Towanda Township

Towanda Township History

Towanda was one of the original Townships, which was organized before the establishment of Bradford County.

The American Indians were the first to engage in agriculture in Bradford County. They cleared patches along the river and the larger creeks where they raised corn, beans, pumpkins, squash, and tobacco. The first pioneers coming into the wilderness of Bradford County were chiefly there to start an agricultural lifestyle.
Rudolf Fox was the first to settle in what was to become Bradford County.  In 1770, Fox and his family had built a bark covered cabin in Towanda Township on the west flats near the mouth of Towanda Creek, just south of what was to become Towanda Borough.  In 1788, Mr. Fox and his family fled the area to Sunbury after an Indian friend warned them of an impending attack by hostile Native Americans who had just entered the area.  Upon his return from the “Big Runaway” in 1783, he rebuilt his ruined cabin.

A short time later, the original land that Rudolf Fox had purchased from the Indians was parceled off to others in connection with himself.  In the end, Rudolf Fox ended up with 400 acres, which was patented to him in 1792 as “Fox Chase”.

The northern most boundary of the current APE is situated along what would have been a portion of the south boundary of “Fox Chase”.  The portion of the APE located in Towanda Township consists of parcels of land that were patented to early settlers in and around 1785.

There is a historical site located in Towanda Township, The Markoe Site(36Br216).  Records indicate that the Markoe Site was not inhabited any earlier than 1788.  John Steinmetz, had obtained the property in 1788, from Peter Markoe for 7 shillings, 11 pence.  At some point, John Steinmetz leased a portion to Casper Singer, who cleared the land, and built a cabin.  Both the historical and archaeological documentation of this site coincide with regard to the early know settlement of the area.  The presence of both creamware and pearlware are among some of the diagnostics to be expected from any site that is associated with the early settlement of this area immediately following the Revolutionary War.

Towanda Township would later be established on January 18, 1808.