Part of the
Genealogy Trails History Group
Columbia County was created on March 22, 1813 from part of Northumberland County
and named for Columbia, a poetic name that alludes to Christopher Columbus. Bloomsburg, the county seat since November
30, 1847, was incorporated as a town on March 4, 1870, and is the only incorporated town in the state. Its name
comes from Bloom Township, which was named for Samuel Bloom, a commissioner of Northumberland County. Danville,
the county seat from 1813 to 1846, is now the seat of Montour County. Native American communities had long lived
here along the Susquehanna River, and the first white settlement was south of the river. Berwick was laid out in
1783. As a North brach Canal depot and then a railroad station, Catawissa grew and served a thriving farm region.
Anthracite mining and a lumber boom arose but, like Columbia’s farming, yielded to competition in the 1930’s .Abandoned
deep coal mines have burned for decades beneath the town of Centralia. ACF’s railroad car complex and Bloomsburg’s
silk and carpet works prospered until the national trend toward deindustrialization began in recent decades. ACF
manufactured tanks during World War II. The county’s farming has emphasized fruit and field crops; in 1992 Columbia
ranked 37th among all 67 counties in value of farm crops. Farms cover 37 percent of the county’s area. There were
Underground Railroad stations at Berwick and Millville. Some of the accused Molly Maguires were tried in Bloomsburg
in 1877.
Hi,my name is Tammy and I'm the host of this website. I will try to post as much information here that I can to
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UPDATED October 12, 2008
History and Biographical Annals of Columbia and Montour Counties, PA by: J. H. Beers, 1915
(Through Penn State's Digital Bookshelf.)
Boroughs and Census Designated Places
|
| Almedia |
Aristes |
Asland(partial) |
Benton |
Berwick |
| Bloomsburg |
Briar Creek |
Buckhorn |
Catawissa |
Centralia |
| Espy |
Eyers Grove |
Fernville |
Foundryville |
Iola |
| Jamison City |
Jerseytown |
Jonestown |
Lightstreet |
Lime Ridge |
| Locustdale |
Mainville |
Mifflinville |
Millville |
Numidia |
| Orangeville |
Rohrsburg |
Rupert |
Slabtown |
Stillwater |
| Waller |
Wilburton Number One |
Wilburton Number Two |
|
|
|
Townships
|
| Beaver Township |
Benton Township |
Briar Creek Township |
Catawissa Township |
Cleveland Township |
| Conyngham Township |
Fishing Creek Township |
Franklin Township |
Greenwood Township |
Hemlock Township |
| Jackson Township |
Locust Township |
Madison Township |
Main Township |
Miffin Township |
| Montour Township |
Mount Pleasant Township |
North Centre Township |
Orange Township |
Pine Township |
| Roaring Creek Township |
Scott Township |
South Centre Township |
Sugarloaf Township |
|