Market Street at Horn Railroad Property

On April 13, 1883, Simon Martz sold to Vandine Martz a two-story frame building, out building, and lot (36 perches and 65 feet), in Upper Augusta Township for "$10 and further consideration of love and affection". The property is on the north side of Market Street (51 feet), bordered on the west by the "horn" railroad (208 feet) and the east by properties of Marks Kauffman and J. Lenker. A year and a half later on October 3, 1884 the Sunbury Weekly News observes "Van. Martz has been improving his residence in Purdytown", the eastern suburb of Sunbury developed by Truman Purdy. Presumably, he has been building the second house (below) at the north end of the property shown in the drawing from an 1889 map of Sunbury (right and below).

On November 28, 1888 Vandine Martz sold this property to A.N. Brice for $2000. It is described as a two-story frame building in Upper Augusta Township, "beginning at a corner of a lot of Marks Kauffman, then along lands of same and John B. Lenker 208 feet to a post thence by lands of the said John B. Lenker 51 feet to the railroad, commonly called the "Horn", a branch of the Shamokin Valley Railroad, thence along said railroad its several courses a distance 209 feet to the Center Turnpike or Market Street extended thence along said Market Street extended 40 feet to place of beginning, containing 36 perches and 65 feet of ground, whereon is erected a two-story frame dwelling house and outbuildings and also an additional frame dwelling house." The sale is recorded in Northumberland County Deed Book 100, p. 182

A map of Sunbury dated 1900 shows exactly the same three buildings as the 1889 map (above) including the original frame house and out building that fronted on Market Street. Unfortunately, there are no known extant photos of them and a three-story brick house (below) apparently built by a subsequent owner sometime after 1900 now stands in their place.