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COLUMBIA AXD MONTOUR COUNTIES
1840 Catawissa had a ]K>pulatioii o f 800, cx* ccvoing that o f Bloomsburg by 150. The town then cuiitamcd tbrcc churches, several stores aiKJ taverns and upwards 01 two huuUreU dwclimgs. I’here were a loundry, a paper mill and several tanneries in and near the town.
- i lie Cermans predominated in the jiopulation
then. T lt E UOOU 0 .YS
T he building o f Ute Catawissa railroad, a description o f which is found on anotltcr page, w as a blessing to the town and caused a rapid increase o f population. S ix months after the opening of the road the headquarters were established in Catawissa and extensive repair shops built in 1864. Thus the town became the home o f many operatives, and as the other roads came in became quite a railroad center. These tq>erativcs brought their familic.s, estab lished homes and became imjiortaiu factors in the growth o f Catawissa for a number o f years, until the extension of the Reading road from Shamokin to Milton caused a removal o f much tralhc from the Catawissa division and reduced the number o f employees in the repair sliops. There arc still a number o f employees of the Reading and Pennsylvania roads in the town, but few compared with the past. 'I'he rapid increase o f population and the de mand for homes w as the cause that Ic<l to the organization of the Catawissa l.and and Build ing Company and the Catawissa Mutual Build ing Fund Association, in 1865 and 1870, re spectively. The result of their formation was a period o f building activity, extending from 18^9 to 1873, during which many persons who otherwise could not have obtained money were enabled to own homes. The demand fo r homes and lots caused F . L. Shuman to purchase the Z arr fan u ami lay out the Shuman adilition in 1882. One of the prominent citizens o f Catawissa w as Clark F . Harder, who built the planing mill in 1866. He made it one of the chief in dustries of the town, and in 1885. during the building boom, put up seventeen houses, fu r nishing his own materials from the mill. Most of the iKttcr class o f residences o f that date were built by him. David Cleaver, a pioneer nierdiant of the town, built the ’'Susijuehamia H ouse" in 1868, and leased it to several parties. It is now operated by William (Joodhart.
prcsciiled to the proper court, ll w as opposed by some who feared added taxation, and by others who did not wish to I>c left out of the town. T h e grand ju ry o f that year disap proved the petition. Again in 1887 a similar petition met with a like fate. On Sept. 26, 1892, a third petition w as presented by 250 freeholders, and in December of tlu t year con firmed by the court. T h e necessary officers for holding an elec tion were appointed, and the following officials elected: C. C. W illits, chief b u ig « ss: O . I). L. Kosteiibaudcr, C . O. Brow n, E . B. (iuic, I. H. Seesholtz, T . E . H arder, William Hartman, counciimen. The first school board consisted o f J . B. Yetter, L. B. Kline. S . Raup, C. E . Clewell, ) . J . l.ew is, A . S. Tnickenmiller. T he present borough officials a rc; A . H . Sharplcss. burgess; W. H . Vastine, president of the council; J . Bem inger, Daniel Knittlc, Edw ard Billig, .Alexander l.illie, Joseph Hartzcll, councilm cn;G . II. Sh arp lcss,cle rk : L. C. Mensch, solicitor. The postmasters o f Catawissa borough have been as follows, together with the dates of their ap|K)intmcnts: John Shoemaker, Ju ly t, 18 0 2; John G a rk , Ju ly I, 18 0 3: Joseph Paxton. N ov. 3. 1821; Michael Fom w alt, Ju n e 2 3 ,1 8 2 9; C . A . Brobst, M ay t8. i J ^ l : Paul R . Baldy, D tx. 6. 18 4 4; John Schmick. Dec. 26. 1846; Charles H art man. Feb. 15 . 18 49 : John Schmick, Jan. 27. •8 5 3 : Cast»er Rhawn, M ay 6. 18 5 3 : L evi K eilcr. Ja n . 17, 1 8 6 1; S . D. K itard, Oct. 12 . t 8 6 i; George H. W illis, Aug. 24, 1869: Luther H. Kline, Sept. 24, 18 78; Calvin G a rk, Oct. 24, 18 7 8; Joseph B. Knittlc. Sept. 15. 1885: W il liam H . Iterger. .April 27, 1889; J . H. G eary. Dec. 20. 1R89: Charles L . Pohe, .May 6. 1896; G iristian E . Geyer. Ju n e 5. 190 0; G iarles M. Harder. .Aug. 2. 19 13 . C. S. W. Fox' w as mercantile appraiser in 1899. l*OPl'l..TIO.N
According to the United States census figures the [wpulaiioii o f Catawissa township in 1S20 was 2 .52 0 : in 1830. 3 .13 0 : in 1840. 2.060; in 1850. 1 .1 4 3; 1 .1 / 6 : in 1870. 1.6 2 7; in 1880. 2,0 03: in 1890. 2 .34 « : in 1900, 5 ( 0; in 19 10 . 503. T he jKipulation o f Catawissa borough was 2.023 in UfOO, and 1.930 in 19 10 . T his gives SIL’ NlClI*,t ISC('RPOR.TIOS evidence of the fact that most of the popula The first movement to make Catawissa a tion of the township resided in the Iwrough borough was taken in 1885. when u petition was in the early <lays.
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