quarter boards, handsomely dove-tailed, with lid and turned feet, which oral history says was put upon two canoes, and filled with flour made from forty bushels of wheat, and taken as far as Northumberland with the flying inhabitants. Their old split bottomed arm-chair went along with the crowd and returned. - History of the First 100 Years in Woolrich, By M. B. Rich, Woolrich, Pennsylvania 1930 Page215, Chapter 1, Contemporary History As Taken From the History of Clinton County by John Blair Linn, 1883 - Transcribed by Nancy Piper