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COLUMBIA AND MONTOUR COUNTIES
lamcson o( Salem and Arnold Colt o f WilkesBarre, carrying spades. T he Berwick Infantry* under Col. John Snyder, and the Luzcm e County Com et Band* followed. The first earth was thrown out by Gen. Daniel Montgomery o f Danville and Judge Hollcnback o f W ilkes-Barre. A fte r the cere monies it w as intended lo have a dinner on the river bank for all the crowd, but a severe d o w n p ^ r prevented this* so the repast was scr*ed in the "C ross K e ys T avern /' only part o f (he assembly being provided for, although the rooms of the tavern were crowded to the utmost. T he building of the canal did much to in crease the growth of the town, but it scarcely improved its moral tone, fo r in ($30* when the first boat passed through* there were fourteen drinking places in the village. A fte r the Open ing of the canal many 01 the workmen who had assisted in the construction remained and made their homes in Berw ick, thus adding a large Irish strain to the Gcm ian of the first settlers. When the canal was finally abandoned the Delaware, I.4ickawanna & Western Railroad Company in 1904 tilled up the bed, covering the old locks o f stone completely. It is in teresting to conjecture the opinions of the e x plorers of the next century* who mav uncover these stone remains and tind the old corner stone ut the bottom o f a deep excavation. ftA IL K O A D S
A s an illustration of the growth o f Berwick, brought about mainly by her manufactories* it will be noted (hat the population in 1840 was 4 5 2; in 1850* but 486; in i860, it had only reached 6 2 5 : in 1870 the growth of the Ja c k son & W o ^ in Company had caused it to in crease to 923* and by 1880, so raphl had been the growth of the plant* the town s population was 2*094, In 1890 the population was 2*701; in 1900 it was 3*916; and in 1910* 5,357. STOKES AND nUILDtNCS
A s the ]K>pulation gradually increased their wants were correspondingly catered to by storekeepers and mechanics. John Jones ojKncd the first stone about 1800* and was soon followed by William Bricn* at his hotel. George Faync and llio m a s Richardson came from Boston in 1807 and opened mercantile establishments, the form er at the corner of M arket and Second streets, and the latter on the west side o f Second street* between M ar ket an<l Mulberry. Others who had business establishments in (he period between 18 3 0 and i8 8 6 w ere: Matthew McDowell, J . & A . Miller, W right & Slocum, Robert M cCurdy, J . & K. Ix id y , Stow ers & Ellis* J . & J . Bowman, Clark* John Deily* Samuel Scoville* Rittenhouse & Shu man, Headley, M cN air & Co., and George Lane. B U S IN E S S E S T A tlU S H M E K T S
T he list o f firms doing business in Berw ick in 19 14 is as follow s: Department Stores— Berwick Store Com pany, Philadelphia Bargain House, Joseph M. Schain. General Merchandise— A . II. Baer, H . B . Dodson. Garrison Bros.* H arter & Son, H ar ter & White, M. C . Hcilcr* F . A . Hippcnstcel, Jam es I-ec, J . A . Rhodes, j . M. Scham, S. L . ^ccsolt*, Shiner Bros.* J . C. Stone* W illiam s Bros., C. B. Wilson. Grocers— S. Aim clti, Charles Battista. C. A . Bcnscotcr, V'italc Bevilacqua, lohn Cordora, Thom as Cretclla, Daroczi & K ish, Bruce H . Hartman, E . H. H arvey, M . W. Hicks, W . C . K cllcr, A. Krom o, A lfonso Marsicano, I. M ittlcman* John C. O bcrdorf, J . W. Roberts, CosP O P C L A T IO N imo Sacco, F . M. Smith, Si. G. Smith* S . S , An old history o f 1847 stales that Berwick Smith. John Timbrel!. H ardware— R . E . Benscoter* A . E . B ren then contained a'liout one hundred dwellings, a Methodist church, an academy, several stores ner, Han*ey T . Doan. C igars and Tobacco—C . W . Bower, E li B u ll ’ind taverns, and had about eight hundred in & Co.* (jcorge;. Confair, Diamond C ig a r habitants. So great was the traffic attracted by the canal that in 1858 the I.ackawanna & Blooms burg railroad was buik through the county* thus adding to the transportation facilities. In 18S2 the North & W est Branch railway be came a factor o f importance in the transporta tion field. It is located on the opposite side of the river from Berwick, and is now part of the Pennsylvania system. The last steam railroad to enter (he town, the Susquehanna* Bloomsburg & Berwick, w as built in 1903. Electric roads connect Berwick with Ncscopeck, Bloomsburg, Danville, Catawissa. and the smaller towns intervening.
