STERLING

Some small tidbits on Sterling:

-          Sterling had once been a part of Salem Township until April 25, 1815, and had included Dreher and Lehigh townships until September 7, 1877.

-          Sections of Sterling had many different names including the following:

o   When it was an unoccupied territory (Land of the Beeches)

o   When the Settlement began after 1800 (Irish settlement)

o    For the trees of one kind whom were numerous (The Land of the Hemlocks)

-          The Township was formed April 15, 1815, and was named Sterling.

-          Small sections of the township where settlements were made were known by their citizens who settled there:

o   Nobletown (Sterling)

o   Howetown (Jericho)

o   Leetown (Route 90)

o   Kipptown

o   Simonstown

o   Bortreetown (East Sterling)

o   Webster Creek (West Sterling)

o   Hazleton Cemetery

o   Gilpin Cemetery

o   Catterson Cemetery

-          Most of these names have been forgotten, as well as the ones below:

o   Flugenville, also known as the Maple Grove School.  Had once been known as the Catterson School before burning and relocated on the road south of the Catterson Cemetery

o   Frogtown School operated until 1915 after being relocated near Webster Creek about half way to Hollisterville from Nobletown.

o   Zion, was so called due to the Bortree’s that thought the region was like the biblical Zion, meaning “Beautiful for situation.”

-          The first permanent settler in the present township limits was Henry Stevens, who came in 1800 and built a log house on the turnpike ½ mile south of the village.

-          The first settler in the present village of Sterling was David Noble who came about 1816.  He built his log house in the back of Howard Butler’s house on the turnpike.  He bought a large tract of land and called it Noble Hill and it later was known as Nobleville and Nobletown.  It was established and founded by him, his brother and his sons.  William T. Noble came in November 1821, and built a log house on the turnpike north of his brother’s.

History from books:

·         ‘History of the Lackawanna Valley’ by H. Hollister, 1869:

o   Sometime between the years 1750 and 1760, a family by the name of Carter settled upon the Wallenpaupack Creek.  (Supposedly it was the first white family that ever visited the area.)  The French and Indian war commenced in 1756, and the family was murdered, the house burned by the tribe of Indians in the service of the French.  When the immigrants from Connecticut arrived on the banks of the Wallenpaupack, the chimney of the house and a stove oven alone were standing.

o   The settlers set out to build a fort which was probably primitive in its construction.  There was a field containing about an acre surrounding it.  This was then surrounded by a trench, into which upright pieces of hewed timber were firmly fixed.

·         Goodrich's ‘History of Wayne County’:

o    Wayne County was set off from Northampton County on March 21, 1798.  Henry Drinker of Philadelphia was a large land proprietor and George Palmer surveyed the county in 1802.

o    Summer of 1814, Jason Torrey, resurveyed the county and plotted lots averaging 100 acres cash to be sold for $5 an acre.  It was due to this resurvey and the relocation of the North and South Turnpike in 1805.

o   The old state road ran about one half mile west of the present North and South Turnpike.

o   First white man who visited Sterling was a shrewd Yankee school teacher by the name of Denman Coe.  He came to the Paupack settlement about 1794, and followed the stream to what is now Newfoundland and erected a cabin.  Here he brought his family, hunted, trapped and lived a Robinson Crusoe life.

RESIDENCES

-          The first log houses built in Sterling Township and nearly all of the first frame houses have been removed.

-          The Irish built three large stone houses in the township; they are well over a century old.  They are only one in the township; the other two are in Dreher Township.

-          The home of Adelbert C. Howe was built as a tavern in 1820, by Henry Stevens and his son Valentine Stevens and is probably the oldest frame house in the township.

-          Prominent houses in the area include: Howe's, Stevens, Smith's, Rochfort's, Megargle's, Noble's, and Butler’s.

-          Joseph E. Cross built the Gillner residence.

-          Next to the Cross homestead was a blacksmith shop operated by Charles Megargle.

-          To the South was a large barn in which Methodist services were held prior to 1837.

STORES

-          The first store in Sterling was built in 1821-22 by William Taylor Noble and it was situated on the foundation of the Gillner store.  In 1873, it was moved north and until the 1950’s, when it was dismantled, it had stood between the present store building and the house owned by John J. Gillner.

-          The second store in Nobletown was built in 1827 by David Noble, brother of William T. Noble.  The store was a short duration as the owner died three years later.  The building was converted into a double house.  It was the dwelling of John Williams and Lyman Ames for many years.  It’s situated on the turnpike, south of the other store, same side.

-          The third store in Nobletown was built on the turnpike in 1861.

-          The largest mercantile pursuits known to Sterling were conducted by the Cross Brothers.  In the early 1970’s, J.E. Cross began a jewelry and watch repair shop in a shanty in Freeman Cross' yard.  In 1878, Albert J. Cross built the large store north of the Freeman Cross residence.

-          S.N. Cross conducted a hardware, boots and shoe store.

-          A.J. Cross sold furniture, dry goods and clothing; his wife conducted a millinery store.

-          W.T. Noble’s store building was used for storage and later as a feed store.

-          Charles Vueille conducted a photograph studio and a bicycle shop in connection with J.E. Cross.

-          These stores drew trade from all over the southern part of Wayne County.

-          About 1889, the Patriotic Order Sons of America built a lodge hall south of the Methodist Church.  They rented the first floor to Horton T. Noble and Henry Bradbury, brother-in-laws, who conducted a thriving grocery business and sold in 1892 to Thomas M. Noble, who with his sons, kept the store there until the former's death.

-          William E. Hamlin was the first post master in Sterling and was appointed in September 1849, a position which he held until his death.  The office was filled by his sons.

SCHOOLHOUSES

-          The first schoolhouse in this section was erected at the rear of the Moravian parsonage in Newfoundland or 'Dutch Flats' by Captain Phineas Howe in 1812.  It was a square edifice with a roof running up from each side to a point.

-          A schoolhouse was built in Sterling Township by Howe in 1831.  This was the first school within the present township limits.  It was on the left of the turnpike about 8 rods south and opposite the Howetown Cemetery.  It was discontinued in 1918, when pupils were transported to Nobletown School.  The building has been removed.

-          The schoolhouse in Nobleville was built in 1837.  It was a frame style building, with one room.  This building was used for church and voting purposes for many years.  About 1870, it was sold and moved from its location to the property of Daniel Slote.  A new schoolhouse was built that year.  It was on the same foundation and was a frame building larger than the first, and contained two doors for entrance.  It was sold again in 1909, and a large cement structure was built.  This building had four rooms that served as the Sterling Consolidated School until it was discontinued in 1947.  The POS of A hall was rented by the School Board and it served as the 'high school' building.

-          There was a schoolhouse built in West Sterling on a foundation where later the West Sterling Church was built.  It was known as the 'Red Schoolhouse' and was built in 1855.  It was used for school and church purposes by the people in the territory.  It was torn down in 1879 and relocated near Stevens Creek about halfway to Hollisterville and Nobletown.  This school was called the Frogtown School and was operated until 1915, and then children were transported to the Sterling school.

-          The Leetown and Zion schools were built in 1879.  The Leetown School was built on Route 90 near Uban’s on the Southwest corner, where route 90 is joined by the Bortree road.  This school was used until 1911 when it was discontinued and the building removed. 

-          Zion school was located on top of Zion Hill, south of the cemetery on the south side of the cross road.  This school was abandoned in 1918.

-          Jericho School was discontinued in 1918 and was taken to Hollisterville.

LODGES

-          Sterling Lodge No. 939, Independent Order of Odd Fellows was organized in September 1879.

-          About 1887, the Lodge erected a hell for meeting purposes and moved there from the rooms over Hamlin's store.

-          On December 10, 1887, a charter from the State Lodge of Pennsylvania was granted: Washington Camp #279, Patriotic Order Sons of America, Sterling.

CHURCHES

-          The Methodist Episcopal Church at Sterling was the parent of at least four other churches within the township:

o   The East Sterling Methodist Church was begun by the children and grandchildren of Matthew Bortree.  It had always been known as Bortree Church.  It was dedicated on November 181, 1855 and ministers served the church regularly and Sunday school was held every Sunday.  In 1905, the church was reported to have burned down maliciously.  It then had been rebuilt in exactly the same style as it had been and was later discontinued and sold, the title cleared and the building transformed into a private dwelling.

o   The West Sterling Methodist Church was built around the time the Bortree Church was being built in 1855.  Christians in West Sterling took courage and organized a Methodist class.  It was located on the West corner of the junction where Hollisterville road joins the Moscow road.  It was then moved to Hollisterville and became the Hollisterville Methodist-Protestant Church. 

o   Jericho Church was organized in 1808 as the Congregational church and was later, in 1832, organized as the Presbyterian Church of Salem.  In 1837, it was constituted as a Congregational Church and in 1850, a modest frame with one large room, was erected for a Congregational Meeting House.  The church existed until September 31, 1871.

o   Zion Church was formed during the rectorship of the Reverend Edwin S. Mendenhall at Salem's St. John's Episcopal Church.  The land for the church and cemetery was given in 1810 by Mrs. Mary Ann Clements.  The land was deeded to the Episcopal Diocese of Pennsylvania about 1847.  The foundation was begun in the fall of 1851 and the corner stone of the church was laid October 25, 1851.  The style of the church was Gothic and the eaves sat about six feet above the ground; the roof was very high and steep.  A cross was placed on the peak of the roof sometime later.  There were beautiful stained glass windows, and very handsome and expensive altar windows.  The church was dedicated and consecrated on November 14, 1853.  The church was situated in the Northeast corner of the cemetery and the entrance faced south.  The last service in the Church was the funeral of Mrs. Mary Phillips, on February 27, 1928.  The Archdeacon of the Diocese of Pennsylvania sold the church for $40 and it was torn down.

CEMETERIES

-          METHODIST CHURCH YARD: Was the site of the home of Matthew Bortree, and it is thought that he's buried on this spot with several of the early settlers and their families.  The exact location of several of the graves was south and west of the old church.

-          FARM OF GEORGE A. HOWE, STERLING: South of the barn on the left side of the road.  The only distinguishing thing of the spot is the slight knoll where perhaps thirty of the first settlers and their families are interred.

-          PRESENT STERLING CEMETERY: Began in 1860 and its oldest grave stone in the cemetery is that of Avery F. Dayton, son of Lucy and Giles Dayton, of Massachusetts, who died September 2, 1823, aged 19 years.  He is buried on the Howe farm.

-          ZION CEMETERY: Began in 1846 and was used primarily for members of the church.

-          GILPIN CEMETERY: Now in Dreher Township, situated northeast of the East Sterling Church was begun in 1823.  The earliest grave stone is that of James Dobson who died January 23, 1823, aged 41 years.

-          HAZELTON CEMETERY: Just over the line in Dreher Township.  It was donated as a private cemetery in 1857 by Abram Hazleton who was buried there in that year.  It is no longer used.

-          CATTERSON CEMETERY: Located in Sterling Township, on the road west from the village.  The oldest stone is that of Matilda, wife of John Sheerer, who died April 19, 1839, aged 42 years, 10 months, 8 days.

-          There are three graveyards that have been pointed out near Nobletown where people were buried.  There was a very small plot west of Howard Butler's home.  The children of James Noble and others were buried there.  There was another plot about 10 rods west of the North and South near the line between Freeman Cross and Frank Stevens.  It’s not known who or how many people were buried there.  There was a third plot where once a marble slab stood to mark a grave.  It was east of Eber Gilpin's house.