Thursday, April 23, 2015

The Stoney Batter School

Stoney Batter School
541 Stoney Batter Rd, Watsontown, PA 17777, United States



Pictured below: Minnie A. Hartranft, Teacher



Williamsport Sun-Gazette 
Williamsport, Pennsylvania
08 Aug 1912, Thu  •  Page 3


Stony Batter School 1913-14
Front - Fred Levan, Helen Levan, Marietta Dyer, Laura Fry
Middle- Mabel Fry, Lawrence Levan, Bert Fogelman, Durwood Howell, Nelson Miller, Teacher - Fuller Hartranft 
Back - Amanda Fry, Edna Sterner, Helen Sterner, Thelma Fogelman, Glen Fogelman

1927





===============




Wednesday, April 22, 2015

Fort Titzell 1775

Historian John Moore stands outside of Fort Titzell, for a presentation to the Midatlantic Chapter Of Spoom & the Union County Historical Society, April 17 2015


 
"Gov. Morris billeted his patrol in the fort on May 17 1780.  All but one of the group was massacred at French Jacob's Mill near the entrance to the narrows leading to the present Raymond B. Winter State Park, the next day by the Indians."

A view of the wall inside the fort.

"The raids on the Freeland, Boone and Smith mills had underscored Colonel Hunter’s need to defend the region’s mills. Of the four places where Hunter thought troops should be posted, two were mills. He told Weltner that he wanted “a sergeant’s guard at Bosley’s Mills on Chillisquaque and another sergeant’s guard at Titzell’s mills in Buffalo Valley.” These mills occupied strategic spots along the region’s few roads.
Titzell’s mills consisted of a gristmill and a sawmill along the Little Buffalo Creek on a 50-acre tract five miles northwest of present-day Lewisburg. A miller named Henry Titzell had established them during the winter of 1774-1775.
When British and Indians threatened to invade the West Branch Valley in 1778, hundreds of families fled. Titzell joined the exodus and never came back. 
Although this mill was never fortified, Hunter eventually assigned a small detachment to live at the mill and to patrol the Buffalo Valley." From 1780, A year Of Revenge by John Moore


Titzell's Mill and Fort by Harold Danowsky
 from the "Union County Heritage" Volume IV 
The Publication of the Union County Historical Society 
Union County Pennsylvania Est. Jan. 20, 1964

On December 1, 1774, there is recorded the deed from William Robb and his wife Olive, to Henry Titzell, for fifty acres of land on Little Buffalo Creek, just three tenth of a mile north of Kelly Cross Roads, whereon he erected a grist and saw mill during the following winter, for he was assessed in 1775 with a grist and saw mill.

   Titzell's mill was a rendezvous during the American Revolution, and a station of the defenders of the frontiers. Govenor Morris billeted a patrol here during the Indian incursions of the American Revolution. The patrol was ambushed at "French" Jacob Groshong's Mill on May 16, 1780, is believed to have spent the previous night here before going on the patrol west of Forest Hill. (location now marked by historical marker at the east end of the Fourteen Mile Narrows) where four of them met their death namely: George Etzweiler, Jno. Fouster Jr., James Chambers and Samuel McLaughlen.

   William Fisher made a narrow escape while running into the mill when his foot slipped on a board, and he fell through the doorway. The bullet intended for him struck the building on a line where his head would have bene had he not fallen.

    In July of 1778, the "Great Runaway" occurred, (this was when settlers living along the North and West Branches of the Susquehana River fled the area for safety, after which Northumberland and Sunbury became the frontier) and of course Henry Titzell went with them to Cumberland County from where he never returned, and we find Nagal Gray, of Northampton County, in possession of the property in 1783, and a conveyance of the property from Titzell to Gray on the 5th of May 1786. Gray died the same year, but his son John took the tract, who, with his wife Jane, sold it to George Reniger on the 18th of April 1796. Reniger failed, and it went by the name of Kelly's Mill for many years.

   In 1820, Peter Rauch purchased it and it remained in the Rauch Family for three generations - first Peter Rauch, second - Jonas Rauch, and third William S. Rauch. Then in the early 1900's it was sold to B.B. Keiser, who with his son James operated it until 1911 when it caught fire and burned to the ground.

  The next year Mr. Keiser's brother-in-law Mr. Christopher G. Pawling, came back to Pennsylvania, his home state, from Portland, Oregon and ably assisted Frank Keiser in the building of a two story mill, it did not have the machines for making flour that the first mill had, and consequently soon failed.  The original mill had the capacity for making twenty eight barrels of flour a day.  The second structure stood idle much of the time and is reported to have a still in it during prohibition days for the manufacture of the illegal product.

   It was a remarkable piece of work for that day, when there were no power shovels as we know them today; only animal power, such as: horses mules or oxen were available to pull the scoops.  He constructed a dam just south of the bridge that crosses the Little Buffalo Creek on the Pleasant View Road leading to New Comlumbia, and excavated a race to carry the water along the hillside, one half mile, until he reached the necessary drop to power an over-shot water wheel to run his mill. Later a turbine was installed to run the mill. He built a four story mill nearly all of stone, without the aid of any of our modern mixers or elevators to lighten the labor.

   Sometime during World War II most of the remnants of the second structure was taken away, and now the only evidence of the old mill is the east wall of the first story, which was cut out of solid rock, and the race are left of a once proud enterprise.

   About the author: Mr. Harold Danowsky, Kelly Crossroads, Lewisburg, Pa. graduated from local schools, and graduated from Bloomsburg State Teachers College in 1933. He was principal at the Buffalo Cross Roads School for 3 years and principal at the Linntown School for 6 years. He taught in several other schools in Union County. Served in the US Army for two years. He is now retired since 1972.


=======================

An article in the Sunbury Daily Item in 1960 tells us that the scouts planned to renovate the fort to use for their meetings

More about John Moore - 
 
John L. Moore, is an  author and living history interpreter.  

Moore is a Northumberland writer who specializes in telling true stories about real people and actual events on the Pennsylvania Frontier. A retired newspaperman, Moore has participated in several archaeological excavations of Native American sites. These include the Village of Nain in Bethlehem, PA; the City Island project in Harrisburg, PA conducted by the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission; a Bloomsburg University dig in 1999 at a Native American site near Nescopeck, PA.; and a 1963 excavation of the New Jersey State Museum along the Delaware River north of Worthington State Forest. John Moore has written and self-published seven books about the Pennsylvania Frontier. His most recent book is “Bullets, Boats & Bears.”

=======================================
All of my photos from this tour can be found here   https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.357905781078509.1073741960.175207949348294&type=1
=================================

Where The Forts Once Stood
An Index Of Fort Location In The Central Susquehanna Valley

======================

Read More:






Tuesday, April 21, 2015

The LeRoy Massacre, Penns Creek Pa

Historical Marker Located at 1350 Pennsylvania 104, Mifflinburg, PA 17844

On the morning of October 16 1755, George Leininger, about 18 years old, accompanied his mother to Gabrils Mill, near the mouth of  Penns Creek, to grind grain. Their neighbors, the , LeRoy's had a hired man, who about that time set out to fetch the cows.  And just then,  a  band of Indians began a three day massacre, beginning at the LeRoy home.

Johnson's Mill, Mazeppa PA

On April 17th 2015, The Midatlantic Chapter of SPOOM & The Union County Historical Society held a tour of historic mills in Union County PA.  This was one of the stops.

Located at 2099 Johnson Mill Rd, Lewisburg, PA 17837

Johnson's Mill, or the Mazeppa Mill,  was built in 1788 by Michael Rentscheler (angelicized to Rengler) and his son, John.  

Johnson's Mill is no longer a working mill, it is now being used as a warehouse of sorts by an amish family selling outdoor furniture.  Today they allowed us to tour the mill, and Fred Johnson & Beth Johnson Hackenburg, siblings, came and talked to us about what it was like growing up in the mill.

 
Beth Johnson Hackenburg& Fred Hackenburg

One of my favorite stories was of the mill pond.  It was 6 acres, and in the winter the entire town would come ice skate there.  He said one Sunday there were 650 people skating there!

Fred also talked about the eels - they would catch them in the mill grate, and eat them.  Fred & Beth brought a few items along for all of us to see - 


The Renglers operated the mill for several generations before selling to William Cameron.

 
I wondered why the name Rehrer appeared on these items, and found this in a google search - 

"Mazeppa (Rentschler's) Mill was started c. 1789 by John Rentschler (Rengler), and continued under his son Daniel, whose children sold the mill to Wm. P. Cameron. James Packer, married to Cameron's daughter Mary, inherited the mill, and rented it to millers Levi, Henry and Charles Arbogast; Benjamin Rehrer, and Harry Baker. Wm. Beaver, Clarence Auten, Fred Johnson and son Eugene Johnson were successive owners. Water from Buffalo Creek powered the mill until diesel engines were installed in the mid 1900's" - found online, unsourced


as well as this old photo, an aerial view of the mill - 

We were able to walk around, and through, the old mill building - 



"Meanwhile the old Rentschler (angelicized to Rengler) Mill continued to operate.  It remained in the family until 1874, when it was purchased by William Cameron Of Lewisburg.  Upon his death it became the property of the Packer family of Sunbury, who leased it to millers.  It was purchased by Clarence Auten in 1922, and Fred I Johnson in 1930.  the latters son, Eugene, took over operation of the mill in 1946, a year after its conversion from water to diesel power, which it used until it closed in 1981."
Union County, Pennsylvania: A Celebration of History
 By Charles McCool Snyder, John W. Downie, Lois Kalp






Above & below - Members of SPOOM & the UCHS, touring the Johnson Mill.


Time Line:
1788 The Mill is built by Michael Rentscheler (Rengler)
1874 The Renglers sold to William Cameron
After Cameron's death, it was owned by the Packer family from Sunbury (son in law of William Cameron), who rented it out to millers.
1922 Clarence Auten Purchased the mill
1930 Clarence & Suzanna Auten sold the mill to Fred & Blanche Johnson
1945 the mill was converted from water powered, to diesel powered.

1946 Fred & Blanche Johnson sold the mill to their son, F. Eugene Johnson
1981 The Mill Closed

==============================================

All of my pics from this tour can be found here (once I finish sorting and uploading them):


The Union County Historical Society has an article on their website about the mill - "Fred Johnson and Beth Johnson Hackenberg team up to recollect Mazeppa Mills, the principal family business for the Johnson family from 1930 to 1982.  The authors reminisce about the mill’s operation, and, as children, the delights of growing up in a family of millers." http://www.unioncountyhistoricalsociety.org/Page8-33.pdf


Read about Water Powered Gristmills In Union County here - 

There are more photos of this particular mill, here:

Friday, April 10, 2015

Bread Day in Turbotville - PERMANENTLY CLOSED

This Bread Day Location Has Closed.
I'm keeping my ears open for another to open!



Where -  Drive out county line rd, turn right on Milheim rd, little yellow house on the left. There are no signs except a small open sign in the window.   There is an amish school house directly across the road, on the right.


When -  Every four weeks.  I post a reminder on my Fields Of Heather facebook page each month.





What - Bread.  Bagels.  Rolls.  Flat bread.  ALLLLL  sorts of bread.  :-)

The Price: 85 cents each.  No matter what the item is.




More Farmers Markets In the Susquehanna Valley: