Lancaster daily intelligencer. [volume] (Lancaster, Pa.) 1864-1928, 1883-05-23
COLUMBIA.
IT'S A FAIR TOWN TO BEHOLD

UUlIUMDlA
IT'S FAIR TOWN TO BEHOLD
A Brief OF It's Ftstory-Desirab!e for t.esi-
deuce and Buslness-The Old PG!'-
lie Works-The Growth
OF the Town.
Every town and city of any considerable
age has more or less of the historic con-
nected with it, and Columbia, one of the
old towns of the state; can boast OF it's
share. Settled in l726 by the Wrights
and BetheIs, it was first ferry, and by
natural growth assumed its present fair
proportions, having been incorporated a
borough in 1914. The war of 1912 gave 1t
the first great impetus. Everything was
high in price, and as Columbia became a
sort of supply depot for the armies Of the
young republic money Was, of course,
plentiful. Buildings went up rapidly, and
the population increased for awhile, and
then the reaction, which sooner or later
follows prolonged war, came. Many of
the most prominent men of the once -four
ishing borough became bankrupt, and the
business depression continued until 1888,
when the commencement of the cOnstruc
ton of what were then and are still known
as the "public works." began. The
town again flourished and building opera
tions were renewed. With occasional IN
terruptions to its general prosperity the
advancement Of the town has been steady
until now lovely town of nine thousand
inhabitants looks smilingly down upon
the beautiful and placid Susquehanna
river from tho bills and slopes upon which
it is built. 1t may truly be said that it
lies embosomed in the hills" for it is
surrounded by them On all sides, except
ing towards tho south, where rolls the
river: Wide and clean streets and every
requirement demanded for a pleasant
place of residence make it sucn, while its
really unsurpassed facilities for transpor-
tation by rail and canal make it a most
desirable place for manufactures.
It's Mstes aud Bounds.
The borough, as originally laid out, was
an irregular strip of land extending from
the southwest to the northeast, and of no
very great size. Its Originators would
now be surprised could they SEQ how their
lines had been extended.
Walnut street at one time babe fair to
be the principal business street Of the
town, besides Front street, but certain
natural causes took the business to Locust
street, ard low there are not over half a
dozen stores of any kind on Walnut street
and but little business of mercbantile
character is done on Front street.
The Public u orks.
Columbia might he said to have been
the centre of the public works" The
canal system began here and extended to
Pittsburgh, and the railroad only extended
between this place and Philadelphia.
Those were the days Of ' section boats"
The canal boats were built in three or
four sections, but in other respects were
similar to the boats of the present day.
A boat loaded with merchandise and pro-
duce would be placed in sections on cars
especially provided for the purpose at Phil
adclphia, and would bs brought in this
manner to Columbia. Here they would
be put together. an incline; crack
leading into the water by tie oiC
"basin" facilitating the operation. From
Columbia the boats were taken by cara!
to Pittsburgh. The Tidewater canal al
forded direct communication with Ealti
more, with which place all important trade
existed. Immense warehouses surrounded
the basin, and here huge quantities Of
valuable goods were constantly stored.
These were palmly days for Columbia, and
her merchants fatteEed OD the harvest.
The construction Of the present section of
the Pennsylvania railroad from Harris
burg to Lancaster, by way of Middetown
aud Mount Joy, Git was then owned and
operated by separate corporation, which
afterwards leased the road to the Penn
sylvania railroad company for 900 years.
was heavy blow to Columbia, as the
great business between Philadelphia and
the West had then another and better
channel through which to flow. The sys-
tenn of section boating soon became a
thing of the past, and the great basin
warehouses soon became empty. The
place where they once reared their heads
is now occupied by coal yards and Penn:
sylvania railroad tracks. Columbia had
other sources of business upon which to
depend, however, and received no death
blow from the loss of one great source of
business, and when the line of railroad
between this place and Middletown was
completed in 1850, it received an influx of
trade again from its old source, the West.
Keah,rg Columbia II. X.
In 1857 8 movement was agitated here
with view of building railroad between
this place and Reading. 1t became pcpu
lar Immediately and that same year bill
in its favor was passed by the Legislature,
mainly through the efforts of Col. c. S.
Kaufman, who was then member of the
state House of Representatives. After
the usual difficulties which always accom-
pany any great enterprise had been sue
cessfu1ly surmounted, tho road was finish
cd, and was first opened for business in
1868. VIM. G.. Case was the first presi-
dent of the company, and A. J. Kaufman
it's first secretary. Its passenger station
was at that of the Pennsylvania railroads,
and tickets were sold for both roads by E.