Early History

Loganton - Early History

Compiled by Helen Bierly-Imes

January 2022

Home life was simple. Candles were made to furnish light for those who did not have kerosene lamps. Farms were commonplace and sawmills dotted the valley. Logs were obtained from abundant forests. Pottery making flourished.

Sugar Valley Pottery Crocks

This was the early life of this last settled, central Pennsylvania valley, once a sparsely settled area where Indians were free to roam and hunt in the middle of a valley. Great groves of sugar maple trees studded the area. The production of maple syrup and maple sugar was a prosperous enterprise; thus, the name Sugar Valley.

Sugar Valley is located in southern Clinton County. It is approximately 20 miles in length and 2 miles in width. The valley lies between Sugar Valley Mountain on the north and Brush Valley Mountain on the south. The enclosing sandstone mountains slope to the limestone floor of the valley creating a very beautiful and relatively isolated canoe-shaped valley. It is in this valley that our subject lies: Loganton Borough. The Borough of Loganton lies near the center on the north side of the valley at the southern foot of Sugar Valley Mountain.

View of Loganton Borough Dated 1898

Note: Steeple on Old Wooden School in Center of Photo and Steeple on Old Lutheran Church

In 1800, Sugar Valley was part of Miles Township, Centre County. By 1819, Logan Township was formed out of Miles Township and all of Sugar Valley was called Logan Township, Centre County. In 1840, Clinton County was formed and that part that was Logan Township, Centre County was included in Clinton County. At this time, Logan Township, Clinton County was divided into two townships, Logan and Greene and Logansville was completely surrounded by Greene Township.

Dr. Caspar Wistar (1761-1818), celebrated Professor of Anatomy at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia, was listed in 1790 as owning and having surveyed several thousand acres of “unseated lands” of what would later become part of Logansville. The portion of the Wistar tract of land on which Logansville eventually stood was bought by John Kleckner (who, in about 1800, built Sugar Valley’s earliest grist mill and a sawmill). He, in turn, passed the Wistar tract on to his son, Colonel Anthony Kleckner (1793-1860).

On the original survey maps the village was to be called Alpine but was officially called Logansville deriving its name from Logan Township and in turn was named after the Native American Indian, Chief James Logan, son of Chief Shikellamy.

Copy of the original plan of Alpine, later named Logansville then Loganton, drawn by Jonathon Moyer in 1840.

Indian legends, few of which have more basis in truth than the word-of-mouth stories of other early settlements, have added touches of romantic interest to Loganton’s history. One of these, circulated widely, although denied by historians, concerns Zeller’s Spring or Logan’s Spring, on the western outskirts of the borough. Here James Logan, the noted Indian chief, is supposed to have been shot and lamed for life by an early settler, Peter Pence (the author’s 4^th great-grandfather), in a feud growing out of the disappearance of Pence’s wife.

Zeller's Spring more commonly known as Logan's Spring

Monument Commemorating

Indian Chief Logan at Zeller's Spring

Another legend is woven around Sulphur Spring, north and within the Borough of Loganton. It was named Sulphur Spring because of the strong smell and taste of sulphur in its water. Legends set aside; it is known that a number of Indians believed the water contained valuable medicinal properties. If you drank the water, you would be cured of whatever ailed you. The Indians would often stay here. Chief James Logan often rested near the spring.

Sulphur Spring

Most of the early settlers of Loganton were either Pennsylvania Germans or Huguenots, and many of their descendants spoke the “Pennsylvania Dutch” dialect in their homes. Most of the houses built were Georgian in style – two stories, four rooms up and four rooms down.

Looking East up incline on Main Street what is locally known as "Bunker Hill"

Looking West on Main Street

The town was laid out by Anthony Kleckner. In 1840 it was incorporated as a borough on September 17, 1869 and confirmed by the court on February 12, 1870. Due to the fact there were two towns in Pennsylvania named Logansville, the name of the town was changed to Loganton in 1889. The name change occurred by court action of the postal service on February 29, 1888 because a town in York County had the same name.

The first water company was incorporated in July 4, 1860 and water was brought to the borough through wooden pipes from a spring just north of the borough. Following is an article from The Express in Lock Haven dated June 29, 1965. It is referring to the 1880s. Note the cost was 25 cents per month per family.

Above: Loganton Original Wooden Water Pipe

Above: Concrete Pipes Replaced the Wooden Pipes

The White Deer and Loganton railroad hauled lumber, passengers, mail – and picknickers. The first passenger train arrived in Loganton on May 10, 1907. An ordinance of Loganton Borough dated November 5, 1906 gave permission to extend the line through the town. The high point of the day from 1907 to 1916 was when the trains came in. The postmaster appeared with a wheelbarrow to transport the mail to the post office on Main Street.

Old Loganton Post Office

The station was at the A.T. Kleckner farm near the swimming hole in Fishing Creek near the bridge. Here the youngsters congregated in the summer to swim and pick strawberries. When the trains came to the “Y” to turn around to go back to White Deer, the engineer would often take the kids for a ride around the “Y.” When the timber was gone, the railroad was done. The last train left on May 31, 1916.

Depot at Loganton

Loganton entered the 20^th century promisingly. But in 1918 the village was dealt a devastating blow. On Wednesday, June 19, 1918, Loganton experienced a disastrous fire. No lives were lost, but approximately three-fourths of the borough was destroyed (two churches, 41 homes and businesses, 32 stables and barns). Every business was destroyed except the bank. The fire started from a defective flue in the DeLong Bakery. The lost was estimated at $500,000. Since the fire, the borough has been rebuilt.

Loganton after the fire taken from "Big Rock"

Loganton is the hub of “the Valley.” Loganton is home-grown and proud of it. This small rural community nestled in the scenic beauty of Sugar Valley was built on tradition, nurtured with family values, and swells with community pride. Just like everywhere else in the world, change is no stranger to Loganton. But somehow, valley folks have maintained tradition and kept the closeness of small-town America alive and well here.

Aerial View of Loganton Looking West - Circa Early 1950sre

Although the "Pennsylvania Dutch" language died out with the German settlers and their descendants, the dialect can once again be heard in the valley along with kerosene lights, horse and buggy travel, and maple syrup making because of the large number of Old Order Amish who first settled in the Valley in 1972.

Sources: Personal library and research collection of Helen Bierly-Imes and Kenneth Imes.