Page 12 by Kurt Weidner Two miles south of Wyalus- ing, on the north side of the Sus- quehanna River, is a monument which was erected in 1871 by members of the Moravian Hist- orical Society. Less than an hour by car from the Back Mountain, the monument marks the site of Friedenshutt- en, a settlement of Moravian Indians between 1763 and 1772. An obelisk, like the Washington Monument, it is but a few feet high and stands overgrown with weeds in a corn field just off a narrow dirt road. Around 1756 a group of Dela- ware and Mohican Indians, having been pushed from the Delaware River Valley to the south by the encroaching white civilization, sought peace and refuge on the land above the north branch of the Susque- hanna River. They sought per- mission from the Iroquois Con- federacy who controlled the land and who later sold it to the Penn family. John Papunhank, a Munsy chief, was in charge. He knew a relationship of some sort must be established with the white man if the Indians were to be able to live in peace. He was also “having trouble keeping control of the group and needed a catalyst. He looked to Christ- ianity. Papunhank invited David Zeisberger and John Jacob Sch- mick, two Moravian missionar- ies from Bethlehem, to come and live at the settlement. Pap- unhank and the missionaries did well together. The Morav- ians respected the human rights of the Indians who in turn ac- cepted the white man’s style of settlement life. They cleared the land and planted crops. They hunted and fished. They also squabbled among them- selves. Job Chillaway, an Indian, came to the settlement shortly after the initial settlement was established in 1756. He claimed he had been there before and owned the land, and sought con- trol of the settlement. Behind everyone’s back he wheeled and dealed with the Penn family. A letter to the Penn family from John Papun- ‘hank and Joshua the Mohican dated 1769 hints of a conspiracy perpetrated by Chillaway. “We wish to live in a friendly manner with Job Chillaway and all men. Everybody here has been kind to him and his family. But we never desired him to take up any land for us; and upon what reason he could call Wyalusing his land, we do not know. Our worthy brother John Papunhank was settled here two years before him and Job has but this year begun to clear some new land and has the least improvement of us-all, but we shall not differ with him so long as he behaves well and lays nothing in our way and then we shall not make complaints against him.” The kind of peace and stab- ility John Papunhank and Zeis- berger envisioned for the settle- ment never came true. Chill away kept things stirred up in the. settlement to a degree where the Indians were not able to establish a firm cultural de- fence against the depradations of the white frontiersmen. In the same letter Papunhank makes mention of the friction between the people of New Eng- land and the Indians and white frontiersmen. ‘With the New England people,” he states, A Harrisburg man, John P. Shipkoski, has been named area manager of 18 northeastern Pennsylvania counties for the Pennsylvania Division of the American Cancer Society, Thomas MaHaffey, executive vice president, has announced. A native of Nanticoke, Mr. Shipkoski joined the society’s professional staff in 1970 as executive director of the Luzerne Unit. In 1972 he was named director of service and rehabilitation for the state office of the society in Harris- burg. In his new position, Mr. Ship- koski will manage ACS operation in counties with a ‘combined population of over 1.3 million. Last year the society raised over $400,000 in these units, which include Bradford, Sullivan, Carbon, Columbia, Lackawanna. Luzerne, Ly- coming, Monroe, Montour, Nor- thumberland, Pike, Schuylkill, Snyder, Susquehanna, Tioga, Union, Wyoming and Wayne Counties. Before joining the ACS, Mr. “we have no connection at all, we never encourage them in their settlement and shall never do it.” Towards the end of Papun- hank’s and | Zeisberger’s in- volvement with the settlement, at least three ‘‘Pennymite’”’ wars broke out between immi- grants from Connecticut and Pennsylvania frontiersmen. Connecticut sought to project her boundaries west to take over the territory claimed by Pennsylvania. They disclaimed jurisdiction by) Pennsylvania and sought to come under Conn- ecticut law. This was too much for the Pennsylvanians and open con- flict took place between armed forces of both sides on three different occasions between 1770 and 1784." Zeisberger, Schmick, Papun- hank, Joshua the Mohican and a small group of followers aband- § oned the settlement to Chill- away in 1772. They moved to Ohio and established a settle- ment at Goshen near New Phil- § adelphia. It was built on the same design as Fredenshutten. The new village was attacked and its inhabitants massacred by white men in 1782. Chillaway was left as undis- puted owner of the land. Hist- orians later traced ownership of the land from Chillaway to the Pawling family, to the Stalfords and finally to Harry O. Schulze and Robert W. Biggins, who own the area today. In June of 1972 Leslie L. Delaney Jr., of Kings’ College, kicked off an archaeological dig at the Friedenshutten site. With a slight pause for Hurricane Agnes, which flooded the Kings’ archeology lab, the dig went for seven weeks and ended in late August. Kings’ College students and high school and junior high school volunteers found fire pits and a host of artifacts including pieces of pottery, porcelain, nails, glass and other European items that were traded to the Indians. They found cuff links, gun flints, arrow heads, a Jew’s harp, clay pipes, lockets, and pestles. At the site the young archae- ologists also discovered some Owasco, pottery. The earliest date for the Owasco culture is about 1070 A.D., the latest about 1310 A.D. Paul Wallace, in “Indians in / Pennsylvania’ (1969) described the menu of a typical Delaware Indian. The basics included maize corn, beans and squash. Fish and fowl played a big part as did the meat from European livestock ~ introduced by the missionaries. They ate fried lo- custs, chestnuts, hickory nuts, hazel nuts, berries and wild grapes. Potatoes and wild peas were available. Syrup was made from soft maple, box el- der and hickory sap, and was often used to season meat. A corn field now covers the site of the digs and grows around the monument down to the river. Except for a histori- cal marker on Route 6 south of Wyalusing the casual passer-by Photo by Kurt Weidner would have no idea the monu- ment existed. Many local resi- dents have never seen it and cannot give directions to it. The Friedenshutten monu- ment commemorates the Ind- ian’s unsuccessful attempt to live in peace and stability. Carved on one side is this quota- tion: ‘And my people shall dwell in a peaceable habitation and in sure dwellings and in quiet rest- ing places.” Isaian XXXII, 18. 14807 Tr lo Seen on the Ti dr Photo by Kurt Weidner Friedenshutten marker, on south side of Route 6, two miles south of Wyalusing. “Remember the days of old. Consider the years of many and they will tell thee.” Inscription on Friedenshutten monument. For the Complete Wedding Service ® The Largest Selection of wedding invitations in the country. Quality .Dependability .Service .Fair Pricing .Ask about our specials on napkins Shipkoski was an assistant district executive with the Penn Mountains Council, Boys Scouts of America. He is a graduate of Nanticoke Area High School .Matches, cake bags, etc. and earned a BA degree from Kings College, Wilkes-Barre, in ; 68 S. Main St., Wilkes-Barre, Pa. 1968. ; Phone 824-6777 Mr. Shipkoski is married and the father of one daughter. ROD 0000NG0000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000 0 The Della Robbia Craft Shop o New Doll Kits o Beaded Fruit ® Christmas Ornament Kits eo Large Shipment of Art-Foam Free Parking in Lot Phone (717) 288-0873 Kingston Corners Building (Market St. side) PO00000000000000UdoosoooyyooyooDoobooogsosoypoooyooogBooooogogoogogoooooooT UNCLAIMED FREIGHT AND CLOSEOUTS HIST TERMS: (144) CASES ELECTRIC HAND MIXERS G11) CASES XMAS TREE BALLS a & 0 . (200) CASES ASSORTED PERFUMES (300) LADIES’ 17 JEWEL WATCHES ad S$ 5°? CASES ASSORTED FISHING LURES and HOOKS (400) CASES GLASS & METAL ASH TRAYS (200) LARGE SMOKER WAGONS GRILLS w/Built in Rotiessere Re 1 7° : (162) CASES ASSORTED WALL PLAQUES (162) SESSIONS WALL CLOCKS That Look Like Old Time Wall Telephones $39.95 Value (432) CASES LITTLE BOYS’ COMPLETE FOOTBALL UNIFORMS (102) CASES BRANDY SNIFTERS (164) CASES INDOOR TV ANTENNAS (150) CASES "ASSORTED CLOCKS Made In Germany (30) CASES METAL PICTURE FRAMES (464) CASES WASTE PAPER BASKETS may be inspected daily at . . “ Route 309 TRUCKSVILLE 441 N. Main St. . PITTSTON Route 147 - MUNCY BANKRUPTCIES (500) CASES NESTEA & Per Pkg. : (212) CASES UNDER CABINET LIGHTS (317) COFFEE TABLES (1500) CASES ASSORTED (200) (190) CASES Dishes, Cups, Etc. (243) CASES CANDLE CENTER PIECES (600) CASES MUNCY STORE {in TT SE AA Mo = ZHH=s2m22ROOS3IOz2207T Te Slama Po de —d TL Ped Nn Cu =< 5 oA r™~ AT Cy
Significant historical Pennsylvania newspapers