GHOST TOWNS
21
– In 1873, when the old Gravity Railroad was still in operation, a fair-sized
community
grew up around Plane No.
21 of the railroad in Jefferson Township.
Pennsylvania Coal Company had an office here.
There was also a hotel, general store, sawmill, blacksmith, 2 schools and
a shoemaker shop.
The Gravity
Lodge, Independent Order of Odd Fellows was organized here in 1877 with 37
members.
Post Office was
established in 1878.
When Gravity
was abandoned in 1884, town fell apart.
Clarksville (Jubilee)
– This once thriving community contained a general store, sash and blind
factory, a home of a pioneer physician and Madisonville Christian church.
East Sterling – On Route 191, 2 miles northwest of Newfoundland this town in 1872 contained a sawmill, blacksmith shop, sawmill & gristmill, Good Templar's Hall, Methodist Episcopal church, schoolhouse and 21 homes. By 1966, 10 homes were counted and all the rest were gone.
Freytown
- Buildings included in the town were: a dozen or so houses, a church, a
graveyard, a couple of sawmills, a brush block factory, a lumber camp, a post
office, Norman English’s brickyard and a schoolhouse.
The town came into existence in 1830 when John and Susanna Frey came from Monroe
County, PA to start a farm in the wilderness.
By 1900, several families lived here, such as the Sayers, Leaders,
Stalbirds, Ames, Bakers, Haines, Shafers and the Walls.
By 1909 one family remained, Charles H. Schreck and his wife Rosie.
Mr. Schreck died on March 17, 1953 and Rosie became “mayor of Freytown”.
Rosie was born in Hamlin, PA on April 18, 1877.
She was the daughter of Ralph Ames (1847 – 1917) and his wife Mary
(Jones) Ames (1857 – 1925).
In 1881
the family moved to Gas Hollow, near Jericho, Wayne County, to work for the
Winters and Ball Manufacturing Company, who built a factory and sawmill.
In 1882, a road was built from Freytown Corners down a steep hill into Gas
Hollow to connect with the Jericho Road.
On January 27, 1883 the first wagon passed over this road to take equipment to
the Winters and Ball factory.
At
this time there was several houses and a store at Gas Hollow to accommodate the
mill laborers.
The mill was
eventually destroyed by fire and other buildings disappeared and the road washed
out beyond repair by a hurricane some years later.
The road is now closed at Freytown Corners. Charles H. Schreck, native of Freytown, worked for Winters and Ball in 1885 and
started construction of his home at the same time.
His home was completed in March of 1898.
On March 28, 1900 he married Miss Laura Rosanna Ames (Rosie) and set up
at the new home.
After the fire
destroyed the mill in Gas Hollow, he became a farmer.
He was well known in Moscow and Gouldsboro where he sold butter Rosie
churned, weighed and wrapped.
Freytown was wiped off county maps by the sale of lands to the Scranton Gas and
Water Company.
Most of the farmers moved to Moscow, Elmhurst, Madisonville and Hollisterville.
Rosie died on February 13, 1968 and her home was torn down and replaced by the
home of William Bentler.
Rosie is
buried at the old Daleville Cemetery, Daleville, PA.
Harveyville
- A lumbering community of William L. Harvey near Clifton.
Seven buildings and a mill pond were here in 1873, they were all owned by
Harvey.
Hell’s Kitchen (Cooney Hollow)
in Roaring Brook Township – This town disappeared in 1895 when the Elmhurst
Reservoir was built by the Scranton Gas & Water Company.
Curtis Reservoir, to the east, was built in 1910 by the same company.
Buildings were removed and farms inundated.
In 1873, Gardner Road met Drinker Turnpike (now Route 435) to the south
of Fairview Cemetery.
Hollisterville
- This town contained a church and gristmills.
Nay Aug Town aka Nay Aug
Pink
– Located ½ mile northeast of Lake Ariel and grew up around Plane No. 17 of Old
Gravity Railroad.
In 1872 there
were 20 buildings, including a carpenter shop, blacksmith shop, steam sawmill,
engine house, homes of Greene, McFarland, L. Wheeler, P. Omellet, G. Leonard
and several other buildings.
By
1966 Pink was a crossroads to the north of Route 191.
Plank Road Settlements
– Along the old Plank Road, now abandoned between Clifton and Gouldsboro.
This has now disappeared.
This once lumbering community was once in Bright, Dundon and Kalbach, 4 miles
east of Clifton.
Lehigh House
(hotel) stood here.
Two miles
further east was the lumbering community of Hunterton Mills with 9 buildings.
Rockdale
– Given to settlements along Spring Brook.
In Spring Brook, mostly inundated by the Watres Reservoir (Old Splash
Dam) and farm of William Keck.
Simonson’s Settlement
– Western part of Roaring Brook Township, south of Scrub Oak Mountain fire
tower.
A hotel was operated near a
large spring of water.
Road led to
Blue Shutters Road.
In 1873, 6
buildings were here.
Foundation of
hotel can be seen near the spring.
Simpson’s Mill
Springbrook Valley -
Foot of steep hill leading from Spring Brook Township to Glendale.
Route 502 passes through here and buildings are gone.
Twenty-five buildings in 1873 included Springbrook Valley school, general
store, steam sawmill and sawmill.
There was also the end of the Sax & Hessler narrow gauge lumber railroad into
Springbrook Tannery and blacksmith was also located here.
Staplesville
- Located 1 ¼ miles southwest of Daleville.
Steam sawmill and clothes pin factory of Daniel Staples was located here.
Company store, blacksmith and barns were also here.
The schoolhouse stood on the corner, west of Doran home.
Sterling
Union Mill
– The Union Steam Sawmill of Yocum, Kline & Company, southwest of Moscow, near
home of James Watson (later Watson school).
Seven buildings were here in 1873.
Nearby swamp is still known as the Union Mill Swamp.
The town is gone.
Yostville - In Spring Brook Township, this town began as a lumber community of Yost, Pile & Company. A steam sawmill, storehouse, blacksmith and 9 buildings were here. In 1946, 7 buildings were here.