<center><strong>HISTORY OF THE TOWNSHIP</strong></center>
Northampton township was formed by the Somerset County Court out of part of Southampton township in 1852. It was a rugged mountainous region, small in territory, and slow to populate. The early settlers found it difficult to obtain even the necessares of life. Salt was high and difficult to obtain at almost any price. Mills and stores were far distant and the settlers, as far as possible, lived upon the scanty products of their own toil.
Some of the first settlers were Philip Poorbaugh, Benjamin Critchfield, Christian Albright, Jonathan Boyer, Jacob Coughenour, Henry Mull and Jacob Flickinger.
The first gristmill within the limits of Northampton township was the Southampton mill, built by Henry T. Wilt in 1845. He also erected a sawmill about the same time. The first store was kept by David Hay about 1848 and the first election was held at the house of John Poorbaugh.
The area of Northampton township is 21,552 acres or about thirth-three and three-fourths square miles. It contained 52 farms and had a population of 483 persons in 1930. Its principal towns and villages are Glencoe, Johnsburg and Philson.
<center><strong>BIOGRAPHIES</strong></center>
<a href=”http://www.pa-roots.org/data/read.php?720,571060″><u>Philip Poorbaugh</u></a> — <a href=”http://www.pa-roots.org/data/read.php?720,571059″><u>Daniel Bauman</u></a> — For more Northampton Township biographies search <a href=”http://www.pa-roots.org/data/list.php?720″><u>here</u></a>.
<center><strong>TAX LISTS</strong></center>
<a href=”articles.php?article_id=110″><u>1852</u></a>
<center><strong>TOWNS & VILLAGES</strong></center>
<a href=”articles.php?article_id=255″><u>Glencoe</u></a>
<strong>Johnsburg</strong>
Johnsburg is a small village in the northeastern part of the township. The German Lutheran church was the first building erected in 1866. The land on which the village is built was owned by Henry Miller. J. M. Stief erected the first house and began keeping the first store in 1868. In 1876, he was succeeded by J. H. Miller. Johnstown post office was established in 1871. It has since been discontinued.
<strong>Philson</strong>
Philson is a small village on the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad in the southern part of the township.
(Partially extracted from “History of Bedford, Somerset & Fulton Counties, PA; 1884)
Wittenburg
Wittenburg is a small town in the central part of the township. It was built on land that Jonathan Leasure had purchased from John Witt for whom the town was named.
John Fichner opened the first store, which was also the first store in Larimer township, at Wittenburg in 1852. He was also its first postmaster and first hotelkeeper. He was succeeded in the mercantile business by Joseph Lepley. Lepley was succeeded by Harmon Johnson.
Harman Johnson, a native of Berlin, Somerset county, came to Wittenburg in 1867 and is still in business. Mr. Johnson has been postmaster since 1868 and in 1875, he was elected justice of the peace and relected in 1880. He is also treasurer and tax collector of Larimer township. He served as drummer in Co. F., 142d regt. Penn. Vols. for nearly three years.
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