Guava, Columbia County, Pennsylvania

On Wednesday April 17th 2024, The Sugarloaf Historical Society will meet at the Jamison City Hotel for an open discussion on Guava.  They know it was located between Benton and Center City, but it is their hope that others will attend with more information.

In preparation for that meeting, here's what I found:

"There are three post offices in Sugarloaf : Cole's Creek [circled in blue above], Guava  [circled in yellow above] and Central [circled in green above].  Central was established in 1836 under the name of Campbell through the exertions of a doctor of that name. Upon his removal the office was discontinued until 1850 when Peter Hess was commissioned as postmaster. Joshua B Hess succeeded to that position in 1861, Henry Hess in 1876, and Elijah Hess in 1886.  Cole's Creek was formerly known as Sugarloaf . Ezekiel Cole, Alinas Cole, Benjamin Cole and Norman L Cole have successively been incumbents as postmasters. Guava was established May 11 1883 at Andrew Laubach's store. He has continued in charge of the office These points are on the mail route from Benton to Laporte Sullivan county." - History Of Columbia County, by Battle

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

Laubach Store [and Post Office], Guava Pa

on Camp Lavigne Road south of Rt. 118 - located where Klinger Hill Rd. meets Camp Lavigne Rd.

The Laubach Store

as posted by David Kline:

The Laubach Store was on what is now known as Camp Lavigne Road north of Benton in what was then called Laubach, PA. The crossroad community consisted of one general store that at one time contained a post office, a couple of houses and at the foot of the hill East of the store a former railroad stop on the Bloomsburg and Sullivan Railroad known as Laubach's Station. Many in the area still refer to the area as Guava, the name of a post office at that location. The area was named for Andrew Laubach who became the first post master in 1882. The post office died with with the ending of train service to the upper reaches of Columbia County.

There was a bench in front and a bench in the store where the same guys (always guys) hung out every night until closing time" at 8:30 or 9. The scroll desk where Joe Laubach sat when he wasn't waiting on someone contained bills nicely organized; some of them were graying and crackly and dated back to his father. The generations of Laubachs who owned the store gave credit ("early welfare") to people who were out of both work and luck.

A work week at the store was rather structured. Joe Laubach took orders on Tuesday, in some cases by phone, but mostly by actually going to houses where the women would say what they wanted. Joe got the old truck--a truck that seemed to go back to the 1930s--and deliver on Wednesday.

Baker's meat plant in Millville delivered meat to the store on Thursday. Baker's scrapple was the "best in the world," son David recalled, "better than Pennsdale." Hurl Hess delivered vegetables and fruit the same day. Peters Meats of Williamsport delivered bacon and ham. Letterman's from Bloomsburg delivered and a Pennsupreme Ice Cream truck brought the "great big containers for cones." A candy dealer quickly made his rounds, while retailing the penny candy was the biggest pain as people would take their time getting a variety while the shopkeeper bent over the case. It was back-breaking work to pick pecks of potatoes which Hurl Hess brought in huge bags. Some locals will remember the cheese case with the big round chunk of cheese, the coffee grinder, the food stamps during and right after the war.

Son David Laubach remembered delivering "to some guy in Jamison City who lived back a road," saying "we never saw him just put the groceries at the end of the road and he put the money in a mailbox." David remembers opening at 3 AM the first day of deer season and remembers getting to see Carl Furillo and other Brooklyn Dodgers that Carl would bring with him into the store, and he remembers the encroaching competition of the Benton IGA markets in the Fifties.

David remembers not only the sights of the store, but remembers that the store always smelled good because of the coffee, cheese and meat. It was a man's store, and not even David's mother or grandmother frequented the place. Women came in, but "it was mostly a man's place."

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

The Guava Post Office

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

Notice of the Guava Columbia County Post Office being established, September 1882

It is interesting that there is no P.O. beside Laubach on the map, as there are for Cole and Hess.  But this is almost certainly the correct location.

1876 Atlas of Columbia County, Dilts District encompasses the Laubach Property

Note the U. Golder property, on the far left of the yellow Dilts district on the map above.  Elias Golder lived in Guava in 1907.  Same property?

In a History Of Columbia County by John Gosse Freeze, the location of the Guava post office is listed as "above Colescreek"

 Contract for Carrying The Mail, From House Documents, 1886

Other Postmasters at Guava were:

Augustus M. Harvey, Valentine Stout, Benjamin P. Laubach, Clarence M. Laubach

When looking at the 1860 Cummings Map of Columbia County, in Sugarloaf Township, Valentine Stout is listed north, and slightly west, of Laubach.  That doesn't necessarily mean Stout didn't move before he became postmaster in 1898, but it's an indication that Guava may possibly have extended that far north.

In 1911, Guava is listed as Laubachs, on the map.

Here's another version of the 1911 map, with mark ups and notes from Pete Llanso - 

"Here is a 1911 map showing the location of the Laubach Station (though cartographers of the era weren't always the most exact). The red line is Camp Lavigne Rd. Rt 118 is not yet in existence. There used to be a small covered bridge just off of the road to get over the little creek shown on the map- my wife's grandmother had a home along Camp Lavigne Rd, and my wife and her friends used to cross the covered bridge to go to Grassmere on the other side. She remembers crossing the B&S tracks before crossing the bridge. This map shows the Laubach Station sitting very close to the bridge, which would make it a bit removed to the north from the town of Laubach, as Klinger Hill Rd drops right into the town."

Loading logs onto the B&S train near Laubach station.

1889 Time Table

Laubach's Station

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

Misc Mentions Of Guava

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

This 1893 article about the Camp Meeting in Guava, which appeared in the Columbian on July 14th 1893, states that Guava was "on the line of the B. & S.R.R." It further lists A.M. Harvey with an address in Guava. Harvey was listed as postmaster in 1889.

In 1901 Grassmere park is listed as "near Guava", along the B.&S.R.R.

"It is interesting to note that the first accessions to the Disciples, or Church of Christ, in Columbia county were made in this township in 1836, when Elders John Ellis, J. J. Harvey and John Sutton held a protracted meeting in the Hess schoolhouse. A church was established at Guava and for a time was prosperous, but is now out of existence." History Of Columbia County, by Battle

Gold in Guava, 1898

In 1899, there was a copper plant in Guava

Laubach Store Robbed, Guava, 1901

1903, J.S. Hutchinson of Guava was advertising for a housekeeper

A.L. Fritz's Meat Market, Guava PA

In 1906, the Fritz barn burned down.  Believed to be arson.

Miss Helen Gossler was teaching at Guava for 4 months in 1914

1915 Robbery In Guava

W.A. Kile of Guava advertised 35 acres of land for sale adjoining Kocher, Hess, and Savage.

December 21 1894

In 1891, a man from Guava advertised for a wife, in the Williamsport newspaper.

==================
READ MORE
==================

Ira Sutliff and Wife, of Guava, Columbia County, were guests of M. Rood on Tuesday. - The Wilkes Barre Times Leader, January 18th 1900

[In the 1900 Census, Ira Sutliff can be found on the same page as Andrew Laubauch]

F.C.Masteller of Guava - from A Quiet Boomtown, Jamison City by Newton

Fenton Shifler, 1902

George Klinger 1910

"Three other denominations, the Church of Christ (Disciples), Methodist Episcopal and Methodist Protestant are also represented. Elders John Ellis, J. J. Harvey and John Sutton introduced the doctrines of the sect first mentioned in the autumn of 1836, when they held a protracted meeting in Hess' school-house. It resulted in a number of conversions; four persons, John Kile, Richard Kile, Rebecca Cole and Sarah Steadman were baptized near Guava on the 8th day of December, 1836. These were the first accessions to this faith in Columbia county." - History Of Columbia County, by Battle

"It is interesting to note that the first accessions to the Disciples, or Church of Christ, in Columbia county were made in this township in 1836, when Elders John Ellis, J. J. Harvey and John Sutton held a protracted meeting in the Hess schoolhouse. A church was established at Guava and for a time was prosperous, but is now out of existence." History Of Columbia County, by Battle

 ANDREW LAUBACH, Guava, was born January 10, 1826, in Mount Pleasant Township, this county, son of Frederick and Mary (Lurish) Laubach. He was twice married, first time February 22, 1848, to Nancy Britton, of New Columbus, Luzerne Co., Penn., by whom he had the following named children; John Britton, born January 8, 1849, a dentist in Benton, this county; Mary E., born July 24, 1850, wife of G. L. Hess; Almira, born October 2, 1851, wife of Westbrook Howell, in Michigan; Clarence, born July 6, 1853 married to Martha Cole, who was born May 3, 1863 (they have the following children: Horton, William H., Glenn, Freeze and Emma); and Nancy, born March 10, 1856. Mrs. Laubach dying March 22, 1856, our subject marrying for his second wife , February 17, 1857, Emeline, daughter of William Stephens, and to this union five children were born: Benson, born April 27, 1858, in Lairdsville, Lycoming County, Penn.; Edwin F., born December 4, 1859, married to Mary E., daughter of William Belles, of New Columbus, Penn. (they have one child, Nora B.); Nora Catherine, born September 9, 1862; Sarah Eugenie, born May 12, 1865, died March 1, 1868, and William B., born April 15, 1870. E. F. Laubach after his marriage lived two years in New Columbus, Penn., and was in the hotel business during 1884 and 1885, coming to Guava April 1, 1886, where he has since remained. In politics Mr. Laubach is a Democrat. (History of Columbia and Montour Counties Pennsylvania, Battle, 1887, pg. 541

Post Offices in Columbia County Pa, 1895

From Smull's Legislative Hand Book and Manual of the State of Pennsylvania

1895

Sugarloaf Twp, 1876 Columbia County Atlas