Lehman Township, Luzerne County, Pennsylvania
History
Native American raids
On March 28, 1780, John Rogers and Asa Upson were producing sugar a short distance above the mouth of Hunlock Creek, when they were suddenly surrounded and captured by Native Americans. Upson was killed and Rogers was carried off. The attackers then proceeded to where Abram Pike was making sugar (near the modern-day Village of Pikes Creek); they captured Pike and his wife.
The following day, the Native Americans advanced on the Village of Orange, where they captured Moses Van Campen, his father, and Peter Pence. The captors killed Moses’ father. They transported the prisoners to the mouth of Wysox Creek, where John Rogers managed to steal a knife from one of the Native Americans; he cut his fellow prisoners loose. The detainees proceeded to attack their captors. Some Native Americans were killed in the struggle while others managed to escape.
Establishment
Nehemiah Ide and Jeremiah Brown are believed to be the first white settlers in modern-day Lehman Township; they moved to the region in 1801. Lehman Township was formed from a section of Dallas Township in 1829; it is named in honor of Dr. William Lehman.
Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the township has a total area of 23.2 square miles (60.1 km), of which 21.9 square miles (56.8 km) is land and 1.3 square miles (3.3 km), or 5.47%, is water. It is drained by the Susquehanna River via Harveys, Hunlock, and Huntsville creeks. Other bodies of water include Lake Silkworth, Pikes Creek Reservoir, and Huntsville Reservoir. The township consists of several small villages: Huntsville (also in Jackson Township), Lehman, Meeker, and Silkworth. PA 29, PA 118, and PA 415 are a few major routes in the community. Most of the municipality consists of hills, thick forests, and farmland.
Neighboring municipalities
- Dallas (east)
- Dallas Township (east and northeast)
- Harveys Lake (north)
- Lake Township (northwest)
- Ross Township (west)
- Hunlock Township (southwest)
- Plymouth Township (south)
- Jackson Township (southeast)