Coalition
Members

Apolacon Twp..
Bridgewater Twp.
Choconut Twp.
Forest Lake Twp.
Franklin Twp.
Jessup Twp.
Liberty Twp.
Middletown Twp.
Rush Twp.
Silver Lake Twp
Friendsville
Little Meadows
Montrose

PART III: CULTURAL LANDSCAPES

HISTORY, GOVERNMENT & DEVELOPMENT

Susquehanna County, Pennsylvania was named for the river that first enters the Commonwealth in what is now Susquehanna County. The name is derived from Indian words that translate to “crooked stream of water.” 1 The first European settlement took place in the eastern portion of the Susquehanna County in what is now Wyoming by members of the Connecticut chartered colony. At the time of European settlement, the Tuscarora Indians, a member of the six Iroquois nations, had numerous villages in Susquehanna County. The area was purchased from the Indians in 1768. This first settlement was abandoned within one year and no further permanent settlements were attempted until after the Revolutionary War.2 Susquehanna County was created in 1810 from part of Luzerne County. Montrose was incorporated as a borough in 1824 but was named the county seat in 1811. In 1812, the county government was established. The county is divided into 40 smaller units of government including thirteen boroughs and twenty-seven townships (Riley 1984, pg. 5). The townships and boroughs of the Northern Tier Coalition include most of the northwestern corner of Susquehanna County and are comprised of the following communities: Apolacon, Choconut, Silver Lake, Liberty, Franklin, Forest Lake, Middletown, Rush, Jessup and Bridgewater Townships, and the boroughs of Montrose, Friendsville and Little Meadows. Settled mainly by Scots Irish immigrants, the communities of the Northern Coalition have long enjoyed a rural, mainly agricultural lifestyle. The communities were early participants in building rail and turnpike connections through the region (the Milford – Owego turnpike is still visible today crossing a number of NTC townships). Industrial development in the Triple Cities and Scranton areas has had a dramatic effect on the townships through the years as the region has changed from a predominantly agricultural community to a bedroom community supporting the larger urban areas to the north and south.

Today development in the communities of the Northern Tier Coalition is centered around and in the borough of Montrose, various hamlets throughout the townships, and around many of the lakes in the region. The development is scattered and low in density, with a slow increase in the subdividing of land within the townships (the townships of the NTC saw 3 major and 30 minor subdivisions in 2000 alone). The current comprehensive planning process is designed to guide future development in the NTC communities so that the rural character and natural resources most prized by the townships can be protected, while maintaining and encouraging growth in the region.

SETTLEMENT PATTERNS

The historic development of Susquehanna County keyed off of the Susquehanna River and early turnpikes. In the Coalition area, there are two early turnpikes, the Milford Owego Turnpike and the Bridgewater Turnpike. The former was the first road built in the county and stretches from one corner of the county to the other on a diagonal. To this day, many of the lots, subdivided of the original “Turnpike Lots” are perpendicular to the Turnpike and at odds with many of the other features in the landscape. Other early roads, which were built on early trails included many of the state highways that run along creeks in the area, such as 858 (originally a Native American trail), 29, 267 and 706. Roughly contemporaneous with these early roads arose hamlets, almost like pearls on a string. In other places, hamlets or four corners were built on key rural crossroads. These hamlets were often the sites of mills and small businesses and served the rural community in the area. The early settlement pattern was thus a familiar one to many people of European descent: village, open farm fields with farmsteads, and a meandering stream with forested slopes. Along Route 706 west of Montrose, and to a lesser extent, along Route 29 North of Montrose, this development pattern is still relatively intact.

As with most areas in the Northeast US settlement patterns in the Coalition area have changed as result of changing land uses, transportation technologies, and demographics. Farming and the need for the dedication of land to this land use has decreased dramatically to be replaced by forest, other extractive uses (quarries), amenity uses and new residences. Over time, people (both new comers and natives) have increasingly worked in the tri-cities area in New York, commuting by motor car. As a result, the connection between new settlement and paved roads and areas proximate to the State Line became more important. A second completely different pattern emerged related to the lake amenities in the area. At the time of first European Settlement, there were several lakes in the region. Since the Second World War, the number of these lakes has doubled, with wetlands and creek corridors being impounded to create new lakes. Around these lakes second homes and commuter homes were built. Now, increasingly areas just off main roads as well as former farms are being sought for amenity development. Figure 3.2 is a map portraying recent development trends.In the past 3 years Silver Lake and Bridgewater have had the lion’s share of recent development. Much of this appears to be related to second home and retirement home development.

Future development trends hinge in large part on the outcome of the comprehensive planning process that the Northern Tier Coalition is engaged in. Depending on the land use controls put in place by the NTC, growth will follow that pattern. For starters, however, existing infrastructure in the form water and sewer lines will have an important impact. A water line is planned for 29 south to South Montrose and a new sewer line is planned for along Route 706 toward Route 81. Because of Route 81, this latter corridor is likely to have a double dose of development. The fact that roads are paved or plowed in the winter, if not paved, also will impact on development.

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