The McClure’s were the very first European settlers in what would eventually become Bloomsburg. Mrs. McClure (formerly Mary Espy) gave birth to four children there but sadly her husband, James, passed away sometime in late 1777 or early 1778. After the Battle of Wyoming upriver, the widow took her children and her friend Mrs. Stuart via raft to the safer Lancaster area. In the years that followed, the family returned, a stockade was built and completed by Moses Van Campen in 1781. Major Van Campen eventually married the eldest McClure daughter in 1783 and took charge of the McClure farm. The first room was probably not the original cabin, but it’s the oldest part of the property, with the rest of the house added later as hard work and perseverance
the river a constant threat of natural and man-made disasters. Or what it was like facing a snow storm and not knowing when it would end. Would the supplies last? What would you do if everyone got sick? My own grand-mother, in her cabin with two young children, had far more security than these folks. Beyond the first room, the house expanded in the 1800s with addition of the Federalist style rooms and second floor. The stockade that surrounded it when it was Fort McClure is lost to time. Over the years, it passed down through the family until it was sold to the Town in 1907 and in 1955 the deed was given to the Fort McClure Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR). The DAR currently owns and maintains the McClure House.
There is far more fascinating history that goes with this unassuming little house by the river, but I’ll let the learned ladies from DAR tell you in person, they’ll do a far better job at bringing it alive than I can on the page. This beautiful and obviously very well-cared for house is a fantastic visit and we’re lucky to have such a place right here. It’s a must visit for the America 250 celebrations this year and is also home to one of the 67 Liberty Trees planted last year. These trees are in commemoration of the original Liberty Trees, gathering places for Sons of Liberty
"A family of six would have all lived and slept in that single room."
LITTLE HOUSE ON THE RIVERBANK Jenn Puckett,
allowed. The first and most obvious thing about the “Log Room” is the enormous fireplace and hearth. The stone behemoth occupies and entire wall and my very knowledgeable guide Gay told me the family would have never let the fire go out if it could be avoided, as fire was essential to all heating and cooking. A family of six would have all lived and slept in that single room. The house today is surrounded by roads, parks, fields and walking paths with the Susquehanna placidly flowing by. I tried to imagine no friendly neighbors for miles;
during the Revolutionary War. There is one tree for each Pennsylvania County; this is the location of the Columbia County Tree! (You can find the Montour County Liberty Tree at Canal Park.) One more fun fact: the birth of James McClure Jr. in 1774 was the first child of European settlers born in the area. My Grammy wasn’t around just yet, but as far as I could tell, there is no historical documentation about his ears. I’m sure Ma McClure had other things to worry about. ❚
When my grandmother met my then-infant son, her first comment after holding and cooing at him was “He’s got nice ears, they’re good and flat on his head. Some of these kids…” she shook her head, remembering the bat-eared babies of yesteryear. “Well, they used to tape them down back in my day.” I never knew what my Grammy would say about any given thing. After she was done thinking about household items for baby beauty enhancements, she asked how motherhood was treating me. I told her I was very tired, but getting the hang of it. I asked her what it was like for her when her first two children were born. She told me about the cabin she lived in, alone with two babies and no running water or electricity. She didn’t know if her husband would ever come home from the fighting overseas. She didn’t have a car or a telephone. She had a sister that came
once a week to take her to the store. I couldn’t imagine not having access to disposable diapers at that point in my motherhood journey, let alone having to haul water, then heat water, to wash them out with no help. It was a pretty humbling moment and certainly made me feel a lot more grateful for the relative ease of my life. I thought about that moment many years later when I was standing in the first room of the McClure House. I’ve toured mansions and visited notable historic places before and they are always fascinating to step back in time for just an hour or so. You can find yourself marveling at the gorgeous woodwork on the grand staircase and the complicated system of how servants were summoned. The McClure House was a place where everybody worked, nothing was certain and danger was everywhere.
Come out for the "Meet the Modern Patriots” festival on the front lawn of Ft. McClure on Armed Forces Day (Saturday, May 16th from 10 am to 4 pm.) Free tours of the Fort McClure House throughout the day and the Catawissa Military Band Concert at 2pm. Attendees will include Civil Air Patrol Cadets - Blooms-burg Airport, Catawissa Veterans of Foreign Wars, American Legion Bloomsburg Post 273, Stuart Tank Museum and many others. Additional public tours of the house are scheduled for April 11, May 13 and July 2. Visit the dedicated America250 calendar of events on our website for more exciting happenings!
COLUMBIA MONTOUR Quarterly
4
5
April–June • 2026
Powered by FlippingBook