Lou’s View

By Lou Bernard

Not too long ago, someone stopped me to tell me he likes my columns. Not unusual; this happens all the time. The difference was that this guy was at the Sons of Italy, and I was there helping with a spaghetti dinner to raise money for Roads To Peace. I’ve never been stopped and complimented while pushing a dessert cart before.

First he told me he likes me columns, and then he asked me to write about Woodward Township. I honestly can’t recall if I’ve done a piece on Woodward before. Probably, at some point, but I can write about Woodward. I’m always up for a good idea, so why not?

Woodward Township goes back quite a way, but not quite to the beginning of the county. Clinton County was founded in 1839, and Woodward was established two years later, in 1841. It was chopped of from part of Dunnstable, which is why Dunnstown and Dunnstable Township are not in the same location. You see the same issue with Lamar and Lamar Towship, and Loganton and Logan Township. Why the hell did the early county commissioners do that?!?

Dunnstown, for the record, is the oldest community in Clinton County, founded in 1792. It began as Dunnsburgh and was later changed, and was proposed as the county seat when Lycoming County was founded, but turned down because Williamsport was more central. Then it was proposed as the county seat when Clinton County was founded, but turned down because Lock Haven’s founder was charming. This makes Dunnstown, as far as I’m aware, the only community in Pennsylvania to be turned down as county seat twice, for two different counties.

Woodward was named after local judge George W. Woodward. It grew a bit as it aged, because in 1844 another bit of Dunnstable was added to Woodward, and then in 1853, part of Colebrook was added.

Woodward Township has what is probably the oldest marked grave in Clinton County. In Dunnstown Cemetery, William Baird was buried at age 79, having died on September 2, 1792. As far as anyone can tell, this grave is the oldest. Go ahead, go find an older one. I’ll wait.

Linn’s History mentions an old log schoolhouse in Woodward Township, which was also used as a church. I mention this because of the fascination I have with these weird stories—It was the first schoolhouse in the area, and it was “where Warren Martin’s dwelling-house now stands,” according to the book. Don’t ask me where that is, because I’m doing this at the kitchen table over coffee and don’t presently have access to the deeds. But the book notes that an Irish immigrant killed himself in that old schoolhouse, and his body buried in a nearby field.

Then it was stolen by doctors in the dead of night, which was a disturbingly common occurrence back then. In the old days, doctors could only learn by dissecting newly dead bodies, so there was something of a demand for them—The granddaughter of Jerry Church, Clinton County’s founder, was stolen for a nearby medical school.

At least one of Lock Haven’s mayors was born in Woodward Township. John Smith was born there on his father’s farm in 1829. He grew up to become mayor of Lock Haven, and bought the Fallon, where he lived with his family. So in addition to being a successful hotel, the Fallon was also once the mayor’s mansion, putting it in the company of the Ross Library, the Newman Center, and the Elliot House, also built by local mayors.

But I digress, as I often do. Woodward is a neat township, with an interesting history to it, and it was worth mentioning over a dessert cart. Who wants cake?