Valley Girl Views

Wednesday, September 10, 2025

William Cameron 1795-1877

William Cameron

William Cameron was the oldest of 8 children born to Charles Cameron. Charles came from Scotland to Pennsylvania in 1775, at the age of 5 [or 7 - accounts vary]. He married Martha Pfoutz around 1794.

The family moved to Sunbury in 1809, then from Sunbury to Washingtonville, and finally, in 1810, settled in Lewisburg.

"His father was a tailor, and William Cameron was taught that trade. This he worked at diligently except that when trade was dull and the rivers raised their annual seasonable floods, by which the produce of Central Pennsylvania was carried by fleets of boats and arks to their markets in Harrisburg. Columbia, Baltimore and other cities below, he forsook his needle to join the rivermen and many a time walked home to Lewisburg from the Chesapeake Bay region, footsore and weary. "

In 1814 he volunteered as a private in the “Northumberland Blues” Regiment under Colonel Weirick, and served till the end of the War of 1812. On January 5, 1820 he married Eleanor McLaughlin. Eight children were born to this union; Elizabeth, Mary, Martha Jane, Margaret, Mary Martha, Simon, and William Jr. and Jane. Four of the children died in infancy or early childhood, and only two outlived him. These were Mary, wife of John B. Packer of Sunbury and Jane, wife of Dr. Francis C. Harrison of Lewisburg."

When a regiment was raised in this section for the War of 1812, some time in September, 1814, he volunteered as a private in the Northumberland County Blues, attached to Col. George Weirick's regiment, and marched to Marcus Hook. This regiment appears to have been discharged in Philadelphia in the latter part of December, 1814.

"Cameron in his old age used to reminisce of his regiment's muster in Philadelphia, how they marched out from the city about Fourth street to the "Old Brick Tavern" and camped on Union Green."

"After his discharge from the service he returned to Lewisburg and followed his trade until he saw his opportunity to carve a fortune for himself by the application of hard work"

William was married January 5th, 1820, to Miss Eleanor McLaughlin, by the Rev. Thos.

Hood. The marriage ceremony took place at the residence of Mr. Wm. Young stone house then in White Deer township, now Kelly. "Because of this fact, he purchased said property, and a few years ago he had it greatly improved--particularly the room in which the marriage ceremony was performed, which was furnished with the costliest paper, carpet, etc,"

In 1828, he was awarded contracts Internal Improvement contracts. The tunnel at Elizabethtown, on the Harrisburg, Mt. Joy and Lancaster road; the railroad bridge, at Harrisburg, on the Cumberland Valley road; the dams at Columbia and at Lewisburg : several heavy sections on the Pennsylvania canal, and other important improvements were the result of his untiring energy and labors.

Regarding the canal, "It was said that William Cameron's share of the profit was $10,000. and he and his partners went to Harrisburg to draw the money, a snug fortune in those days."

On February 19,1827, William Cameron was appointed a Justice of the Peace by Governor Schulz. He held that office until the adoption of the Constitution of 1838 when justices were elected by popular vote.

This 1840 painting of William Cameron hung in the bank at Lewisburg until 2024, when it was gifted to the William Cameron fire house in Lewisburg. It's now on display in their museum.

William Cameron was responsible, for among other public works, the contract for the cross-cut canal at Lewisburg. Opened in October 1833, the cross cut connected Lewisburg to the canal along the east side of the Susquehanna River. More about the Cross Cut Canal

[Note to self - find and add Mr. Matrey's comments about William's connections and the Cross Cut Canal"

Between 1839 and 1841, William was engaged in the wholesale dry goods business in Philadelphia. He also, in partnership with his brother, Simon did much contract work in canal and railroad construction.

"He built a railroad tunnel at Elizabethtown, the railroad bridge over Susquehanna at Harrisburg for the Cumberland Valley railroad and dams at Columbia and Lewisburg The years 1839 to 1841 saw William Cameron in the wholesale drygoods business in Philadelphia under the firm name of Welsh, Cameron & Co.

He was also a leading member of a firm that first successfully operated the railroad from Columbia to Philadelphia, then part of the public works and owned by the state. During the first year the road was not a success under state management and was getting deeper into debt when Cameron was solicited to take hold of it and under him it became a success."

$5 and $10 from an uncut proof sheet of the Lewisburg Bank, Haxby PA420.
Portraits on the $10 are John P. Anderson of the Juniata on the right lower corner and U.S. Senator Simon Cameron on the left.
The $5 shows Colonel Eli Slifer on the lower right corner and Wm. Cameron, Esq., president of the Lewisburg Bank, on the left.

In 1853 William established the Lewisburg Savings Institution which later became the Lewisburg National Bank. During its early years the bank was operated from the Cameron residence at Second and Market Streets (southwest corner). In the summer of 1887 the business was moved across the street (southeast corner) .

David Reber, Cashier, on left, William Cameron, Bank President, on right

Williams served as president of the bank for two terms, 1853-1855 and 1857-1868. In 1927, the bank moved to its present location at Fourth and Market Streets.

In 1854, William Cameron was one of the men guaranteeing that if the seat of Union County was to be located in Lewisburg, they would pay for all of the necessary county buildings - that there would be no expense for the taxpayers.

In 1857, William Cameron, along with Eli Slifer, was one of the directors for the newly formed Lewisburg Gas Company.

In 1861, current day Montandon was was named Cameronia in honor of the Cameron family.

The name was changed in 1867, due to mail being mistakenly sent to a similarly named town in Cameron County. See more here.

The Cameron Colliery

"William L. Dewart built the first coal breaker on the tract, and William Cameron secured it just before the outbreak of the civil war. " The first owner of the tract of land was John Brady, thought to have been the son of Captain John Brady of Muncy.

More about the Cameron Colliery Here

William was a heavy stockholder in a number of river bridges -notably of the Milton and Lewisburg bridges ; and at the time of the flood in 1865, which carried away the latter, he possessed a controlling interest in the stock of said bridge.

One secret of his success in acquiring wealth, was his zeal in buying up real estate- good farms- and placing them in the hands of trusted tenants. Farm after farm was purchased, the total number being 23 situated in Union and adjoining counties. He likewise became the owner of many valuable residences in Lewisburg, besides having mortgages or judgments on much other valuable real estate in town and country.

"Through the generosity of Squire Wm. Cameron, he presented to the Borough of Lewisburg $10,000 for the purchase of a steam powered fire engine made by the Silsby Co. In honor of this generous gift, the present fire company, at that time, voted to change their name to "The William Cameron Engine Company," which is still in existence. This occurred in the year 1874. [ While the country was still in the throes of the panic of 1873]"

William Cameron in 1874

" Mr. Cameron has been popularly known as the wealthiest man in our vicinity, the amount of his wealth being a matter of diverse opinions. He knew, doubtless, to a dollar; but as that knowledge was none else's concern, he kept it to himself. Many thoughtless persons censured him for what they deemed want of benevolence. This censure was wrongly applied, as many a poor man and woman can testify. His acts of charity were kept to himself-and they were many."

The above tribute to William Cameron ran in the Lewisburg Journal, Jan 30th 1874

Also in 1874, William Stocked Fish In Lewisburg

[Full article at the bottom of this page]

William Cameron died of cancer in 1877. "The disease was apparent on the left cheek but perhaps permeated his entire system."

"The remains were enclosed in one of Stein's patent burial caskets, similar to the one in which the late Vice President Wilson was buried. It was handsome, and is said to have been the finest casket eye: brought to this place'

In his will, he left 1,400,000 [one million, four hundred thousand dollars] to his daughter, Mary [Cameron] Packer, the wife of Hon. John Packer of Sunbury.

The will was highly contested, as there were other siblings, and grandchildren, who received in comparison, very small amounts.

One Million four hundred thousand dollars in 1878 is roughly the equivalent of nearly 34 million today.

In 1895, Mrs. Mary [Cameron] Packer gave six thousand dollars towards a hospital, "with the sole proviso that it forever remain non sectarian in character and free to all who would be unable to pay for treatment". The Purdy mansion was purchased for $20,000, and the house was outfitted as a hospital.

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Monday, September 8, 2025

The Canal in Milton, Pennsylvania

The West Branch Canal In Milton, Pa

Today, Filbert Street in Milton runs where the Canal once ran through the town of Milton. In the above photo, The Shimer Building (the building still stands today, at the corner of Filbert and Race Streets) is shown on the left. [Maps of the canal in Milton ate at the bottom of this post]

The 1978 application for the National Register of Historical Places included a note that "restoration of the canal" was being contemplated. [unfortunately, that did not occur]

"The canal is to be restored by constructing buildings of the federal period along it, housing apartments, businesses, and offices. The towing path would be incorporated into a bicycle and hiking pathway which should eventually pass through Milton in accordance with Pennsylvania state plans to provide recreational facilities along old canal and railroad sites." - Dr Sidney Davis. - February 18, 1978

1837 Sketch of the canal at Milton

"But the dear old canal was the place of places. Filled with fresh water at the Muncy Dam, the canal was at once the swimming pool and the community bath tub of thousands of Miltonians. Both banks were available and on a hot summer's night it was alive with bathers from Church Lane to the lock. " J.P. Kohler

For an overview of the entire West Branch Canal, see the post here:

https://susquehannavalley.blogspot.com/2020/10/when-susquehanna-valley-had-canal-west.html

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The Lock & Lock Tender's House

10.2 Miles Lock #17 6.12 Foot Lift Milton, including Limestone Run Aqueduct

The Lock was near Cameron Avenue where W.C. Fortney, better known as “Cappy,” manned the lock tender’s house. In the same neighborhood, the boat yard of Mathias Strine & Sons was located just south of Ferry Lane, between the canal and Cherry Street.

Milton Lock #17 - Looking North 1880

This picture was taken from the Cameron Avenue bridge, looking north, when the canal was still in use. The lock tender’s house is on the left, facing Cherry Street. Note the large wooden lock gates with their balance beams, used to manually open the gates, and the bridge over the canal to allow access to the beam on the opposite side.

Milton Lock #17 - Looking South 1901

This picture was taken after the canal was closed. The lock tender's house is on the right, facing Cherry Street. The location was just north of Cameron Avenue, looking south. It can be seen at the bottom of the Milton map of 1870. The West Branch Division of the Pennsylvania Canal System was completed from Northumberland to Muncy on Oct. 2, 1830 and was closed in 1901.

Milton Lock #17 - Looking North

Picture from the book "Milton, Pennsylvania, the 19th Century Town on Limestone Run" by Homer F. Folk.

The lock tender's house is on the left, facing Cherry Street. The location was just north of Cameron Avenue, looking north. In this photo, the canal has been closed, and the lock has fallen into disrepair.

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The Aqueduct

1883 Map

Showing the canal, and Limestone Run

"But just below this, and near the old boat yard, was the aqueduct, when the top of the water, was near the planking and the water itself was deep, hhis spot was really like a large swimming pool arid it I shared in popularity with the other places."

- J.P. Kohler

Limestone Run Aqueduct 1895

[From NRHP Application]

"Besides the deep, cool water, for diving and swimming, there was a water fall that was a real treat. The old grist mill on the river bank got its power by diverting some of the water of Limestone Run. The "run" dammed at the meadow and part of the stream by an artificial gulch was carried under the canal over to the mill. The overflow at this dam made the waterfall, and boys could sit under it on hot days and get a shower bath that present Miltonians would pay money for. Where the "run" ran under the canal was another waterfall, caused by the overflow of the canal and it was only a short swim and wade to reach this delightful spot. A path ran closely by the mill race from Filbert to Back street and when I read George Eliot's "Mill on the Floss," I couldn't keep this little rural picture out of my mind." - J.P. Kohler

Looking at the East Side of the Aqueduct 1977

Although often the word "aqueduct" conjures images of canal boats being moved over a bridge, in this case, aqueduct means "structure used to conduct a water stream across a hollow or valley" - in this case - moving Limestone Creek across the canal.

Looking at the West Side of the Aqueduct, 1977

"This aqueduct was built between 1829 and 1830 by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. The contractors and builders were McCormick and Montgomery. The engineer was Francis W. Rawle.

The single span of 20 feet is constructed of stone and wood with an overall width of 75 feet, a trunk width of 30 feet, and a height of 7 feet.

The stone abutments are in good condition although they have been used as footers for a railroad bridge.' - 1977 Application, NRHP

According to the 1977 application, the liner is still there.

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Stories , History & Photos

From When Milton Had A Canal:

Looking South From Broadway, 1890

April 1829 - John Deeter built the first canal boat along the west branch more than a year before the Canal was completed through his town.

July 4, 1834, Capt. John M. Huff loaded his packet boat, the “George Washington,” with more than 100 Miltonians for an excursion on the canal.

On May 9th 1831 - "Canal Boat Merchant's Choice in command of Captain Blair, arrived in Milton in 9 days from Philadelphia with a cargo of 20 tons for the Messrs Comley and Cadwallader"

Construction of the West Branch canal had begun in 1828, but it was not completed until 1834 - so this trip was 3 years before the West Branch Canal was completed.

Twenty tons [44,000 lbs, roughly] seems like a tremendous amount, but from what I have read, this was somewhat average for the time.

The Cadwallader mentioned here is almost certainly Seth Cadwallader, one of the pioneer merchants in Milton. Born in 1796, he came to Milton about 1812. He married Elizabeth Hammond, and they lived in a home where the Milton Realty Building stands today - at the corner of Front and Broadway.

An interesting side note - Elizabeth's father was George Hammond, was "one of the first settlers of this part of the State". He had been captured by the Indians during the Revolutionary war and turned over to the Hessians, and was held a prisoner five years.

Seth Cadwallader retired from business in 1854. His son Albert, one of 11 children, later built the Milton Realty building on the corner of Broadway and Front Street.

Bells History Of Northumberland County, 1876, page 555, tells us that: "Moodie had a store on the east side of Front street above the bridge the lot immediately below that occupied by the Methodist church. It was that Charles and Thomas Comly conducted business many years as successors to Moodie."

Thomas Comly, born in 1789, was the son of Ezra & Hannah [Iredell] Comly. Seth Cadwallader originally came to Milton to work with his cousin, Seth Iredell - who owned a mill, and was president of the Milton Bank. So the Comly and Cadwaller families were connected, through the Iredell's, but I am still not certain if the canal boat was bringing items to a business owned by Cadawaller and Comley, or if it was delivering items to two separate stores - one owned by Cadwallader, and one owned by Comly. In the 1840s, on he list of retailers in Northumberland County, Seth Comley and Seth Cadwallader were both listed. An Aron Comley also appears on the list in some years.

Canal Boat In Milton Pa

The above photo is at 4th street bridge, entering Milton, facing south. The Presbyterian church steeple is in the distance. The pond to the right is the Clinger Mill. It is the last canal boat leaving Milton. [Thanks to George Venios for that description]

March 10 1864 - Canal bridge at Center street [Milton] opened for travel.

On April 12th 1869 - Canal Boat, Mountain Boy, was launched by George W. Strine for its owner Charles Malady, In Milton.

The ruins of the Methodist Church, 33 Arch Street, along the canal.

The Canal During The 1880 Fire

"Families began to toss belongings into the street and into the canal, in vain attempts to save some of their possessions from the rapidly spreading fire."

"Rev Barnitz, pastor of the ME church, went on the roof of his house to prevent flying cinders from setting it on fire. But he was soon warned to descend and save his own life. When he came down, he was surrounded by flames. He hurried back to the canal at the rear of the parsonage and found a woman who was stranded in the path of the fire. Together they went into the waters of the canal. They were in the water for more than an hour before they "found a place to land that was not on fire"."

See more about the fire that wiped out the entire town if Milton, in 1880:

https://susquehannavalley.blogspot.com/2020/05/the-great-fire-of-1880-when-entire-town.html

Canal at Mahoning Street looking north 1898

Locust Alley is to the right of the canal. Filbert Street now runs in the approximate location of Locust Alley. There is a rope running from the boat to mules on the right towpath, in the shadow of a tree in front of the two-story house. Across the canal on the west side is S. J. Shimer & Sons two-story brick machine shop, with a high board fence surrounding their manufacturing complex.

Canal Bridge on Walnut Street

This view is to the west, with the First Presbyterian Church in the background. The bridges were about 10 feet above street level. The Klapp & Lucas Carriage Works is visible over the top of the bridge. The picture was probably taken in the late 1880s.

Mill Street (now Arch) and Canal North from Broadway 1895

The stone building with the ramp was the William K. Wertman Carriage Works, but by the time this picture was taken, it was the home of West Branch Novelty. It can be seen on the map of 1896.

From the book “Milton, Pennsylvania, the 19th Century Town on Limestone Run” by Homer F. Folk

John Rippel’s photograph from his studio on Broadway looking northeast toward Red Hill, showing a portion of Milton around 1895. William Wertman was a victim of the 1880 fire on Broadway. He moved his Carriage Works to Mill Street, and it is his ramp at the rear of the stone building. It was the custom for carriage makers to complete their products on the second floor and bring them down a ramp to ground level.

Bridges over the canal were at every street. Shown are the bridges at Walnut, Upper Market and Locust Streets. At Locust Street, along the right side of the canal is the two-story office of Murray, Dougal & Company - Milton Car Works. Further right is the erection shop, which was built of stone in 1881 at a cost of thirty-one thousand dollars. Today, it is the pressed steel department. In the background, behind the pressed steel building, is the western point of Red Hill. It is here that artists and photographers have captured the history of Milton on paper, plates and film. In 1880 a wooden erection shop was the first to burn when the fire started at the sawmill on the north side of Locust Street.

Broadway in Milton - Metal Canal Bridge in Background

On August 5th 1873 - Cyrus Brown was the first person to drive over the new iron canal bridge on Broadway. Cyrus was the owner of a drug store in Milton Pa. Note - I have no idea who the women are in these photos, but the bridge in the background is the iron canal bridge.

Canal Boat Named The Mauch Chunk (At Milton?)

I have other photos of this boat at Lewisburg, so I am not certain the location of this one is correct.

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Port Milton

By Dr Sidney Davis II

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The Log Basins & Canal At The Car Works [A.C.&F.]

"The upper and lower pools now filled to make room for the car works, were popular swimming places. They were both deep enough for diving and the water in them, being practically still, was a bit warmer than the water elsewhere. These pools were nearly always filled with logs, as the saw mill was then in active operation and swimmers got considerable pleasure from the excitement of running over the logs. The pools then stood far hack from any houses as the upper end of town had few inhabitants and nudity was not banned." J.P. Kohler

View From Red Hill

Canal is to the right of the car company in the above photo - opposite of the description below:

"At Locust Street, along the right side of the canal is the two-story office of Murray, Dougal & Company - Milton Car Works. Further right is the erection shop, which was built of stone in 1881 at a cost of thirty-one thousand dollars. Today, it is the pressed steel department. In the background, behind the pressed steel building, is the western point of Red Hill. It is here that artists and photographers have captured the history of Milton on paper, plates and film.

In 1880 a wooden erection shop was the first to burn when the fire started at the sawmill on the north side of Locust Street."

1907 view, showing the log pond at ACF

1908 view of the log basin

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MAPS

1883 Map showing the canal running through Milton

Close up of the log basin on the 1883 map

1858 Map showing the Canal In Milton

Same map as above, just in black and white and flipped horizontal.

1860 Map

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READ MORE
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In the 1920's, Attorney James Pollock Kohler wrote a series of letters about his early years as a boy in Milton Pa. The Miltonian published them under the heading "Reminiscences of Milton by J.P; Kohler".

This letter, published on July 14th 1921 talks about the Swimming Holes in Milton, in the 1860s. It mentions the Bijou movie theater, swimming at Bakers Meadow, the "waterfalls" created by the gristmill, swimming around the logs in the canal ponds, rumors of an alligator, eels, and sand on the island, and much detail about the canal. It's another completely charming read.

https://susquehannavalley.blogspot.com/2021/06/reminiscences-of-milton-by-jp-kohler_3.html

"No cooler spot on a hot summer's day could be found then Baker's meadow. It was on Filbert street, below the gas house, between the railroad and the canal. After climbing a rail fence you crossed a patch of grass and came to Limestone Run, on the banks of which, at this time, were numerous large and shady trees and at their roots were deep holes, with cool eddies, that were the joy of boyish hearts. The "Run" at this place has almost entirely disappeared and its course has been changed materially. Besides the deep, cool water, for diving and swimming, there was a water fall that was a real treat. The old grist mill on the river bank got its power by diverting some of the water of Limestone Run. The "run" dammed at the meadow and part of the stream by an artificial gulch was carried under the canal over to the mill. The overflow at this dam made the waterfall, and boys could sit under it on hot days and get a shower bath that present Miltonians would pay money for. Where the "run" ran under the canal was another waterfall, caused by the overflow of the canal and it was only a short swim and wade to reach this delightful spot. A path ran closely by the mill race from Filbert to Back street and when I read George Eliot's "Mill on the Floss," I couldn't keep this little rural picture out of my mind. "

Canal History

From the book "Milton, Pennsylvania, the 19th Century Town on Limestone Run" by Homer F. Folk:

In 1829, the Muncy Line of the West Branch of the Pennsylvania Canal was started. With pick and shovel, wheelbarrows, dump wagons, and horses pulling scoops or drag lines, tremendous manpower and horsepower produced a continuous ditch with water that connected the remote parts of Pennsylvania with the cities of the east.

The standard dimensions of the canal in its cross section, termed the ”prism”, were a width of forty feet at top waterline, twenty-eight at the bottom, and a minimum depth of four feet. The chosen route through Milton had a constant sea level reading until near Cameron Avenue. There the elevation dropped, making a lock with a lift of 6.12 feet necessary. Stone walls held together with hydraulic cement (select limestone burned with clay) were one hundred and twenty feet long, with a passageway seventeen feet wide. Miter or angular joints on the inner edge of the heavy wooden gates located at each end of the lock sealed the gates, with little water loss when the gates were closed. The large square balance beams were manually operated to close the gates. The lock tender, who lived in the state house (lock tender’s house), was responsible for operating the gates.

To the west of the canal was the former Limestone Run creek bed (1). From this source and the marsh to the west of the bed, an unlimited amount of clay was available for the puddling operation, necessary to make the canal bed nearly waterproof. Sand, gravel, shale and other types of porous soils made puddling necessary. Clay was not always so available, sometimes it had to be hauled from miles away, chopped fine with narrow spades, mixed with water until it was pliable, and then worked into the natural soil or built up soil. Additional layers were applied until the clay puddle was two to three feet thick.

After much laborious work during 1828, 1829 and 1830, the canal was put into use in November 1830. Its use that year was short. With the coming of winter and the first ice on the canal, the boats were made ready for winter.

Note (1): Limestone Run was diverted from its original southward direction to empty directly into the Susquehanna River just above Mahoning Street.

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