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Watsontown History by Major Fred H. Knight, 1915 |
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Written by Administrator
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Tuesday, 26 April 2005 |
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Page 2 of 17
Having established a place of worship, a place for social intercourse (the tippling house), the next in order was a means of transportation and a means of communication. Transportation was opened by Daniel Caldwell, who established a Ferry across the Susquehanna River in 1800 which has been continuously operated from that time to the present, a period of one hundred and fifteen years, and is now being operated by David L. Bly. A means of communication quickly followed when, in 1822, a mail route was established and the mail carried once a week over the Ferry and thence on horse back, by Samuel McKee, to Sugar Valley and other western points.
In 1828, the West Branch Canal, which passed through Watsontown, was finished as far North as Muncy Dam and by the early part of 1830 the transportation of grain, lumber and heavy freight, which formerly had been floated down the river in boats or arks, was transferred to the canal, which was then the most modern and expeditious means of transportation.
This made Watsontown and important point along the main highway of travel and to meet the dignity and requirements of its importance it was given a post office the same year.
The community, however, made no marked progress until 1854 when the Sunbury & Erie Railroad was approaching completion. The vital question for Watsontown the arose as to the location of the depot or station. The Officers of the Railroad Company favored locating it at a point below the mouth of Warrior Run, known as Port May, in the vicinity of the Old Lock, and it would doubtless have been placed there had it not been for the enterprise and generosity of John L. Watson and E. L. Piper, the son and the son-in-law of David Watson, who promptly made a free gift to the Railroad Company of land for a depot, also a never failing spring near and much higher than the Railroad tracks for a water station, and over $600.00 in cash. These inducements decided the question in favor of the donors and the depot was located near the site of the present Railroad Station on the lands of David Watson.
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Watsontown History 
