The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1895-08-03
YE ancient ROADWAYES
City Engineer Phillips Is Trying to
Locate Them.
SOME QUEER OLD LANDMARKS
Indian Burying Grounds. Widows
Houses. and Stun ps Near Blacksmith
Shops Served rs Marks In the DAYS
of Our First Thoroughfarcs.

Frequently City Engineer phi,,Ins is
called upon to exactly define the Ioca-
tion and original dimensions of certain
roads, and every day almost he is asked
TO settle some disputed point about a
renee line. This he has found to be n
very difficult and In the majority of
cases an almost impossible task. ow-
ing To the fact that some of the roads
We're laid out nearly one hundred years
ago, and the landmarks. by which their
course were designated, have long since
disappeared.
n recent case which has come to the
attention of the city engineers depart
ment shows how the original location of
road may be lost without possibility
or It's ever being found again.
The Scranton Traction company COM
plained that after 1t had placed Its
tracks along the center or North Main
avenue, near the Richmond farm. ac-
cordihg 10 the surveys OF the city en-
sineer, the telephone company erected
poies IN such close proximity 10 'he
tracks tnat person riuihs on the toot
poaru Oh car Is i'aoie 10 pe crusheo
against poie' III answer u 'his op-
lection the teiephone company says 10
'he CITY engineer "iVe uS curp lines
anu we VIII p'ace our po'e' '"ee'
streets change lheir 'onrses'
The city engineer proceeded 10 get
the dimensions ana course OF the street
and found that the. roaa mas chahseu
Its location, ana instead OF peins hity
ieet III Wiu'n' 40 '"e '''sn'"' ~
ca'ieu io', nv, Nom tha oi;,
one iee' III any p'aoe'
engineer VIII nave 10 prooee" aha'"s.
the property holders along the route ~
recover the ten feet or so or the ola
road that has been Illegally occupied.
To get some idea of what these very
ancient roads such as Main avenue,
W.. MorL.t street and the like. re-
.,,oa 80 ,,,ho,, ,hav ,yere or,p,na,Iv
seh,oieu ana ""r ',,,,., ~. han,,,,
laid Out, MI Ihii"ps mas 'esu"
search OF the Oldest records III the oe-
partment, intending from these TO es-
tablish on a. map as accurately as is
possible the original course of the old
time thoroughfares.
No ,nd,co 20 what a difficult task the
,. ,,,, ,ot ont +o oooo,rr,,sb
Guy ehsi"eet na' se. ~. ~ ~, .ni,"'..
" -
ing description or what Is now Market
street and, further on, the Aplngtoh
turnpike. 1t Is the introduction OF the
order of court establishing the ROAD
and extracts from the surveys SUD-
mitted with the petition. and which
were finally adopted. 1t is dated
November. 1901. and reads thus:
,x.
many
Road IN PROVIDENCE TOWNSHIP near
the old lndlan purifying srouhu. Inc pc
tition or Samuel man anu o.heIs was
read praying 1or viewers u pe ap-
pointed 10 view anu lay OUT Toau III
providence township ieaalhg horth-
West On tne cas-. slue -. ~ itaonaw I'm, I'M
mas ras'' fou,,ariv ~ narted ont running
easter,v from the a aforesaid road over
said river near the old Indian burying
ground, so as to intersect the road lead
ing by where the Widow Aylesworth
now hves ana tnen 10 run from the
aiores-alu piave vi nes'n.lhs III "es'-
,,n,,rtoIn o.I,ad faooatt.s con rrtii
r. intarsects the road leading from, Kee.
ler's ferry to the Great Bend, from
thence to he continued to the mouth of
Tunkhannock creek.
Then foiiows the technical descrip-
ton OF the route. an extract from
which Is appended:
North a degrees west lOO rods, thence