352 AUTHENTIC HISTORY 



may be descried from the battery. Hence the hauls are irregular, but when a shoal is 

 eflfectually surrounded with the seine, an immense number is sure to be caught, as few 

 are able to escape its delicate network. (Bowen's Pictorial Sketch Book of Pennsylvania). 

 The other places in this township are Conestoga Centre, Colemanville, Rockville and 

 Petersville. P. 0. are at Colenaanville, Conestoga, Safe Harbor and Slackwater. 



CoNOY.— Bounded N. by Dauphin county, N. E. by W, Donegal, E. by E. Donegal, 

 S. and W. by the Susquehanna River. Area, 8,866 acres; Population in 1860, 1,877; 

 Taxables 477; Value of Real and Personal Property $416,920. It has 4 Grist and 4 

 Saw Mills, 1 Distillery, 6 Hotels, 4 Stores and 10 Common Schools. 



This is the westernmost township in the county. Its most important place is Bain- 

 hridge, a village with a population of upwards of 1,300, situated at the mouth of Cony 

 Creek, on the site, it is supposed, of the ancient Bekaicoagah, a Conoy or Genawese set- 

 tlement. John Harris, the founder of Harrisburg settled first in this neighborhood. 

 John Haldeman, an early pioneer, built one of the first mills in the county at Locust 

 Grove near Bainbridge. 



Falmouth, at the mouth of Conewago Creek, which is here crossed by a canal aque- 

 duct. The famous Conewago falls are in the neighborhood. "The descent of the river, 

 within a distance of little more than a mile, is probably not less than 70 feet; forming 

 rapids, whirlpools, snags and every conceivable obstruction to the passage of a raft. 

 The passage of this watery ordeal is a terror to the universal rafting community. Their 

 frail platforms, creeping like snakes over the rocks, plunge, creep and bend in every 

 direction — the high waves rolling and splashing frightfully, renders the adventure at 

 once exciting, novel and perilous. Many old river-men make a livelihood, chiefiy by 

 piloting rafts through these terrible falls." (Bowen.) 



" The Punkiii-vine Turnpike. — At an early day the Conewago Falls limited the boat 

 navigation of the Susquehanna, so that the keel-boats unloaded at Falmouth, whence 

 their cargoes (chiefiy of grain) were transferred to wagons and distributed. This caused 

 the constrviction of a turnpike road from Falmouth to Elizabetlitown, which was super- 

 seded by Hopkins's Canal, a disastrous speculation which was a continual drain on the 

 resources of Mr. Hopkins, a distinguished lawyer. The turnpike being thus rendered 

 useless, grass grew upon it, and sometimes the stalk of a pumpkin would wander over 

 it from an adjoining field, which caused it to be named The Punkin-vine Turnpike. 



After being a constant expense to Mr. Hopkins, his Canal was in turn superseded by 

 the Pennsylvania Canal, about the year 1828, when he might have recovered a part of 

 his losses by selling out to tlie State, but he asked too high a price, and the State Canal 

 was located independently. " (S. S. Haldeman.) 



The P. O. are at Bainbridge and Falmouth. The Conestogo Creek is the western 

 boundary of the township, and the Conoy Creek entering near its Eastern boundary, 

 fiows into the Susquelianna at Bainbridge. "The workmen on section No. 18 of the 

 Canal, about two miles east of Bainbridge came upon one end of an old Indian burial 

 ground. The bones had so completely gone to dust, that they could only be distin- 

 guished from the natural soil by a difference in color, A great many articles of use and 

 ornament were discovered; there were crocks, hatchets, tomahawks, arrow heads, bul- 

 lets, buck shot, thimbles, beads, pipes, &c. The pipes are made of clay, and are spoken 

 of as being very perfect and beautiful, with the head of a fox engraved on the bowl; so 

 highly is one of them valued by the finder, that he has refused to take less than five 

 dollars for it: all the thimbles had a small hole in the top — they were probably Strang 

 together as ornaments: the beads were of different kinds, and unlike any we had before 

 seen. It is thought that a sliort distance from where the excavation was made towards 

 the river, the earth would be found to be filled with these cuxiosities.— Columbia Spy. 

 Donegal East.— Bounded N. by Mount Joy, K E. by Rapho, E. by W. Hempfield, 

 S. by the Susquehanna River, W. by Conoy and W. Donegal. It is bounded East by 

 Little Chiques Creek and Share's run. Area, 14,123 acres; Population in 1860, 2,783i Tax- 



