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 Time Line of Southampton Township

1625 - Thomas Powell's Expedition arrived from Jamestown, Virginia​

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1728 - The first 13 settlers arrived.

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1737 - Joseph Powell built a Trading Post on Little Sweet Root.  About the same time, his cousin Robert Ray opened his Trading Post near Bedford.

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1737 - Huff discovered the Saltpeter Cave in Sweet Root Gap.  The saltpeter was used to make gunpowder during the Revolutionary War.

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1764 - Mason & Dixon were commissioned to survey and mark the boundary between the future states of Maryland and Pennsylvania.

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1758 - Indians invaded Chaneysville.

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1758 - Fort Bedford was constructed.

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1766 - Village of Bedford was surveyed.  Bedford was named for the Duke of Bedford.  Before that time, it was known as Raystown, probably because of Robert Ray's Trading Post.

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1771 - Bedford County was formed on March 9th of that year.

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1787 - Pennsylvania became the second State.  Eventually, it was divided in to 67 counties.

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1799 - Southampton Township was organized from Colerain and Providence Townships.

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1806 - First log school was built.

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1824 - Mount Zion Christian Church was built, followed by many more churches.

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1830 - Chaneysville was named after Thomas Chaney Jr., who built the first house/inn/tavern.  His family had moved here in 1786 from Washington County, Maryland.

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1840 - Monroe Township seceded from Southampton and Providence Townships.

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1840 - William Perdew, a Revolutionary War veteran, died.  He had built the first brick house in Beans Cove.

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1852 - Elbinsville Post Office opened.

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1855 - Chaneysville Post Office opened.

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1862 - Confederate cavalry scouts entered Black Valley from Flintstone, Maryland, and camped near Chaneysville.

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1869 - New framed schools were built around our township.

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1872 - Beans Cove Post Office opened.

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1876 - Mann Township seceded from Southampton Township.

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1879 - Hewitt Covered Bridge was approved for use.

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1897 - Hewitt Post Office opened.

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1921 - Forester W. Byers had the Martin Hill Fire Tower built.

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1930 - Someone started a fire on Tussey Mountain that burned 1150 acres on May 4th & 5th.

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1935 - CCC camps were set up in Sweet Root and Blankley Parks.

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1949 - PTA was organized

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1954 - Chaneysville Elementary School opened.  Cove was added to the name in 1972.

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1957 - Sweet Root Park opened in July.

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1960 - Chaneysville Volunteer Fire Company received their charter in January.

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1981 - David Bradley wrote the novel "The Chaneysville Incident", a story of 13 runaway slaves who are buried in the Imes Family Cemetary.

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1986 - Sponsored by the Chaneysville Seniors, Mabel Hoffman was crowned "Ms. Senior Pennsylvania (Honoring women 60 and over).

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1987 - April 1st, in Atlantic City, Mabel Hoffman won the title of "Ms. Senior America".

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1992 - September 14th, the Ku Klux Klan held a cross burning rally near Chaneysville.

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2000 - Hewitt Covered Bridge restored.

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2002 - On March 16th, the Martin Hill Fire Tower (built in 1921) was quietly removed.

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