Bridgewater Township

Digging Train from Snow Drifts
Ice House at Heart Lake

Churches:
Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (Mormon) located on Rt. 706
East Bridgewater Community Church located on Rt. 167
Evangelical Free Church located at Montrose Bible Conference
Heart Lake United Methodist Church located on Rt. 706
Jehovah's Witness located on Rt. 706
South Montrose Community Church located on Rt. 29

*STOCKER'S HISTORY (1887)

Methodist Episcopal Church at East Bridgewater - This church was erected in 1878. Religious services were held as early as 1820 for Methodists, Baptists and Presbyterians.
Churches Located in Montrose Borough
United Methodist Church located on Rt. 706/ Church St.
St. Paul's Episcopal Church located on Rt. 706/60 Church St.
Holy Name of Mary Catholic Church located at 29 S. Main St.
First Presbyterian Church located on Rt. 706/Church St.
First Baptist Church (Bridgewater Baptist) located on Rt. 706/Church St.
African Methodist Church located on Berry St. (vacant but in the process of restoration)
Seventh Day Adventist located on Jackson St.
Montrose Christian Fellowship Church located on Jackson St.

*STOCKER'S HISTORY (1887)

Bridgewater Baptist - The first gospel sermon was preached by Elder Davis Dimock on March 30, 1807. On April 9, 1808 the group was organized into a Church of Christ, built in 1829. [A new edifice was dedicated March 2, 1900].

The First Presbyterian Church - Occasional services were held as far back as 1802. The congregation was organized in 1810 and the first church was dedicated on June 26, 1826. The second edifice was dedicated February 5th, 1862.

A Congregational church was organized July 3, 1810 and later changed to the Presbyterian form of government.

Methodist Episcopal Church of Montrose. The old Bridgewater circuit was organized in 1813 but it was not until 1841 that a society was formed by the Oneida Conference. The first place of worship was the old courthouse. The first house of worship was built in 1845. The new building was dedicated May 16, 1875.

The Universalists also met in the first courthouse. A Society was organized in 1831 and the church was dedicated on July 11, 1844. Before 1887 it was converted into a skating rink. [The building served many purposes, the last being offices for various county services. The building was torn down in 1988 and was commonly known as "Colonial Hall." Two columns, bases and capitols are on display in the Historical Society).

The Roman Catholics first celebrated mass at the home of Peter Byrne in 1840. They purchased the old Episcopal church and worshipped there until the new church [Holy Name of Mary] was built, the cornerstone being laid on September 3, 1886.

Zion Church was first organized in 1844 by former slaves. The first church was built about 1847 and the next about 1859.

Bethel Church was built by former slaves. It was first organized about 2 miles beyond Montrose and an 1850 map shows a structure on Chenango Street, Montrose.
Cemeteries:
Bush Family Cemetery, Bush Road T602
Cole Cemetery, Rt. 706E, private property
East Bridgewater Cemetery, Rt. 167 & T24
Foster Cemetery (Williams Pond)
Griffing Farm Cemetery, Heart Lake
Holbrook Farm Cemetery, North Bridgewater
Holy Name of Mary, Montrose, Rt. 167
McKeeby Cemetery, 3029 between Fairdale and South Montrose
Montrose Cemetery, Rt. 706W and Montrose Borough
North Bridgewater Cemetery, Rt. 4003
South Montrose Cemetery, Rt. 29 south.
William's Pond Cemetery, T593 (previously called Stone Bridge and Potter Cemetery)

Building and Geographic Information According to the 1872 Beers' Atlas of Susquehanna County. To obtain copies of maps e-mail us for details.
BLACK SMITH SHOPS - Dist. #2, (2) Dist. #14
CREEKS/BROOKS - Wolf Creek, Dist. #6
GRIST MILLS - Dist. #10 (S. R. Searle)
LAKES - Jones Lake, Dist. #10
PONDS - Dist. #3
SAW MILLS (S.M. or S. MILL) - Dist. #3; Dist. #4; Dist. #6; Dist. #7; Dist #9; Dist. #10
STEAM SAW MILLS - Dist. #12
SCHOOLS - Dist. #1; Dist. #2; Dist. #3; Dist. #4; Dist. #5; Dist. #6; Dist. #7; Dist. #8; Dist. #9; Dist. #10; Dist. #11; Dist. #12; Dist. #13; Dist. #14; Dist. #15

Others:

Brick Kiln, Dist. #6 (N. O. Passmore)
Cab. Shop, Dist. #1
Cheese Factory, Dist. #14
County Fair Grounds. Dist. #8
Poor Asylum, Dist. #8
Railroads - Montrose Railway, Dist. #1, Dist. #3, Dist. #5, Dist. #8, Dist. #10, Dist. #14
Toll House, Dist. #10
Woolen Mill, Dist. #10 (J. W. Mott)

Place Names, Old and New
Bridgewater Township was formed during the November Session (of the Court of Quarter Sessions) in 1806. For further information, see also Township Incorporations.

Cool Station, former railroad station.

East Bridgewater, former post office.

Fisk Mill, neighborhood in North Bridgewater. There was a mill, just north of the Bridgewater twp. line, on Silver Creek. Asa Mill erected the first mill there in 1853 and built a water-powered sawmill. The mill has had many subsequent owners.

Heart Lake, former post office, closed 30 Apr 1935 (mail routed through Montrose P.O.); former railroad station and express office; pop. 50 in 1900.

Montrose, county seat. Incorporated from Bridgewater Twp as a borough 29 Mar 1824. The first courthouse was built in 1813. A new courthouse, at its present location at the top of Public Avenue, was built on part of a 10-acre tract donated to the borough for public use. Today, this tract, which also includes the old county jail and the village green, is on the National Register of Historic Places. Two other structures in Montrose, the J.R. Lyons home and the former Silver Lake Bank (now headquarters of the nonprofit organization Center for Anti-Slavery Studies), are also on the National Register. Montrose at one time had two railroad depots, one for the Lehigh Valley RR, which came from Tunkhannock; and the other for the DL&W RR, which came from Alford.

South Montrose, post office; former railroad station; pop. 100 in 1900.

Tiffany (also called Tiffany's Corner), former post office, closed 31 Jan 1909 (mail routed through Montrose P.O.); former train station.

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