Orangeville Longitude/Latitude: 41.0781 N / 76.4147 W Knob Mountain Main Street Orangeville - 1911 The town of Orangeville was settled in 1822 by Clemuel G. Ricketts who first had the idea of starting a town at the foot of Knob Mountain. He bought the land that was to become the town that year, although there were several farm houses already in the immediate area. One farmstead was that of Abram Kline who arrived in the area in about 1785. Also in 1822, Elisha Boon bought two parcels of land from Ricketts and built a home and a tannery. Soon after, he opened a store in the house. Despite reports and sightings locally of black bear, the town began to grow, many homes being built by John Unger after his arrival in 1824. A post office opened soon, and residents began to debate the name of the town. There was some discussion of calling it Knobtown because of its location and Rickettsville for its founder. In the end they named it Orangeville because many of the early residents came from Orange county New York and Orange, New Jersey. Orangeville has contained a number of industries and businesses. The tannery opened by Elisha Boon continued to operate for many years. A distillery also operated in town, as did a very successful manufacturing firm that made farming equipment. The first undertaking establishment in the region opened in Orangeville in 1853 and it also made furniture for many years. The town also boasted a shoemaking factory, a flour mill, and even a hydro-electric plant that was later bought by PP&L. At one time, the town had two railroads passing through it. The Wilkes-Barre and Western Railroad came through in 1891, running east from Watsontown. Despite its name, it never went as far as Wilkes-Barre. The Bloomsburg and Sullivan Railroad also included an Orangeville Branch. An interesting piece of history is the Orangeville Male and Female Academy. This school was founded in 1858 and originally operated in the public school building, opening with thirty-two students. Within a year or two, a corporation had formed and sold stock in order to build the academy its own building. This building was erected in 1861. At the close of the Civil War, the state government set up schools to educate and care for orphans of soldiers, and Orangeville Academy was turned into a "Soldiers' Orphan School." While a dormitory was being built to house the students, local residents opened to their homes to the children. The "Home" for orphans opened in 1866. However, unfavorable reports about the school led state authorities to order the school closed and the children removed from Orangeville. The minister in charge fought the closure and the state senate awarded him $10,000 in lost income because the actions of the state supervised appeared to have been unwarranted. The school opened again in 1870, and continued to operate until 1894. At one time, students came from many communities and even other states to receive their education. The building eventually became the Orangeville High School. While Orangeville never grew into a large town, it did at one time have several schools, a number of churches, and quite a few stores, banks, and other businesses. The population of the town has remained small, but the businesses provide goods and services to the largely agricultural township. Today there are still shops, banks, churches, a library, a nursery home, and a number of fine historic buildings. by Brisa