The SNYDER COUNTY POST History Page

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125 Years Ago - 1885
     On Tuesday night a bright light was seen in the east, and upon inquiry by telegram, it was learned that the nail works of Johnson and Company, at Northumberland burned down. It was later determined that it was M.L. Savidge's slaughterhouse at Northumberland that burned.
    C.P. Swengle's new mill at Paxtonville is in running order and turning out good flour. He states his mill wagon will visit Middleburgh on a regular schedule, every Tuesday and Friday morning with flour, meal, buckwheat flour, and feed.

100 Years Ago - 1910
Last Friday, Birchard Moyer, teacher in the Middleburg school, treated the children in his room to soda water. Mr. Moyer is deservedly popular with his students.
    The Eagle Hotel in Swineford was wired for electricity. Work is also in progress on wiring the M.K. Schoch residence and the Ben Smith Store aside of the hotel.

75 Years Ago - 1935
    At 4 am on Friday, the night watchman at the Middleburg Tannery discovered flames in the washroom wich evidently started from a defective switch. He sounded the Tannery whistle three times and called the telephone operator who summoned the Middleburg fire company.
    E.B. Bowersox's straw stack at Benfer toppled over Saturday night and smothered a fine cow that was beneath it.
    Mr. Henry Spangler of Middleburg suffered a severe cut through the instep of his left foot with an ax while chopping wood at his home on Friday evening.
    Dr. Fred W. Tischke of Middleburg attended a meeting of the Dental Association at Williamsport on Wednesday.
    On account of the gasoline engine having to be repaired, the Kreamer shirt factory did not operate late week, but began again this Monday with a full force.

25 Years Ago - 1985
    The Midd-West School Board, at its Monday night meeting elected Robert Apple to serve as Principal of Middleburg High School. The vote confirmed an open secret that Apple was in line for the job after the board's selection committee met with him several weeks ago.

From the Archives of
The
Middleburg Post

Ner Middleswarth, Snyder County Statesman and Businessman

    Among the names of those associated with the founding and development of Snyder County, few are brought up more than the name of the Hon. Ner Middleswarth.
    He served in the War of 1812, was elected to PA House of Representatives for many years, even serving as speaker, and judge. He was also the owner of two saw mills, a grist mill, a clover mill, two distilleries, and seventeen farms.
    When Ner was ten years old, he moved with his family from their home in New Jersey to a log cabin, about one mile south of where Beavertown now stands. At this time, this was still Northumberland County.
    At the time when Ner's father, John, built the log home, there was a nearby Indian trail that passed near the home. Another crossed the valley and extended to a large spring. At this spring the Indians were in the habit of curing their meat and game, this part of the country being a favorite hunting ground.
    Ner grew to be brave and hearty and in later years became a leader among his friends and comrades. He married Christian Swarzcup and had twelve children in his homestead he set up about one mile east of Beavertown.
    In 1812, when the US and British again took up arms against each other, Middles-warth raised a company of volunteers and entered the service as a captain. This company took part in the Niagara Falls Campaign near Buffalo, NY. In 1814, he raised another company in the area.

When he returned, he was elected to represent his county in the Legislature and did so for thirteen terms. While serving, he was also selected as Speaker of the House for two terms. He served in both the state Senate and the House of Represent-atives.
During the early 1840s, Ner was active in the Union County Democratic State Convention as well as the Union County Clay Club (a political organization in support of Henry

Clay). He was also announced as a candidate for governor of the state of Pennsylvania in 1844.
    Ner had national ambitions as well. He was elected to serve as a member of the 33rd U.S. Congress in 1853. This term lasted for two years. He returned after this one term to his native county.
    His last public service was as Associate Judge of his county, serving one term of five years. While on the bench, Judge Middleswarth was often called upon to act as interpreter of the German language for the Presi-dent Judge, who was not familiar with the German language.
    During his lifetime, he had accumulated a considerable amount of wealth throughout his endeavors, but lost a great portion of it in the iron industry in an endeavor known as the Beaver Furnace, at what is now Paxtonville.
    This industry and this furnace was once the only manufacturing plant in Snyder County. It was begun by a conglomeration of Snyder County venture capital-ists such as Middleswarth after being approached by a young man known as John C. Wilson. With his knowledge of the industry, he convinced Middles-

warth and three Kern brothers to provide the capital for such an operation. With the natural availability of wood, limestone, and iron, it seemed a good venture.
    The firm prospered during the first years of operation and made large improvements to their property. The company would sell their product for upwards of $75 a ton and would produce about 50 tons per week. The furnace employed many men in the area, and Paxtonville became a booming town.
    The iron ore, coming from Beaver Springs and other mines, would be thrown into the pit and charcoal was burnt to form intensive heat. In a few hours, the iron would run down through the bottom of the furnace into some moulds that were prepared for it. These were called pigs, and is the basis for the term "pig iron".
    The iron would be loaded on horse and buggy for the day's journey to Selinsgrove to put onto boats to sell at different ports downriver. Many times, drivers would stop at the Halfway House, in Kreamer for dinner (the former Valley House).
    The business was expanded with 192 acres 106 perches of additional land purchased from John S. and Daniel S. Kern in 1850.
    Tragedy struck in 1856 when the furnace exploded. Ner took control of the business at this time, and rebuilt the furnace for further operations. The business was failing by this point though. Incompetent foremen and unpaid bills caused profits to plummet, and repayment consumed most of Ner's personal wealth, which totaled $130,000 at the time. In 1863 he sold the operation to Dr. Rooke, Jesse Walter, and Nutting & Francis.
    The place where the old furnace once stood is now empty, the entire furnace torn away and its stones were used as the foundation of the Borough Schoolhouse at Middleburg.