222
COLUMBIA AND M ONTOUR COUNTIES
horseback and there met and fell in love with Deborah, daughter o f D avid F ow ler, the sim ilarity o f names first attracting hts atten tion. H ere he stopjicd aud entered into the life of the settlers, continuing his courting in tiie intervals o f rest from the arduous labors o f clearing the land and w orking at his trade o f blacksmith. T h e ye ar follow ing his arrival he made the jou rn ey with the girl and her friends to Reading, where the wedding w as solemnized with great cclat. T h e descendants o f this couple are among the substantial resi dents of the township in 19 14 . A fte r 17 9 3 a number o f persons cam e and settled in this township, among them being Tolm H offm an, Nchcmtah H utton, Jam e s Cauley and H en ry H idlay. T he latter secured a large tract 01 land, on a part o f which the H id lay church is now located. T rav e l along the river had increased so much by 179 9 that in that ye ar A bram M iller estab lished ail inn, which from its position, midway between Bloom sburg and Berw ick, w as later called the “ H a lf-W a y H ouse.” W hen the stage line w as established between Sunbury and W ilkes-B arre tliis inn w as a fam ous stop ping place fo r travelers. Thom as M iller succccdctl his father, but the place gained its greatest repute during the ownership of ^ m ii e l H arm an, who managed it when the stagecoach w as the only means o f travel, just previous to the intro<luction of the railroads. A fte r the opening of the railroads in 1858 the trade at the “ H a lf-W a y H ouse” s la c k e n ^ and it w as used as a private dw*elliiig. It w as a building o f quaint appearance, with broad porclies ami low-cciled rooms. It w as finally torn down and now a fine residence, the home o f Pierce K ie fe r, stands upon the site of the old hostelry. A bram M iller, the innkeeper, w as the first to open the limestone deposits o f this portion of the county. P art o his ohl kiln along L im e Ridge is still to be seen. M uch of the lime produced there w as used in buildings at W ilk es-B arre, whither it w as transported by w ay of the canal. L ater the limestone w as shipped to the furnaces at D anville. Bloom s burg. llu n lock C rcck, Shickshinny and W ilkesB a rre . T he first kilns w ere operated by the M iller brothers at the west end of the ridge. Jo h n K n o rr o|H*ncd the mines in the central portion, and Jo h n Jo n e s those in the eastern portion. T h e o ixn in g of these quarries soon iirought a number o f fam ilies to the neigh borhood. and from this nucleus the town o f C cn lrn n lle, or L im e R id g e, wa.s forme<l. About 1845 s^nic o f (he lime operators bought
tw enty-four acres o f land on the canal and laid it out into lots T h ey also erected a ware house and w harves and soon a tiirtving settle ment sprang up. T he principal qu arries here arc owned by Ix>w Brothers & Co., and have been operated by members of the sam e fam ily since 1846. T h e capacity of their plant is 1.200 bushels o f lime per day, nine kilns a rc in use, and tw enty-five men are employed. In connection with the plant is the hydrating department of the Paragon P laster & Su pply Company of Bloom sburg. H ere the lime is partially slacked and absorbs sufficient w ater to p rc v a it it airslacking during shipping. It is used largely in the w ay o f an addition to concrete mix tures, to m ake them smoother and more ad hesive. .*t one time Ccntrevillc w'as quite a village, but at present it is sim ply a charm ing suburton station on the line of the N orth Branch Trac tion Com pany. It contains the stores o f Low Brothers, G . B . Dennis, C harles H eaps, C . E .S w nslcr, Jo h n S . Scott and H a rry Wertman. T he postm aster is T ilden W eiss. Colum bia P a rk, an amusement resort operated by the trolley compatiy, is located west o f Lim e Ridge. T h e land w as formcriy tlic Jo h n P . Conner farm, and w as leased some years ago by J . R . Fow ler, ex-county treas urer. who established the park, Colonel Freeze naming il Shaum ee P o rk, from the tribe of Indians who form erly made their home there. T he railroad com pany seems lo liave liked the name o f Columbia better, although the Indian name is m ore appropriate. T h e Traction Com pany has fitted it up in the most approved resort style, with amusement dcvicc.s. swings, ]>avilions and other features fo r enjoyment H ere most of the Sunday school picnics and fam ily reunions of the county are held. .Ad mission is free to all. T h e rem ainder of the villages and settle ments o f this towiishi]) are few in number and were fonned around various industrial estab lishments of the past. It'h ilm ire, named from mcmlters o f that once num erous fam ily, w « the site of the gri.stmill o f Daniel Zancr, huilt in ]8 i6 . H e ran it up to 18 5 1 and sold to J . L . W olverton, the last owner. W est of the village, on the branch o f B ria r creek. .Andrew C reveling carrie<l on a tannery from 1850 to 1862. when he sold to Jac o b R in k. J . P Conner w as the last owner. A nd rew Whilmire fo r a number o f years opcr.itc<l a brick yard on his farm in the northwestern portion of the township, but it is now alxindoned. Fotelert'ille. named from Gilltcrt H . Fowler.
