The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1882-10-13
BI.OOMsRURG.
WHAT A PRESS REPORTER roUND OUT.

The Philadelphia Press Of Friday week
| contains a long article on Bloomsbury.
There are some errors In statistics, but In
| the main the article is correct, and worthy
of reproduction. We print portions Of it
below. After describing the location the
writer says;
The town OF Bloomsbury was laid out
| and named as early as 1902 by a German
settler named Ludwig Eyer. In 1S48 1t
became the county seat OF Columbia, after
long and bitter fight with Danville, which
had previously been the capital: In order
| to decide the question the Legislature
passed an act authorizing vote on the
question of u relocation of the county seat,
| and it was decided by popular vote to
| remove II to Bloomsburg, the latter place
furnishing the land and erecting the build
ings, the money for that purpose having
| been raised by public subscription. This
| was in 1916, and 1t was thought that peace
| ard quietness would now reign after the
county seat qestion was settled. But such
| was not the case. In 1S49 another bitter
| fight arose about the formation of a new
| county out of parts OF Columbia, to be
called Montour, with Danville as the
| county-seat The latter place still smarted
|
county-seat away from her, and her peo-
pie sought 70 have a county OF their own.
On the 3rd of May, 1850, the new county
| of Montour was formed, Danville was
made the capital, and it was thought that
peace was finally restored between the two
| beligerent districts, as both now stood on
| equal footing, but such was not the case.
| Another fierce contest arose as to the re-
peal of the act of 1850, which finally
resulted in the passage, on the 10th OF
January, 1858, Of an act to straighten the
division line between the two counties, by
which portion of the acquired territory
was reannexed to Columbia. And now,
after lapse of nearly thirty years, the
fierce strife has been almost forgotten and
peace and quetness reign between the
people of the two counties. Columbia
contains about 479 square miles, and &C
| cording to the census of 1880 she had a
population Of 80, 40S, which has probably
been increased 500 since that time.
| NAMING THR TOWN.
When Mr.. Eyer gave the settlement the
name of Bloomsbury he was doubtless i'm
pressed with the beauty OF the location,
and felt that there was no place in that
region where town could bloom more
luxuriantly, and he straightway gave it
the title of which 1t is now so proud. For
many years after it was named, and par
ticularly during the contest with Danville
(Which was then coming into prominence
| sn account of its iron manufactories), it
was scarcely ever spoken OF by any other
title than that of Bloom" and that was
generally applied derisively. Bnt it con-
tinued to grow and bloom on its hillside
location, until it has bloom-ed into a
thrifty, active, enterprising burg, and 1t is
now accepted by all as the lovely Blooms
burg, destined, before many decades roll
away, to develop into full-hedged city of
twenty or thirty thousand inhabitants.
|
The town is supplied by water pumped
irto reservoir on an elevation high
enough to give sufficient pressure to throw
a stream over the highest CHI irch steeples.
The water is very pure and healthy, as 1t
! flows from the mountains, down stream
that has become historic since the rebel
lion. The reservoir and works, which are
not far from the town, cost $4,000. The
court house is an antiquated structure in
the old part of the town, but it will either
be greatly improved soon or new build
ing erected. A new Jail south OF the
railroad was recently built at a cost OF
100000. The front is of Farrands rille
stone and presents fine appearance.
There are ten churches in which the popu-
laticn of 5000 worship, embracing Presby-
terian, Methodist, Baptist, Welsh Baptist,
Reformed, Lutheran, Evangelical, Episco-
pal, Catholic and African Methodist The
church property is valued at about $50, 900.
MAN OF ENTERPRISE
Bloomsbury largely owes its present
prosperity to Rev. ID. j. Waller, who came
here more than third of a century ago as
the pastor OF the Presbyterian Church.
He is an ardent disciple Of Calvin, man
of broad and liberal views, far-seeing,
active, energetic, sagacious and progress
i've. For third of a century he admins.
tered the Word of God in the little church
of unpretending appearance, which still
stands on the principal street. Finally ht
retired from pastoral labors to devote his
attention to a different line of duty, al
though he has not entirely relinquished
the pulpit, which he occasionally fills
With the sagacity so characteristic of the
man he foresaw a brilliant future for thu
place, and he made heavy purchases o.
valuable lands on the outskirts Of tht
town, and laid it off into lots, had fin,
broad streets surveyed, and held out in
ducements to purchasers that were Sc
tempting that many availed themselves o
the bargains, and the result was that the
town commenced growing. He donated
the land on which the Jail is built. Many
, fine dwellings have been erected on lots
, which he sold, and many more will soon
+. go up. His own solid brick house, once
out Of town, is now in the centre OF tht
addition.
|