COLUMBIA AND MONTOUR COUNTIES brother, an officer in the British army. Cooper had been somewhat antagonistic to the suit of L yo n, so that the latter s sudden disappear ance caused his arrest. W hile on his w ay to the jail at Sunbury a rifle belonging to one of the pos.sc was dropped into the river, and in the altercation Cooper, who was accused of throw ing it overboard, w as struck by the ow n er with a tomahawk. H e lived fo r twenty d ay s, and then expired in prison. I^ tc r on L yo n returned and the dead man’s innocence w as established. A fte r the peace o f 1783 immigration once m ore turned toward this section, but Blooms burg, owing to its supposed swampy location, w as not the gainer. Thomas Clayton had meanwhile remo%'ed to Catawlss.a, while Evan O wen had gone to found Berwick. In 1783 E lish a Etarton came to this spot. He built the “ R e d " mill on Hemlock creek, owned a large farm th eri and became justice of the peace, the first one in this section of the county. U pon Owen’s departure his land came into the possession of Joseph B. I-ong, of New Jersey, who later sold it to Ludw ig Eyer, the founder o f Bloomsburg. In 1801 Joseph Hcndcrshott and .Andrew Schooley arrived, as also did Jac o b Wanich. Ludw ig E yer at this time decided to give impetus to the settlement of the locality and in 18 0 2 laid out the town o f Bloomsburg. A t the time the town was laid out there were three buildings on the site, the Episcopal church. Jo h n Chamberlain’s tavern and a descried log hou.se. But these were soon increased by the building operations of the incoming settlers. Soon after the founding of the town George Vance, a Scotch-Irish Presbyterian from New Je rse y, built a cabin on the south side o f Main street, at the junction of East. Abraham Grotz came from Easton in 1806 and built the first fram e house in the new town, at what is now the com er o f Second and Iron streets. Christopher Kahler and John Coleman .also cam e from New Jersey in that year, the latter occupying the first mentioned deserted log house until he could build on what is now the com er o f Center and Third streets. He planted there the first orchard in the town. In 1809 Philip Mehrling, a native Hessian, opened tlw first store, near where the "Central H otel" now stands. Daniel Snyder came in 18 10 and bought land next lo the town plat from Jo h n Vance. .At this time Ihe town bore the name o f Oycrtown or Eyerslaedtft.
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BLOOMSBURG IN l S l 2
From reminiscences o f an old resident of the town a mental picture of the appearance o f B]oom.shufg in 10 12 can he made. A t that time a log house stood on First .street at the skc of the ’fustin home; the frame home of Daniel F ry stood at the com er o f First and W est; at the forks on the east end o f Second street was a one-story log house, owned and ocaipicd by Daniel Snyder, who later opened a hotel there; .Abraham Cirotz. the hatter, was at the southwest com er o f Second and Iron streets; Christopher K ahlcr's home w'as on a lot ca.st o f (he "Central H o te l"; John Cham berlain, the hotelkeeoer, lived in a frame house on the site of M oyer's drug store; oppo site Kahler’s house was the home o f John Hagenbueh, and on the northwest com er was the one-story fram e store o f Philip Mehrling, who w as later succeeded by William M cKclvy, C yrus Barton and E . II. B ig gs; a twostory frame hotel occupied the site of the present “ Exchange HotcV’; a onc-story frame was at the com er o f Jefferson alley and Second street, occupied by Mrs. M ooney; a log house on the com er o f Center and Second, owned by .Mr. F ish e r; the two-story frame hotel o f John Chamberlain on the northwest com er o f Second and C enter; and on the opposite com er the Episcopal church, where the Townsend building now stands. On the north side o f Second street there was no house nearer than the log home o f John Hess, at the site of the residence o f J . C. Rutter, J r . T he original town laid out by K yer w as from Iron to West streets. A ll of the section on East street, be low Third, was called "H opkinsville,” after Rev. Caleb Hopkins, the Episcopal minister who laid out an addition to the town at that point. .At that date a subscription school, (aught by a M r. Ferguson, stood at the northcast com er of Second and Iron streets. OU) TAVERNS AND T IIE IR SUCCESSORS
A t the time John Chamberlain kept his tav ern each guest was expected to spend at least sixpence at the bar for (he privilege o f slce]>ing on the bare floor of the public room that night. His establishment was a pretentious frame structure on the corner o f Second and Center. Casper Chrisman w as the host o f a smaller tavern on (he .site of the present "Exchange Hotel." T his house was burned Feb. 24, 1870, when H enry?. Clark w as the proprietor. T lie second building on the site was erected soon
