Bloomsburg

Bloomsburg, a town and the county-seat of Columbia county, Pennsylvania, U.S.A., on Fishing Creek, 2 m. from its confluence with the Susquehanna, and about 40 m. S.W. of Wilkes-Barre. Pop. (1890) 4635; (1900) 6170 (213 foreign-born); (1910) 7413. It is served by the Delaware, Lackawanna & Western, the Philadelphia & Reading, and the Bloomsburg & Sullivan and the Susquehanna, Bloomsburg & Berwick railways (the last two only 30 m. and 39 m. long respectively); and is connected with Berwick, Catawissa and Danville by electric lines. The town is built on a bluff commanding extensive views. Among the manufactures of Bloomsburg are railway cars, carriages, silk and woollen goods, furniture, carpets, wire-drawing machines and gun carriages. Iron ore was formerly obtained from the neighbouring hills. The town is the seat of a state normal school, established as such in 1869. Bloomsburg was laid out as a town in 1802, became the county-seat in 1846, and was incorporated in 1870.