Montoursville is a borough in Lycoming County, Pennsylvania, in the United States. As of the 2010 census, its population was 4,615. It is part of the Williamsport, Pennsylvania Metropolitan Statistical Area. The Williamsport Regional Airport is in Montoursville.
Developed on the east bank of the river near the former native village of Otstonwakin, the borough is named for Andrew Montour, the French/Native American and son of Madame Montour, a Native American interpreter and negotiator who was important in colonial history for her service to the British in New York and Pennsylvania. She was considered the leader of the native village. Her son also became influential as an interpreter and negotiator, serving colonial governments in Pennsylvania and Virginia, including during the French and Indian War.
Otstawonkin was a native village located at the mouth of Loyalsock Creek on the West Branch Susquehanna River. The Great Shamokin Path ran along the west bank of the river, where late 20th century archeology has shown the village was mostly located. During the 1730s and 1740s, it became an important stopping point for Moravian missionaries who preached in frontier Pennsylvania. For example, Count Zinzendorf, a missionary guided by Conrad Weiser with the permission of Oneida chief Shikellamy, came to Otstonwakin in 1742.
Madame Montour is believed to have been of Algonkin-French ancestry, born in Quebec. In one account, she told a colonist in the 1740s that she had been taken captive in an Iroquois raid and adopted into an Iroquois family. (Her given name may have been Catherine, Elisabeth/Isabelle, or Madeleine.) Speaking French and English, as well as Algonquian and Iroquoian languages, she became highly influential in New York, and acted as Governor Robert Hunter's personal interpreter.
She and her Oneida husband Carondawana settled in Pennsylvania by 1727, moving south from New York; he had been appointed by the Shawnee in this part of Pennsylvania as their representative to the provincial council. A war chief, Carondawana was killed in 1729 in a southern raid against the Catawba people. Madame Montour continued to have influence as a friend of the British, representing the Iroquois and other native peoples of the area. She was hospitable to the white men who were beginning to migrate into the West Branch Susquehanna River Valley. She had a great amount of influence with the various Indian tribes in the area, who were feeling the pressure of colonial expansion.
Madame Montour is believed to have had three children, but different kinship terms has caused confusion among historians as to the status of some. Louis (Lewis), may have been a son or nephew, named for her brother, Louis Couc Montour. He served as an interpreter during the French and Indian War, when he was killed. Her daughter (or niece), Margaret, later to be known as "French Margaret," became a leader of "French Margaret's Town" at the mouth of Lycoming Creek, a few miles up the West Branch Susquehanna River from Montoursville.
Her surviving son Andrew, took over leadership of Otstonwakin in the 1740s. Growing up in a polyglot world, he displayed his mother’s gift for languages, speaking French, English, Lenape, Shawnee and the Iroquoian languages. Comfortable with both Native Americans and Europeans, he made a good living as an interpreter for local tribes and settlers. In 1742 when Count Zinzendorf met Montour, he described him as looking "decidedly” European, and had his face not been encircled with a broad band of paint we would have thought he was one.
Montour also served as an interpreter with Conrad Weiser and Chief Shikellamy. He was granted 880 acres of land by the Province of Pennsylvania in the Montoursville area. He later was appointed as a captain in George Washington's Army at Fort Necessity during the French and Indian War. Andrew Montour left Montoursville at some point and moved to Juniata County with his mother before finally settling on Mountour's Island in the Allegheny River near Pittsburgh. She died in that area in 1753.
Permanent European-American settlement of this site did not take place until after the American Revolutionary War. John Burrows gained credit as the founder of Montoursville because he sold lots to other settlers, as well as achieving some political power and wealth. He was born near Rahway, New Jersey. In his youth Burrows delivered mail, riding on horseback between New York and Philadelphia. He also served as a courier for General George Washington during the American Revolution for fourteen months. Following the war, Burrows migrated to Muncy, Pennsylvania and worked in the distilling business for several years.
In 1768, Andrew Montour accepted a grant of land in payment for his militaiy services which included the present borough of Montoursville. The grant was 880 acres lying on both sides of the Loyalsock Creek. Andrew was the son of Madam Montour, daughter of Governor Pierre of Canada and an unknown Indian wife, Madam Montour ruled the Indian village of Otstuago that existed near the present-day Montoursville. She married a chief and had a reputation as a leader. She acted as an interpreter as her son Andrew did. Andrew was an imposing warrior who distinguished himself at Fort Necessity. At some point he sold 570 acres to General John Burrows. John Burrows built up the needed capital to make an investment in some land near the mouth of Loyalsock Creek, which was developed as Montoursville. Burrows also gained a measure of political clout in Lycoming County, serving first as a justice of the peace before being elected to the county commissioner's post in 1802, and to the Pennsylvania State Senate in 1808. In 1820 Burrow’s laid out the town and sold one acre lots for $50.00.
John Else came as a child with his family in 1807 from Bucks County, Pennsylvania a the age of ten years. His father bought 200 acres of land on Mill Creek. He developed a beautiful farm that became the Streigbeigh Farm on the Susquehanna. His family is believed to be the first permanent white settlers on land occupied by Montoursville. His father had a farm along Mill Creek in what is now Mill Creek Township. As a young man, John Else worked to build the first permanent bridge over Loyalsock Creek in 1815. He made numerous improvements in the community. Else built many structures in Montoursville, working with his father on its first permanent house.
He started the Methodist Church in town and built many structures in the conmmnity including the first house. The house was constructed for Thomas Wallis, a blacksmith, near the present day post office in 1815. Mr. Else laid the piers for the first bridge across the Loyalsockin 1812.
General John Burrows is recognized as the founder of Montoursville. He was born near Rahway, New Jersey in 1760. He had carried mail on horseback from New York to Philadelphia when he was only thirteen. He fought many battles during the Revolutioiiaiy War and was involved in the Christmas expedition against the Hessians at Trenton. He served as a courier for George Washington and spent fourteen months in the household of our first President. He was appointed Justice of the Peace by Governor McKean in 1802 and was elected County Commissioner. In 1808 John Burrows was elected as State Senator. Between 1825 and 1828 he built a grist mill on Mill Street. It served as a stimulant to business in the fledgling community. A few years later the canal was constructed. A mill race ran from the canal to the mill.
Mr. Burrows sold many lots before he died in 1837 at the age of 77. He wrote an interesting autobiography for his children, the writing is available from the historical society that bears his name. The first buyers of lots in Montoursville settled according to ethnicity. The Germans settled in the eastern end in a neighborhood that became known as Coffeetown, while the English settled in the western neighborhood that was known as Teatown. In addition to selling the lots in Montoursville, Burrows operated a highly successful farm. He sent his produce by raft down the Susquehanna River to Baltimore, where he was able to turn a profit. Burrows built the first gristmill in the town.
It is important to give credit to Thomas Lloyd who helped Burrows lay out the town. He was a Quaker who built his home at Fairview to the east of the town proper. He was well-known for his lavish parties and the wealth gained from operation of his mill.
Nathaniel Burrows, son of General Burrows, was the first actual merchant in town. In 1833 he built the first all-brick home in the borough. The home was on the northeast corner of Loyalsock Avenue. It served as the final home of John Burrows. At one time General Burrows lived in a log home on the grounds of the present day airport, this home was torn down in the 1970’s. He opened the first general store in the town. He received the contract for construction of the West Branch Canal in this section of Lycoming County. Nathaniel Burrows influenced the routing of the canal so that it ran closer to the town and his businesses.
On February 19th, 1850 the borough of Montoursville was set apart from Fairfield Township, the town was named after Madam Montour.
Montoursville was a natural for lumbering and so shared in the wealth of the great lumber era. It contained ample supplies of whitepine, hemlock and hardwoods. The steep slopes of the mounains and the close proximity to water assured the success of a lumbering enterprise by providing an excellent transportation system for the logs.
Many mills were situated along and near Mill Street. These inicuded the Fisher Mill, the Ripton Mill and the Emery Mill. The latter sawed up to 15,000,000 board feet of lumber per year. The hardwoods made the valuable furniture business in Montoursville possible. Montoursville was home to large factories that made a wide variety of quality furniture, these factories become very important to the economic vitality of the town.
Indian Park is located on the north-western side of Montoursville; Interstate 180 & U.S. Route 220 run parallel to it. In the 21st century, the large recreational park has several miles of hiking and biking trails, numerous softball fields, picnic areas and pavilions, and fishing ponds.
Developed in the late 19th century, Indian Park was an amusement park. Known as a trolley park, it could be reached by public transportation. Visitors from Williamsport would board the trolley in downtown and ride to Indian Park to spend a day of recreation along the banks of Loyalsock Creek. The park had one of the largest and longest roller coasters on the East Coast. The park also featured more than 20 acres of ponds, a theatre, and a merry-go-round. The amusement park was closed in 1924 due in large part to the seasonal costs of reconstruction of infrastructure following the nearly yearly floods on Loyalsock Creek. In addition, people's increasing use of automobiles meant they traveled to other destinations for pleasure.
Montoursville is bordered by the West Branch Susquehanna River and Armstrong Township to the south. Loyalsock Creek forms the northern and western border with Loyalsock Township. Fairfield Township borders the borough to the north and east. As the crow flies, Lycoming County is about 130 miles northwest of Philadelphia and 165 miles east-northeast of Pittsburgh.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the borough has a total area of 4.2 square miles with 4.0 square miles of it is land and 0.2 square miles of it is water.
As of the census of 2000, there were 4,777 people, 2,067 households, and 1,393 families residing in the borough. The population density was 1,181.0 people per square mile. There were 2,169 housing units at an average density of 536.3 per square mile. The racial makeup of the borough was 99.02% White, 0.10% African American, 0.06% Native American, 0.33% Asian, 0.06% from other races, and 0.42% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.42% of the population.
There were 2,067 households, out of which 28.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 53.6% were married couples living together, 10.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 32.6% were non-families. 29.0% of all households were made up of individuals, and 14.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.31 and the average family size was 2.84.
In the borough the population was spread out, with 23.4% under the age of 18, 5.2% from 18 to 24, 26.1% from 25 to 44, 22.6% from 45 to 64, and 22.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 42 years. For every 100 females, there were 90.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 85.4 males.
The median income for a household in the borough was $37,484, and the median income for a family was $44,583. Males had a median income of $33,750 versus $24,449 for females. The per capita income for the borough was $19,648. About 2.4% of families and 4.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including 2.4% of those under age 18 and 5.1% of those age 65 or over.