COLUMBIA AND MONTOUR COUNTIES the public interest in the movement did not appear to be sufficienUy aroused in the project at Uiat time and so it slept for more than twenty years, when the agitation' was again started. T his culminated in 1808 when* on Feb. 8th* a ]Kthton w as prcscntc<] to the court by citizens asking for the erection of a menunient A ftet being approved and disapproved by various grand juries through several years a contract was finally awarded to j . U. Kurtz, of ik r w k k, whose bid w as $7*795* the lowest uf five. T he monument w as erected in M ar ket Square. The dedication of the monument* which took place Nov. 29* 1908, was probably the most imposing open-air ceremony ever wit nessed in (he county. T he weather w as fine and thousands o f people were present. The program included a parade which started at the T ow n Hall* headed by Chief Marshal W. O. Holmes* County Commissioners J, A . Hess, C. L. Pohe and Elisha Ringrose* Assistant Marshals W. G. Lentz and R . A . H icks, all mounted. T lie procession included five brass bands* mounted police* Sons o f Veterans* Patriotic O rder Sons o f America* the Drum Corps o f Danville* Knights of the Golden Eagle Commander}’, Improved O rder of Red M en, speakers of the day in carriages, veterans of the Civil war. Ladies of the G. A . R.* Bloomsburg F ire Department. The parade ended at the monument, Market Square, where the exercises were opened by J . C E v e s, president of the Monument Asso ciation. A fte r •'Am erica” and a prayer, Presi dent Ju d g e C la rie s C Evans in a very excel lent address, on behalf of the county commis sioners. presented the monument to the public generally* and to (he w ar veterans in particu lar. E . E . Bittenbcnder, commander of Ent Post, G . A . R ., delivered the address o f thanks for the monument. A n eloquent and impress ive speech was made by Hon. W . E . Andrews, of W ashington. D. C., the orator of the day, and w as followed by Congressman John u . M cH enry, whose address closed the exercises. This monument ha.s often been declared to be more beautiful than some costing twice as much.
12 1
M oyer assumed the position M ay 10. 1840* the office being located in his store on M ar ket Square* where the residence of the late John L . M oyer now stands. Then came Leonard B. Rupert, on June 3, 18 4 7; John M. Cliambcrlin* Ju n e 1, 1849* officc in his build ing on Main street* now occupied and owned by Josiah Ralston; Philip Unangsl, M ay 6* 18 53, office in his shoe shop, corner o f Main and Center* on the site of Gelb & M ayer s store; Leonard B . Rupert. A pril 7* 185K, office in building where M oyer Brothers building now stands, below the square on Main street; Palcmon John* A pril 9, 2861* office in room now occupied by Western Union Telegraph office and Andrew Evans' tailor shop; D. A. Hcckley* A pril 22, 1865, office in same location; John B . Pursel, Aug. 9, 1866, office in store room on west side o f what is now* the Farm ers' National Bank building; D . A . Bccklcy* A pril 5* 2869, office in a onc-story fram e build ing that stood on the site of the M orning F r c u building; George A . Clark, M ay 5, 18 8 5; A . B. Cathcart, Aug. 2, 1889; Jam es H . Mercer* Feb. S« (K94. The three last named had the office in the Paul E . W irt building where the Bloomsburg National Bank now is. T h e oldfashioned boxes and fixtures of the former office were discarded* and new modem appli ances were adopted. O. B . Mellick became postmaster on Feb. 25, 1898, and the officc con tinued in the same quarters until Ju n e 16, 1899, when it w as moved to the L . N . M oyer build ing in the room now occupied by the Columbia & Alontouf Electric Company* t(tc fixtures that were in the W irt building being retained. Mr. Mellick w as succeeded on March 7, 1902, by Jam es C . Brown, who held the office until Sep tember, 19)4* when J . H . Maust was ap p o in ts. On Sept. 29, 1906, the post office moved into its present commodious quarters m the First National Bank building* where it was equipped throughout with u p - t o ^ t c appliances. F IN A N X IA L
T h r Industrial Building €r Loon Auocio-tion was oi^anized in 18 9 1. It has been so carefully conducted that it has never been obliged to foreclose a mortgage on any o f its POST OFFICE loans. The officers a rc : John R . Townsend, The first post ofikc at Bloomsburg was president; F . R . Carpenter, rice president; H. simucl W igfall, treas establishc<l on Oct. 1, 1807, with William Park S. Barton, secretary; 5 as postmaster. H e held the position until urer. D irectors: ficorgc E . Elw ell, O. W. April I, i8io« when John Park succeeded him. Cherrington, W'. H. IHdlay, W illie I.aw. Then came John Barton, on .April 17, 18 19 . From the time o f its organization up to Dcwho continued until .March 2 1, 1837, when ceml)er, 2913. it made loans amounting to Bernard Rupert w as appointed. John R. S87.650.
