Plains Memorial High School - Plainsman Yearbook (Plains, PA)

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. .1 'i-s FE ' R. r 'f - f-G si-'N' -----.-- V-Y f--, -f-- - ,UN1 :-- -E+-3.1.74-+, N xf- Sf'-1:2 -... - . .. . ... - .. .. N.. -- .......-P war fm f JE, ? :Q .413 1- 5, W - , -Rss, . is 'fr'-. - . -1: iv .1 Ts' ii, fs-'Par . . S X -:il -3- 1 -B Xrfkfxfgggqgx XX Q ...-1 . ws. :ms 1 g Q. f, -.NS '. Ni X39 x Q'-.Ri f :Fy- I 7 f f S . . gf, , . 1 . .. gs '- ,C X - - . .Q Q. f' i K H -1- ,, ,-- mg ga:-. :rr T-4:11. X X-N. 'vs na -as sf. .- - c. .4: V- --F-My .1.,- -Ax .:.T.::-L .iT - L' : 1 - .: '-ff'- '-- -- 1:... ,f -A . - L.-.1'H-s .-2 NNSQN . , .Niki Nei 1'N?35MRs ,X N3 S'T--- i fs -T'l'2A Y 'L . '- fs:-' ' --'rf-:W : :. -'R Y wqarx- - 1' rc-' Y- !'?Lv - egg . Ns Nite NVQ 1'-i'2'u?2c:-V:---If 1 -'bel :ff - --' -- - - '- 6 the fields, killed twenty or thirty of them, took several prisoners and drove off the live stock. Cne account tells of a settler tomahawked on the North Main Street hill. The survivors, who were not captured, fled to the mounf tains, while the savages burned their homes. The fugitives in scanty cloth' ing had no alternative but to strike out into the wilderness for a 250 mile journey back to their original homes. For several succeeding years the history of Plains is a blank. RIVAL CLAIMANTS ENGAGE IN WARFARE. In January, 1769, Amos Ogden, John 'Jennings and Chas. Stewart leased from the Penn Proprietaries one hundred acres and took possession of the land already improved by the Connecticut settlers. A block house, named Fort Cgden,1was built north of Mill Creek. The Connecticut people came back in the spring of 1769 and from then on there was a series of victories and defeats for the rival claimants to the land covering a period of several years until finally adjusted. These were known in history as the Pennamite Wars. Thus in point of settlement Plains is the senior township in the valley and her soil was the first to be moistened by the tears of affection and sorf row, and drank the blood, and entombed the bodies of the first victims of savage hate in the bloody annals of Wyoming Valley. VICTORY AND PLENTY. Notwithstanding the reverses which the pioneers had suffered, the year 1773 found them in possession of Plains and Mill Creek. Yet in the spring their provisions were so nearly exhausted that Eve persons were se' lected to go to the Delaware river, near Stroudsburg, for supplies, that being the nearest point at which meal and flour could be obtained. john Carey, then a lad of sixteen, volunteered as one of the party. On this journey fifty miles of mountainous forest, intersected by deep ravines and numerous streams, including the rapid and icefburdened Lehigh, had to be reaversed. The distitution relieved by this arduous expedition gave way to plenty when . the shadffishing season arrived, and a permanent supply of breadstuffs was insured by the construction of a gristmill by Nathan Chapman in the spring of 17 73. He was granted the site of the Hollenback stone mill and forty acres around it. The irons for the mill were brought by Mr. Hollenback, in his boat, from Wright's ferry, and on the way up the river Lazaraus Young was drowned. . ' THE FIRST SAWMILL AND FERRY. Very soon after this, by a vote of the people, all the privileges of the stream called Mill Creek, below Mr. Chapman's mill, was granted to Stephen Fuller, Cbadiah Gore, jr., and Seth Marvin, to be their own prop' PAGE SEVENTY-FIVE g

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-l-'vf as -T, -A !- . Y , ar Y istory of ains owns ip ...-.-11 The original township of Plains was formed out of WilkesfBarre and Pittston Townships respectively on November 10, 1851. At that time it contained 15 square miles. It was ohvned and occupied by the Wanamie tribe of Delaware Indians whose kindly chief was known as Jacob. He resided on a level tract of land just outside the present site of Parsons bor' ough and the name given to that locality was Iacob's Plains . At the time of the formation of the township the latter part of this name was taken and the chief 's name omitted. ' According to the accounts of prominent historians of Wyoming Val' ley, Plains has much to be proud of in connection with the early white settlement and colonization of this historic spot. SETTLERS ATTRACTED To THE VALLEY Following a report of the fertility and remarkable beauty of this valley, 119 settlers, largely from Connecticut, journeyed here late in the summer of the year 1762. They had received grants of lands from the Susquef hanna Company. This grant was destined later to become the subject of a long dispute between Connecticut and Pennsylvania settlers for the own' ership of the land. A site was immediately chosen. They settled on a tract of land just above the mouth of Beaver Brook, later known as Mill Creek, and built a number of log cabins there, probably about on the spot now occupied by the United Manufacturing Furniture Company. After clearing some of the virgin forest the settlers sowed wheat and decided to return to Connecticut for the winter. At this time the Delaware Indians, under their chief Teddyuscung, were quite friendly to the whites. Early in the next spring the Connecticut settlers returned to their new settlement accompanied by their wives and children and bringing their farm' ing implements and live stock. They immediately set to work to clear more land for corn and wheat, and Soon had a flourishing settlement. DRIVEN BACK FROM WHENCE THEY CAME. Unfortunately for the life of the colony, in the summer of 1763 several Indian dwellings, including that of Teddyuscung, were fired, the chief per' ishing in the flames. According to several historians this was the work of a band of Iroquois headed. by Capt. Bull, a son of Teddyuscung. The crime was charged to the settlers. I . On October 15, 1763, Indians fell upon the unsuspecting pioneers in ,J-f' F liiiif lrliif' 1. . I f Q. ' N-T-' 'Q' . f if A . . A si -, 4' .ff NN gi lt, Jvef fy Q gf, Km. ex - sffgss. KL X .X p . r sligfiq o r K , p ig Q. li j . 53.4 ,sf ' . . as me a . s f. .. .l . ' f be A aw , I -. J w- r A X. - . 'pg Q ., ,,., X ra m . ,, , J v 5 ,S .,.., Q -' Ig. , X sb s 4131. 5 I I - A . - fha 53 . Dfw 'lr sl' . 5. -'5 fv A . -fi'W?'?v'?4-1 . .-hh .. . ll 'L' W' ' ' . X IWW? 5 . . as . Al uh , Q ,A Q, W A x. j, x , .rr i A ,mlw 4 mi, ha, . U- H PAGE SEVENTY-FOUR 'gc' -2- 'gU zz. 'tgi-

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gg- -.: :- -:Ai A-S-1 Qi? -F-, 15 erty, with liberty of building mills and flowing a pond, but so as not to ob' struct or hinder Chapman's mills-provided they have a sawmill ready to go by the' first day of November, 1773, which gift shall be to them, their heirs and assigns forever. This was the first sawmill built on the upper waters of the Susquehanna. As soon as the mills were built and in opera' tion, a ferry was established at the mouth of Mill Creek to Forty Fort. The old Indian fortifications, as they are called, were on the river flats, on what is now known as the Hancock property, and on a direct line from Swoyer Hill to the Susequehanna river, just northwest from the borough's colliery. The farm was that of a four bastion battery, well calculated for defense if properly located. EARLY BURYING GROUNDS. There are three places in the township that were once known as bury' ing grounds. The Gore burying ground was on the flats, between the old plank .road and the canal, northeast of the Henry Colliery. Another was near the Methodist Episcopal Church, in the northern part of the township, and the third in Wilcox's field, near Plains village. These grounds have long since been abandoned, and no stone marks the resting place of the dead. THE LooM AND THE CoAL CIRATE. The Pioneer Weaver of the Plains was james Campbell, a Scotch' Irishman. He was an expert in the art of weaving, and was noted for the fancy work that he turned out from his loom. In 1815 George Gore work' ed at blacksmithing on the flats, near the Gore burying ground. Many interesting facts might be mentioned in regard to the later settlers of Plains, especially with respect to coal, which lack of space def nies. Cne incident in connection with this, is the statement that in 1808 Henry Stark, of this township, having seen coal burned successfully for the first time in a grate by Jesse Fell, returned home and became the pioneer in coal burning in Plains. Later history records the names of Col. G. M. Hollenback, Crandall Wilcox and others in this same industry. , BANK OCCUPIES ORIGINAL TAVERN SITE. The first tavern of which we have an account was kept by John Cortf right in 1815, on the site now occupied by the Brick store, and the Plains State Bank. ' s PLAINS TOWNSHIP OF ToDAY. The present area of Plains Township is approximately 38 square miles, nine and onefhalf times that of WilkesfBarre and is the largest town' ship in size in the state. The population, which is rapidly increasing, is about l'7,000. . I. ALEC MCCAA. - .. as .. sii' f I ii:.ij'3t.it Q i 5 I 8.39 . f' w I Q' ff. ' ,E,f I M3 Q , X .9 gifs ii .cgigsg AX -?.- 1, ,K 4 N .. .mr -' f X if 4, .X jf ' Q s 3, . , i K X , fy: I Sq gi , kiwi A . If-f I -1 Q I. 5mi-gasp-Qi' , up I.. R5,,l..gN 1 g,...g..Y h up., j-3 Q A , i, . sQ.Ig5fE.f.v. 'X ' I fr ,fyli 5. - W I I 'fhiixiiffif , . .-len.. ...... .. Irma? -A ,-,,Yf..t Hiliiuiill PAGE SEVENTY-SIX '?F 'y' R -ff S' 'air-1 if- -fi' Ji FijQ.si..f:E-f iii...-als