14 The Dallas Post Dallas, PA Wednesday, March 10, 1993 ‘Huntsville (continued from page 1) that are more than a century old “within a square mile area around “the “Five Corners.” Their home, “Damsite,” overlooking the “Huntsville Dam, is the township's oldest. “Many of the original homes and stone walls were built in the distinctive Connecticut style, because the early settlers of the ‘region came here from there,” Mrs. ‘Hogoboom explained. “Huntsville was ideal for settlement, with ‘plenty of natural resources and springs available to supply water power for sawmills and gristmills.” Settlement of the area was delayed for over a century, until the end of the Yankee-Pennamite Wars resolved a dispute over who actually had aright to settle Penn- sylvania - the Connecticut set- tlers, granted the land in 1662 or William Penn, accidentally granted the same land 19 years later. “The Baldwin family came to the Back Mountain in 1795 and built the original wing of our home in 1796 in the style of the tradi- tional Connecticut half-house,” Mrs. Butler said. “A small kitchen Lal J SE SOO Sa CH Na Se Si Gi SE S'S DE SE ST AL A SP AMT A A A Sh A A A Huntsville historical trivia Whether documented facts, local tradition, or folklore, these interesting, if little-known facets of Huntsville's history give it a special regional flavor. * How the Back Mountain got its name: The wilderness area “in back of the Plymouth Mountain,” populated mainly by wolves, bears, wildcats, foxes, catamounts and rattlesnakes in the early days, was first documented in deeds in the mid-1700's. e It was mistakenly deeded to two separate owners: Because he wasn't familiar with local geography, King Charles Il of England mistakenly granted a large section of Pennsylvania to the Con- necticut Colony in 1662 and 19 years later to William Penn. The question was finally settled in 1799, after the end of the Yankee- Pennamite War. e Oldest house: The Jared Baldwin home, built in the style of a Connecticut farmhouse, was erected in 1796 - a year before the Nathan Dennison homestead was established in Wyoming Valley. * How Huntsville and Chase got their names: Huntsville was named for the Hunt family, who opened a store at the “Five Cor- ners” near the Baldwins around 1800. The post office at Chase, originally called Brown's Corners, was renamed to settle confusion about two post offices with similar names in other parts of the state. Attorney Chase, who settled the matter, named the post office after himself. e First road into the Back Mountain: Until about 1800, the only road into the Jackson Township section of the Back Mountain crossed over Plymouth Mountain. In 1821 a public road to Harvey's Lake was laid out, followed in 1823 by the road to Dallas. The mountain road's importance had decreased by 1864, when the Kingston to Dallas Turnpike along Toby's Creek (the present Route 309) was opened. In1889, trains of the Lehigh Valley Railroad began running through Dallas to the Noxen tannery, ice ponds and lumber-pro- ducing areas of Dutch Mountain, Stull and Ricketts Station. Oldest cemetery: Valley View or Huntsville Cemetery, the old- est in the Back Mountain, was established in 1798 on an acre of land along what is now Sutton Road, donated by Benajah and Catherine Fuller after their son, Philetus, was Killed by a falling tree. He was buried on the spot where he died and is the only person in the cemetery buried facing north to south. All other grave plots are lined up east to west. » Reservoirs: Construction of the Huntsville Reservoir Dam was completed in 1892, flooding at least eight farms, a cranberry bog and a large swamp. Ceasetownreservoir was completed in 1918 and enlarged in 1929. The first telephones: Barely two years after it was invented, the telephone arrived in Huntsville, courtesy of William Penn Ryman, whose telephone line ran from his law offices in Wilkes-Barre to his father’s store in Dallas, then to a cottage at Harvey's Lake. In 1904, two women, Ella Bulford and her cousin Myrtle Bulford, became the area’s first two female telephone operators. Until that time, men and boys had served in this capacity. In 1907, many small independent télephone lines were merged to form the Comnionwealth Telephone Company's first system. by Grace R. Dove and living area occupied the first floor, with sleeping quarters in the loft.” As successive owners enlarged the home, other wings, each with its own architectural style, have combined to make “Damsite” truly unique. For example the dining room, part of the original half- house, has eight doors leading to other rooms, added later. The home was sold in 1845 to Dr.JoelJackson Rogers, the area's first physician, who used part of the original first floor “half-house” wing with its low ceilings as a drugstore for his patients. The Victorian-style front wing opens onto handcut stone steps leading through the stone wall, both more than a century old, down to Huntsville Road. Just across the “Five Corners” from the Butlers’ home is an old storefront home, the former Hunt family's general store and site of the first Huntsville post office, established in 1889. Records aren't clear about what Mr. Hunt's first name was, although the post office was named for his family. Barely a stone's throw up Huntsville Road from the old post office stands the Hayden family's home, “The Follies,” at the corner of Follies Road. Built in 1830, it still has its original iron latches and locks, sturdy hand-hewn beams and wooden pegs used instead of nails. Mrs. Lenore Hayden isn't sure how the house first came to be called “The Follies,” whether it was from a derogatory nickname, “Her Folly,” given by a former owner who didn't agree with his wife's love for the place, or from the girls of the famous Follies Bergaire, reputed to have used the home as a summer hideaway. Mrs. Hayden recalled that when she and her husband, Ken, first bought the house, it had been vacant for many years. The living room ceiling had fallen in, the furnace didn't work, the founda- tion wall needed attention and the roof leaked so badly that there was water in the ceilings light bulbs. “The contractors had their doubts; they said that it would take an ungodly amount of work to repair it. But I had such a feeling about this house - I knew that it would turn out fine,” she said. Through all the necessary res- toration, the Haydens kept the house’s original noteable features: the 12-inch wide floorboards in the studio, wrought iron heat registers, a 5'-11" doorway into a bedroom and even a trapdoor to the basement through the living ATTENTION; Home Owners, Businesses Now's the time to protect your family, loved ones, customers & employees. Learn the facts about lead and contaminants found in drinking water. Bring your containers to receive up to 4 free gallons of pure, safe filtered water We are introducing our new technology water filter in the Back Mountain with a special Homeowner Program. Call For More Information 675-2600 « 477-3630 800-437-9200 with ... come in and browse our ... Newly Decorated Youth Gallery Featuring Leading Manufacturer Displays Such as © STANLEY e LEXINGTON e BASSETT ¢ LEA ¢ VAUGHAN e SUMTER With styles to choose from in traditional, contemporary, country and victorian reproductions. All reduced with savings up to 40% HOME BF 1 FURNISHINGS Phone 823-0578 95-97 S. Main St., Wilkes-Barre & Tues, Wed., Fri., Sat. = 9:30 A.M.-5 PM. Monday-Thursday — 9:30 A.M.-8:30 P.M. 4 Floors of Fine Furniture 90 Days Same As Cash we VISA® hil Local lore (continued from page 1) Although residents speak quite knowledgeably of a creature resembling “Nessie,” the Loch Ness mon- ster, which lives in the Huntsville Reservoir and has supposedly been spotted by several people, no one will confirm or deny its existence. “We tell our guests to look for it,” said Mrs. Lindsay Butler. “When it was built, the reservoir flooded several old farms and swamps. You never know what's been living there all these years.” , Overlooking the Huntsville Dam, the Butlers’ home, “Damsite,” was the first home built in Huntsville, by the Baldwin family in 1796, a year before the estab- lishment of the historic Nathan Dennison Home- stead. It was later sold to Dr. Joel Jackson Rogers, the area's first physician, who used one side of it to No one knows. If “Damsite” could talk, what tales it might tell. Or maybe it can talk. Tony and Lindsay Butler related how they began to hear voices at night shortly after they moved there in November, 1971. “They would wake me up in the middle of the night, a man and a woman talking downstairs in the front living room,” Tony Butler said. “When I went to the top of the stairs, the voices would abru After about a year, they stopped.” “They weren't doin Lindsay Butler added. : Maybe it was the spirits of former owners, con: cerned about how the Butlers would treat the home. Colorful names, a ghost and a mythical monster = ptly break off. g anything, so I wasn't scared,” dispense prescriptions to his patients. all that quiet little Huntsville needs to complete its colorful history is a UFO sighting. There has been talk of one, but no one will say for sure. room floor. “Maybe the family hid their liquor there during Prohibition,” Mrs. Hayden chuckled. Another noteworthy site in the proposed historic district includes the Back Mountain's oldest ceme- tery, established in March, 1798, on the site where Philetus Fuller was killed by a falling tree. His parents, Benajah and Catherine Fuller, donated the one-acre plot on Sutton Road. “Philetus Fuller is the only person interred facing north to south,” Mrs. Hogoboom said. “Everyone else faces east to west. We don't know why." Also on Sutton Road is Huntsville's oldest barn, built in 1805 by Griffin Lewis, who came here from Vermont. Until 1864, when the Dallas to Kingston Turnpike opened along Toby's Creek, the route of today's four-lane Route 309, people trav- eling between Wyoming Valley and the Back Mountain came through Huntsville, which had become a bustling small community. But the turnpike, and later trains to Noxen and Rickett's Station and a trolley to Harveys Lake, drew traffic to these easier travel routes, bypassing Huntsville, which reverted to a small, out-of-the-way farming FIRST POST OFFICE - This home was once the site of Hunt's general store and the Huntsville Post Office at the “Five Corners.” community. Originally calling for a com- plete reconstruction of Hillside and Chase roads, all lined by stone walls and buildings at least a century old, the county's road improvement plans have now been placed on hold for at least a year Lehman U.M. auction March 13 The Lehman United Methodist Charge is having their 8th annual Parsonage Fund Auction, March 13, 5:30 p.m.-?, at the Lehman United Methodist Church, Lehman. All proceeds benefit the parsonage. Come out and give us a bid on new items and homemade crafts. Doors and snack bar open at 5 p.m. until a historical and archaeologi- cal study is done, according to Jim Brozena of the Luzerne County Road and Bridge Depart- ment. “Anything more than 49 years old is considered historic,” he said. PHOTOCOURTESY OF LINDSAYBUTLER The most news Still only $16 The Dallas Post 675-5211 “2 PAST We Admit 5 Zz. hy A [J Some — OF On Brerch Offices Q Are A Little Out-Of-The-Way, Seaside spot or back-road stop, if you can get to a phone, you can get to the bank. At least, if you're one of our customers. Open accounts, transfer funds, check balances? Of course, of course, of course. All week long, even nights. There's one hitch, though. First you have to open a checking account. But, hey, we'll forego service charges for six months. And give you a phone and your first order of checks* free. Just stop by any office. Or call 1800 245-4920 for details. And try this phone thing out. Free Phone And Checking Offer With New Accounts. @) Mellon Bank Youre why we do our very best.” £1993 Mellon Bank Corporation Free phone offer limited to one new checking account per customer Offer not applicable to Basic Checking Accounts We reserve the right to substitute an item of comparable value. *Up to a $15.50 value Offer ends April 16,1993. Mellon Bank, N.A - Member FDIC. Northeastern Hol = LOO 2 Os tn OO O'S rd rq = mv ed
Significant historical Pennsylvania newspapers