The Watsontown Bridge 1925-1928

As early as 1911, a bridge between Watsontown and White Deer was being discussed. But the war made costs especially high, and the project was tabled for many years.  In 1925, new plans were being discussed, and the Shamokin Coal area was not pleased that "just 400 residents"  might get a new bridge "connecting two insignificant hamlets", while there were long stretches  south of sunbury with no bridge access.  At this time, the coal region produced the bulk of the counties tax revenue, and at one point they even considered breaking off and joining Union county  over this bridge issue.   The Mount Caramel  Item and Shamokin New Dispatch were both extremely critical of the bridge project - but they were not alone.  The bridge project had to actually be taken to the state supreme court, twice, before it was built. 

Northumberland county was to assume 85% of the cost of the bridge, with Union County paying the additional 15%. Estimated cost was $400.000 and 15% of that cost was repeatedly reported as enough to bankrupt union county.In April of 1925 the headline read "Bridge Issue Is Pushed By Union County".  People of Union County had employed counsel from Williamsport, to get the bridge built.  Less than a year later, in March of 1926, the headline read "Union County Will Take Up Fight Against River Bridge".  The second article elaborates "The stand of Union county against the bridge involves the alleged heavy expense of building an approach to the White Deer end of the proposed bridge.  Not only would Union county have to make an extensive fill, but a new creek bridge a the approach of the river bridge will also be required.  Union county officials say this work will cost nearly $100,000 in addition to their share of the regular bridge costs, and that the county is unable to finance the work."  In later articles, from the bridges completion in July of 1928 all the way into 1930, the swampy incomplete road on the white deer side of the bridge continues to be an issue.

The same article in March of 1926 explains why this bridge is wanted - not only would it cut 21 miles off ,trips "to the west", but it would provide Watsontown connection to the Reading Railroad.  "Watsontown residents have been jubilant over their victory in the courts to secure the bridge.  It would be of untold benefit to them, providing connection with the Reading railroad on the west side of the river, it was pointed out yesterday, and would tap a large farming district.  School children must cross the river from the west shore to Watsontown, it is pointed out.

Watsontown is one of the most important industrial towns of its size in this section, ikt is pointed out, and is the largest carload lot shipper along the Reading line between Williamsport and Philadelphia.  Thirty five million bricks were produced in Watsontown last year, and in addition wood working plants in the town were large shippers."

While the bridge was being built, one worker plummeted from the structure, avoiding death but severely injured.  A deer carcass was recovered during construction, and charges were being filed.  (We regularly have deer carcasses dumped on our farm, if it is illegal, it's no longer a law that is enforced.  I'm unclear on the issue here - was the deer out of season, or was the issue the dumping of the carcass?)  In early 1928, builder George Rockwell took a trip to Florida, and he did not return until the county settled a debt of nearly $300,000 for the bridges construction.  At the completion of the bridge in July of 1928,  Rockwell was heralded for his quick and well done build.  But just a few days after the bridge was dedicated, Rockwell closed the structure, as it had not been inspected by both counties.  Even after it was inspected, there was no completed road on the white deer side, and there were reports of merchants crossing the bridge only to have to turn back around because of the mud and water on the white deer side.  Additionally, the Reading Railroad had not completed a bridge so that it could cross the creek - that did not occur until 1930.

Controversy continued for years after the bridges completion, with the Shamokin and Mt Caramel newspapers criticizing the structure in nearly every other issue.  If there was ever discussion of a tax increase, or a poor road condition, the article was sure to blame the Watsontown Bridge.   In 1930 the state took control of the county bridges.

Below are many news articles regarding the creation of the bridge.  This is not nearly all of them, even though there are many here.  This issue was a very large one in local news for several years.

Mount Carmel Item 

(Mount Carmel, Pennsylvania)

04 Apr 1922, Tue  • Page 5

Mount Carmel Item 

(Mount Carmel, Pennsylvania)

27 Jan 1925, Tue  • Page 3

The Daily News 

(Mount Carmel, Pennsylvania)

13 Mar 1925, Fri  • Page 1

Mount Carmel Item 

(Mount Carmel, Pennsylvania)

17 Apr 1925, Fri  • Page 2

Shamokin News-Dispatch 

(Shamokin, Pennsylvania)

02 Jan 1926, Sat  • Page 1

The Daily News 

(Mount Carmel, Pennsylvania)

11 Jan 1926, Mon  • Page 4

The Daily News 

(Mount Carmel, Pennsylvania)

10 Feb 1925, Tue  • Page 3

Mount Carmel Item 

(Mount Carmel, Pennsylvania)

17 Feb 1926, Wed  • Page 5

Shamokin News-Dispatch 

(Shamokin, Pennsylvania)

02 Mar 1926, Tue  • Page 5

Mount Carmel Item 

(Mount Carmel, Pennsylvania)

28 Apr 1926, Wed  • Page 3

The Daily News 

(Mount Carmel, Pennsylvania)

19 Aug 1926, Thu  • Page 7

Mount Carmel Item 

(Mount Carmel, Pennsylvania)

24 Dec 1926, Fri  • Page 5

The Daily News 

(Mount Carmel, Pennsylvania)

16 Mar 1927, Wed  • Page 1

The Daily News 

(Mount Carmel, Pennsylvania)

25 Feb 1927, Fri  • Page 1

Shamokin News-Dispatch 

(Shamokin, Pennsylvania)

28 Feb 1927, Mon  • Page 2

The Daily News 

(Mount Carmel, Pennsylvania)

16 May 1927, Mon  • Page 8

The Daily News 

(Mount Carmel, Pennsylvania)

06 Aug 1927, Sat  • Page 6

Shamokin News-Dispatch 

(Shamokin, Pennsylvania)

09 Sep 1927, Fri  • Page 1

The Evening News 

(Harrisburg, Pennsylvania)

13 Oct 1927, Thu  • Page 17

The Daily News 

(Mount Carmel, Pennsylvania)

01 Dec 1927, Thu  • Page 8

Shamokin News-Dispatch 

(Shamokin, Pennsylvania)

06 Jan 1928, Fri  • Page 3

Shamokin News-Dispatch 

(Shamokin, Pennsylvania)

01 Feb 1928, Wed  • Page 7

Shamokin News-Dispatch 

(Shamokin, Pennsylvania)

29 Feb 1928, Wed  • Page 3

Shamokin News-Dispatch 

(Shamokin, Pennsylvania)

11 Apr 1928, Wed  • Page 4

Shamokin News-Dispatch 

(Shamokin, Pennsylvania)

08 May 1928, Tue  • Page 8

Shamokin News-Dispatch 

(Shamokin, Pennsylvania)

09 Jun 1928, Sat  • Page 1

Williamsport Sun-Gazette 

(Williamsport, Pennsylvania)

03 Jul 1928, Tue  • Page 4

The Wilkes-Barre Record 

(Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania)

05 Jul 1928, Thu  • Page 24

Harrisburg Telegraph 

(Harrisburg, Pennsylvania)

05 Jul 1928, Thu  • Page 3

Shamokin News-Dispatch 

(Shamokin, Pennsylvania)

13 Jul 1928, Fri  • Page 1

Shamokin News-Dispatch 

(Shamokin, Pennsylvania)

14 Jul 1928, Sat  • Page 5

Mount Carmel Item 

(Mount Carmel, Pennsylvania)

14 Jul 1928, Sat  • Page 1

Shamokin News-Dispatch 

(Shamokin, Pennsylvania)

17 Jul 1928, Tue  • Page 1

Shamokin News-Dispatch 

(Shamokin, Pennsylvania)

07 Aug 1928, Tue  • Page 1

Mount Carmel Item 

(Mount Carmel, Pennsylvania)

28 Dec 1928, Fri  • Page 8

Shamokin News-Dispatch 

(Shamokin, Pennsylvania)

16 Mar 1929, Sat  • Page 2

Shamokin News-Dispatch 

(Shamokin, Pennsylvania)

18 Mar 1929, Mon  • Page 1

Shamokin News-Dispatch 

(Shamokin, Pennsylvania)

13 Jan 1930, Mon  • Page 9

Shamokin News-Dispatch 

(Shamokin, Pennsylvania)

04 Mar 1930, Tue  • Page 3

Shamokin News-Dispatch 

(Shamokin, Pennsylvania)

02 Aug 1930, Sat  • Page 2

Shamokin News-Dispatch 

(Shamokin, Pennsylvania)

19 Sep 1930, Fri  • Page 2

Large Parade Celebrates the completion of the Road between Turbotville & Danville Pa

240 cars, and 2,500 people came out to celebrate the opening of the new road between Danville and Turbotville.  The Danville Band, Boy Scout Drums, and Bugle and Levites School of Music took part, on the beds of trucks, in the parade.

The parade formed in Turbotville, with cars joining in at Washingtonville, and a contingent from Elysburg and Mt Carmel joined in.

The Rev Mr Clark welcomed the crowd to Turbotville, declaring the day inwich dreams came true.  He predicted the road would bring neighbors closer. 

It took 5 years to complete the 2.6 mile stretch, which included 4 bridges - one 38 foot span across the Chillisquaque creek, and three 12 foot bridges.

In 1930 6 miles from Washingtonville towards Turbotville was built for $200,000.
In 1928 a two mile section from Turbotville to the Susquehanna Trail was built, at a cost of $100,000. In 1927 two miles from Washingtonville to Danville was built at a cost of $84,000.

The Morning News

Danville, Pennsylvania

Thu, Jul 27, 1933 – Page 1

Mount Carmel Item 

(Mount Carmel, Pennsylvania)

27 Jul 1933, Thu • Page 1

The new road was heralded as  a "shortcut from Williamsport to Philadelphia"

The Morning News 

(Danville, Pennsylvania)

13 Jul 1933, Thu • Page 1

The Morning News 

(Danville, Pennsylvania)

18 Jul 1933, Tue • Page 1

Chillisquaque Presbyterian Church, Burnt By Indians

In 1778 the Revolutionary War was well under way.  Native Americans in north and central Pennsylvania allied with the Loyalists, and were devastating small communities along the susquehanna river.  Most of the settlers fled their homes and relocated to Fort Augusta, while the Indians burn their  houses and farms to the ground.  

I do not know the exact date that the Chillisquaque Presbyterian church was burnt, but we do know it was the same year of the battle at nearby Fort Freeland, and it appears to have been the result of the same conflict.

"By 1779 Northumberland County was on the edge of the American frontier and Native Americans who sided with the British during the war had brought the conflict to local settlers. George Washington had ordered Major General John Sullivan to invade the Iroquoian homeland in order to relieve the pressure on the frontier, but before he could complete his campaign, attacks were made in New York and Pennsylvania in hopes that Sullivan would divide his force and make his army a less formidable foe to the Iroquois." http://freelandfarm.org/battle-of-fort-freeland/

The paragraphs below are from a sermon by H.G Finney, originally preached in 1876, and so far they hold the most information I could find on the church being burnt to the ground.

"Imagination cannot conceive the perils with which the early settlers of this country were surrounded. Never could they have a consciousness of security safe throw trust in the Lord of hosts. The vast forest which surrounded them on all sides with a working place of the savage treacherous treacherous merciless Indian. Any hour of the night or when the day in overpowering numbers they might be upon them. When leaving home they could hardly ever be sure it would not be to find upon returning their wives and children put to the scalping knife or which was perhaps even worse scary captive by the savages and their homes and ashes. When they enjoyed the sharing precious privilege of meeting in their little church for worship or when they went out into their little stuffy field to read their small crop they must take their rifles along for defense against the scalp king Evil Joe.  Time came when the ever present danger seem so greatly to increase that they had to leave their homes and fleet of one of the small for which the government head cause to be constructed along the river. Probably it would be to Ford Augusta at Sunbury that seems to have been the strongest one among in them.

One of the fathers of mine yesterday tells me that his own maternal grandparents mr. And mrs. Session while sleeping with their bad for safety to one of their forwards were overtaken by some Indians. The child was killed his wife was left as it was supposed dead. And Mr Dawson was taken captive. Some friends found her lying there still alive. They took her to Fort Augusta. She recovered her husband some years after work either escaped or was exchanged infirmity years after where they lived as members of this church. Another father among us tells me that grandfather and grandmother Curry were riding along a path through the woods on the other side of Montour Ridge when attacked by some savages. First two sources shot and he has murdered and scalped. Soon after her horse made with similar fate and she is caught and lead away over the mountain several miles distant. But the following night she escapes and reaches her little home the next morning where her little children, the eldest seven, had stayed alone. He knows nothing of such experience.

One day of one of the years of the war the sad news started through the congregation that their church was in ashes. A company of cowardly Indians and set it on fire. The people that work hard in their property to get it. It was yet new. It was a precious place the house of God to more than a few of the people. Tears were shed as I told and heard a sad story. That's where they called the passed through many changes and trials. For years they were without any building. During those years of war sacrifice and suffering it is likely they had but little preaching. Whenever a minister did make the perilous journey through the woods to give them a day is preaching they would meet and worship there among the trees."  http://www.charlottes-web.com/Chillis_History.pdf

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Shamokin News-Dispatch 

(Shamokin, Pennsylvania)

11 Sep 1937, Sat • Page 5

Shamokin News-Dispatch 

(Shamokin, Pennsylvania)

22 Aug 1930, Fri • Page 1